Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-04-15
TORTURE OF FLOGGING.
A FEATURE OF THE OLD SYSTEM OF
PENAL SERViTuDE IN SIBERIA.
Beating Prisoners Within an Inch Of Life
Two Thousand Strokes Without
Flinching the Gauntlet-How
n Wretch Is Sometimes Deceived.

- Two Thousand Strokes Without
Flinchins-Runningt the Gauntlet-How
Wretch Is Sometimes Deceived.
One of the most frightful features of the
old system of penal servitude in Siberia
say twenty five years ago-wcs fogging. l
don't think it is quite abolished even yet,
though it is supposed to be, but at that time
running the gauntlet, beating with stick
and birch rods were of everyday occurs
renee. Prisoners were not only beaten to
enforce discipline, but as part of their
punishment, convicts being sentenced to SO
many years hard labor and to receive so
many strokes-sometimes 1000. No man,
however, could receive 1000 strokes and
live. When the victim had been beaten lit
orally within an inch of his life and the
surgeon who stood by on these occasions
testified that the man could stand no more,
he was released, taken to the hospital, and
when strong enough received the balance
OF his sentence, or 50 much of it as he could
bear. Political prisoners and men of gentle
birth were exempt from corporal punish
ment, the victims being invariably murder
ers and other malefactors
As may be supposed, convicts have a
great horror of being logged; they gener-
ally contrive to get half-drunk before under
going the ordeal, and will do almost any
thing to obtain few days grace. Dosto-
jevsky mentions one poor wretch who feared
his punishment SO much that on the eve of
the fatal day he swallowed lumber of
brandy mixed with snuff Seized at once
with violent vomiting and hemorrhage, the
miserable man was taken to the hospital
which he never left again He died six
months later of consumption. But not all
prisoners are pusillanimous. Some display
a Spartan-like fortitude, and it is said that
after several beatiDgs a mans back gets
hardened and he suffers much less than
those whose hides are more susceptible to
first impressions do not suppose, though,
that use SO far becomes a second nature that
Siberian convicts find fiogging enjoyable
TOOK 1000 STROKES WITHOUT FLINCHING.
Dostojeysky tells of one fellow, named
Orloff, who took 300 strokes without
fiinching. But he was an altogether phenom-
enal creature monster in human form.
Perhaps under other circumstances be might
have been Napoleon and fought battles
for his own pleasure; rs it was he had been
a brigand, and murdered old men and
young children TO crafty his thirst for
blood
Three sorts of corporal punishment were
already mentioned, but whereas the pains
of the stick and the birch rod were inflicted
as part of the culprit's sentence, running the
gauntlet was a penalty for violation of
prison discipline, ordered at the discretion
and depending on the caprice of the prison
director, who, whatever might he his rank,
was invariably known as the ma jor. Strange
to say, the worst of these punishments was
the birching. \ very strong man (Orlcf was
slightly built could stand, on occasion,
1000 blows OF the stick, yet nobody could
stand more than 800 strokes with the
birch rod; not such rod welded by
our grandmothers, but formidable weapon
piled by convict chosen for his strength of
arm The difference in the effects of the
rod and the stick was nevertheless not SO
much owing to the way in which they were
used as TO the action of the former on the
nervous centers The bundle of twigs
might not hurt so much Mt the time, but
every twig that came in contact with the
flesh inflicted a separate blow, thereby i'm
plicating far greater number OF nerves
1t may be mentioned that the victims OF
both sorts of punishment were fiogged while
lying on the ground
Running the gauntlet, or the green
lane" as the convicts called it, was also a
terrible punishment Two rows of soldiers,
each of whom was armed with stick, were
formed, and the culprit's hands being fast
ened to two muskets, he was slowly
dragged between the ranks, and every SOL
der had TO give blow with all biz
strength on the wretch's bare back An
officer stood by carefully watching, and
woe betide the man who did not strike with
sufficient vigor He was himself made to
march down the green lane
pECE;VISG \ MISERABLE WRETCH.
Ii was the custom for a convict, when the
half naked and trembling wretch was about
TO be dragged down the green lane, to i'm
piore the officer 10 have mercy on him-not
TO let the soldiers beat him too severely: aud
when a certain Lieut. Jerebjatnikof was in
command he would pretend to listen favor
ably 10 the petition and promise to be as
tsnder as he could, consistently with his
duty to the state. He would even go further
and protest that, albeit he was SHINING
against the law, he would not be hard, if
the culprit on his honor would undertake to
behave better FOR the future.
Most high born" cries the wretch, Il |
promise with all my heart, | swear before |
the Creator"
"Wel, well; l think | may trust You. |
You seem truly repentant'
May the Almighty strike me down dead, |
and may lie eternally-7
Hush, hush; don't swear. l only want |
your promise. Your word is quite enough. |
You do promise, don't YOU"
i do, most high-bo-n. Heaven bless
your Gweepingl
We'll, forgive you for the sake OF your |
tears and your mother. You have one,
have you not!'
mo | have neither father nor mother. |
l am an orphan
Il forgive you because you are an orphan |
then But mind it is for the last time II |
you offend again Here, soldiers take him |
away
Then follows pause, and the miserable |
man fully believes he has been let OF, but |
the next moment the drum beats, the terri !
BILE procession starts, and the officer burst |
ing into loud laugh that shows how thor |
oughly he enjoys the sport, shouts: Take |
him away Flog him. Hit him again, Strike |
harder, harder. harder Flog the orphan. |
Leaher the scounGrell Lay on, men, lay on. |
Give it TO him hot, Faster, faster, fasteri"
The blows fall on the unfortunate thick as
hail He howls and shrieks Tor mercy, while |
the lieutenant runs down the line behind |
him, holding his sides and heut double with |
laughter. 1t is such fun, don't You see, 10
take fellow in like that First Of all /
make him believe he s going TO be let of,
and then fog him within an inch Of his
life
These were the scenes amid which the ,
future great Russian novelist WAS foNed for
four years TO live. No wonder that he wrote
with terrible realistic power and intense
sympathy for the suffering and the afflicted,
and that his stories are the most thrilling
Of tragedies Westsn in San Fran
cisco Chronicls
The Perfume Of the Edciueiss-
The perfume of the Alpine flower, the
sdelwsiss, which il delicious when fresh, has
been compared 70 the arons Of the tropical |
banana. The scent rarely lssts over an