Separate groups and whole bands of rebels went around from house to house making searches, hunting for weapons, with the watchword: "Give us the Jew-Communists," and at the same lime looted and killed. It must be said that among the peasant rebels, there were very many quiet and well-behaved persons, who, when they searched, did not harm anyone, and even reassured the people. Much greater zeal was shown in the pogrom by local bourgeois, and other elements which adhered to the rebels for the sake of pillaging and making money. The killings in the overwhelming majority of cases were of the character of shootings. In rare instances disfigurements took place, and murders that were more outspoken in barbarity.
Although.they were searching for communists, Christian communists were not touched. For instance, bandits came into a certain yard searching for one Kutzin, who had once had a work-shop and was now serving in the department of manufactures of the Soviet People's Economy, but who had nothing in common with the communists. They were looking for him because a Russian neighbor had indicated him as a communist. But he was not found. Hereupon someone said that the treasurer of the Extraordinary Committee, named Pavlov, lived there. "Is he a Jew?" immediately asked the bandits. When they received the answer, "No, he's a Russian," they waved their hands and said: "Then we don't want him."
During the pogrom there were scenes and episodes not devoid of interest. The student R. was being dragged off to be shot; they demanded of him: "Give us two revolvers," and no arguments or entreaties of his parents availed. Along with him they seized two other young men, neighbors, and took them away. Suddenly one of the latter fell in a swoon, and there was a pause in the procession; the bandits left them in peace and were on the point of going away. But in a short time they came back after the student R. Finding that he had not fled during the interruption, and that he was ready to go with them, they said in astonishment: "Why, he didn't run away!" and left him in peace.
Women in general were spared, and if among the slain there were about twenty per cent of the female sex, this is explained by the fact that they killed such women as tried to save their husbands, brothers, etc., and clung to the bandits with entreaties and cries.
In the courtyard of Kahan's house were shot nine men and
UMAN:
one pregnant young woman (Zhuravskaia-Kushnir), who was fired upon in the abdomen. This woman rushed to save her husband, and fell, struck down by the bullet. The slayers immediately began to express regret that they had fired upon this beautiful young woman, and even tried to save her; they proposed to her mother to take her to the hospital and have her treated. One in particular was overwhelmed by the voluntary and heroic death of this woman. In many houses which he entered in the further attacks, he gloomily and regretfully said (in Ukrainian): "Ah, we killed a Jewess in the Kahan house; how she looked at me before she died— I shall never, never forget the eyes of that Jewess."
It is hard to determine the exact number of the slain, for the dead were collected by non-Jews and buried in one common grave. Interesting was the superstitious fear of their victims manifested by the pogromists. They began to bury the dead on Wednesday, May 14. The Jews were not yet venturing to go out of the houses; murders were still going on in the city. The authorities took the initiative in the matter of removing the corpses. Several days later, when the Jews were allowed to appear on the streets, the relatives of the dead went to the cemetery to open the common grave and transfer the bodies to separate graves. But a throng of bourgeois (mostly participants in the pogrom) blocked the way and declared that they would not let them go to the cemetery and disturb the corpses. They openly explained their conduct by fear of their victims. "You can't disturb them, or they will be angry and avenge themselves on us," they said. The Jews had to return to the city without accomplishing anything; and the grave remained unopened. It is believed that the number of the killed was three to four hundred.
There were many cases of Jews whom Christians concealed in their homes. For instance a priest named Nikolsky, well-known as a black-hundreder, also concealed Jews and helped them. But in general the average Russian intellectuals were hostile in their attitude and refused refuge. Many were very content with the pogrom and among some parts of the population there was even exultation. This cannot at all be said regarding the Ukrainians, that is the nationalistically inclined Ukrainian population of Uman, who behaved themselves very well and sympathetically to the Jews. As one native of Uman said, "The Ukrainians of Umari are in this respect above all praise."
Some days after the pogrom some one circulated the rumor
UKRAINE
that the Jews had poisoned the water at the tank-house, and that they were giving out poisoned water. Even such persons as Nagorny, the director of the female gymnasium, circulated this rumor. It was necessary to name a commission of physicians, which published a proclamation to the inhabitants saying that the water was drinkable.