Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-09-01
CHAPTER Nv.
THE sENTENCE-sAKHALrNl

AN arrest Sucn as That deScrl bed was too
much of an everyday event in St. Peters
surprise to those who had no direct inter-
est in the prisoners. For some time the
air had been full ofrumors of lots against
the Gar, and whenever that was the case
suspicion like an epidemic, seized upon the
Official mind, and no man could be sure
hours. All the Moshka party who had
been arrested were Jews and when the
news spread through the city feeling of
bitter anger manifested itself among the
Christians, who said-unjustly, of course
1T is owing to these accursed Jews that
we are brought under suspicion. They are
the disturbing elements in our Holy Rus.
ex:erminated."
Such expressions as these served to show
the bent of mems minds. All sense of
right and justice was forgotten in the race
hatred which is so powerful throughout
the Cars domains. No one who was not a
Jew laused to ask himself whethc:
there was any ground for the suspicion
harbored against the unfortunate prison.
ers. TO be Jew was in itsel: crime. &C.
cording to the doctrine OF the Russian
Christians
When the news reached the village of
Tsarskoe Seo Rachel threw up her hands
with wild cry of despair, and fell fainting
turn with his family to St. Petersburg, and
use every influence be could bring to bear
ofthe brutal gaolers. The bodies are left
where they fall. and no mercy or pity is
shown to the dying. If anyone thinks
that these statements are exaggerated I
would refer him to the report of DR. Petri,
published in the 'Jahresbericht,' OF the
Geographical Society of Berne, during
1SS3-84.
The first batch of convicts were sent to
sakhalin in 1869. They marched zoo
the number persisted by the way, while
those who arrived were half-rotten with
scurvy. while some had become helpless
imbeciles. At the present day the convicts
are sent from Odessa by ships, but their
sufferings, while shorter, are so terrible
that the poor wretches say they would pre-
fer the march overland. The governor OF
the island has absolute power of life and
death in his hands, and as with all Russian
governors, brutal tyranny would seem to
be his motto: The convicts labor in heavy
chains, which are never removed, and the
least act OF INSTRUMENTATION is punished
with death. 1t appears that one of the
send its victims 10 Sakhalin, apart from the
certainty Of their dying soon, was the ap-
parent impossibility of escape.
But an official report published a few
years ago stated that something like
16 per cent. of the prisoners got
clear OF the prisons. Many OF these
are captured, however, by the natives, who
are encouraged thereto by the offer OF re-
ward. Ifthe prisoner is returned alive the
capturer gets ten roubles; if dead the price
is five roubles. Rifles have been distribut-
ed by the administration amongst the ma
tives, who are warned to shoot the escaped
prisoners down if they show the slightest
resistance, and Us death is preferable to re-
capture, which would subject them to bar
barous torture, they prefer to be shot to be-
ing retaken. But, notwithstanding the ap-
do get clear entirely by reaching the coast.
making a rough raft, and floating out to
sea, where they have the chance of being
picked up by some of the American whal-
ers which fish there. A few years ago q
prisoner named Kamoloff succeeded in
reaching the mainland by crossing the mar
row Strait Of Tartary OH the ice in the win
ter. Then for two weary years he made his
way over mountains and rivers. over the
Heaven kno VS. how, and yet always drawn
on by the desire to see his wife and children
once more.
And at last he gained his native village,
bowed, worn, grey-headed, haggard, and
gaunt, although young man in years. In
the bosom OF his family he remained for a
short time, until some of his neighbors be-
trayed him, and once more he was brought
before the Court and when sentence OF
raised his hands to Heaven, with wall of
agony, and eXclaimed:
"The ice and the rivers, and the stormy
Baikol and the Arctic SHOWS harmed me
not. Nay. these things pitied me. The
very wolves let me pass, man alone is