Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-11-01

The Sunday Mercury recently contain
ed an account Of the conviction Of a /
Canadian. named Henry e. Davies, and
several English eonfederates, ut st. |
Petersburg, where they'h had broken into
st. 1saac's Church and into the museum
of the Imperial winter palace, stealing
from there large quantity Of precious
stones. Davies, formerly a'resitaent OF
New York, employed by firm dealing
in fire-proof safes, was sentenced to
penal servitude for life in the gold mines
of the Ural, and arrived at the Dirgoroy
Station. The governor of the penal
colony told Davis that misconduct on
his part would be vigorously punished
with the notzi (the terrible whip with
which Russian convicts are lashed).
Davies during the first, week worked
quietly in the. mine. However, 1t be-
came apparent to the keepers that an in
dependent spirit began to prevail among
the members of this gang; and one day,
during the half hour allowed for dinner,
all of them suddenly @sprang to their
feet and broke their chains. which had
previously been FLED through, and at
tackled sheir, four keepers, Davies being
their leader. In a few, minutes they
had been beaten and stoned to death,
and nine of the convictS armed them
selves with their sabres. The mine was
the most distant from Dirgoroy, where
half company of infantry was station
ed. The victorious convicts resolved
to steal cautiously to the next mine, aud
there raise revolt. They succeeded
there likewise, the keepers being over
convicts in front and rear. There were
seventy convicts in this" mine, and it
took some time before they were freed.
Davies had now at his command upward
of one hundred men, twelve, of whom
were armed with reyolvers. This des-
perate gang now rushed out of the mine
toward the barracks, hoping to surprise
the Governor and the soldiers. The
running convicts came near the first
fence of the barracks before the sentinel
noticed them. While they were scaling
it. they were seen by the sentinel, who
Immediately fired off his gun. All the
soldiers and the Governor rushed out of
the building, and the Governor ordered
the soldiers to fire at the c0nvicts. But
Davies had expected this, and he 0rder--
ed the convicts to lie down. Thus the
first volley proved entirely harmless.
The Governor then advanced, and des-s
perate hand-to-hand struggle ensued.
Both sides fought like tigers, and the
ground was soon strewn with wounded
men. :. Finally only some forty of the,
convicts were left on, their feet, and,
notwithstanding Davies frantic appeals
to fight on, they took to their heels, and
Davies, who had fired all the barrels of
his revolver, was compelled to follow
them, The fugitives took refuge in the
second mine, where they were soon shut
up, as in trap. The Governor shouted
to the convicts to surrender, promising
to spare their lives in that event. About
thirty of them yielded and left the mine.
Davies doggedly refused to surrender
On the following day all the other con-
victs surrendered likewise, and Davies
was left alone. He was already faint
with hunger and thirst; but his defiant
spirit did not give way. The Governor
evidently intended THAT he should perish
in the mine. He did not send any of
his men into it until the evening of the
third day. They found Davies dead.
His face was horribly distorted; having
had nothing to drink for eighty hours,
his sufferings must have been frightful.
The convicts received each fifty lashes.
Nineteen of them were killed in the first
struggle. The soldiers lost seven men.