St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-20
MASSACRE OF EXILES.
Russian Butehery as Bruta.
as the Slaughter Of the
Mamelukes.
Defenseless Women in Many
Instances Ripped Open
With Bayonets.
Husbands, SWeethearts and
Fathers Shot Down in
Cold Blood.
The Awful Answer Which
Russian EXiles Received
to a Petition.

TumOr reached Western Europe con-
corning a supposed massacre of polit-
zeal prisoners in Siberia; yet the news
was so incredible, even in the Russian
empire, that it would not have been
safe to deal with the subject before full
and authentic information could be OBJ
tanned. But news travels slowly from
Siberia, particularly when, as is almost
always the case, the authorities are in
tereSted in preventing the escape OF
any sound from the settlements which
the Russians themselves describe
us Giving tombs." Nevertheless the
devotion and ingenuity of the partiSans
of the political prisoners have given not
only ears to prison walls, but voice to
the tombS where the adversaries of the
government are buried alive. Thus, at
last. full, minute and documentary in
formation has reached the political
friends of the victims. The story of the
massacre 5 told i'll letters which come
from those who were executed or SEN
fenced to penal servitude for their
participation in the event. 1t may be
briefly summarized as follows At the
beginning Of April last, thirty political
eXileS were waiting at YakoutSk to be
transported to some localities in the eX-
IRENE east or Siberia. where they were
ordered 30 reside. These prisoners, it
must be noted. were eXiled by admins
tratiYe ordpr'-that is TO say, they had
not been tried and convicted by any
tribunal; no conclusive evidence had
been adduccd against them. Legally
speaking. they were citizens,
AIMING All THETu RIGHTS
and against whom no conviction or
penalty had been inflicted. The gov
ernment-Hot the law. but the govern
mentor purely administrative rea-
sons, had ordered these persons to live
i'll exile. The thirty prisoners, TO reach
Iakoutsk. had already performed 4
long and painful journey. Thrown
pell-mell with common law criminals of
the worst description. the men, women
and children had been exposed, from
stage to stage. to every hardship. The
Journey to Siberia has often been de-
scribed, and it is, perhaps, hot necessar Y
10 again insist on its horrors. But
20 reach the further stations,
such as Verkhoiansk and K0-
limsk, greater hardships are
in store. Some 100 miles from YakoutSk,
ut Aldarre, the last YeStgeS Of ciyiliZa-
ton disappear. The road crosses an
absolutely desert locality, where at best
Il few nOmad tribes may be met, though
these for the most part have been deci-
mated by smallpox, and where it is alb
sOlutely impossible to obtain any food
Though the journey from YakOutsl TO
NerkhOianSk is officially calculated to
last eighteen days, and to Kolimsk
forty-eight days, these generally take
tWenty-one days TO tifty-fiye and sixty
days respectively.
EACH EXILE BEING ACCOMPANIED
by CoSSack, provisions for two have
TO be carried all the way. Up to the
spring of 1889. the authorities at
1akoutsh thought it was only right to
show some leniency to the eXileS under
administrative order" They argued
and justly, that, as these latter had not
been condemned to death, it was nee
eSSary to take some measures to prevent
their dying of starvation on the road;
therefore, to prevent the oyercr0wding
Of the shelter houses Oh the
way, only small patches of priS-
OnerS were dispatched at q
time. and these at invervals OF
ten to fifteen days from each other
Further, to enable the prisoners to pro-
cure food for the journey and the in
diSpensable articles of clothing, the al
lowauce made for the journey was paid
to them ten days in advance, but, as the
prisoners have also to feed the CosSackS
of their escort, the government allo "
ance was not sufficient, and an advance
was made to them from their monthly
pay. This does not exceed six rubleS.
They were not very great cOnceS-
siOnS. and did not prevent the OCCASION
al death from cold of a child, even while
nurSed with the utmost care in its
mothers arms. The mortality and
eases of illness among adults were
also excessive. But all this is within
the ordinary programme of Russian
eXile's life. and it is extraordinary how
quietly, how snbmissively, they endure
such suffering. Something especially
fore protests are raised. This IS precise
ly what happened at IakOutsk.
COY. oSTASHINE.
The new vice-gOVernOF of YakOutSk
Ostashine, who fulfilled, adj interim, the
functions of governor, thought fit to
alter ali of these rules or customs re-
lating to the transport Of eXiles under
administrative order" He decided
that four instead of two prisoners should
start at once, which, with the escort,
made eight persons, and this at short
intervals of only seven days. The
money allowance for the journey was
10 be paid only the day before the de-
parture, and the advance of money on
the eXileS' pay suppressed altogether
Finally, they were forbidden to take
with them more than eighty kilo-
grammeS of luggage and provisions per
head. Considering the impossibllity OF
obtaining fresh provisions on the road
and the conditions under which the
Journey must be performed, these new
regulations were equivalent to q SEN
tence of death TO most of the eXiles.
Under these circumstances, and cOnsid-
ering that the new regulations placed
their lives in serious peril, the eXiIes re
solved to address q JOINT petition to
the vice governor, pointing out
all the dangers and impioring him
TO revert TO the former rules
governing the transport of ex-
lies under administrative order.n The
justice of these protests was confirmed
blythe testimony Of an lsprawnik dis
tTict police commissioner, and by one
of the poStmaSterS. These two experts,
who certainly cannot be suspected of
nihilist sympathieS. declared that it was
impossible TO travel III the manner indi-
Gated by the governor .Ostashine. At
first it seemed as if the administration
would favor the petitioners. The chief
of the Yak0utsk police. SOukhatcheff.
prom sed TO report TO the governor, and
would communicate his reply that even
ing. The eXiles were
TOLD 70 MEET
in the neighboring house Of NJ. Notkine.
an exile under administrative order,''
condemned to reside at Yakoutsk. OF
course. the petitioners did not fail to
keep the appointment. and NJ. Sioux
hatcheff came according to his word,
gave them every hope that the ObnoX-
iOuS regulations would be revoked. but
also Informed them that NJ OStashne.
the acting governor. was very much
yexed TO hear that the eXiies
had been in q body to the Off
ces of the provincial administration
This was considered too much like
political demonstration, and TO pre-
vent the recurrence of any such mani
feStation the eXileS were told to as
Semble again the following day i'll the
house of NJ. Notkine, when they would
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