The morning call., 1891-08-29
Desperate Condition Of the
Peasantry.
Suffering From Starvation Spreading
Throughout The Cars Empire.
Riots Caused by the ExpOrtaiOn Of RYE.
Jewish Grain Dealers Mubbed and
Their StOrehOuSeS Plundered.
special to THE MORNING CALI

BERLIN, Aug. 2S.-Russian newspapers
entirely confirm the recent reports of the
terrible distress among the peasants in the
V olga Valley. The people are in a condi-
tion of tie utmost destitution, without
clothes or food. Swarms of families have
been reported as begging on the roadsIdes.
The Kirwlanin, published in Kieff, consid-
ers the condition of the peasants as being
desperate, already immersed in poverty
and indebted to the State, while the taxes,
which they are unable to pay. accumulate,
and by next spring the entire Russian peas
antry will probably be bankrupt.
Reports from Warsaw show that the peas
ants of Central Russia are emigrating by
wholesale; 500 men have already abandoned
their families in order to emigrate. Tie
Vossische Zeitung says Russia is undergoing
periodical famine to which she is subject
and which becomes more serious with each
recurrence owing to her primitive hus-
bandry and the Indebtedness of her peas
ants.
The Cologne Gazette says 100, 600 barrels
Of rye have been imported from Russia at
exorbitant prices, when one-half the amount
would have been sufficient The Gazette
demands that the Government return all the
rye imports to Russia.
VIENNA, Aug. 28 = Russian ecclesi-
astlc who has just returned from journey
through the districts of the Russian province
of kazan gives a heart-rending account of
the incidents of his trip. At Narody there
were people who had not touched bread for
long time and were so weak that when he
offered them food some of them lacked
strength TO eat In all the public places of
the village were to be seen famine-stricken
groups oil people, some In the last stage of
apathy, Others raying for bread. The trav-
eler was told that the only food of the
people for fortnight consisted OF lime
leaves pounded into pulp. Out of one hun
dred and fifty families which had inhabited
the village forty-sevvn had died of hunger.
In other districts the population has been
decinaed by starvation.
ST. PETERSBURG, Aug. 28.-The details
of the rloting at Vitebsk the capital of the
Government of that name, occasiOned by the
peoples protest against the expectation of
rye, show the disturbance TO have been of a
serious nature. The Governor reports that
there is evidence that q general revolt of
the peasants had been planned. The peas
ants attacked the railroad officials, claiming
that no more rye should leave Vltebsk and
severely beat the Jewish grain-dealers, who
were blamed for the Whole trouble The
peasantry also plundered the residences of
these grain-dealers, and fiually combined in
an attack upon the railroad station. The
railroad officials sent for the assistance of
the military. and the latter tried to dislodge
the rioters from their positions in and about
the station. The rioters resisted stubbornly
and their supporters outside the railroad
station made fierce attack upon the SOL
diers, severely injuriDg many of them.
Finally the officers in command of the
troops, after repeatedly threatening the
pTuWdS. paVa the OTdar IN fra III r;o
ers. The soldiers then fired a volley, kill
ing two peasants and wounding a number
of others. The rioters soou after dispersed.
Other and somewhat similar disturbances
are reported from Dunaburg, Vint and other
places, but no details have yet been made
puhlic