Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-04-15
A Siberian Execution.

A number of political exiles having al
tempted rising against the Russian au
thorites, number were made prisoners,
and seven of the leaders sentenced to
seren thousand blows of the stick each:
At length a decision acceptable at Pc,
tersbnrg was arrived at, by which the
prior Sierocinski, Druzdzalowski, Zab-
Iourski, Szokalski, Gorski or Zagorski ia
former officer of Napoleon, more than
sixty years old,) who had all been draft
ed into the ranks of the Siberian army,
and the Russian Mieledyn were condemn
ed each to 1000 blows with the stick
without mercy. If any one out of the
number outived the sentence he was to
be sent to the Nerchinsk mines for the
rest of his life. The great mass of per.
sons implicated were variousy condemn
ed to 1900, 1000 or 500 blows with the
stick, and those who survived to be sent,
in some cases, to hard labor for life; in
others, for a number Of years to penal
colonization; and others again for a mill
tary service in the more distant garrison.
The day for the terrible fulGlment of the
Imperial will at length approached. 1t
was in March, 1897 the scene Omsk.
General Galafeyef, man after the EN-.
perors own heart, had been dispatched
from ST. Petersburg as his alte, ego, to
supcrintend the execution, and See that it
was carried out in its fall severity. AT
daybreall two batsalions of a thousand
men marched out-of Omsk-one charged
with the murder of those condemned to
1000 blows; the other with the execution
of lesser sentences. The cxecutioner
Galalieyef, superntended the arrange
ments, and remained with the men who
had to give the 1000 strokes. Accord.
ing 10 general usage, the soldiers charged
with such duties, are placed closely shoul-
der to shoulder, and in dealing the blows
but slightly raise the arm from the elbow,
and keep their feet together, as when
standing on parade. The sticks could
only be so thick that three can be drop
ped in carbine barrel, On this occa.
sion all this was reversed. Galafeycf
placed the soldiers at arms length from
each other, made them raise their arms
ligh,in carrying out the sentence, and the
sticks were thrice tic usual weight and
size.
Not one of the six chief offenders out.
lived that day except Szokalski, and he
was struck less hard, and was afterwards
attended by the rcgimcnlal surgeon the
others fell on the snow, stained rcd with
their blood, and either expired beneath
the rods or shortly after wards. Sierocin-
ski was compelled to witness the fate of
his friends ere his own turn came, and he
had long to wait for that deadly walk.
Then his shirt was stripped from his
shoulders, and his hands, according to the
regulations in such cases, fastened to
carbne held by two. soldiers, who thus
compelled him to keep regular step. The
surgeon approached with some restora.
tive cordial-for his health, always deli.
cate, had suffered so much during his
long confinement, that he looked more
like spectre than living man. But.
he had lost no iota of his own strength of
soul, and turning away his head, replied,
" Take my own blood; | do not want
your cordials !; | will not have them. For
ward~ The order to march was given.
The priest entered the street of death,
recting in a low voice, "Misere mel Deus
magnam misericortliam tuam."
" Il Galafcyef shouting frantically,
" Harder! harder strike harder!!" and
the submissive tools of dcspotism obeyed
so well, that Sierocinski after walking
once down the line, and receiving thou.
sand blows, fell insensible, wcltering in
MS blood. He-was lifted to his feet to
all again Immediately; and then hurdle
prepared, for the occasion, was brought.
He was bound on it, knceling, and so
dragged up and down until his sentence
vas fulfilled, He haG given at first a
ew sllrieks Of agony, ard still was breath
ng until the four thousandth blow; the
three thousand were struck On
lis corpse, or rather his now .Aeshless
ZONES. Eye-"ltneSseS assured me that
he flesh was cut in great strips by tic
ods; > the very bones were cut and splin.
cred, and the entrails exposed. sAll 81.
,eria was horror,stricken and indignant
It scene of such unparalleled barbarity
nd the very soldiers who carried out the
entence spoke Of it to me with shud.
er. The dead. the dying, and those who
night yet live, were all conveyed to the
ospital The murdered Poles and one
russian were afterwards thrown into a
ommon grave. A black wooden cross
till marks their resting place inthe lone.
= steppe, and bears witness to the suffer.
lgssof these martyrs of liberty.
This massacre took place in the reign 1
e NJ;.Loto, r. 10 u,bop, H.