The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-12-07
portation Of criminals from Russia to Sibs-
,,;o commanded to En01ani


1t man commits murder in Russia he is
not electrocuted as We electrocuts him, or
choke1 to death by halter as ws ch ,ke
him to death. Russia is the only country on
earth from which the death penalty has
been driven, except in case OF high treason.
Murderers and desperate villains are sent to
the hardest parts OF Siberia, but no man is
sent to Siberia or ordered to any kind OF
punishment in Russia until he has fair
trial. So far as their being hustled of in
the night and not knowing why they are
eXiled or punished is concerned, all the
criminals In Russia have an open trial be-
fore jury just as we. have in Amsrica, ex-
cept in Revolutionary and riotous times and
you know In America at such timas the writ
Of habeas corpus is suspended.
There are in Russia grand juriss and
petit juries, aud the right to challenge the
jurors, and the prisoner confronts his ac-
cuser, and, mark this, as in no other couu-
try, after the prisoner has bssn condemned
by juries aud ju iges he may appeal to the
minister Of the Interior AMI after that to
the senate, AMI after that to the enoeror,
who is constantly pardoniny. As I said.
the violent AMI mur risrous are sent to the
hardest part OF Siberia but thu mora moder.
ate criminals to propitious arts Of Siberia,
and those who have only little criminality
to parts OF Siberia positively genial for
climate, for you ought to know, ff you do
not know, that Siberia is so large aud wide
and long tnat 1t reaches from frigidity to
torridity, from almost arctic blast, to climate
as mild as that Of Italy.
Run your finger along the map Of the
world, and you will find that the lowest
part of Siberia is on the forty-dfth degree
Of latitude, and the richest part Of Italy is
on the same forty-httn degree Of latitude,
so that Siberia reaches from the furs at the
north to the palm leaf fans at the south.
It has been demonstrated that ninety per
cent. Of the Russian criminals colonizsd into
Siberia 20 into a climate milder than New
YorK-a land songful with birds ami en-
broidered with fora enough manifold to
rich loan, and harvests wait for a plow to
iberate them.
When a criminal is sent TO Siberia, in the
vast majority Of cases it gives him an op-
portunity to make new start under the
best possible circumstances The criminal
is allowed to take hls or her family along,
and that is a mercy no other country grants.
In the quicksilver mines Of Siberia-tne
hardest place Of expatriation-only one.
fourth Of the miners are criminals. The
other three-sourths 90 there because they
choose it as q place to earn their living.
After being in Siberia: awhile the con-
demned 20 to earning Livelihood, an they
come to own their own farms and orchards
and vineyards, many Of these people coming
to wealth, ami thousan Is Of item unie- no
inducement would leave those parts OF
Siberia which are paradises for ssuoritY
and luxuriance. Now which do you think
is the best style Of a aprison-Siberia or many
of our American prisons, When u man
commits big crime in our country, the
ju,ige looks into the frigtted face OF the cul-
prit and says, ''You have been found guilty;
sentence YOU to the pennitentiarY for ten
years. He goes to prison. He Is shut IN
between tour walls. No sunlight. No fresh
air. No bathroom. Before ne has served
his ten years he dies of consumption or Is 80
enarvated that for the rest Of his life he slts
with folded hands-a wheeling invalid.
In preference to the shut 10 life OF the
average American prisoner. give me 81
IBERIA. Besides that, when offenders come
out of prison in America, what chance have
taey. Ask the poorly supported societies
formedEo get these peoole places for WORK.
Ask me, to whom the newly liberated come
from ali the prisons imploring what they
shall do, No ons will comnen them. The
pallor Of incarceration Is on their cheek.
Who wants to employ 10 factory or store a
man or woman who, in answer TO the ques
tion: where did you live iast?" should
make for reply: States prison al, Auburn
or Moyamensing" Now in Siberia they
have q better chance. They are never spoken
they are allowed every opportunity Of re-
trieving taeir lost reputation and lost for.
tunes.
talked with the President Of the Ma
tional Society Of Ru ssia for the e iucation
and Moralization OF the Children or Siberian
Convicts. The president Of that society,
appointed by the emperor, is q lady OF great
Accomplishments 'and much sympathy.
which illu mines her face and makes fearful
her eyes and tremulous her voice. The
evening passed at her house In st. Peters
burg was ons OF the memorable events OF
my lifetime. I will not attempt to pro-
nounce the name Of that noble woman ap.
pointed by the emperor as the President OF
the National Society of Russia for the E iu.
cation and Mora .ization Of the Children Of
Convicts. Please to name any such national
society in our country, supported by govern
ment, for taking care OF the children Of
convicts.
You know. il you know anything that
there is no chance in this country for man
who has been imprisoned, or for his chill
dren. God pity them and hasten the time
when we shall by some national institution
established by the congress OF the United
States, initiate the mercy OF the Russian
government toward the innocsnt children OF
Imprisoned offenders. He who charges
cruelty on the impartial fanny AMI ths no.
bility Of Ru isia bellies man aut WON an as
gracious and bsnignant as ever breathed
oxygen.
Tbs merctful character Of the present en-
peror was well illustrated in the following
occurrences: The man who supsrvissi the
assassination OF the father Of the present
emperor standing 10 the snow that aw.ul
day when the dynamite shattered to pieces
the legs Of Alexander the Second-l say the
man who supervised all this fled from st.
Petersburg and quit Russia. But after
awhile the man repented OF his crime. and
wrote to the emperor asking for forgiven sss
for the murder OF his father, AMI pro nisng
to be good citizsn. an asking II he migat
the murderer Of his father, and the forgiven
ASSASSIN is now living in Russia, unless re-
Gently deceased.
When talked to the empress concerning
the sympathy felt in America for tn. SUI
ferings of tho drou zht-stru cK regions o Rus
sia, she evinced an aosorolnZ interest an l a
compassion and an emotion OF manner and
speech such as we men can hardly realiza,
because 1t seems that Go has reserved for
woman as her great adefnment the coronst,
the tear jewellel coronst Of tenderness AMI
COlnuilSerdIlOu. IL you ony euao ~ "oo
man. a divine man that came to save the
W worid, say yes: but it was woman that
gave the man. Witness all the M \ iounas-
Italian. German, Eaglsn and Russlan-tnat
bloc in the picture galleries OF Chrlsten-
sdom. Son of Mary, have meruy on u.s.
But how about the knout, the cruel Rus
sian knout, that comes down on tae oars
back OF agonizs1 criminals? WnY,. Russia
abolished the kuout before it was abolished
from our American navy. But how about
the political prisoners hustled off to Siberia?
According to the testimony Of the most cal
ebrated literary enemy of Russia, only four