On Sunday October 16/29 1905 when we came out of church there was great excitement in the streets, so much so that Mr. Harris insisted upon taking me home as I was alone. Trams were emptied and turned over, no droshkies allowed, people ordered out of their carriages and made to walk by students and schoolboys! Strikes on all sides and great unrest. I stopped all the time with the children as the “Bonne” was out, she came in at 7 p.m. escorted by her brother saying that she had seen in the Cathedral Square Cossacks beating students horribly, anyone in a uniform seemed to be a target for them!
Monday 17/30. Fearful reports on all sides; got provisions for several days, plenty of flour and yeast. Allowed the children to walk in front of the house only and for half an hour. Today being the Borki holiday, flags flying: I.e. the miraculous escape of the present Emperor when “Tsarevitch” and the Imperial Family in the train disaster. Now and then an occasional shot and in the night distinctly heard a volley so could nt sleep.
Tuesday 18/31. A beautiful morning, so fine and balmy; about 10 a.m. we were startled by cries and an uproar in the street, at last everything became more distinct and we could distinguish that the shouts were “Hurrah!” so we naturally came to the conclusion that the Constitution had been granted. Our clerk - Moses Isaakovitch - came to tell us that the Imperial Manifest was not official but that there was great joy all over. I wanted to go to the Boulevard so we started to walk, everybody bowed as they passed and waved their handkerchiefs, the trams were bordered by crowds of youths and students waving red flags and shrieking themselves hoarse with delight. We approached the corner of Richelieu St. when lo the crowd fled in all directions, we sheltered in a porte-cochere as some Cossacks with bayonets fixed flashed by! Immediately they passed the people were spreading again like ants, we walked another two “quartals” and then the same panic tho’ it was only a Patrol of Mounted Infantry. We then got a droshky and rode to the Boulevard, passing many patrols who only prevented people gathering in knots and talking.
Moses waited while I talked with Mamma and Marie and then we returned home in a droshky. Rejoicing everywhere, the children insisted on bows of red tissue paper being put on and we drank to the health of the Constitution.
Everything seemed so joyful that I sallied forth with the Bonne and the children to see the fun. We walked down Richelieu St. till we got to the Poste and then turned back; the crowds consisted chiefly of schoolboys, “Coursistki” and students who acted in an idiotic manner with their red flags and red banners and bits of red cloth pinned on as buttonholes. All these joined in a dense mass and then went to the Commander of the Forces - Baron Kaulbar’s - house, when he came out they yelled: “Down with the Bloody Tsar. Down with Murderers and Thieves who rob us and our children” etc! “We want no Police, no interference and we want Liberty and our rights” etc. etc.
Kaulbars seemed to agree with them, did not have the crowd dispersed, dismissed them smilingly and altogether acted rather strangely. In the meantime all the Police were relieved of their duty and dispersed to do (what?). They put on civil clothes and made for the Dalmitskaya where they were joined by the mob who attacked the poor Jews not only in their shops but in their houses!
No soldiers to be seen anywhere, and the riff-raff, Bossiaki or Hooligans - who did all the damage in the Potiomkin days - were let loose in the town and directed by the Police what houses and shops to attack I.e. only Jews, those who had paid big sums of money were protected, the others left to their fate, for who could protect the places; only a band of 10,000 young men, mostly Jews ofself-protectionists called “Sammooboronni” preserved anything; and it is to our particular band of about 100 that I owe my life and my childrens’ as our house belonging to a rich Jew called Shpolianski gave nothing to the Police and I for instance who had done nothing to either Shpolianski or the Police might have died a horrible death, having my children killed first, for that was the favourite method of torturing before despatching parents. Well to continue, in order, Moses came in about four looking troubled, he said he feared the Jews (mind as I said, mostly the crowd consisted of youths and girls and students) were making fools of themselves and that there would be trouble. I asked him to sleep on the sofa in the study as I really felt anxious and could not sleep for the occasional firing.
Wednesday 19 October/ 1 November 1905. Got a few provisions near, would not allow Stiesha (my general) to go to the old Bazaar tho’ it was so near. Great excitement in the streets and distant shots, the “Sammooboronni” patrolling our street and challenging every passer-by or conveyance of any description, if they did not stop they were shot at. Moses and band, on duty in front of my house, their beat from Kanatnaia to Richelieu St. along the Bol. Arnaoutskaia. He came to say he feared trouble. I invited him to bring his folks along. Firing began about 3 p.m.; they all came about five, Father, Mother, three sisters and a brother of ten and 3 nephews from 1 year to 5; 10 Jews in all and ourselves made 17 in the house. The 3 children and myself, 3 servants and sewing woman. Moses I don’t count as he only kept coming in. Firing all the evening, the Hooligans came in hundreds to attack our house but were kept off by our brave band and bravest of all was Moses, a small man about 25 with glorious black eyes and good looking, all the family is! all with those wonderful eyes! (that’s in parenthesis). They fired with their revolvers (the only weapon they had on their persons) and then threw bombs, what could a hundred do against hundreds.
Every extra mattress and pillow was taken up, I took my three children in my own room and gave up Nursery and Study to the others. All the children were put to bed and told - the little ones - that it was a prasdnik and therefore the fireworks were being let off; they seemed to think that the fireworks made a lot of noise!! poor mites. I insisted on the Drawing Room being kept dark as it is on the street; all the grown ups stood at the balcony window listening to the firing at the corner - they could not actually see what was going on, as our windows are on the Bol. Arnaoutskaia and the actual skirmishes took place at the corner of Pouschkinskaia, the shrieks and wails of the mob, the cries of the wounded, the horn of the “Skoraia Pomoshk” and the droshkies with the Red Cross who came to assist. It was too awful. I now and then went, but was mostly roaming about, talking to one or the other and trying to keep them calm. Moses came once or twice looking terrible, he told me afterwards he felt like a wild beast; once he had killed several he had the thirst for blood.
