The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1890-07-19
HORRORS OF SIBERIA.
a Detroit Mans Account of Fourteen
Long Years of Misery.
count Langowski Tells How He Walked g.
600 Miles with Heavy Chain. on His
Ankies-othsr Atrocities That Hardly
Seem Possible.

| AHere Is uVlng IN Detroit in the en-
ploy OF Hudson's clothing company. n
man who has passed through many of
the horrors of the inhuuan Russian
prison system OF Siberia. Count
Langowsl1i. as he would be entitled to
be called in Poland. speaks eight
languages. He was twenty-seven
years old when Poland rebelled agains,
Russia, and he lived with his father
on farm near Moscow. His father
was very wealthy nobleman. He
says:
81 was taken prisoner and soon set
out with hundreds of others on our
way TO Siberia Think OF a Journey of
over three thousand miles on foot, re-
curing thirteen months, with heavy
chains on each ankle and chained by
the wrist to another in gang of one
hundred! That is the way we made
the trip, most OF tho tinro the weather
being bitterly cold. with the meanest
kind OF clothing. and only allowed
seven copeeks, less than five cents
day for food. At last, after thirteen
months Of misery. we arrived at the
end OF our journey, to encounter
worse misery still l was set to work
in tho quicksilver mines Three
months is as long as any human being
can stand it to work in those miues.
Many die in the mines aud many soon
after leaving them. The fumes of the
mercury rot the bones, loosen the
teeth and leave the man a total wreck.
When l had partly regaIned my
health after this experience. l, with
others, was set to digging holes IN the
ground. The holes were not design
ed for any use whatever. but were dug
just 10 keep Us at work. and it was
while thus engaged that / received my
first whipping. l was too weak TO
smooth the side of the hole as nicely
as the officer wanted It. and simply
told him so. For that | was taken to
the whipping bench, laid on my face
and fastened down by three thongs one
Of which was passed over the neck. one
over the body and one over the legs so
arranged that man cannot make the
least movement received eighty
blows with tho linout and was two
months and half in the hospital be-
fore could leave my bed"
After my first whipping received an
other Of 125 lashcs for calling a soldier
dog who had bayouetted prisoner
in cold blood. was nearly killed and
it was nearly a year before 1 could re-
sumo work. The scenes OF brutality
to be Witnessed on all sides were SIM
ply frightful. the killing OF prison
srs by the soldiers was terrible They
were under no restraint Whatever. and
the poor prisoners were even killed
for uttering the slightest word is pro-
test against the most horrible murders.
Out OF tho $4,000 prisoners sent to
Siberia by the Russian government at
the end OF the rebellion | don't believe
5000 ever got back alive. And n OF
one OF them guilty Of a crime, but
simply prisoners of war. But if the
fate Of the men was hard, that of the
women was infinitely more so. No
principle of honor or even common
Iecency was observed with them They
we're whipped with stout gads instead
Of the knout-thaL is the only differ
euce was ever able to observe. They
were debauched. whipped and poisoned
to death in the hospitals by hundreds
and every public indeceucy heaped
upon them. Even their efforts at sui
eide were laughed at as joke"
Mr.. I.augowski then exhibited his
ankles, which show great holes where
the ulcers produced by the chains had
eaten to the bone His back still bears
the most frightful scars of his fagella-
tons.
"How long were you sentenced for?"
was asked.
six years as prisoner in chains,
and six years as a prisoner under sur
vctllance. At the end OF six years l
was obliged to support myself, but was
required to report daily to a certain
officer. L supported myself by making
cigarettes. and then after thirteen
wears was given passport back to
poland. A man cannot travel half
milo in Russia without passport
begged my way from town to town, and
when about half way back received
some money from my sister. On reach
ing home found an order from the
ear requiring me to quit Poland with
in twenty-four hours on pain OF death.
I bad Just time to marry the girl was
netrothed to and hurried away to
Cracow. thence to Antwerp, where a
polish friend assisted me to America.
have been here ten years, and
although / am very poor nothing on
earth would induce me to leave Ameri-
can soil" AaM
Just Hear This Cockney.
The most illiterate, h-less Britisher
never sticks an h into an h-less word