The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1890-02-08

The statements were read over again to
the prisoner and he replied. Yes"
You are accused of armed resistance to
the authorities What have you to sayf"
A.-UpoD what is this accusation founded!
The court is not Obliged to inform YOU"
The Prisoner-Presence in the house. Is
not proof of the accusation. / was theirs,
but / did not make any armed resistance. l
don't know why 1 ave been implicated in
this affair.
court. Speak more briefly; have you any
thing more to say?
Al think not.
The Officer-You can go.
Beyond this says one of Mr.. Remnants
correspondents. 1.-The prisoners were al
lowed to say nothing in their WI behalf"
Three OF the prisoners were hanged.
Kohan Bernstein. who had been severely
and was unablet to stand, was
taken to the scaffOld on a cOt-bed from the
hospital. the moose put around his neck and
the cot taken from under him. He was
choked to death. Fourteen others, includ-
ing four women. were sentenced for differ
ent terms, ranging from ten to fifteen years.
Il consider this information. received
from Russia" said Mr.. KEENAN, in con-
clusion. $50 minute and circumstantial in
every detail, and knowing the reliability of
its source, to be a complete and conclusive
answer to the recent strenuous denials of
the Russian government, which were pub
lished in the New York Tribune about two
weeks age. Mr.. VIM. Tallet. the president
of the great Howard Association of Eng
land. says that every effort will be mad to
bring this matter before the international
prison congress, which will meet in st.
Petersburg. If the Russian government
will permit 1t and Is ready to meet the
issue. l will undertake tn prove to this
prison congress every charge that | have
arrayed against it in my articles, published
in the Century, or which have been other
wise brought forward by me. In substan-
tlatlon OF these charges | am prepared to
bring my witnesses from Siberia and to de-
fray the whole expense OF such proceedings.
But much fear that my challenge will be
ignored
Asked in regard to the report lately cir
cuiated chat the Russian government in
tended. to abolish the sending of exiles
through Siberia on foot, and the cOnstruc-
tion of a transcOntinental railway for their
accommodation, with feeders tapping the
different mining districts en- route, Mr.. Ken
nan said: All such announcements are
merely ruses on the part of the Russian
government to distract the attention of the
public from the spectacle, from time to
time frosted on the vision of civilized ma
tons, OF unfortunate people being trans
ciOus cruelty that man shudders at their
recital The recent endeavOr of Russian
dlplOmatlsts to lead outsiders to believe
that a more liberal and humane policy in
tnlS respect Is DelnR pursued year aIter
year is merely an attempt to pull the wool
over the eyes of such organizations as the
Howard Society. of Great Britain, to whom
every credit should be given for tho
stand they have taken on this subject.
This society will be represented at
st. Petersburg, at the coming prison con-
gress, by two delegates-men of wealth,
convictions and principles-whO will
strongly insist on sitting this Yakutsk mat
ter to the bottom, and record their unqual-
flied condemnation of the inhuman course
pursued by the Russian government
towards its political prisoners under the
present diabolical administrative system,
under which the dearest family ties are
ruthlessly sundered on the say-sO of a mere
subordinate official. the number of cases
coming before the Minister of the Interior
every year precluding anything but the
briefest investigation, he practically TAX
ing the report of subordinates as sufficient
proof of the guilt of a prisoner. In many
cases the examination Of prisOners-their
only form of trials conducted by the
gen-darmes who make the arrest. This
then passes up and is docketed and Endorsed
by official after official, until it reaches the
Minister of the Interior. who slgnsit as a
matter of course. All this governmental
red tape affords sinecure employment for q
vast number of petty officials, who strenu-
ously uphold the government. The day of
the abolition of the administrative system
III Russia is, l fear, yet far distant"