The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-10-21
THE RUSSIAN IN0UxSxExON.

why tho Cars Subjects Rejoice ut the Dis
appearance OF the Third sectaoa. -
IS ST. PETERsBURG, Sept. 3.---On tllc
ZOth of last month the people Of St.
Petersburg, Sfor the nrsA time during
the past fifteen years, went to b4d With
alight licar. They weresure tbaf their
rest would not be rudclv interrupted.
ftheir houses searched, and their per-
sons arrested by the dreadful cmissa-
rics Of the political inquisition known
in Russia under the name of the Third
Section oi his Mniesty's Own Chancel-
lcrr. tn that dav the Car, by his
ukasc, had abolished it.
~ the au!1lls OF Russia, Aug. 20
i.\uG. $. o. S.), the day of the aboli-
ton ct the Third Section, will be put
on level will, the days OF the emalici-
patton Of the scrfS, the expulsion of
iAr. !'rcnch army under Napoleon L.,
and The liberation fthe country from
the Tartar yoke. The deeds of tho
Third Section form the darkest pages
history. The bloody tor
tNrcs and the burning stake arc want
ing, but the immense number Of vic
tins, the horrors Of the underground
dungeons, and the awe inspired by the
inquisit;on ofthe holy Car can be
compared only with the record Of the
inquisition of the Kings Of Spain.
Virtually the power Of the Chief of
the Third Section over the liberty of
the Russians was even more absolute
than that Of the Car, for the latter
could not do harm to ANYBODY but
through the Third Section, which used
to carry ont only those Of the wishes
of its supreme master which were ap-
proved by its chief. The main duty
of the Third Section was to look afler
the safety Of the Car and his govern
mcnt. Therefore the loss ofthe prop
crty or the liberty or even the life of
any subject was of no account if it
only answered the aim of the Third
Section. Armed with such extraordi-
nary powers, what did the Russian
inquisition do?
Hero is all illustration, sccnc |
myself Witnessed: At midnight the
ringing of a bell startled tho r
family. The father trembled, the
mother grew deathly pale, the sons
and daughter were alarmed. Softly
the gcndarlncs entered smiling; po-
litcly they asked permission to search
the house; all the trunks. drawers,
hooks and corners were carefully in
vcstigatcd; the letters and MANUSCRIPTS
were collected and put into portfolio.
Then, begging pardon for the trouble,
they asked the two sons and the
daughter to dress and follow them.
The unhappy parents never saw their
children again. And so thousands
upon thousands Of families have de-
plorcd their relatives, lost forever be-
hind the gates Of the dreadful building
ncar the Chain Bridge. What has be-
come Of them? In the majority of
cases only the gcndarmcs and their
victims know.
AS rule, the Cars gentlarmcs did
not put their victims to any grave bodi-
ly torturcs; no, even the gendarmcs
arc civilized to that extent; but thcv
submitted them to moral torturcs aud
indcscribablc humiliations. They al
ways aimed to exact some avowai or
admission duplicating some prominent
persons. For instance, in order to
induce prisoner to comply with their
wishes, his mother and father, or his
wife and children would be brought in
an adjacent room so that he could hear
the beloved voice, and then the
gcndarmcs would promise him an in
tcrview OH condition that he would
admit what was demanded Of him.
The prisoner might not have seen his
family Or even heard Of them for
years. What a torture for him-to
choose between seeing and embracing
them ana making statement, perhaps
false, that will ruin himself and his
friends!
Among the indignitics imposed on
the prisoners, especially women, was
tiogging. This dated hack to the time
Of Car Nicholas |. 1t was reported
to him that young lady had made il,
public some disrcspccthll remarks
about him. lie at once ordered that
'hc voting lady DC brought before him,
along W,.h htr father, who happened
10 'c " t.rncral of the army. The
cnru9rl Car rcbukcd the father. say
Ni%: "lf You cannot teach your
iau:'!rr to behave herself, | will"
.tnd H. had her floggcd under her
ia'hrr'> eyes. The Third Section
ntltrMarA made free use Of the whip.
society. however, did not ostraciZe
persons who had been submitted to
ti.a' humiliation.
II" prisoners were always kept in
SOLITARY confinement. III the cells
there was no light, no sound of Il
hui:i&ii voice. SO passed months and
years. Many of the victims became
insane: many committed suicide, and
almost all contracted some fatal dis
ease, often the galloping consumption.
The GOiOS says: 1.-The Third Sec
tion, being an arbitrary institution,
placed outside Of and above the laws,
was not compatible with the liberal
reforms Of the present Car. Being
| al!-powc crinl it was unable to prevent
/ any OF those numerous crimes that
have filled our political life in the last
ten years. 1t has always been hated
! by all the educated classes. It's aboli-
tion means the abolition Of arbitrary
administration and the establishment
OF personal liberty. The Third Sec.
tion was of an anti-national character
it meant a lack of confidence TO the
whole Russian people. The Car and
the people were separated by an inter
Vcning and illegal institution, the in.
tercst OF which was to keep them as
far as possible one from the other.
Now the Car and the people arc re.
united"