Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-08
MASSACRE OF exLEs.
Report Denied ny the nussisps Afnr"e~
by a Survivor.
Srs~ tsys~~,xA o.. 49, vxs-~xmf

tbybterapn 70 TIE DisoAs1i
CHICAGO. February George Kennan,
now lecturing here on Siberia, has gi'ee a
the Associated Press the resume o. =
voiuminous correspondence lately receis.,s ,.
by him relative to the massacre OF .ip
Russian administrative exlles at lsku.sh
on April Sd last. the occurrence OF whisSu ..
has been hitherto strenuously denied ~
the Russian Government. One. ~
these letters, written by q survivor 0, VIZ
affair. is sixty-one pages in length. ana se'o
forth with great exactness of details e'oiy
particular of the massacre, and the events
| leading up to and Immediately precediug
and succeeding it. KEENAN, declared t'lo
communications TO be Of tho most impair
tial character, snd even unimpassioned ~
tone. and said they were 10 be Thoroughly
his correspondent, as the publication OF
their names would involve them in troupie
with the Russian administration.
The story of Kennan's correspondents
AGREES in many particulars with the ac-
counts published in the London Times, out
gives in addition many details hitherto I'M
| known, and the language of the writers Is
most graphic.
1T appears" said KEENAN,, chat 20.
wards the latter part of February last
thirty-three people on their way to VerK-
tered temporarily at Yakutek, the hrSt-
named places being distant from ~. re.
1880 and 1913 miles respectively, IN pars
| OF Siberia 50 remote from civilization tnae
! il is seldom, if ever. visited by human De-
ines. Verkhoyausk Is the first village 10
which the survivors of the Jeanette came
after they left the Lena Delta. Both places
lie close to the Arctic circle. Communica-
| ton is maintained between these two VII
| lagos by means of reindecr-sleds."
Remnants correspondents wrote that Ine
former Governor of the Province OF Ia
kutsk, General Svetletsk. had done all IN
his power 10 see that the exiles III us
| charge were forwarded as comfortably as
possible to this unhospitable region, outt
| he being promoted to the Government OF
Province Of Irkutsk, his successor, uen
| eral Ostaskin, who assumed the ONCE tenn
porarily in March last. gave great dissatls
| faction 10 the exiles by the announcement
of certain and cruel arbitrary rules wnich
prevented their proper equipmentfor 'neir
| journey.
minal offence for political exlles 70 unto
| in petition for redress of grievances.
Each exile, therefore. prepared separate
petition and presented II at the ONCE Oh
| the provincial administration. The letters
| 60 on to tell how they were directed TO as,
| semble in the house one of the exlles, ana
when there were told that the Governor
regarded thor individual petitions Us
merely an evasion Of the law, and their ac-
ton equivalent 10 open rebellion.
AT 10 o'clock the next day, writes one
| Of the actual participants in the dreauIui
affair. I'VE met again in Notkin's house 10
| the number of thirty-three.
At haif-past ~ o'clock Pollce-Oyerseer
| Olesof brought a verbal order that all eX-
| lies were TO come to the police-statioh-
| We thought that there must be some mis-
| understanding a. we were waiting Dy
order OF the Chief of Police. Olesof turn
/ ed on his heel saying: Then under
stand You won't come" We sad no such
| thing, but wanted to know from the Chiei
| of Police what he expected us TO do.
! A company of Cossacks numbering over
one hundred men, under command OF an
officer named Karamson, then appeared,
| battered down the gate Of the courtyard,
and fifteen or twenty Of them entered the
house. while others surrounded 1t. The
officers who entered with the soldiers and
! Cbief-of-P Police Souchaket were Captain
| yaschef, the local commander of the whole
| Cossack force in town, and Olesof, the po'
| lice oversoer.
Karamsin. IN command Of the company
also entered and told US that he had the
| lTONrTUOES OIufIs W Adht 10 w VIZ fCt'NN
| station. We tried TO explain our side OF
| the case and said that We had not assem-
bed there for other purpose than to receive
! the Governors reply, but that we would
90 TO the police-statiOn, only asking thai
| Karamsin withdraw his troops. The Chiei
of Police then said to karamsln: What Is
the use of your talking with them! dc
what You were ordered to-"
karHmsin then cried out TO the Cossacks
" Take them."
twenty feet square, and had gotten III one
| corner. from which position the Cossack'
| endeavored TO GUST las by striking us witt
their dubbed rifles and pricling US Will
| their bayonets. Some women being
| wounded quite severely began to scream.
Cartridges had been served out to Tho
| soldiers the night before and they fired
! poiut- blank into the miscellaneous crowC
OF men and women. Five Of the exile'
had revolvors which they had brought as
means of protection on their journey, ana
not for the purpose Of resisting the au
thoritles.
Zolot drew his revolver, sprung upon
Diyan, and shouted Stop Stop The
firing then became general on both sides
After one OF two volleys the soldiers with
drew from the house and the whole Cos
! sack force outside then poured in their hrI
through the doors and windows.
Schur, one of our number. rushed int
the courtyard crying: q" We surrender
but was shot dead IA short distance from
the doors. Prodletski, who heard tn
firing and ran to the house to see what TN
matter was, was shot dead by the court
ward gang. He was not implicated in tn
affair in any way and was within tw'
months of the termination Of his exile,
Joseph Estrovitch, already wounded
rnshed into the courtyard fell. and wa
repeatedly bayonetted as he lay on th'
ground. As the result of this ARRAY six o
us. including one woman. We're killed out
RIGHT. This woman's stomach was all tori
open by bayonets. All the rest Of US wer
more or less injured At thu, first lull il
the firing upon the house Zolef ran GU
into the courtyard. 1t does not appear TO
what purpose There he saw Governo
Ostashkin, who had arrived and whom b
doubtless believed to irresponsible for tn
killing of his friends. He drew his reyolye
and fred two shots at him. But for TIN
there might have been no more shooting.