Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-14
HORRORS OF Siberia.
COUNT LANGowsKrs FOURTEEN YEARS
OF MISERY.
He Tells How he Walked 5000 Miles
With Heavy Chains on Els Ankles
Other Atrocities.


have suffered most are capable OF enioving
most. If that be true, Count. Lansowski
an employe at Hudson clothing store.
Detroit, has an enorr1 ous capacity for ap
preeiating the goofl things of life, though
even his preser.. straitened circumstances
do not permit an excessive indulgence in
them. Count Langowski, as he would be
entitled to be called in Poland, though
preferring plain Frank Langowski, resides
at sos Fremont street. with his wife and
two children. He is very short of stature,
very thick set, very white-haired, though
only 81 years old, and very cheerful in dis
position, Notwithstanding his sufferings
entitle him to be known as man of many
sorrows. He speaks eight languages, in
one of which he detailed to a representa-
tive OF the Free Press the thrilling story Of
his life, how for fourteen years he was a.
Russian political prisoner in,the wilds of
Siberia hated, deSpised, beaten with
stripes, starved and frozen.
ut was in 1868 that the Poles rebelled
against Russia" said he in very fair Eng
lish. 81 was then twenty-seyen years old,
single and lived with my father, Count
Langowski, on large farm near Warsaw.
My fathers estate was large, and he was
one Of the leading noblemen of the
state. The rebel general, Taczanowski,
billeted 500 OF his troops upon us, and
although our family had in nowise partici-
pated in the revolt, to refuse the levy
meant expatriation. Therefore my father
acquiesced. Against these 500 troops Rus
STA sent 3 700 men and ixty cannon. The
battle was short and decisive resulting
in the killing and capturing of the
whole 500. Six horses from our stable
that had been pressed into sevice were
killed, and two Of our men who were
driving. The third man was whipped
nearly to death after the capture and then
bayoneted l 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, requiring thirteen
months, with heavy chains on each ankle
and chained by the wrist to another in a
gang of one hundreds That is the way we
made the trip, most of the time the
weather being bitterly cold, with the
meanest kind of clothing, and only allowed
seven copecks, less than FIVE cents, a day
for food. At night we slept in etapes,
long, low log or stone sheds, erected every
ten miles along the way, more often with
out fire than with it, always hungry. al
ways cold, and always in pain from the
CALLING chains. At last, after thirteen
months of misery, we arrived at the end Of
our journey, 10 encounter worse misery
still. was set to work in the quicksilver
mines. Three months is as long as any
human being can stand II to work in those
mines. Many die in the mines and many
soon after leaving them. The fumes Of the
mercury rot the bones, loosen the teeth
and leave the man a total wreck When /
had partly regained my health after this
experience, |, with Others. was set to dig
giug holes in The ground. The holes were
not designed for any use whatever, but
were dug just 10 keep us at work, and it
was while thus engaged that / received
my first whipping. / 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 can
not make the least movement. received
eighty blows with the knout, and was two
months and half in the hospital before
could leave my bed"
'How are these knouts constructed? ?" he
was asked.
"They are stout leather, the points of
the lashes heavily loaded with lead, and
a blow from them in the hands OF strong
man is as bad as stroke from police.
mans club. | have seen men killed at
the third stroke. After my first whipping
! received another Of l25 lashes for calling
soldier dog who had bayoneted pris-
oner in cold blood. / was nearly killed,
and it was nearly year before / could re-
sumo work. The scenes of brutality to be
witnessed on all sides were simply fright
full. The killing Of prisoners BY the sol
diers was terrible. They were under no
restraint whatever, and the poor prison
ers were even killed for uttering the
slightest word N protest against
the most horrible murders. Out
of the $4,000 prisoners sent to Siberia bv
the Russian Government at the end of the
rebellion / don't believe 5000 ever got
back alive. And not one of them guilty of
crime, but simply prisoners of war. But
If the fate of the men was hard, that Of the
women was infinitely more so. No princi-
pie of honor or even common decency was
observed with them. They were whipped
with stout gads instead of the knout-that
is the only difference | was ever able to
observe. They were debauched, whipped
and poisoned TO death in the hospitals by
hundreds and every public indecency
heaped upon them. Even their efforts at
suicide were laughed at as a joke
How are prisoners fed p
"They are divided into squads of 100,
with two soldiers, two cooks and baker
TO each squad. One days rations for the
whole los consists of ten pounds of meat,
ten pounds of barley and ten pounds of
sauerkraut and two pounds of black bread
per man. The meat, barley and sauerkraut
are all cooked in mess, and while the
soldiers. cooks and baker live well, all that |
is left for the 100 is dishwater.n
"Do the prisoners always wear ball
and chain ~
always
Mr.. Langowski then exhibited his |
ankles, which show great holes where the |
ulcers produced by the chains had eaten to f,
the bone. His back still bears the most !
frightiul scars of his fagellations.
'How long where you sentenced for ~
'sSix years as prisoner in chains, and six |
years as prisoner under surveillance. At
the end Of six years was obliged to sup
port myself, but was required to report |
daily 10 certain officer. | supported |
myself by making cigarettes, and then |
after thirteen years | was given a passport |
back to Poland. A man cannot travel |
half mile in Russia without passport.
i begged my way from town 10 town, |
and when about half way back received
some money from my sister. On reaching |
home received an order from the Car
requiring me to quit Poland within
twenty-four hours under pain Of death
j had just time TO marry the girl | was
betrothed to and hurried away to Cracow. |