The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-02-27
FLOGGING In RUSSIA.
Some Of the Joys of Life in That
Country.
How n Peasant in Search of Work Was
sent Home-A Mockery of Justice
"A Few Examples of the
Whipping Siania.

"A rev f-AsAiApAeS "a
Whipping Mania.
The advisers of the present Emperor,
saws late number Of the London Tel
egraph, have long since come 10 tho
conclusion that the emancipation of the
scrfs was an unpardonable blunder, and
some of the most cuterPrising among
them have presented ingenious projects
of laws to nullify its most radical
clauses. The late Count TolstOi's plan
was At last accepted, creating peasant
tutors, called Zemsky Natahalnills,
whose duty it is TO watch over the
peasants, control their acts, judge
them or whip them without any trial
or judgment, and generally to play the
part Of policeman, judge, jury. disinter-
ested friend and powerful protector At
first it was hoped that the ranks of the
Zernslxy Natshalnilzs might be recruited
exclusively from the nobility. but this
hope was doomed TO disappointment,
owing TO the circumstance that all the
mobiles who were qualified for lucrative
posts already occupied them, and those
who were not did not as a rule possess
even the slight qualifications demanded
by the new law, viz, had not passed
through an establishment Of intermcdi-
ate education. The choice, therefore,
fell upon retired army and navy officers
and .'shelved'' tschinovnilzs, the first
batch of whom was let loose upon the
country in January. 1890, the second on
june -. The will OF these men has
thenceforth become the sole substitute
for the electoral rights Of the peasants,
who formerly elected their own Judges
Of the peace, and also. in many cases.
L 7 - an
land. They were u drill and teach the
peasants according to the method FOL
lowed by Carlyle's Dr. Francia with his
beloved Guachos- Knowing that cduca-
ton and instruction rs impaired in the
schools Is an abomination to the author
tiles they naturally acted on the salu-
tary principle that what smarts teaches.
Their procedure was simplicity itself
''You stole Kaloff's hen? You didn't?
don't believe you Anyhow, a sound
hiding can do you no harm. We have 10
chastise good child that IT may not be-
come bad as well as bad one that IL
may not grow worse. Give him thirty
five, hotr Last spring II was stated in
the district Of n very Jealous ZemslIv
Natshalnilz, Il. Mor,lyiuoF, that there
was scarcely 8 family that had not one
o. more members flogged-
The following fact-the truth of
which is acknowledged by the entire
Russian press-may help to shoES to
what lengths the whipping mania has
been carried: One day a peasant, who
had left his native village some weeks
previously in search Of work, was sent
home by etape-that is to say, he was
arrested and put in prison till d band Of
cOuvicts. felons and murderers were got
together who We're going the same way,
when he was compelled to join them,
and to march for two or three days till
they arrived II the next etape prison.
filthy, loGthesOme shed Here n halt OF
q week or ten days would be made, and
the march resumed; and so on, until he
at last reached his native place. This
il the most economical mode Of travel
ing in Russia; technically. it is not a pun
ishment. As = matter of simple fact,
ii is horrible ordeal TO go through
always worse than Imprisonment, and
occasionally more terrible than death
but like the bullet-wounds made out
side the chalk circle which diminu-
tive duelist once proposed to draw on
the ungainly body of his giant adver-
sary, il does not count. Any respectable
man, woman or child in Russia is liable
to be sent home by etape. If you lose
your money on the road, and have not
the wherewithal TO patronize a more
expeditions mode of locomotion. you are
sent home by etape. If the yearly pass
port of . man who is not residing in his
native place is not renewed by the
authorities in time. even though the
fault be none of his, he is arrested and
sent home by etspe. If you are a
soldier in the army, and, hav-
ing served at distance, have
received your discharge and a good
character, you are frequently sent
home by etape. 1t was thus, therefore,
that the ill-starred rustic was restored
to his lares and penates as poor as a
church mouse, having been robbed of
the little ready money he possessed by
the scoundrels who were his companions
on the road The Zemslxy Natshalnil1,
hearing of his arrival, ordered him what
Russians facetiously term a meal of
''birch Cruel" There was absolutely
no motive. real or alleged. for thus add
ing to the hardships endured by the
poor wretch during his marching and
imprisonment, unless, indeed, the
Scriptural saying were appealed to that
whosoever hath to him shall be given.
He was advised by some sympathetic
soul to appeal to higher court, which
is composed of a number of Zemsky
NatshalniIs under the presidency of the
Marshal of Nobility. The sentence,
however, was confirmed on the ground
that it seemed desirable to the court to
allow Zemsky NatshalnilIs the right of
Furnishing peasants for aefs that are not
forbidden by the law, if the punishment
Is calculated to do the person some good
And thus" exclaims the Messenger OF
Europe, "a miserable laborer. tempora-
rily out of work. can be arrested, sent
back to his village, where there is moth
ing for him to do, and after having been
subjected TO all the hardships and pri-
vations inseparabie from a Journey by
etape, condemned to an additional pun
ishInent. And what punishment,
Truly this can not be termed a