The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-16
TREATMENT OF X RUSSIAN PRISONERS.
Nihilists Chained in Iron Cages for Trans.
portation by Sea.
Vienna Dispatch to the London Telegraph

vienna Dispatch to the London Telegraph
In communicating the following particulars
respecting the abominable treatment to which
the Russian Nihillst prisoners are subject, [
wish to Impress upon your readers that, bent
upon avoiding all exaggeration or coloring Of
facts, have confined this narrative to such
statements as / have been able to derive from
unbiased and trustworthy persons-eye-wit
nesses themselves ct the horrors revealed to
me. Though my hand quivers with Indignation
as j pen this dispatch, not one charge
against the Russian authorities shall be i'll
tensfied by any emphasis OF my own. The
appalling evidence Of Russian barbarty, of
which | have obtained possession, 5 snffi-
GENTLY eloquent in itself. 1t cries to heaven
for vengeance; but ere that comes let the
rulers Of civilized Europe mediate this chap
ter OF human misery and woe, and let them
bid Russia stay the course Of her revolving
deeds. During the second fortnight OF last
month q person whose testimony Is above
suspicion visited a ship at anchor at Odessa,
lifted out Tor the transport OF Nihllist
eonvicts to the Island Of Saghalien. He de-
scribes 1t as a man-Of-war Of about 1000 tons,
freshly painted white. On going. below
row 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 contained
from four to twenty cOnvicts each. The rule
observed was that such among them rs
showed any disposition to be unruly were con-
fined in the smaller cages so as to be more
easily watched. The gentleman who visited
the ship estimates the number of these
wretched people. at $50, most Of whom had
chained together by small groups. They were
to keep their chains during tn. journey, and
my Informant says the sinister noise they
produced was distinctly audible long ere he
reached the ship. Unable to control his feel.
ings, he observed to the officer in command
that his closely packed cargo, chained togeth-
er In q place where there was absolutely no
ventilation, would never survive the passage
of the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Indian
Ocean, to which the Russian officer cynicaly
replied SWELL SO much the better for all par-
ties II they do not" He accompanied this as
founding remark by significant glance,
which his interlocutJr took to imply, Don't
you understand that Is precisely what we ex-
peCt ?" The same ship was visited at another
place on her outward voyage, and on compe-
tent authority it was ascertained that not
one third OF the unfortunate prisoners on
board could possibly reach their destination
alive. But my information Is not confined to
this one instance. The Mini Novrogod, for
merly known as the Saxonia Of the Hamburg
and New York line Of steamers, but since pur-
chased for the Russian volunteer fleet, ar
rived at Port Said, under Russian colors
and manned bv Russian sailors, at the end OF
last month. She had $50 cpnvicts on board,
for the most part Nihlists condemned
to be transported 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 Oh her last journey from Marseilles to
Odessa, and which belongs neither to the
Russian government nor to the Russian trans
port service. but which was freighted for the
volunteer fleet, should be considered as a
ship of war. The discussion resulted in the
Mini Novrogod being treated as q ship OF
war, under protest of the Russian consul
Now, the question just raised caused a stop
page Of three days, during which the conyicts
on board were literally left to roast in the
heat, which, at this time OF year, 10 terrible
Their torture was prolonged for seventy-twC
mortal hours, because the Russian authorities
hoped to deceive the Suez Canal Company. But
this is not all. 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, that other ships are engaged
in the same traffic. All the CHASTITY tales that
were told during the late war are surpassed
by the cold blooded cruelty Of the Russian
authorities toward the Nihilist conticts
What precedes refers only to those who are
sentenced to transportation: but the fate Of
the Nihilist prisoners at home Is no less hor'
rible, and the exclamation Of the Russian
captain that If his wards died from the eft.
fects Of the atrocious treatment to which
they were subject 1t would be 50 much the
better for all parties, might be- appropriately
repeated by the director Of every Jail In the
Russian Empire.