New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-19
A SLOW TORTURE.
THE AGoNIzING JOURNEY TO SIBERIA
Prfne, KrapoG,ne IN The yineteenh Century,


journey has been reduced by one-half, and they
begin their peregrinations IN siberia m special car
riages. NJ. Maximof has very wildly described how
the convicts at Irkutsk. TO whose judgment such
moving machine was submitted declared az once
that ii was the most stupid vehicle that could DO
invented for the torment Of both bOrscs and con-
victs. Such carriages, which have no accomoda-
tiOn for deadepng the shocks, move slowly on tio
rugged joting road Plouehed over and over
by thousands Of heavily loaded cars.
In Western Siberia, amidst the marshes on fhe
eastern slope of the Ura the journey becomes true
tortureas the highway covered with loose beamsof
wood. which recall the sensation experienced wen
finger is dragged across the keys of a piano, tho
black keys included. The Journey is hard. even
Tor the traveller who is lying on thick felt mat
ress IN comfortable fGrGniGss. and II is easy 10
conceive what the convict experiences, who IL
the bench OF the famous vehicle having but few
rags to shelter hlm from snow and rain,
Happily enough this journey lasts hut few
days. as AT lnnen the exiles are embarked spec
! lal oarCes, or noatng prisons. taken IN tow by
steamers, and IN the space of eight ten days arc
brought to Iomsk The convict bargcs are usually
! so Oyercrowded and are usually kept in such "a
state of hlthmess that they have become real nests
! of Infection Each barge has been built for the
transport OF 500 convlcts and the cOnvoyD wrote
| the IOmsk correspondent Of The NOsc0U IeleBGph,
November II, 1891; 1.-THE calculation of the sizo
of the barges has not been made. however Accord
ing 10 the necessary cubica space. hut according
70 the interests OF the owners OF the steamers MN.
Kurbatoff and lgnatoh These gentlemen occupy
for their own purposes two compartments for
hundred men each. and thus ght-hundTed mist
take the room destined for slX-hmdrcd. The ven
tilatiOn is very bad there being no accommodation
at all for that purpose, and the cabinets OF
nimagInablc nastHess." lie adds that the nor
tally these baIges very great especially =
the children and his information Is hlly confirmed
by official figures published last year in all news
papers 1t appears from these figures that eight
to ten per cent of the convict passengers died dur
ING their days journey onh9ard the Sc Darges mat
Is something like sixty to eighty out OF eight hum
dred
Here you see ~ wrote friends OF ours who kave
made this passage the reign of death Diphthe-
aftIt Nt,ln mir
and children especially these last. COrpses ofchl
dTen are thrown ont nearly at each station. The
hospital placed under the supervision OF an ignO-
rant soldier, Is always Overcrowded'
At Tomsk the convicts stop for few days. II is
easy to conceive what hell the TOm>k prison be-
comes when the cOnyicts arriving every week can
not be sent on to Irkutsk with the same speed. on
account of foundations or obstacles on the rivers.
The prison was built 10 contain go souls, but il
ncvei holds less than l.30C 10 l4O0, and very
often 200, or more. One-quarter OF the prisoners
are sick. but the inhrmary eau shelter only one
third. So Of those who are in iced OF 1t; and -
the sick remain IN The same rooms, upon or beneath
the snue platforms where the remainder are ahmed
to the amount of three men for each free place.
The shrleks of the sick the cries of the feyeTSric
en- patients and the rattle of the dying mix tOgeh-
e with the jokes and laughter Of the prisoners.
with the curses of the warderS. Tie eXhalationS
of this human heap mix with those Of their wet and
filthy CiO and with the cnanatlOns Of tie h0r l.
bic Parasha. lyon are sufocated a. you enter ito
room, you fantlng and must runlback to breathe
sOnle tres air; you must AccustOm yourself by-and-
by tote horrible CARNATIONS which float like u
fog i'm the riVer'-such II testimony OF all those
who have entered Unexpectedly Siberian prison.
