The Opelousas courier., 1888-03-10
THE COSSACKS.
The LaWless Men who Compose
the Cars Body Guard.
Russian Soldiers who do About
as They Please.

ING iIAc Tldu on uufSCDaCA diC Ao IN
Of the military foF the winter. The
Cossacks are the hfe guards Of the car,
and are the most interesting Of the
many characters in this strange country.
a genuine Cossack has no more APP
probation or dread of danger than he
has of his vodka, a terrible rum, which
he drinks like water and which makes
intoxication at sight. He was the
original soldier of Russia, the 4atron
detective and the prime spirit n MAX
ing republican, institutions what they
are. He is devoted to the czaro and for
his devotion has BEEN knightsd in the
highest degree. The acme OF che Rus,
sian soldier is to become assocated
with the service Of the crow1 and to be
located about the palace. When q SOLE
der Is stationed IN the vicinity Of the
palace and it becomes known TO that be
has been recognized by the car, his
reputation has reached the zenith, and
he instantly becomes the admiration Of
the entife people. To get @ promotion
en- suite-that is, into the direct service
of tho to acquire the highest
honor a milliA Russian soldiers aspire
to.
In all the wars Russia has fought
from her organization the Cossacks
have & 3trred most conspicuously. They
especially did tn, blo5dS work when
Napoleon came ovos from Francs in
1912 and attempted to conquer bhe
empire. The great French general
found his men falling like hail when he
was anable to strike bac!S the enemy
always being under shelter. 1t was eopa
tinuous bu5h-whacking tiIC the retreat
began, when the Cossacks role out
80, 900 on horseback and shot down in
cold blood almost twice their nupber
in Napoleon's ranks. For centuries
these people have been the predominant
inhabitants on both sides of the Vdtga,
and the first to take up arms in all the
( Crimea against intruders. Nearly half
q century age the car rewarded the
Che tribe by making all Cssagas in his
service his special life guard. sAlto-
gether the most brutal aud ignorant
the Cossack is thus given the most con-
spicuous position in alIehis eat army.
Whenever you ea AlexandE HI. you see
a swarm OF Cossacks about him, riding
over pedestrians slashing their sabres
in the air, aud holding high and arbi-
trary authority. They have complete
privilege and exercise it to the fullest
extent. % ~
A Cossack soldier is granted COM
plete immunity against punishment for
all but the highest crime, which is muir
der in cold blood. II he wantonly muir
ders an innocent and unoffendino citigen
or companion he is court-martiated and
probably imprisoned for three or six
months, Tut it is extremely difficult to
convict him when once arrested. He is
furnished a horse, clothing and rations
when stationed in a city, but is given
no salary, and rations only when he
cannot forage. About one-fourth CT
them are thus supplied by the hands Of
the car, while nearly a hundred thou
sand of them are privileged to 60 about
the country and IN the name of the car
pillage and plumber. They hold up
strangers, commit burglary sometimes
and demand at the hands of the people
the besf there is to live upon. 1t is
useless to make complaints Ct their dep
relations, as they are legalized. The
people have to keep the czar and guard
his life; they must prote ct him and all
his interests, and he holds that they
may just as we'll do some of their acts
for Tho empires preservation directly,
by maintaining a band OF marauders,
as to do it indirectly through the ehaa>
mel Of the treasury. It.does not follow
that because a soldier is a life guard he
must be at the side of the one he is m
| ployed to protect. His field is in any spot
he can locate effort to injure the empire
or its car. He p q secret or public detec-
tive, or o soldier, according to hispurposcs
or desires. He@goes about, when not
under direct orders, in the uniform of a
Soldier or the dress OF a civilian. At
st. Petersburg, not many days ago, |
saw a Cossaok in private citizens dress
on the street, walking in hot haste. He
wore a long ulster, buttoned up to the
chin. He was in the role of a detective,
In alittle group of aen he espied his
game slender youth. Hastily I'M
~buttoning his great coat he drew forth a
bugle. a single, short csll, and at his
side were three or four of the fiercest-
looking Cossack soldiers I ever saw.
They came In a twink:ing, wore coat
of-mail caps, and at their sides and in
their belts were pistols, knives and
maces sufficient to start a band Of high
waymen. The arrest was not resisted,
and the display seemed entirely IN
necessary.
There 1t Canae From.
where is the island Of Cuba stu
atedp asked an Austin school teacher of