Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-21
RUSSIAN PRISONERS.
NihSIists Chained Ia IRON Cages for Trans
EOrtatiOR by Sea.

EkUSS4AG FNASONGkS9s l.
NihSlSsts Chained Sss IRON Cages for Trans.
POrtattOR By Sea.
Vienna Dispatch to London Telegraph.
In communicating the following particu- |
lars respecting the abominable treatment to |
which the Russian nihilist prisoners are sub |
ject, wish to impress upon your readers |
chat, bent upon avoiding all exaggeration or
culoring of facts, I have confined this nara
tive to such statements as I have
been able to derive from I'M
biased and trustworthy persons-eye-
witnesses themselves of the horrors re-
vealed to me. Though my hand qu'vers
With Indignation as I pen this dispatch, not
me charge against the Russian authorities
shall be intensified by any emphasis of my
own. The appalling evidence of Russian
barbarity, of which have obtained posses
lion, is sufficiently eloquent in itself. 1t
cries to heaven for vengeance; but ere that
comes let the rulers of civilized Europe
mediate upon this chapter of human misery
and woe, and let them bid Russia stay the
,ourse of her revolving deeds. During the
second fortnight of last month person
whose testimony is above suspicion, visited
y ship at anchor ut Odes-
So, fitted out for the trans
Jort of nihilist convicts to the Island of
Saehalien. He describes it as man of-war
IF about 1000 tons, freshly painted white.
On going below deck, he found that on
either side of q narrow passage iron barred
cages had been constructed which, ne says,
we're exac ~ similar to those used for Wild
animals. These cages were of different
sizes, and contained from four to twenty
;onvicts each. The rule observed was that
Oh
be unruly were confined in the smaller
cages SO as to be more easily watched. The
Gentleman who visited the ship es-
mates the number of these wretched
people at $50, most of whom had
'ome by rail from the interior,
heavily chained together by small groups.
They were to keep their chains during the
| journey, and my informant says the sinister
| lulse THEY produced was distinctly audible
.re he reached the ship. Unable to control
| ais feelings, he observed to the officer in
command that his closely packed cargo,
chained together in place where there was
absolutely no ventilation, would never sur
vive the passage of the Suez Canal, the Red
Sea, and the Indian Ocean, to which the
Russian officer cynically replied, ''Well, SO
much the better for all parties if they do
DOT" He accompanied this astounding re-
mark by a significant glance, which
lis interlocutor took to imply, "Don't you
understand, that is precisely what We tx
,ect?" The same ship was visited at another
,lace on her outward voyage, and on compe-
tent authority it was ascertaiued that not
Dne- third of the unfortunate prisoners on
,oard could possibly reach their destination
live. But my information is not confined
O this one instance. The Mini Novrogod
orHerly known as the Saxonia of the Ham
.urg and New York lie of steamers, but
ince purchased for the Russian volun.
Ger feet, arrived at Port Said
lnder Russian colors and manned by
Russian sailors, at the end of las,
month. She had 500 convicts on board, fol
he most part nihilists condemned to be
transported to the Island of Saghalisn. The
Suez Canal company raised the question al
to whether this ship, which was known &c
nave rallied under merchant colors on hel
last journey from Marseilles to Odessa, ano
which belongs neither to the Russian gov
.rnment nor to the Russian transport ser
vice, but which was freighted for the volun
eer feet, should be considered as a ship o
var. The discussion resulted in the Min
Novrogod being treated as q ship of wal
lnder protest of the Russian consul. Now
the questi just raised caused a stoppag
If three days, during which the convicts OF
board were literally left to roast in the heat
Which, at this time of the year, is terrible
Their torture was prolonged tor seventy-tw'
mortal hours, because the Russian authori
ties hoped to deceive the Suez Canal com
oany. But this is not all. The same vess.
IS to perform the same voyage with a simila
largo four times in the course of the presen
ear; and, BIZ it observed, other ship
ire engaged in the same traffic. All tn
,hastly tales that were told during the lat
var are surpassed by the cold blooded cruelt
# the Russian authorities toward the nihi
st convicts. What precedes refers only t
hose who are sentenced to transportation
out the fate of the nihilist prisoners at hom
no less horrible, and the exclamation o
he Russian captain that, if his wards die,
rom the effects of the atrocious treatmen
which they were subject, it would be 8
he much better for all parties, might be ap
1ropriately repeated by the director of ever
Jail IN the Russian empire.