The mayor of the town, Moshinsky, was passing by at that time, and young Glossman, who was very well known to him, applied to him to intercede and tell the Cossacks whether he was a bolshevik. But Moshinsky went on, pretending not to hear the entreaty. This is a characteristic incident.
The Cossacks dispersed about the town, and in parties entered the houses, stole money and property, beat up old men, violated women, and killed young Jews. Many of those whom they prepared to shoot bought their safety with money, the price of the ransom being very considerable. Thus, late in the evening, a number of Cossacks appeared in the house of Rosenmann. In this house, besides the old mother and two daughters, were two sons, one of whom had for several weeks been lying sick abed. The son who was well they took for a Russian (he is, in fact, not Jewish in appearance), and told him to go, but, finding that he was a son of the house, detained him. They also demanded that the sick son should get dressed and go with them. But, having convinced themselves that he was really seriously sick and could not get up, they contented themselves with leaving one Cossack by his bedside; the well son they took out into the yard, where the other Cossacks were waiting for them. There they stood him up against a wall, and one Cossack loaded his
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gun. The young man began to beg them not to kill him, promising a large ransom. "Give us twelve thousand," demanded one of the Cossacks. The young man assured them that his family would pay this sum for him. Then the Cossacks led him into the house, where his mother and sisters lay in a deep swoon. They brought the women to consciousness, and the women began to search the house for money. But only two thousand rubles were found in the house. The Cossacks consented to take this money on condition that the remaining 10,000 rubles should be paid on the next day by 10 A.M. They said they would appear at this time, and if the money should not be handed over they would kill all.
In fact, on the next morning at the appointed time two Cossacks appeared, and, having received the 10,000 rubles as agreed, they declared that the Rosenmanns could now live in peace, since their names would be recorded at headquarters and no one would disturb them further. The Cossacks kept their word. The Rosenmanns were not troubled further, whereas visits were made to other Jews by different parties of Cossacks, the later parties taking whatever their predecessors had failed to get. The Cossacks disdained absolutely nothing; they took off the Jews' clothing and shoes. It is characteristic that the Cossack who led out Rosenmann to shoot him gave the impression of being a cultivated man; he had clean hands, and valuable rings shone on them. He spoke with a marked Polish accent. (Testimony of Rosenmann, p. 27.)