Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-08-02
The Novgorod Tragedy.

One need not be surprised at anything
that hsppens in Russia. The other even
ing, while smoking cigar with one Of my
old friends who has seer, read and Travelled
\ great deal, / was told Of an incident
which occurred some forty years ago ST
Novgorod, quite as sinister as that which
recently occurred at Smsrgou when pop
ulation of raging madmen flung children
into blazing fire, and revelled at the Hght
Of the poor httle bodies writhing like vine
stems upon the blazing Goals. But in The
narrative | am about TO relate there was
no race bstred or religious passion for
motive.
The colonel Of certain Russian regiment
ferociously tyrannical and l may say mer-
ciless toward the soldiers was in the habit
of treating this human flock like pack OF
brutes. He disciplined with the knout;
sentencing his men to whIppings for having
one button lnsufficiently polished; whip
ping q non-conmissioned officer for one
stain on his cloak; striking veterans OF
Borodino in the face for salutlng too slowly;
sending poor vTetches to Siberia for gly-
too free an answer In short, during the
lapse of years, this colonel made himself
so detested by his men that he reaped a
frightful vengeance from the seeds be had
sown.
One morning during parade he suddenly
saw file of from the regiment company
Of soldiers bearing, inst cad OF muskets,
those long rods which cut deeply into the
flesh at every blow
Nevertheless, he had given no orders!
There wss no soldier to chastIse.
''Who is that fort" he demanded.
A grenadier advanced from the ranks
and replied with terrible coolness:
'.For theel"
The entire regiment, non-commissioned
officers and soldiers were in the plot, which
had been concocted in the barracks. The
whole re. imeDt was present at the terrible
spectacle. The colonel was seized, his
uniform torn off, he was tied down on
wbeelbarrow and wheeled up and down
before the ranks of the grenadiers, armed
with rods, all OF whom struck and insulted
hlm. The officers who attempted to and
their colonel were Immediately selzed and
bayonets pointed at their throats. Some
were taken away and others garotted-
Only one soldier attempted to take part
with them. Then 9 sergeant, still psllid
from the effects of his last whipping with
the knout, put his musket 10 the soldier s
temple ard blew his brains cut.
And all the regiment saw the colonel
pass under the rods.
When it WAS al over they opened kiln
over. The colonel was flung into it, all
bleeding, together with the officers who
had ebeyed him. And when the furnace
was well fed, the soldiers heated il slowly
slowly-until at last that hideous, heavy
and revolving smell of melting fat an d
burning flesh arose IN the air, which the
saysges Of the Russian frontier inhaled
come days at Jewish cemetery at Smar-
gon-
But the tragedy at NovgorCd was not
yet over.
An imperial courier bore to the Gar the
news OF the mutiny. Nicholas listened,
became whIte, bu. said nothing except TO
order four batteries of artillery to Novgo-
rod. Ten days after a whiie-halred and
gray moustached major general, accompa-
MED by single aide -de-camp, knocked at
the door of the barracks which the soldiers
had never left since the murder of the
chiefs.
The general gszed coldly upon those
pale men; sll neatly and faultlessly uni
formed, who gave HIM the military salute.
Not Teprosch-not one useless word.
He only said to them:
sat z O'Clock tomorrow morning the
regiment will assemble IN undress uniform
ard without arms at the Tartar camp, upon
the little square, Order of the CZar.
No one voice replied. But the next dry
upon the narrow square, all in ranks with
out arms, in their long gray coats, their
sergeants at their usual posts, all the mutt
reus soldiers were there, in lines regular
as If adjusted to string with double
line of lance bearing Cossacks- before and
behind. Then all at once from every far
sp;re, all the great bells began to toll. The
Cossack hOrsemen withdrew. Only the
unsrmed infantry remained upon the
square, with folded arms, vsihngl Then
there came long, low, roll of drums, and
with it, from all the avenues leading INTO
the square csme volleys of grape ike ircn
hail.
Then nothing was heard awhile but the
thunder of the cannon in that city, other
wise silent as a cemetery, when men,
women and children kneelIng before their
holy images, were praying tor the soldiers
they were shooting down in the square
And during an interval in the cannonsde, q
hymn rolled up from the square, for the
soldiers were dying with the prayers Of
their childhood upon their lips. The can
non thupdered for hours. Then all was
silent. Powder and iron rested awhile.
The csnnoneers entered the,square and re-
colled at the sight of those ranks of men
mown down like whtat-lhe marsh OF
blood. From under the dead they pulled
out few breathing Victims, able TO live
awhile.
"What shall be done with them general I
Shall we not put them IN the hospiiall'
.Put them under the knout!'