Cossack bloodshed

The following story is based upon a real life account written by Forrest Frank based upon a story by Captain John Helm Gibson. These appeared in the Scarborough Daily Post in 1920 as part of the 'Sea Dogs' stories by Forrest Frank.

Batum is a very cosmopolitan place, where all the rag tag and bob tail of the Near East has been gathered together, and it is the only place I have been in where everybody goes about armed. Street fights and killings are daily occurrences. It was February when we were at Batum, and we witnessed the religious ceremony of "The blessing of the waters" which is celebrated in that month. Our vessel was moored stern on to a small jetty, at a distance from it of about 50 feet, and as the rite was performed by the Bishop on this jetty, I had a good view of the whole proceedings and of the terrible events which followed. The Bishop descended by some steps to the sea and dipped a large crucifix in the water, which was the signal for some hundreds of the faithful who were gathered about our ship in scores of little boats to leap overboard, despite the winterly chill of the water, and swim to the place which had been blessed. These men were evidently of the seafaring fraternity. On shore, where the beach shelved very sharply, there was gathered a vast crowd of people pressing towards the entrance to the jetty, which was decorated with myrtle, Russian troops were drawn in to keep a passage way. In addition to several small pieces of artillery and companies of guards or infantry, there was a troop of mounted cossacks. The people pressed close to these, and the Cossack officer in charge made a sign indicating that a clearance was desired. A section of the troops simply turned and rode into the people knee to knee, so that dozens were either driven backwards into the water or trampled underfoot. In the crowd was a small company of Mussulmans, and one of these got a nasty slash with a Cossack whip. Another Massulman, on this, picked up a stone, and throwing it at the assailant, struck him in the face. At the same moment a second Cossack drew his sword and rode at the stone thrower, who dodged through the crowd - which meanwhile was being pretty considerably trodden on - and bolted up a narrow passage between a row of houses set in gardens, bounded by a three foot wall. The Massulman was just in the act of jumping over this, when the Cossack overtook him and sliced him clean in half with his sword. Two of the dead man's friends rushed up with stones in their hands, when the Cossack drew his revolver and shot them both dead. All this took place close to and and in full view of our ship, and seemed to be nothing out of the way, as the bishop proceeded with due solemnity to bless two barrels of water which had been placed for that purpose at the jetty end near our mooring ropes.



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