Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-04-08
FLOGGING In RUSSIA.
Some OF the Joys Of Life In That
Country.
How Peasant in Search Of Work Was
Sent HOme-A MOckery of Justice
"A Few Examples OF the
Whipping Mania.

says late number of the London Tel
egraph, have long since come to the
conclusion that the emancipation of the
serfs was an objectionable blunder, and
some of the most enterprising among
them have presented ingenious projects
of laws to nullify its most radical
clauses The late Count Tolstois plan
was at last accepted, creating peasant
tutors, called Zemsky Natshalniks,
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
Zemsky Natshalnilxs 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 intermedi-
ate education. The choice, therefore,
fell upon retired army and navy officers
and "sbelved" tschinovniks, the first
batch of whom was let loose upon the
country in January, 1890, the second on
June Is. 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,
for the statute and common law Of the
land. They were to drill and teach the
peasants according to the method fol-
lowed by Carlyle's DIR. Francia with his
beloved Guachos. Knowing that educa-
ton and instruction as 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 to
chastise good child that it may not be-
come bad as well as bad one that 1t
may not grow worse. Give him thirty
five, hotr' Last spring 1t was stated In
the district of very Jealous Zemslzy
Natshalnik, NJ. Mordvinoff, that there
was scarcely family that had not one
|
The following fact-the truth Cd
which is acknowledged by the entire
Russian press-may help to show to
what lengths the whipping mania haa
been carried: One day 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 a band o.
convicts, felons and murderers were got
together who were going the same way
when he was compelled to join them
and to march for two or three DAYS til
they arrived at the next etape prison,
filthy, loathesome shed. Here halt O.
week or ten days would be made, anC
the march resumed; and so on, until h,
at last reached his native place. Thil
is the most economical mode Of travel
ing in Russiay technically, it is not pun
ishment. AS q matter of simple fact
it is horrible ordeal to 60 through
always worse than imprisonment, ant
occasionally more terrible than death
but like the bullet-wounds made out
side the chalk circle which diminu
! tive duelist once proposed to draw OF
the ungainly body Of his giant adver
sary, it does not connt. Any respectful,
man, woman or child in Russia Is iabl,
) to be sent home by etape. II you los
your money on the road, and have no
the wherewithal to patronize a NOR,
expeditions mode of 1ocomotion, you ar,
sent home by etape. If the yearly pass
port of man who is not residing in hi
native place is not renewed by tn
authorities In time, even though TIN
fault be none of his, he is arrested ant
sent home by etape. If you are
| soldier in the army, and, hav
ing served at a distance, hav
received your discharge and q goo,
home by etape. 1t was thus, therefore
that the il-starred rustic was restoret
to his lares and peaates as poor as
church mouse, having been Fobbed Q
the little ready money he possessed b,
the seoundrels who were his companion
on the road. The Zemsl1y Natshalnik
hearing of his arrival, ordered him wha
, Russians facetiously term a meal o
'birch Cruel" There was absolutel,
no motive, real or alleged, for thus add
ing to the hardships endured by tn,
poor wretch during his marching ant
imprisonment, aAless, indeed, tn,
e Scriptural saying were appealed to tina
5 whatsoever hath to him shall be given
s He was advised by some sympathetic
soul to appeal to higher court, which
!, Is composed of number of Zemslv
o Natshalnii1s under the presidency of tn,
d Marshal of Nobility. The sentence
however, was confirmed on the grount
that it seemed desirable to the court {,
n allow Zemsky Natshalniks the right O
a furnishing peasants for acts that are no
forbidden by the law, If the punishment
Is calculated to do the person some good
"And thus" exclaims the Messenger O
Europe, "a miserable laborer, tempors
Fily out Of work, can be arrested, sen
back to his village, where there is moth
ing for him to do, and after having bee,
subjected TO all the hardships and DR.
I Vations inseparable from journey b
4 etape, condemned to an additional pur
p ishment. And what a punishment
k Truly this can not be termed
l. safeguarding of the law. but rather
palpable mockery of justice"
The Zemsly Natshalnik of Uiom
p Government of Nijni-Novgorod) bt
e gan his administrative activity by fol-
bidding all peasants, irrespective of ag
or sex, TO appear in the streets or roads
or to dance or sing, sitter. eight o'cloc
p. m; he likewise strictly Prohibfte
them from visiting each others dwell
ings for the purpose of carrying on cor
yeFsations and discussions, under pal
of imprisonment and the lash. Tn
/. Liberal organs are now asking, in a
constituent, whether it can be trHe tha
peasants are to be punished with in
pFisopment and the lash merely 70
calling upon each other and having
quiet chat. But e$sB when crime ha
/ undoubtedly been committed and tn
0 community is interested in the discoN
J cry of the criminal. the Zemskv Ma