The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-09-06
Russian Prisoners.

In communicating the following par
ticulars respecting the abominable treat
ment to which the Russian Nlhilist pris-
oners are subject, I wish to impress
upon your readers that, bent upon
avoiding all exaggeration or coloring of
facts, have confined the narrative to
such statements as have been able to
derive from unbiased and Trustworthy
persons-eye-witnesses themselves of the
horrors revealed to me. Though my
hand quiyers with indignation as pen
this dispatch, not one charge against the
Russion authorities shall be intensified
by any emphasis of my own. The APP
palling evidence of Russian barbarify.
of which have obtained possession. Is
sufficiently eloquent in itself It cries
to Heaven for vengeance; but ere that
comes let the rulers of civilized Europe
mediate this chapter of human misery
and woe, and let them bid Russia stay
the course of her revolving deeds. Dur
ing the second fortnight of last month a
person whose testimony is above sus-
picion visited ship at anchor at Odessa.
fitted out for the transportation of Nihil-
ist convicts to the Island of Saghalien.
He describes it as man-of-war of about
4, 900 tons, freshly painted white. On
going below deck, he found that ON
either side of narrow passage iron
barred cages had been constructed
which, he says, were exactly similar to
those used for wild animals. These
cages were of different sizes, and con-
tanned from four to twenty conyicts
each. The rule observed was that such
among them as showed any disposition
to be unruly were confined in the smaller
cages so as to be more easily watched.
The gentleman who visited the ship es-
Inmates the number of these wretched
people at 750, most of whom had come
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 noise
they produced was distinctly audible
long ere he reached the ship. Unable to
control his feelings, he observed to the
officer in command that his closely
packed cargo, chained together in q
place where there was absolutely no ven.
tilation, would never survive the passage
of the Suez Canal. the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean, TO which the Russian
officer cynically replied g Well. so
much the better for all parties If they
do not" He accompanied this astound-
ing remark by significant glance, which
his interlocutor took to imply, Don't
you understand, that is precisely what
we expect2" The same ship was visited
at another place on her outward voyage.
and on competent authority il was ascer.
tanned that not one-third of the unfortu-
nate prisoners on board could possibly
reach their destination alive. But nv
information is not confined to this one
instance. The Mini Eorrogod, for
merly known as the Sdr0ni0 Of the
Hamburg and New York line OF steamers,
but since purchased for the Russian vol
unteer feet, arrived ct Port Said under
Russian colors and manned by Russian
sailors, at the end of last month. She
had 500 convicts on board, for the most
part Gihilists condemned to be transs
ported to the Island of Saghalien. The
Suez Canal Company raised the question
as to whether this ship, which was
known TO have sailed under merchant
colors on her last journey from Mar
settles to Odessa, and which belongs
neither to Russian Government nor to
the Russian transport service. but
which was freighted for the vol
unteer feet. should be considered
as q ship of war. The discussion re-
suited in the Mini NoUroQod being
treated as ship Of war, under protest OF
the Russian Consul Now, tie question
Just raised caused stoppage of three
days, during which the conyicts on
board were literally left to roast in the
heat, which at this time of the year Is
terrible. Their torture was prolonged
for twenty-five mortal hours. because
the Russian authorities hoped to deceive
the Suez Canal Company. But this is
not oil. The same vessel is to perform
the same voyage with similar cargo
four times in the course of the present
year; and, be it observed, other ships
are engaged in the same traffic. All the
ghastly tales that were told during the
late war are surpassed by the cold
blooded cruelty of the Russian authori-
ties towards the Nihilist eonvicts. What
preeedes refers only to those who are
sentenced to transportation; but the fate
of the Nihilist prisoners ct home Is no
less horrible, and the exclamation Of the
Russian Ca sptain that if his wards died
from the effects OF the atroci6as treat
ment to which they were s1tiect. it
would be 30 much the better for II par
ties, might be appropriately repead BY
the director of every jail Ia the R1.ssian
Empire. H5snsaa Dispatch 70 LoN(f0u
Telegraph.