Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-12-18
A STORY OF SIBERIA
! ASUPERSTITlOUS DREAD DISPLAYED e'Y
.t THE VILLAGERS

Refused to Sell Their Homes to Make Roori
For the Construction of a Railway-Oves-
powered by the SoIdiery, They Set Firo
to Their Houses.
The following incident, described by
a Russian writer and quoted in the
magazine Nedelia, throws vivid light
on the ignorance and fanaticism still
prevailing in parts of the empire and
the difficulties with which the govern
ment has to contend in carrying out
such enterprises as the present road
across Siberia.
The drama occurred in one of the ST.
berian towns, through whose suburbs
the railway was to go. The doomed por-
tion was thickly settled by Raskolniks
(dissenters), who decided to defend their
patrimony to the last. SIS it a possible
thing" said they, "that any one should
agree to such shameless sale, to be
put out by force from his own bouse?
VINO can have the right to destroy the
roof whose every thatch was laid by the
hands Of our ancestors?" 'Holy saints, !"
lamented the Widow Glazilikha, chow
am to sell for money not only the dust,
but the soul Of my father, that lives in
my cellar?'
The guardians of the true faith pom
dered and puzzled whether it were pos
sible to leave the nests where they We're
born, but the more experienced among
them reasoned thus: "There won't be
any help for us late Or early. The point
is not that they need our land for their
road-they could find another way-but
we ourselves are in their path. They
They must cut US out at the roots or dig
up the earth where our ancestors dust
is buried, so that our children may grow
up in strange land, may come forth
among the people of the world. That is
how the true faith is to falln' In this
manner the fight against appropriation
turned into the defense Of the true faith.
A detachment of troops, the ispravnik
(chief Of police) and the employees of
the railway put in an appearance.
Long did the ispravnik argue, making
use of all his official eloquence to get
the rebels to end the matter peaceably
and move out Of their own accord, in
which case he promised to postpone the
moment of emigration. The Raskolniks
yelled obstinately: "We won't agree !!
Neither now nor tomorrow will we
agreep "You won't agree? All right,
am sorry for your children. / had
never thought you were disobedient. -
The ispravnik waited another moment.
grunted and nodded to an under officer.
A bearded old man of gigantic stature,
with sparkling eyes, stepped forward,
and clearly and precisely, as if into a
speaking trumpet, shouted to the whole
region: "Come out of your houses, all |
They are going to destroy the roofs at
once, and if you don't bring out your
sick, your women, your children and
your cattle, the soldiers will drag them
out" In answer the whole region
groaned with groan. The cries Of the
women, the screaming of children, the
wailing of grandmothers, the believing
of the cattle as they were led out, all
mingled in the confused roar.
The soldiers lined up in an instant.
They seized the shopkeepers and work
men running from the town and drove
them to the very edge of the street, into
spaces between the houses, and formed a
hedge to the road on both sides.
A crowd Of policemen, under officers
and railway employees struggled with
the women, who fought with fury at
their doors, planting themselves on the
thresholds of their houses, defending
their homes step by step, foot by foot.
The work went on in every direction.
The sick and children were carried out,
the hands of the old men were dragged
away from the steps of their houses, to
which they clung with cries and weep
ing. Ladders were brought as if for a
fire. some Of the employees got quickly
Oh to the roofs and fragments of the
thatoh came flying down. The expropri-
alton had begun.
In one way or another the inhabitants
were becoming to understand that their
last hope was gone. The majority began
OF themselves to carry out their proper
ty, and the ispraynik moderated the
zeal of his men. But at that moment
an incident took place that ightened
the work Of appropriation and served at
the same time as proof that the old