The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-05
ON A RUSSIAN CONVICT SHIP.
Horrors of the Voyage From Odessa to
she Island of Salhalins

she Island OF Sakhaltns
The sailing of Russian convict ship
from Odessa for the island of Saghalin, In
the Japan sea, is always an impressive
sight The motley crowd, indigenous to
all countries, is Of course present, but there
are In addition many government officials,
full OF Importance In their emblazoned
uniforms, and more numerous members of
the clergy attending to perform the cere-
mony OF sprinkling the ship with holy
water and TO give the inmates parting
blessing and "A godspeed. Nothing is done
In Russia without the help of priests and
Russian Is bathed in holy water from
the cradle to the grave
The religious ceremony ovor, 10 Is with
cargo OF heavy hearts that the convict
ship-usually built at Glasgow, by the
way-weighs anchor and departs, for even
a hardened convict would prefer serving
his sentence on his native soil to dragging
out his existence in foreign land. But,
however that may be, the accommodation
for the thousand or more convicts on board
Is ample and the arrangements for their
well being complete. The food provided
Is good and wholesome, and IL is not an
infrequent thing for people in the saloon
1.-The convict ship carries ordinary passen-
gers as well as state prisoners-to ask for
convict soup and rye bread.
All the convicts are in letters, wrist and
ankle bracelets, with connecting chain.
These and their half shaved heads present
most hidoous appearance. The daily
routine on board is unvarying; therefore
60 change the monotony the prisoners
| resort TO all kinds of devices TO make the
time pass away as pleasantly as the cir
| oumstances will allow.
| Most lower class Russians are born card
| players, so the convicts collect all the odd
scraps of paper they can lay their hands
on. Clubs and spades are roughly scrib-
| bled on these slips with the ink supplied
for letter writing purposes, while to pro-
vide hearts and diamonds of the requisite
| color one or more of the company consents
to have vein opened. This delicate op-
| Grafton is performed with the aid of tho
tin spout of tea can, ground to sharp
edge on the iron deck. This improvised
lancet also does duty as a razor, serving to
remove the remaining hair from the head
| of some devout follower of Islam. The
| stakes of the card players are knobs of sug-
ar saved by rigorous economy at the tea
table. When these fail, bones and odds
| and ends are substituted.
On the fifteenth day at sea the letters
| are removed. This is indeed day of re-
| joicing, and the most hardened criminal
| gives vent to sigh of relief at being re-
leased from these hateful emblems of
| bondage.
The coveted freedom is not, however, of
| long duration. A poor, inoffensive Cri-
mean Tartar accidentally treads on the
foot Of regular cutthroat villain, to be
seized Immediately by the throat. The
cry is instantly raised that the Mohamme-
dams are killing the Christians. A general
| melee ensues, in which racial hatred is
] given full play. The guard is called out,
and, turning on the hot water hose pipes,
which are kept ready for any emergency,
| soon COWS the combatants. The ringleader
! Is placed in irons and put on dry bread
and water for II days. The Tartar is car
ried, more dead than alive, to the hospital,
and the rest, guilty and innocent alike,
! are kept in chains and shackles for the
rest of the voyage. London Mail