Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-01

a charge of conspiracy and secret propa-
ganda, and ordered under the threat OF
heavy punishment to confess everything,
which meant to betray those who gave
them books or money to buy them, or en-
couraged them in any other way Gomer-
alidze knew nothing about THIS library.
But in MS quality of surgeons assistant 9 .
paid occasional visits to the house OF one oi
the boys who contributed certain NUMBER
of books TO the common library. being
arrested, the boy named Gomeraildze as tLe
person who gave him these books, on the
childish consideration that since he was
already political offender and an exile, IL
would not matter for him.
The charge was not supported by facts,
and the boy himself retracted 1t afterWafo'
Gomeralidze was summoned to the pollce
office, but his explanations satisfied the local
authorities, SO that he was not molested, ana
when his term of Punishment ended ne was
allowed, as we have seen, to return 10 DIS
native country. But in this interval tne
famous General Rusinov, the same who has
been mentioned BY Mr. George kennan Ill
connection with the ohliteration of the IN
scriptions upon the exiles' tombstones and
the would-be discovery of q secret printing
press in Yakutsk-this General RusinoV
visited Tomsk on the prete1t of inqulrlng
into the condition of the exiles, In reality In
order to report upon their conduct.
DUE TO PUSHING YOUNG OFFICER.
Together with other materials, he brought
with him to ST. Petersburg the documents
referring to Gomerslidze's o6ense. Here it
Was given for revision to young pushing
officer of gendsrmerie, who discovered, az
be thought some hints throwing doubts
upon the correctness OF Gomeralidze'
former acquittal by the Tomsk gendarmes,
and without any verihcation, without e1-
animation of the accused, an order for his
re-exile was dispatched to Kutais.
The case is not unique. In 1878, st.
Petersburg student, Tutchef, was arrested,
and condemned without trial by admins
trative order to five years banishment in
the Yakutsk region. His term expired In
1888, and his family expected him home.
But he did not come, and in his stead let
ter arrived informing the parents that his
term of banishment was prolonged.
Then his father, General In
the Czar's army, went to the otficer
of the State police to inquire what new Of
tense his son had committed to have merited
a new punishment In consideration Of his
official position he was received, and an e1-
planation vouchsa led to him by the gendar-
mitted no new offense, bat they had re-
examined the old document referring to his
case, and, finding that the original punish
ment was inadequate, had added on for
young Tutcheff another TWO years OF BAN
ishment.
STILL ANOTHER CASE.
We will mention as a further illustration
of this curious practice the case Of Sineff, q
private of one OF the regiments of guards,
exiled to Urium in 1886, the police having
discovered that he paid occasional visits tO
the former schoolmaster of his village, who
proved to be implicated in some conspira.
cies. Sinef's term of banishment expired
in November, 1888, but, instead of being
allowed to return TO his home, he wal
ordered to remain at his place of punish
ment indefinitely, pending the re-e1amin-
alton of his case"
In 1887 an exile named Peshekherov,
after having completed his three years term
of banishment in Ust Kamenogorsk (Semi-
palatinsk region), was returning with his
wife and children to European Russia by
permission OF the local authorities, and had
already reached Tomsk, which stands about
600 miles from Ust Kamenogorsk, when
suddenly telegram came from ST. Peters
burg inflicting upon him another two years
of exile. The Siberian authorities were as
much surprised at this order as Peshekherov
himself, as there was never any conflict be-
tween him and the administration during
the three years of his involuntary residence
at Ust Kamenogorsk.
In 1884 a student, Raspopin, accused OF
"militarism," which means of holding the
opinion that the Revolutionists ought for
the good of their cause. 10 get as many COM
missions as possible il the army, was exiled
for two years to Beresov, one OF the most
awi iul OF Siberian penitentiary towns, situ-
ated in the marshes OF the Arctic zone.
Still the term of his punishment was short
one. But at its expiration in 1886 two more
years were added to it after re-etamination
of his case.
TWICE RECLAIMED.
But it seems that the documents concern
ing Raspopin were either written in very
good handwriting or put in very conspicu-
GUS place, or offered some peculiar attrae-
ton, as certain problems in chess. The act
is that, after the expiration of this addition
al term in 1888, his case was re-examined
once again, and another year was added to
his term. This Was a small addition, mere
trife, according to the gendarmes' views,
but Raspopin seems not to have duly appre-
ciated their leniency, for he died in Beresov
a few months later from scurvy, which he
had contracted there.
The next OF these measures is the doubling
of the maximum of Punishment. A ccording
to former rules the maximum of Punishment
which could be inflicted without trial, BY a
simple order of the administration, was five
wears. 1t is a long term, considering that the
administration has full option to send its
victims to such dreadful places as Sredne-
kolymsk, Yilusk, Beresov, Turukhausk-
towns, or rather villages, in the Arctic zoue,
where life is uncomfortable to Europeans, who
generally succumb to scurvy aud other dis
eases OF the Polar region.
But it seemed not enough, and the maxi.
mum has been extended to ten years, which
means practically Ii .etime. Few will be
able to outlive such long terms, so that the
administration will be saved the trouble O.
repeating blow after blow upon its chosen
victims. Now they may be killed with one
single blow. This new measure has not
passed through the stages which every new
law passes through in Russia. We have
not even seen it promulgated by a minis.
terial circular, which, in Russia, has the
force of law. 1t was enacted quietly and re-
vealed its existence by its practical applica-
tion to several persons in 1887.
STILL MORE SHOCKING.
simultaneously with this measure came
into practice another one, which is more
shocking still. 1t is nothing less than the
conferriug upon the administration of the
right to condemn people, without any form
of trial, to various terms OF imprison ment
with hard labor. To complete the evolution
one step more is needed-that of empower.
ing the administration to sentence people to
death by a mere stroke of the pen, without
resorting to any judicial trick. as was the
case with the hanging of Bernstein, Zotoff
and Hausmon in Yakutsk.
In the wyborg district of St. Petersburg
there is prison, which is called colloquially