The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-03
4 Rrutal Russian Bu rgomaster.

The St. Petersburg Ssy n Otetschest,ya
ism of the Eatherland) co ntains the fol-
lowing accounts of revol ting instances
of yranny of which | he. village of
Kagalnik, in Southern F lussia, was re-
Gently the scene. An inh labitant of that
place, one Philip Kabalt ,chenko, an in
firm man of sixty, vas summoned on
the twenty-ninth of Ser 'tember before
the burgomaster and a sked if he had
brought the remainder OF certain taxes
that were due. Kabaltsc henko, bowling
to the earth, begged for time, as he had
no whatever of paying: LAS
O as l have earned something" ne
added, Il will pay all" "Wait, you
old dog" shouted the brrgomaster, II
will fncl a way of squeez ing the money
from vol. Bind him to the post"
In the .twinkling of an eye two officers
seized thu, trembling old. man, bound
him to a strong post in the courtyard,
and fastened his arms wit h ropes to his
hack. the burgomaster locking on.
Nov, old beast" he cried to the old
man. who was bareheaded and motion
less, ""will you pay. your taxesp"
"Christ is my witness" was the reply,
II have not a single cop'eck." ".Then
VOu Will Ic11dlll IL " GASs ~
me free, for the love of God: my wife
and children are furnishing Mt home"
"Psy what is due" "Have compass
sion on my age; I am the laughing
Stock Of the mob" "Let them laugh,
old thief" II am fainting," groaned
the Door wretch in a scarcely audible
voice. '"My lads" said the tyrant upon
this. "give him a shower bath" The
officers obeycd by pouring two cans OF
cold water upon the fainting man,
which restored him to consciousness.
Now unbind him." commanded the
tyrant, land take him for a walk
through the Streets" This having been
done, the burgomaster ordered him
to be fastened to the public .pil!ory
where he was kept for the whole night.
Police were stationed on the spot to
prevent compassionate p~assers-by from
offering him a piece of bread or a glass
of water. During the night ore OF the
old mans children, a girl of thirteen,
brought. her father a small roll. The
police, Selling her, logged her almost to
death, and ultimately threw her into
prison. The rain then began to fall
heavily. The police sheltered them
selves under a roof, leaving the prisoner
exposed to the weather. On the follow
ing day the martyr was released, when,
being unable to walk, he was conveyed
home on a cart. The poor man after
lingering for a fortnight, died in con-
sequence of the treatment to which he
had been subjected.
The above is not the only deed OF
cruelty with which this burgomaster,
Stepan Filatjewitsch Puschkarento, has
lately distinguished himself. Within
the last week or two he has ordered two
inhabitants of Kagalnik, Wolkowski'
and Woroschento by name, to receive
one hundred strokes and forty strokes,
respectively, with a cane for quite insig-
nifcanto offences. Maljawtschenko, Pog-
nirybko, and Lysenko, three members of
| the local council, and the tax~-gatherer,
Fisenko, were also bolnd by his orders
to the public pillory, their faces being
hideously masked and books placed in
their hands. In this position they re-
manned fully twenty-five hours.
Two more cases are also mentioned.
Kornej Swellitschuy, eighty years old,
was bound to the pillory for four hours
for insulting one Of the burgomaster's
grandchildren, and q cashiered officer
was kept there for six hours.
At Tschwin. near Novgorod, three
peasants who burned an old woman as
a witch have been sentenced by ordinary
secula" court to som slight church dis
cipline. =.
Notwithstanding that these almost in
| creditable acts have been published n
the Russian journals, and must, there
| fore, be considered to be well authentl-
Gated, this tyrant, Puschkarento, not
only remains at large but in undisturbed
possession of the powers he has so
grossly abused.