The families room is still more horrible. Here
you see" says Siberian ottical IN charge OF the
pri,on,-M Mishl0--" undretls of women and chill
dleu closely packed together, in Such state OF
misery. no imagination could picture Tho
families of the cOnvcts receive no cloth IRON thc
state. Mostly peasant women. who. as rule,
never have more than one dress ar once mostly
reduced TO starvation as soon a. their husbands
were taken into custody, they have buchled on
their sole 9th when starting from Ark ange SIX or
Astrdki an and after their long organizations from
lookup TO anOt er. after TIE long years al pre-
liminary detention and months ot journey, only
rags haze remained on their shoulders from Their
W athcr-wOrn eliot es. The naked, emacated body
aud the wounded feet appear from beneath the
tattered clothes as they are sitting on tie nasty
floor eating the hard black bread received from
compassionate peasants. Amid this moving heap
OF human beings who cover each square foot OF the
platforms and beueat them, you perceive the dying
child the knees of his mother and close by, tho
newborn baby. The baby Is tie delight Of the
consolation to these women, each Of whom surely
has more human feelings than any OF the chiefs and
wardeIs. Ii Is passed from mana To hahdi me best
rags are parted with to cOverits shiyering limbs
tenderest caTesseS are for It. How many have
grown up in this way! One Of them stands by nv
SIDE a. | write tuese lines, and repeats TO me tho
storic, She Las card 50 many times from Der mot
iifamv of thcir chiefs She describe, To me Tho
TOYS at the coHvicts made for her during the inter
miuable journey-plain toys inspired by good
hearted humor. and side by side. tie miserable
PROCEEDINGS. the eXactions Of money. culees aud
blows, the W iStling OF the w Fps ot T. e C. ieiS.
/ The prison. oweyer. is cleared by-and-by rs
tie parties of conyicts Start continue cir jour
| noy Wien tie season ard tue state of tie rivers
/ permit IT, parties of 800 convIcts each, it,
! women and Children leave tae Iomsh prison every
/ week, and begin cir foot journey to HAutSk and
/ Trans aaikalia a track, marked all along by poles
10 d>tiuguis it from tie surrounding plain, plough
! I'd and rugged 10y passage OF Thousands 81 cars,
covered Wit. ruts that break do e hardest
| vince S. runs rough naked PLAIN. In front
! rOw Of soldiers opens tie march. he md them,
! heavily advance the hard-labor cOnyicts, Win
/ halls avrd heads. wearing gray clot. e. Wit u
J vel e s.
out by the long journey and exhibiting the tatters
/ i'm y 10. The 81 Wounded feet are wrapped. Eac
Wet wears a Ct ain, riyeted 10 us ankles. lis rings
being twisted into Tagsif the convict Las collected
euoug of aims during his Journey 20 pay 1 ebiacH-
sIit for riyeting II l0oSer on Is feet / c. am
goes up each t0otaud IS suspended TO 4 Il die An
/ other Chain closely ties both hands, and taud
/ { ain binds toget er SIX or ei-ht cohIlGtS; EESY
false movement Of any OF pack Is felt ny All ms
: transformations: t teeblcr Is dragged forward
by the stronger, and ne must not stop; the way
I tie Gdpc-islong and tie autumn day Is Shot.
: ldier, accompany tie par V on both sides, med
itatiug perhaps tie order given at the departure
4" II ore Of item runs aN ay, shoot Inn down. III .
j. killed five rabies OF reward for you, and dogs
deaf 20 t dOg!' In the rear you discover a lew
car, that arc drawn 10y the SMALL, attenuated cat
( lilepca~ant, lorses. They are loaded y itn tho
bags OF the conylcts' WI tlc o'cF OF uydihs' "io
/ are fas. ned by ropes on he top oil eload
Be.ind g cars as en- The wives of b" cOnyicts;
a few ave found free cor cron Il loaded ear, and
croucI here en- unable 10 move iur 'er; Nlii'.
/ the great number mare bealnd e cars, 'eauiHE
] their 4 drru BY be audS or bearing icm -
/ their arms. Dressed in rags, freezing under ING
| gusts of the cold wind cutting their almost BaN'd
/ feet on the frozen ruts how many OF them repeat
! the word, Of Ayyakums wife:-" hcSe fortunes,
ah dear, how long viii they lastin In the rear
| comes second detachment of soldiers who dilNe
with the butt-ends of theiT rifles those women who
| stop exhausted in the freezing mud of the ROAD
The procession IS closed by the car OF the coihan
/ der of the party.
! Late IN the afternoon, after having covered some
fifteen Or twenty miles, the party reaches the t'e,@
cnr d1y's rest each three days.
Tic Hapes were mostly built fifty years ago, and
after having resisted the incemcnrlc, o. thc Gin.
| mate. aud the passage of hundred Thousand Of
copvcts they have bee ONE now rotten and foul tiom
/ top to bottom. The old log-wOod house refuses