Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-07-21
RUSSIAN DISCIPLINE.
How They Do Things in the Cznr's
Army.

from lie Figaro.l
One need not be surprised at anything
tat happens IN Russia. The other even.
ing while smoking cigar with one OF
my old friends, who has seen, read and
travelled great deal, ] was told OF an
incident that occurred some forty years
ago ut Novgorod, quite as sinister MS
that which recently occurred at Smargon.
The colonel of certain Russian regi-
ment, ferociously tyrannical and may
say merciless toward his soldiers, was in
the habit Of treating this human flock
like pack of brutes. He disciplined
with the knoute, sentencing men to
whippings for having one button insuffi-
ciently polished whipping non-com-
missioned officer fd' having one stain on
his cloak; striking veterans of Borodino
in the face for saluting too slowly; send
ing poor wretches to Siberia for giving
too free an answer. In short during the
lapse of years this colonel had made him
self so detested by his men that he
reaped frightful vengeance from seeds
of hatred he had sown.
One morning during parade he sud-
denly saw file of from the regiment n
company of soldiers bearing, instead Of
muskets, those long rods which cut deep
ly into the flesh at every blow. Never
theless, he had given no orders There
was no soldier to chastise.
"Who is that for ?" He demanded.
A grenadier advanced from the ranks,
and replied with terrible coolness
"For thee y
The entire regiment, non-commis-
stoned officers and soldiers, were in the
plot. The whole regiment was present
at the terrible spectacle. The colonel
was seized, his uniform torn of. he was
tied down in wheelbarrow and wheeled
up and down before the ranks Of the
grenadiers, armed with rods. all OF whom
struck and insulted him.
Tho officers who attempted to aid THEN
colonel were Immediately seized and bay
onets pointed ut their throats. Some
were taken away; others garroted. Only
one soldier attempted to take part with
them. Then sergeant still pallid
from the effects of his last whipping with
the knout, put his musket to the sol
dier's temple and blew his brains out
And all the regiment saw its colonel pass
under the rods. When it was all ovei
they opened kiln-oven. The colonel
was flung into it, all bleeding, together
with the officers who had obeyed him
And when the furnace was well fed, the
soldiers heated it slowly, slowly-untiI
at last this hideous, heavy and revolving
smell OF burning flesh arose in the air
which the savages of the Russian frontier
inhaled some days ago at n Jewish GENE
terry at Smargon.
An imperial courier bore to the CZal
the news of the mutiny. Nicholas lis
tened, became white, but said nothing
except to order four batteries OF artillery
to Novgorod. Ten days after white
haired and gray-moustached major-gen
eral, accompanied by t. single aide-de
camp, knocked at the door of the bar
racks which the soldiers had never lef
!, since the murder of their chiefs
The general gazed coldly upon thos
pale men all neatly and faultlessly uni
formed, who gave him the military sa
lutte.
Not one reproach-not one useles
word. He only said to them
cat 6 o'clock tomorrow mornAg til
regiment will assemble in undress uni
forms and without arms at the Tarta
camp, upon the Little Square. Orde
of the Gar.
Not one voice replied. But the mex
: day upon the narrow Square, ali il
) ranks without arms, in their long gra
! coats, their sergeants at their usual posts
t all the mutinous soldiers were there, il
4 lines regular as if adjusted to string
: with double line of lance-bearing Cos
3 sacks before and behind. Then all q
{ once from every far spire all the grea
bells began to toll. The Cossack horse
{ men Withdrew. Only the unarmed il
y fantry remained upon the square, wit
: folded arms. waiting. Then there cam
. long, low roll of drums, and with
from all the avenues leading into I'll
e square came volleys OF grape like ire
u , hail
II Then nothing was heard awhile but IL
thunder Of the cannon in that city, othe
l, wise silent as cemetery when men, W
'e men and children, kneeIng before the
! holy images, were praying for the SO
=, = diers they were shooting down in Il
= square. And during an interval in IL
., - cannonade, hymn rolled up from Il
III square for the soldiers were dying wi
', the prayers of thar childhood upt
~ their lips The cannon thundered +
ie hours. Then all was silent. Powd
10 and iron was was rested awhile. III
ie cannoners entered the square and |
ie coiled at the sight Of those ranks of M
III mown down like wheat From under t
nc dead thy pulled out few still breathil
ne victims, able to live while
hhe "What shall be done with them, Gle
he era, shall We put them in the h'
!. pital ?"
IL "Pnt them under the knout y