News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-10-04

reports have appeared in the foreign
press, evidently based upon second hand
and untrustworthy information, as to
the treatment of these convicts during
the long and tedious voyage of forty
five days to the Pacific. The following
are the actual facts: Considering that
the couvicts now banished to Saghalien
are exclusively criminals of the very
worst type, any further extension of tho
freedom of their accommodation on
these vessels is held to be incompatible
with the personal safety of the ships
company and convoy escort.
The Mimi -Novgorod is an iron
steamer of about $500 tons burden, and
IS especially Fl ted as convict trans
port. With full complement of con
yicts the vessel carries 652. The officers
and crew number S0 exclusive of a ma
rine convoy escort of sixty-two men,
specially chos n for this duty. The
irOn-bnrred compartments, or cages, in
which the convicts aie confined, run par
allel, fore and aft, on either side the
upper and lower tween decks. The
iron bars, an inch thick, of these cages
and tine woodwork in Which they are set
are heavily and solidly constructed.
The cages are of UNEQUAL capacity and
seven and half feet. The more des-
perate characters are manacled and
chained to iron staples in their berths,
from which they are released when
necessary. The greater number,
although retaining the waist and ankle
shack es of light construction, have the
/ freedom of trayersing the length Of the
compartment, which may vary from 25
| to 40 feet. Between the outer bars and
| the two plain plank shelves or hunks
running from end to end of the com
| partment which affords sleeping room
for the occupants, there is q free space
Of about A. or feet. Except during
the distribution of rations, no culinary
vessels are left with the convicts. Even
the drinking water is obtained only
through an india rubber mouthpiece
fixed in an inclosed water tank and
through which the drinker sucks his
draught. Immediately outside the
cases and attached to the under part of
the deck overhead is a steam pipe con-
nected with the ships boilers. Into
these pipes are fitted screw nozzles at
intervals of II feet. The object of the
steam pipe is to suppress any danger
Gus outbreak among the inmates of the
cage. By means of a short hose,
op6CIdllJ Lltll6 70 IGSISJ Ill6 SJt1itil ueub,
quickly attached to one of the steam
pipe nOzzles, turbulent convicts are
readily quieted or parboiled. Strong
water jets have been found next to use
less in allaying these occasional tumults.
After the ship has passed the canal, but
not before, patches of a0nYicts are in
turn brought upon deck for a shower
bath and short exercise. A strongly
constructed iron railing, eight feet high,
crosses the vessel amidships in order
that the convict during his bath and
while unmanacled cannot by any sud
den rush evade the guard and reach the
quarterback. Some of the more desper-
etc convicts, who stubbornIy resist all
disciplinary c ntrol, are confined to the
cages during the whole voyage. Both
the upper and lower tween decks are
open and airy, the system of ventilation
Is excellent, and the cages themselves
are kept scrupulously clean. The cages
are repainted every voyage. Every con-
'iOS, ~ eeIdiofOn TO hav1n@ his hair
cropped short, has the left half of the
head from front to back closely shaven.
Among the 400 oonriots OaArIioa L5-
the Mimi Novgorod about 160 are
murderers. One of these is a relative
of the Shah of Persia-Prine Khanalam-
Mira, son Of Prince Betman Mira, 20
years of age, and sentenced to 20 years
hard labor for the murder of his brother
in Russia. Another noted criminal is q
large landed proprietor of wilma, SEN
fenced to IS years hard labor for muir
dering his neighbOr, ais u landed
proprietor. Six murderers are Moham-
medans. Upon the greater number of
these murderers, In addition to their
various terms of hard labor in the mines
i lNo 1,,Ai,t,1 Ahair
arrival q given number of blows from
the knout, varying from so to 125,
according to their crimes. As is we'll
known, capital punishment is rarely in
fiicted in Russia, and the Russians boast
of their humanity in this respect; but If
it were possible to obtain n trustworthy
return of the number of wretched con
victs who yearly sUccumb to the severity
of hard labor sentences, the result would
appall even the Judges who pronounce
these so-called humane judgments. l
will only mention one case which came
under my observation this morning.
Manacled and crouched at the end of
one of the cages was Il convict OF about
35 years of age. There was nothing
villainOus in the mans face,
though it was by no means well favored
by nature. What struck me especially
was his palid look and apparently gen
eral Bodily languor. On inquiring of
NV guide as to the record and sentence
of the unfortunate dep0rte l was inform
ed that, despite his appearance, he had
passed the medical inspection always
made on embarkation; and ! believe
that these medical inspections are con-
made, those whom the med
icaI inspector rejects being sent to the
city hospital. Seven years ago this man
committed murder and was sent to 81
IBERIA for life, the first five years hard
labor to be worked in the mines. After
the expiration OF his mine labor he man
aged to escape, and was rearrested only
after committing n second murder. lie
is now sentenced to mine labor IN Sag
halien for life, to receive l25 blows OF
the knout on arrival ON the island, and
thereafter to be chained to his barrow or
hand wagon for the first II months OF
his sentence. In these cases there is
no unchaining; the chains are welded
on the convicts limbs. "How long do
You imagine this poor wretch will exist
under the conditions of his first years
punishment" l asked my guide, who
has spent some years of official service
in Saghalien. POSSIBLY q monitor
two. The shorter the better for the
poor devil" 1t is this question which
does not appear to occur to the "hu-
defenders of the Russian
penal code-whether capital punish
ment were not an unqualified mercy to
such criminals, and their number Is ter
ribly large i'll Russia.
The convict's horror and dread of
having to live out these sentences is
shown by the desperate attempts at self
destruction he is ever ready to make.
On this account even the convicts lava
tories on the Nizhi- -NovgOrod have been
detached from cages, and are now built
of iron in the ships side. The conyIcts
must pass to them under guard. For
merly the closet plates were frequently
wrenched off, and the convict crawled
and forced himself through the tubing
to reach the water and end his existence.
/ watched party of conyicts coming
aboard this vessel, and observed how
close were the two gangwny files OF Cos
sacks and marines through which they
passed, to prevent any poor manacled
wretch casting himself into the water,
knowing that the weight of his chains
would assure his drowning before res
cue were possible. The scene on board
hese departing convict ships is alto
yether saddening and depressing per
laps the more so that one does not hear
, ,,,,rD,u, or 1or,opt from, tho sfnlid-