The tranquility of Appelmanstraat was shattered yesterday afternoon by a series of explosions in which one of Antwerp's most historical buildings, the Grand Hall of the Knights of St. Mary, was consumed in a deadly conflagration which resulted from a firefight between a heavily armed bands of men. Witnesses identified one group as a gang of anarchists and the other as a citizen's brigade. Witnesses further claim that the citizen's brigade was led by the American Outlaw known 'Kid Rocket.' The origin and membership of the anarchist gang is less clear.
The Order of the Knights of St. Mary has maintained a hall in this peaceful neighborhood since 1477. Although the current building was erected in 1626, it stands on the site of the original. The Order, which is loosely affiliated with several Lutheran Synods, is dedicated to providing medical aid and religious instruction to travelers. The Order has built and continues to maintain hundreds of schools, hospitals, and libraries around the world. Now, unfortunately, there is one less library in that great humanitarian institution.
The trouble began, according to M. Jourdain, a confectioner, on Keizerstraat in the midafternoon. M. Jourdain's attention was drawn to the street by screams and angry shouts and the sound and galloping horse hooves. He reached his establishment's doorway just in time to see a coachman fall to the pavestones as the carriage hurtled by. He had apparently been hurled to from his seat by a tall, dark suited man who could be seen standing atop the carriage, laughing maniacally as the passengers in the carriage screamed in terror.
"I couldn't understand what was happening," M. Jourdain said. "I have heard of such robberies, but had always thought them exaggerated tales. I hurried to the side of the coachman, to see how badly he was injured and to offer assistance. Alas, he was dead, his neck having been broken by the impact with the ground."
Before the carriage receded completely from sight, M. Jourdain saw at least two of the men inside the carriage attempting to climb atop the vehicle. He presumed that they intended to subdue the madman and regain control of the carriage.
The next stage of the incredible catastrophe was witnessed by M. Monatani, a tailor. M. Monatani had rushed to the window of his shop when he heard screams and a gunshot. He saw pedestrians fleeing the street and sidewalks before the wildly swerving carriage, atop which four men appeared to be fighting. At least one of the men was armed with a sword. While another was armed with a pistol. Three of the men seemed to be, from their clothing, gentlemen of some means. The fourth was dressed as a servant.
"Inside the carriage I could see two women, clinging to each other and shrieking in fear," M. Monatani said. "I could only assume that a bandit was attempting to rob or perhaps kidnap the passengers. The men were fighting valiantly to save them.
"One of the bandits must have been inside the carriage," M. Monatani continued. "For just moments after one of the gentleman shot the bandit on the roof of the carriage, and he fell off the far side, another jumped from inside the speeding carriage with one of the ladies in his clutches. She was struggling and screaming, of course. The bandit must have been a madman, for neither of them could have a hope of surviving the fall to the street at that speed."
The bandits were not the only ones so daring and foolhardy. The servant was seen, by many witnesses, to leap valiantly to the defence of the abducted lady. Even though he must have known the chances of surviving his leap.
One of those witnesses was M. Etienne, a banker, who been walking from an appointment when he saw the carriage came hurtling by. "I was so close, the air disturance of their passage knocked my hat from my head," M. Etienne explained. "I saw that fiend jump from the carriage, holding that poor woman in his vile grip. Then I saw the footman, coming down out of the sky like a falcon diving at prey. He caught the madman and then all three crashed to the ground, making a sickening sound as they tumbled along the pavestones. None of them could have survived that, I thought. Until the fiend, somehow rose to his feet. There, standing above the broken bodies of the lady and her brave servant, he laughed. It was a laugh that shall haunt my dreams to my dying day."
M. Etienne is uncertain what happened next. "I was so overcome with revulsion, anger, and even fear, that I think for a moment I swooned. For the next thing I knew, the madman was gone. And two more carriages had stopped at the scene. A crowd had formed around the bodies. Some people were trying to render medical aid, though I fear it was far too late."
The madman was injured, but not yet finished. He was seen running along Appelmanstraad not long thereafter, by M. Le Bon, a silver smith who had just delivered a commission to a customer and was walking back to his place of business. "I saw this man, in a dark overcoat, with a wild look in his eyes, and dripping a trail of blood, half-running, half-limping, up the street. Other people on the street were shrinking back from the frightful creature. All, that is, save a group of young men who seemed very out of place in that neighborhood.
"They greeted him as if they knew him, and after a whispered conference, they all ran to the doors of the Order of the Knights of St. Mary, and pounded on the doors. I saw a man open the door, and begin to rebuke them for their impatience, when one of the men shoved a rifle in his face. The entire party entered the Hall, closing the door behind them," M. Le Bon explained.
"I hurried up the street and began calling for the police, when I saw four carriages, one of them obviously damaged, come around the corner at a full run. The coachmen had whipped the teams into a frenzy and some of the passengers were leaning out of the carriages, scanning the street as if searching for someone. I realized instantly that they were seeking the madman. I pointed to the great hall and called out that an armed band of ruffians had taken the poor butler prisoner.
"One of the men thanked me as the carriages pulled to a halt in front of the hall. I saw how many of them had guns, and decided to make haste to leave the neighborhood," M. Le Bon finished.
Though several people claim to have seen what happened next, all declined to give their names. It appeared that the group in the carriages was a citizen's brigade, of sorts, lead by Dr. Jebidiah Wilson, also known as ‘Kid Rocket' and his companion Atlas O'Flaherty.
The anarchists barricaded in the great hall began firing their guns at the citizen's brigade. The brigade began firing back. Then here was a series of terrific explosions. More than one witness speculated that the anarchists had decided to destroy themselves and the building in hopes of killing their enemies.
Even as ominous storm clouds began to drop a heavy rain upon the city, the grand hall collapsed amid flames and smoke. At least ten men were killed. Another thirty were seriously wounded. The grand hall was utterly destroyed. Even now, the officials of the fire brigand and the police are still searching the smouldering ruins and finding more bodies within.
The wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, St. Stephens. It is rumoured that many members of the gang of anarchists survived. All hospital personnel have declined to be interviewed. The Antwerp police have prevented the press from talking to any of the survivors still confined within the hospital.
One survivor, M. Mignaud, a neighbor of the grand hall, would not say anything about the men who were taken from the ruin of the building. He did, however, have a great deal to say about one man he met there.
"There was an American doctor," M. Mignaud explained. "They say he is simply traveling through Antwerp on his way to Bavaria. He heard the news of the disaster and came to the hospital to offer his assistance. Just moments after a surgeon examined me and told me I would likely lose the use of my left hand, this Dr. van Zimo came to me and said, ‘Nonsense!' He promised me my hand could be saved, and now look at it!"
M. Mignaud's hand, though heavily bandages, does appear to be fully functional. "I heard from one of the nurses that he worked all through the night, without stopping to rest, performing operations. One of the other doctors said that he is a magician with a scalpel."
Unfortunately, Dr. van Zimo also declined to be interviewed, as well.
M. Duval, the commissary d' gendarme in charge of the case, was equally tight lipped. Nearly all questions concerning the explosion, the attempted abductions, and the other bizarre events of the day were turned aside because the investigation is still in progress.
When specifically asked if this gang of anarchists might be connected with the gang which rumour has it Kid Rocket and Atlas O'Flaherty have been battling in Great Britain, M. Duval refused to comment.
Note from the curator: The reliability of many of the witnesses quoted in this account has been called into question. Not the least of which Monsieur Le Bon, who other newspapers and investigators, though anxious to interview, were never able to locate.
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Contents this page copyright 2003 by Gene Breshears. All Rights Reserved.