Wichita eagle., 1890-02-16
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A gentleman at this juncture asked M
| KEENAN, whether the exiles were not per-
mitted to demonstrate against the infection
| Of punishment not included in their sentence
or in some way reach the ear of the higher
officials.
''ExiIes," he replied, ''are allowed TO draw
up individual petitions, but it is contrary TO
| law for them to draw up collective petit
| tion."
| 1t was while in Buffalo on one of his lectur-
! ing tours that Mr.. KEENAN, received letter
from Siberian exile giving particulars of
| the massacre at Yaktusk, which is a case in
| point. a band of exiles had reached that
place when an order was sent cut which, If
| insisted on, would make it impossible for
| them to procure sufficient food and clothing
for the rest of the journey. They prepared a
| petition to the vics governor, asking him to
return to the old system. While waiting las
ordered for an answer at the house of NJ
Notkine, also an exile an officer of police ap-
peared and babe them follow him to the
house Of the administration. They had re-
ceived strict orders on no occasion TO go there,
and refused. The officer grew angry, and
finally shots were fired Six exiles were
killed and nine wounded, Sophie Gourewith
being ''ripped open with bayonets" One
policeman was killed and three officials
wounded. A court martial followed, and
every one of the surviving exileS was con-
victed. Three men were sentenced to death
and have been hanged. The others were
doomed to long terms of penal servitude.
''This is but one Illustration of the conduct
/ Of certain officials in Russia, and we can
easily imagine that every such tragedy adds
hundreds to the number OF those who are
already seeking opportunities for revenge.
An unfortunate girl may be bayoneted, out
ragged or hanged; don't you suppose her
brother or some other close relative is ready
to light torch or throw bomb9
''The Russians have no penitentiary system
for the punishment of criminals such as we
have. II a man commits burglary muir
der be is sent to Siberia to pay the penalty of
his crime in various ways. OF course these
common criminals are more numerous than
the POLITICAL and in certain way sympathy
for the criminal classes is as much wasted
there as here, but if we treated our prisoners
even Of the lowest class as they do, it would
arouse universal indignation. Imagine gang
Of several hundred marched from New York
to Sitka, Alaska, in the depth of winter,
shackled together with leg letters, confined in
close quarters by the way, and poorly fed;
fancy these wretched people accompanied by
their families and the suffering that ensues
among the women and children, the wives
toiling along on foot, children dying By the
wayside of Group and other infectious diseases
and no help at hand. This is what you see in
Siberia. OF course, you do not sympathize
with the criminals, but with the human be-
ir,e,c oo haac
THE treatment of political prisoners differs
according to the grade Of offenses they may
have committed. A man may be sent to ST.
IBERIA by order of the minister Of the interior
without hearing or trial, but, as rule, ne is
merely 'colonized,' as it is called, for FIVE, ten
or twenty years, according to the within of
the official, and is not subjected TO penal
servitude as we understand that term. Again,
a man may be tried and sentenced for life
but he is free TO engage in certain kinds OF
business. Still another class are condemned
to the Hlines and never permitted to return
to European Russia. On the march some of
these go in leg letters; Others ride. As a rule,
the mobiles and higher orders are furnished
with slejghs, but inasmuch as the teYnpera-
ture frequently goes down to IS and 40 degs.
below zero, and 1t is impracticabie 70 set a
pace of more than two miles an hour and
keep company with the unfortunate ones
who are on foot, you can readily understand
that the privilege does not amount TO much
when a man must walk to keep himself alive.
In regard to the personnel Of the pris-
oners, niDe-teBths of tue political eIiles be-
long TO the educated classes. 4 large proper
ton of them are graduates Of universities,
and some OF them are ladies Of exquisite re-
fnenent Of character or oil, it may be said
they are more or less intellectual You easily
recognize this fact in their strong faces"
Mr.. KEENAN, here exhibited large number
Of photographs which he had brought from
Russia, and gave brief history Of each Of
the subjects. One was & handsome young
officer pictured in his shackles, though stin
wearing the undress uniform Of bis rank;
another was tie wife of a novelist; q third. |
famous writer; fourth, the leonine head o.
a gentleman who subsequently became insane |
from suffering In solitary confinement: a !
fifth. the face OF mother, couneiy and grave, |
whose little son had been taken from her be- |
cause - the fear tast SIZE would bring up her /
child in sympathy with Esr own Liberal ideas |
and he Is now being educated st tae COS. Of 4
the government, while sne Is IN the mines; a /
sixth represented a beautiful girl, Scarcely
out OF her teens, sentenced 20 the mines for /
eighteen years, a1otGer. with tns splendid
features of Charlotte CoTday. Sentenced for
and proud OF hsr r.aTfyrdorn. Ali /
the faces, Ia fact. wore look * PROVO REQ
luton and a conscious sense Of SET &basxs-
ton
The mines Of Kara resumed ". Ken
usn, are those 20 which De political ex1las
are chiefly seat. Lie there Is SIMPLY Gloss
confinement. They do not work IA tbs
;zll1es bet are Imprisoned IL 10. hgss asd
prevented from communicating WITH thesr
four thousand miles sw6y TIE
stores that tsls Class Of prisoners s0r< n tbs
quicksilver rnsrss are SIMPLY
and uG-rue. Il tley work =. al
1 IS II the open placer ns-sses- I'D they have
tod lie they preferred 20 90 tsas
oecarse I. enabiesi tae1n 20 eE5oT sszap,orArr
release from ICE Prisons and exeTc.ss IL tss
5Dea az. 1ke saritz<y caad5.so-zz are sz4d-
.za E-x1y OF tee T.-sczsrs de trosz whzt =
,a-s-d prison ,oz51a-y-5cn. hroz~n. On - zoe
poisoned a.nosp1=rs n .as Esoexsess al I-s-
1rcpeE food- Tg.esr dzf7v r.e-nzsa ec..-s.z. II
Ku pounds ana eAG ot h.@zz RE bread. ,
iosr cz1c=s os meat .1ci2Siszg sse 5sse, ,
zi1a ! fgw csbrz@. hs1Fsz o. ros-s bsssed
9 the sz1-as setsse TIER are ra- allowed :
70 usc kIsyea OF fe-12. -. .A<y E3.a.4 :