ON NEVSKY PROSPECT AND NEAR ALEXANDROVSKY GARDEN*.
“We had attended a gathering of liberals at the Public Library.
It was two o’clock. Reporters were comparing their notes and discussing the conduct of the troops. Suddenly, a pale, trembling messenger burst into the assembly hall and announced that shots were being fired on Nevsky Prospekt. He urged everyone to head for the Winter Palace and share the fate of the comrades already there. The excitement that swept through those present was beyond description. All sprang to their feet and rushed toward Nevsky Prospekt. It was half past two. We had not yet covered even half the distance to the palace when Cossacks halted us, pushed the crowd back, and began to drive it into the side streets. The crowd shouted: “Down with autocracy!”
…“Those who suffered most were the demonstrators gathered in front of Alexandrovsky Garden, facing the Admiralty. They clung to the iron fence and refused to disperse, yet they did not disrupt public order. Then, having had their fill of shoving and beating the crowd, the Cossacks calmly formed up into battle lines. An order to fire was given. The volleys swept away the front ranks of spectators—primarily students. Curses, cries, and screams filled the air. In panic, the crowd broke into a mad dash for safety. About thirty people remained where they fell, slain and wounded, lying on the snow stained crimson with blood before the Winter Palace, upon which the imperial flag flew proudly.
“It is to the credit of the students that they did not flee. They gathered up most of their fallen comrades, laid them on sledges, and transported them away. I walked alongside the sledges, on which two students sat—one of them wounded, clutching the body of a comrade who had been killed. The sight of the latter was horrifying. The crowd followed the sledges bareheaded, crossing themselves and loudly cursing the highest-ranking officials—those whose names had only yesterday been whispered in hushed tones, with bated breath.”