The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-11

| along TIE Walls Oh Tie Shalt hcSl4-S0SCI
| knives were inserted 50 that when the
| body fell each OF them would cut out a
| chunk OF flesh, and when il reached the
I water Il would be mutilated beyond rec
| ognition. Then IL would float away with
| other refuse. Sometimes people who mad
! made themselves particularly disagree
able to the emperor and his officers were
| dropped down this shaft alive. But they
| do not go so far today. They have more
| delicate and refined forms OF punish
ment. They send persons whom they
| desire TO discipline TO the arsenals and
the prisons and keep them picking OAK
UNI until their minds are almost dis
| tracted.
There is nc form Of employment SO
monotonous, so tedious, so wearing upon
the mind and body as picking oakum If
| il is done in solitary confinement. Peo-
! pie do for a living in ropewalkS. Men
| women and children are so employed.
1 bu. they sit around in chattering groups
| and are scarcely conscious Of the rapid
movement of their fingers; but when a
! man is shut in cell alone and kept
picking aokum for ten or twelve hours
d
| his nervous system is terrible. Insanity
| often results Three or four years ago
young man wrote a series OF articles
for a Berlin newspaper satiriZing the
follieS Of the court. His pen was exceed
ingly keen and it hurt in high quarters.
1t was long time before the police
found out who he was, and before ne
! did anything they could punish him for,
but their revenge came at last. He was
sentenced TO three months imprisonment
and sent 10 an arsenal at DantZic, where
ne was employed twelve hours a day
in picking oakum. When ne entered up
on his sentence he was robust, hearty,
jovial, devil-may-care sort of a fellow,
without a serious thought Of an ache or
pain. Three months later when he re-
turned 10 Berlin he was physical and
mental wreck. His friends have co,,-
suited the most eminent nerve special
lists. who offer no encouragement for
his restoration. His frame is emacated
his skin is saliow. his eyes are sunken,
he cannot sleep for days az a time and
as ne goes about his fingers uncon-
sciously continue to perform their task,
picking invisible oakum in III. air.
But this is an exceptional case. Us
ually offensive editors get along without
physical or mental suffering. There is
a responsible editor" for every newspa-
per, and his name appears at the head
of the editorial columns. When the po-
lice call at the office with a marked copy
Of the paper in their hands they are re-
ferred to him, and he suffers vicaricusly
for the guilty party and the rest Of the
staff. He is usually a dummy. and is
known as the jail editor. Whenever any
thing offensive is published he receives
the punishment and Is well paid for II.
Some time ago one Of the socialist pa
pers here employed a woman as ere
sponsible editor" supposing that the p0-
lice would be more lenient with her, but
they were mistaken. she was hauled
off % jail without ceremony, just as if
she had been man. The next morning
the name Of another woman appeared at
the head OF Of the column, as the re-
sponsibla editor, while the paper kept up
its bombardment of the government
When she went 20 Jail they hired a third.
Before the end Of the week she was in
tice that IL the attacks did not cease
the whole staff, including the printers,
pressmen and office boy. would De
locked up.
The Berlin newspapers do no. send re-
porterS 70 public officials for items OF
news. II would be useless. II there Is
any information 70 be communica Ted 20
the press il is prepared by some suoo--
dinate of bureau. revised by the chief.
and furnished TO the official crgdn OF
the government. The public has to be
satisfied with that. Any reporter VINO
had the audaci;y 10 inquire for fur;ne-
particulars would be received win fro
zen silence.
The members OF the government. how
ever, talk more freely with correspond
ents Of foreign papers. The agent OF
the Associated Press in Berlin cal get
a great deal more information from off,
cial sources than can the representa-
OF local papers, and there is more news
in the cablegrams that he sends from
Berlin every night in his review u the
week which appears in the American
newspapers Monday morning than is
put together. And me officials are even
more commuaica tive 70 travelling CORE
sponients who are properly introduced
20 them. I have had several subjects
CT special inquiry. and was tod when 7
arrived here TIA: I; would be imoosS.-
BILE % &c; information except through
;ae United Safes amoassadJr. wl1
might be induced 70 apply for {; officially.
But with a few letters q Introduction
found 10 difficulty wha 7 vas n:
only supplied with a. ne information I /
desired IN a most courteous and pains
taking manner. but officials or ne higa-
es, rank discussed pubic affairs ani
personal affairs With the greatest free
dom. I an tod thai they would 10:
have done 50 had -Aird person been
p-eser, q; the interview, but they are
50 thoroughly 7e2-ezssi a. a. times IA.
il is Wholesome relief once IN while 4
% express Themselves FUZZY and freely. 1
7 vas informed. t0- exsnpls. mat no /
body connected With c5e government /
would dare % give ne any persona. 4
g>sz!p concerning tA= emperor. - xzs
another mistake, for when / int-3dace5 \
the subjec; in conversation Tita an 4
important pe-soaags. as tae neTsDa- /
pses say here he goszpsi to- al A0l- 4
a5o-c The private LIE. - hao.-s. -
pecalla-i,ies ot his sovereign xi;a a.
much freedom as Z. h Eere a member
OF the Chlcsg1 counon co11cl Deus
sing Mayor Harrison O. sN-Xsyg-
swis: He vas asrl-eG n ne ,ttt@r
Of ia-o3uc,.on carried - .ia Ia. ]