The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-11-09
question. that the recital of crueltles

strands twisted three by three In the
strand, each as thick as a heavy rope. 1t
weighed seven pounds. Sometimes they
made scourges with punches of switches
dried and peeled. and these they used on
the bare skin"
Sleeping accommodations on Saghalen
Island are not quite so luxurious as Prlnce
GalatZin, the Russian traveller who passed
through San Francisco. was led to believe.
In fact, the prisoners sleep on benches on
the ground without removing their clothes,
and this is rule III wet and dry weather.
"The food" said Stanislauf, sis princi-
pally salt beef badly rotted and smelling
like an old carcass, rice. black bread with
water and grease soup. Each man gets
four pounds of beef month, two pounds
of rice and three pounds of black bread.
No tea, no coffee, no salt. For drinking
there is nothing but water and little
soup, and it is always the same for break
fast, dinner and supper every day In the
year.
.Three years ago there were $50 men In
one part of the island, and after winter
only so were alive. The rest were starved
and frozen to death.
''1he prison buildings are Lighthouses
scattered over large area. In summer
time the prisoners live in them, in winter
they live in holes in the ground, because
the houses are too cold"
x
"Yes, a sheepskin coat. That is all.
Here is the kind of winter shoes we got"
Oskoff raised one foot that had an i'm
mense coarse shoe, in shape and appear
ance like slipper. The shoe was far too
large for OskOff's foot, but the uppers did
not reach his ankles.
1.-THE snow is often up to there" he said
indicating the height by raising one hand
to his breast.
Eyes. and if a prisoner loses his shoe in
the snow he must 60 barefooted for the
winter" added one of the escapes.
'The prisoners are called out TO work at
8 A. NJ. and kept working until Z at night.
We had to get up ia the dark and cold aud
build roads, quarry rock or cut and haul
Ium Der until dark again. Sometimes we
would have to haul logs as high as the
mast, and if we couldn't carry them we
would be given fifty lashes apiece. While
at this work all we would get would be
frozen bread and rice wet or dry or frozen,
according to the season. We might eat it
or go hungry.
walked across Siberia from Russia. A
steamer sails from Odessa in May and
September through the Dardanelles, the
Suez canal, the Indian Ocean and Chinese
Sea to Saghalieu. On the last trip 500
prisoners were carried. They are sent
from all points of Russia to Odessa and
there put on the transport ship. At the
present time there are 400 men at
Saghalen."
What do you intend doing here, now ?"
was asked.
1--WE will go ashore and get work. We
heard great stories about San Francisco
and America. and we are glad to be here.
One of US is cook. another a shoemaker,
and we have jockey, carpenter and
upholsterer. We can live here and be glad
of it,"
You betcher life." yelled a little colored
youth from Virginia who clapped his
hands ana kicked up his heels in glee at
the Russians view of the United States.
Reference was made to Prince GalatZin's
oficialinSpectiOn of the prison on Saghallen
Island.
The Prince was there In july" said the
thing about the prison. A prisoner could
not tell him anything, and if you did you
would be fiogged to death. Stanislauf
spoke to him and got fifty lashes after
ward Seventy men spoke to the Prince
and they were all logged. Some oil them
could not stand after the fiogging, and one
man had to get something from the doctor
to revive him-a bottle to smell and
medicine to drink before he came to-"
What did they tell the Prince?"
About abuses and cruel treatment on
Sagballen. While he was there we got
good living, were well fed and treated, but
after that we were logged and starved.
''All the time we were there we had to
carry ball of iron and chain twelve
pounds in weight attached to a ring
around the ankle. The ring is riyeted on
aud never opened until the sentence ex-
pires. 1t cuts the flesh, but complaint
would only bring more lashes."
Oskoff showed marks on his ankles,
wrists and shins caused by wearing irons,
The shins were SCARED all around, but the
wounds were healed.
Stanislauf exposed two fiery red sores
on his leg. Each was about two in ches
square, and in the center OF one there still
remained yellow spot, indicating a viru-
lent sore from the iron band which he had
carried for two years.
Another convict showed an ankle still
inflamed and swollen from carrying a ball
and chain over the rough ground. The
remainder had scars.
10 expose the evidences of cruelty they
lifted coarse unbleached canvas under
wear which the prison officials gave them.
The offenses charged against the con-
victs are causes for extradition under the
new treaty. However, no official action
can be taken by the Russian Consul until
he receives instructions from his Govern.
ment.