That never ending night at last finished and I had a cool bath (25) to calm me at 5 a.m. During the night all the grown ups were all dressed of course, in case of anything. What I feared the most was fire, that some fiend finding they could do nothing else might set fire to the place but then I did not know what a very brave band ours was. I knew Moses would be shot before he gave up, but then I also knew he might any moment fall being afraid of nothing, but he seemed to lead a charmed life, bullets twice just escaped him by a hair’s breadth and once a tall ruffian nearly felled him to the ground with a club and he dodged and just got a comparatively slight blow on his back.
Thursday 20 October / 2 November. At 5 a.m. on Thursday 20/2 servants were seen hurrying to buy provisions and so I let mine go too. She got some bread and had to run for it, for everyone wanted to stop her, they had not been so fortunate.
I forgot to mention that last night at 11 p.m. a family of Jews from the ground floor implored to be taken in for the children were all crying from fear. I did not hesitate and asked them only to bring their pillows, so the six children lay in a row on my Drawing Room carpet and the mother sat in an armchair while the father stood protecting the front door on the street.
To return to Thursday, at about 9 a.m. occasional shots were heard and we wondered how all would end. In the afternoon I tried to go to the Boulevard with the children on foot, but was turned back immediately by the “Band” and looked upon as slightly crazy I think. I had heard that my parents were very anxious about us so I tried to go to them and failed of course and then I telephoned to them saying I was well protected. A little before six Moses came in looking like a death’s head so I insisted on him eating and resting. At half past seven he got up and his parents entreated me not to let him out. I promptly locked up the keys and waited for him. He came and asked for the keys and said “Mrs Platts, you of all people wish to keep me from doing my Duty, do you know that for this desertion of my duty I may be shot tomorrow by my comrades? Naturally I gave him the keys and let him go, the firing had just begun with renewed vigour. That was at 8 p.m. on Thursday October 20th. I shall never forget that, which I must call the “bloody half hour”. The Police meant our house to be devastated, the Hooligans had only come up a few hundred at a time before, now there must have been over 2000, so what could about 80 young fellows do to protect themselves and us but throw bombs, and they did with a vengeance, for that awful half hour they never stopped poor things and many lost their lives or were wounded very seriously - after that only 38 were left. First the din of the bombs, the firing at close quarters, the yells of the mob and the shrieks of the wounded, the horn of the Ckop. Tom. I shall never forget to my dying day and even now a week after I cannot sleep, for as soon as all is quiet I imagine I hear those awful sounds, they haunt me.
That was outside. Now to look into our apartment. Just after 8 p.m. three shots were fired from our yard notifying to our Band outside, that the women in the yard were hidden in the cellar etc. and that the men were armed and ready if the mob could not be repulsed and came into the yard, there are several small apartments all of course inhabited by Jews. One of my servants tore into the dining room where most of us were and shrieked out “The Hooligans are in the yard”.
Tableau 1. Scared faces and trembling limbs, all the children terrified, the baby finding the expression of everybody’s face not what he was used to, start to cry and the little ones follow suit. One servant ran to the neighbours who are Greek and had no “cursed” Jews like mad Mrs. Platts in her house, one tore her hair and wept on the loft, the other (aged 14) followed suit and Shisha (?Stiesha) began to cry and wanted to know what we should do. I answered firstly Pray, and secondly, don’t stand still and listen, but “help me to make up the beds”; all the rest I ordered to amuse the children, I quickly brought about 10 bound Punches and made them sit round the Dining Room Table. At last Stanley who had been put to bed woke and gave shriek upon shriek saying: “Mother, I don’t like such fireworks I think you are wrong, somebody must be firing cannon”. I pacified him as well as I could and waited for Moses, when he came in about a quarter to nine without a scratch. I of course made a fool of myself and fainted with relief.
The night between Thursday and Friday was comparatively calm, stray shots now and then and much to my relief Moses did not need to go out, but lay down on the Dining Room carpet with his overcoat on, ready for any signal, he was worn out and looked dreadful. We had a long talk and he told me that the Jews had been expecting this for 2 years.
Friday 21/3. At 6 a.m. we dressed the children and sallied forth to walk, one, the nurse asking every passer by was it safe to go down Poushkia? I took no notice and went on saying that neither a regiment of soldiers or a band of Hooligans would attack three children and three women! We got safely to the Boulevard, much to Mamma’s and Marie’s joy and our own. They also had some refugees, their landlord and his wife and family, eight of them. They were very nice and talked well, so the day passed with horrible rumours and distant firing. From the Boulevard very little was heard, occasional shooting, but nothing to speak of.
Saturday 22/4. We heard nothing but rumours of every kind and only in the afternoon was the town put under Martial Law and people felt that they could dare to walk about in the streets. Remember, I am writing my personal experiences so please don’t think this very egotistical and when on Friday I came to the Boulevard it seemed such a Haven of Refuge and away from all horrors, that I was overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratitude to be away from everything horrible. Naturally not being housekeeper I had no trouble about getting provisions for such a large family, but Mamma was helped by the Berticks who sent in bread and other things necessary for our common consumption, they did what they could.
On Sunday morning Marie went to Church with young Dunlop whom we met and I for a walk with Monsieur Georges while waiting for their carriage. We then drove to have a look at my apartment and the devastation everywhere made one’s heart ache.
On Monday the Berticks left with benedictions upon Papa and his family. Ever since we have been out only in the daytime and just in the town, knowing that the slightest excitement in the streets would be put down by the soldiers patrolling about immediately and indeed there are printed announcements of the fact on all available telegraph posts.
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