Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-29
PEASANTS COURTS IN RUSSIA
The Ease with which Judicial Deci
siOns May be Bought.

The Ease with which Judicial Deci-
siOns May be Bought.
A traveller in Russia writes to the Lon
don Times: There was held a UOllost
court on the Sunday evening during my
stay at a certain nObleman's seat in the
interior. Three men had agreed con-
jointly to cut some hay, and only one hav-
ing signed the contract, ne afterward de
clined 10 be assisted by the other two.
| These latter had made no other arrange
ments for providing hay, and so sued for
damages and obtained them. L saw the
minutes of the trial, and then wandered
down to the tea-hOuse, which was clean,
bright and full, and t1en across to the gin
shop, which contrary to what is seen in
England) was dirty, dark and almost
empty, one of the six or eight men
therein scuttling off and hiding himself
on my hosts approach, and an
other complaining to him somewhat
fused to close his house when asked to do
so during the sitting Of the court, and the
consequence had been that one of the liti-
giants had treated his grave and reverend
judges to drink, and so had Influenced
! their judgment. And this, / was told, is
a common occurrence in these peasants
courts. l heard of some ridiculous deci-
D
that these miscarriages of justice are not
confined TO European Russia, for | heard
of a curious example in Siberia, which is
worth telling by reason of the piece of
British pluck il evoked in a worthy Scotch
woman. 4 rich Moscow merchant wished
to get rid of his English partner, and, for
getting that it required two legally to
break as well as to make a bargain,
thought of his own might to thrust out
the foreigner from both the workshops aud
dwelling house. As regards the work
shops, he succeeded by force, and when
the husband was absent sent police Off
Ger to eject the wife and family. The
good woman replied that her husband had
given her no instructions to leave, that
! she had family of small children and an
| aged, paralyZed mother, concerning whom
| she had two medical certificates to say
| that she must not be moved. She there
! fore summarily declined to turn out into
/ the rigOrs of a Siberian winter. The pO-
| licemeu then broke the cooking stove,
| thinking thus to starve them out, and
went away. But they did the cooking in
an clubhouse, WhereupOn on two su0se-
/ Quent visits this monster broke the stove
/ of the dwelling-rOom, and actually took
out the window sashes. But the lady
/ from the Clyde was not even so to be
/ beaten. She sent her children to the house
of a friend, wrapped up her old mother
/ and herself in furS, telegraphed to the
| Governor General at Omsk that they
| would shortly be frozen to death, and
appealed to the gendarmerie branch of
| the police. who fortunately came to her
assistance, ordered the stoves to be re-
paired and the windOw-sashes to be re-
/ stored, and left the brave woman mis-
/ tress of the situation and the admiration
/ of the town. But the suit had not ter
minated when 1 passed through Tiumen.
/ A hint had been given to the Englishman
/ as to the number of ruhles the MOSCOW
merchant had spent in bribing the first
court, which arrived at the extraordinary
decision that the Englishman's case was
right, but that the parties should be al
| lowed to settle the AFFAIR between them.
| Also an intima ton reached our country
man that the sum already spent by his
opponent would be increased, Unnecessary
| in each higher court to which he appealed.
/ They have as yet no trial by jury in ST.
/ IBERIA, and il was expected that to take
/ the matter through all the courts would
require ten years. OF course l pass no
/ opinion on the merits of the case, for l
/ heard only one side; but l have said
enough to show that ''the glorious uncer-
/ tainty of the law is not confined to the
courts of London; and the suspicion will
naturally arise in connection with what
saw on the estate as to whether the ma
| terial of which peasants courts consist IS
| likely ever to develop into tribunal
| Judging righteous judgment.