The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1890-02-08
THE MASSACREAT YAKUTSK
Letters Received by George ennan Con-
firming Reports of the Slaughter.
Russian Exiles to Siberia Huddled Together in
q House and Shot Down by Cossacks-
Tried for Resistance and Hanged.

nlIu TtlatlnR 10 the mdsSdCIo VI hussldu
administrative exiles at Yakutsk. on April
8 last, the occurrence of which has been
hitherto strenuously denied by the Rus
sian government. One of these letters,
written by a survivor of the affair, is sixty
one pages in length, and sets forth with
great exactness of detail every particular
of the massacre and the events leading up
to and Immediately preceding and succeed
ingit. Mr.. KEENAN, declared the communica-
tons to be of the most impartial character,
and even unimpassionedlin tone. and said
they were TO be thoroughly relied on. but
he withheld the names of his correspond
ents, as a publication of their names would
involve them in trouble with the Russian
administration.
1T appears" said Mr.. KEENAN,, that
toward the latter part of February last
thirty three 'pOliticals,' on their way to
Verkhoyansk and Sredni-Kolymsk. were
quartered temporarily at fakutsk. the
~tirst-named places being distant from st.
Petersburg 6,39s and ISIS miles. respect
lively. in a part of Siberia so remote from
civilization that it is seldom if ever visited
by human beings. Verkhoyansk is the first
village to which the survivors of the JEAN
cite came after they left the Lena delta.
Both places lie close to the Arctic circle.
Communication is maintained between
these two villages by means of reindeer
sledgeS."
The story of Mr.. Remnants correspondents
agrees in many particulars with the ac-
count published in the London Times. but
unknown. and the language of the writers
is at times most graphic. They write that
the former Governor of the Province of
Yakutsk. General Svetletski, had done all
in his power to see that the exlles IN his
charge We're forwarded as comfortably as
possible to this lnhOspitable region. but he
being promoted to the government of
the Province of Irkutsk. his sue
cessor. General Ostashkin. who assumed
the office temporarily in March. last.
gave great dissatisfaction to the exiles by
the announcement of certain cruel and ar
bitrary rules which prevented their proper
equipment for their journey, one rule be-
ing so manifestly impracticable In its APP
plication to the conveyance of exiles to
their destination as TO draw forth personal
circumstances from one of the largest post
contractors in the province. Another rule
curtailed the amount of baggage. by one
half which an exile was permitted to carry
into the country, though no supplies of any
kind could be purchased there. The two
months subsistence money previously gwen
them was also withheld, and they were
forced, unUef the new rules, 10 take IucIT
departure from the prison instead of their
residences. they being locked mp the night
before. Under the Russian lenal code 1t is
a criminal OtfeDse for political eXlles to
unite in a petition for a redress of griev-
ances. Each exile, therefore, prepared a
separate petition and presented 1T at the
office of the provincial administration.
The letters then 60 on to tell how they
were directed to assemble in the house of
one of the eXiles. and when there were told
tina the Governor regarded their individual
petitions as merely an evasion OF the law
and their action equivalent to open re.
bellion. "At 10 o'clock the next day"
writes one of the actual participants in the
dreadful affair, I'VE met again in NOtkin's
house to the number of thirty-three.
Among us was Sergius Kapiger and his
betrOthed, Ann ZOarvastrova, the latter
quite a young girl. and a man who had
come in from one Of the Yakutsk settle
ments to make some purchases. These came
to the house to see their fellOw-exiles.. AT
1880 the police 0verseer, Olesof, brought q
verbal order that all exiles present were to
come to the police station. We thought
that there must be some misunderstanding,
as we were waiting by the orders of the
chief of police. Olesof turned on his heels.
saying, Then / understand you wont
come We said no such thing. but they
wanted to know from the chief OF police
what he expected them to do.
"A company of Cossacksinumbering over
q hundred men, under of an of
ficer named KaramZin, then appeared. bat
tered down the gates of the courtyard,
and fifteen or twenty OF them entered the
house, while the others surrounded it. The
officers who entered with the soldiers were
Chief of Police SOuchakef, Captain Vashef,
the local commander of the whole Cossack
force in the town. and Olesof, the police
Overseer. KaramZin, in of the
company, also entered and told us that he
had the Governors order to take us to the
police station. We tried to explain our side
r -- I'D fha< me-. hn1 MT Aa
sembled there for any other purpose than
to receive the Governors reply; but Shat we
would go to the police station, only asking
that KaramZin withdraw his troops. The
What is the use of your talking with them.
Do what you were ordered to-
"KaramZin then cried out TO the COssacks,
Take Them
I'VE were assembled in a room about
twenty feet square, and had gathered in
one corner, from which position the Cos
sacks endeavOred to Gust us by striking us
with their dubbed rifles and pricking us
with their bayonets. Some women, being
wounded quite severely. began to scream.
Cartridges had been served out TO the sol
diers the night before. and they fired point
blank into the miscellaneous crowd of men
and women. Five of the exiles had re-
v~Olvers, which they had bought as a means
of protection on their journey, ana not for
the purpose of resisting the authorities.
NicOlai ZOtOf drew his revolver, sprang
upon the divan and shouted stop. STOP
The firing then became general ON both
sides. After one or two volleys the soldiers
withdrew from the house, and the whole
COssack force outside then poured In their
fire through the doors and windows. Schur,
one of our number, rushed into the court
ward crying, we surrender but was shot
dead a short distance from the steps.
Podbetski, who heard the firing. and ran to
the house to see what the matter was. was
shot dead by the courtyard gate. He was
not implicated in the affair in any way, and
was within two months of the termination
of his exile. Joseph EstrOvich, already
wounded, rushed into the courtyard, fell,
and was repeatedly bayOneted as he lay
On the ground.
"As a result of this affray. six of us. in
Gliding one woman, were killed outright.
| This woman's stomach was all torn open
by a bayonet. All the rest OF us were more
OF less injured. At the first lull in the fir
ing upon the house, Zotof ran into the
courtyard. 1t does not appear for what
purpose. There he saw Governor Ostash-
kin, who had arrived, and whom he doubt
less believed 10 he responsible for the kill
ing of his friends. He drew his revolver
and fired two shots at him. But for this
there might have been no, more shooting.
| Zotof, however, wounded the Governor.
and the soldiers recommended firing into
the house. After two or three volleys, this
firing was stopped by Captain Vazhef."
The government casualties were one
| soldier killed and the Governor and a
soldier slightly wounded. The exiles
killed were Sergins Kapiger. Sophie
/ Gurevith. PAM Potbeiski. Peter Mukhanof.
| Cragory Snura and Jacoh Maxim Tualva