The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-02

49, $500
gaished gentlemen III her campaign Of
civilization IS almost too revolving for
publication. Nine. Tschechow, a politi-
cal prisoner III the penal colony Of Luto-
ka, Siberia, was treated to the rod in
spite OF her delicate condition, and the
poor woman was taken from the torture
platform d corpse.
Count Tolstoi, who enjoys the unusual
privilege OF addressing Ills sovereign lady
without interference iroln secretaries and
~courtiers, was able to bring this atrocious
crime to her mljcSty' $ attention, and the
empress not only promised a prompt in
vcstigatioia, but gaye Tolst0i leave to
form a committee TO inquire into the
method and extent Of corporal punish
1nelt throughout the empire.
Abolition Of the laws permitting pun
ishmcnt by rod, switch and other brutal
means was promised if the findings fa-
yored such radical reform, her majesty
Offering to do all IN her power to iiiht-
eace her husband to that effect if cir
cumstaIces warranted action on her part.
The physicians named and the novelist
DostejeHsski t%hcreupOn constituted them
selves into a travelling. commission for
hunting tip testimony, while Tolstoi in
vited victims of official and private bru-
tally Throughout the empire TO send in
well authenticated reports Of their suffer-
ings. From these ~1ecitals and the direct
and eircnn1stantial evidence gathered BY
Ibankow and bis colleagues the report
finally submitted to the czarina was
made up.
At the outset the paper establishes the
fact that 125,OGV,900 Russians out of
d total OF 10000. 900 may be lawfully
spanked, licked, birc1ed. caned or knout
ed, as. outside Of septuagenariafs, only
mobiles, officials above a certain rank
ministers and hononary citizens are cx-
einpted from that mode of punishment.
Those enumerated are privileged" per-
sons, but ma lose tAat character by de-
cree of the. court iii the same way as
titles are revoeable. Tolstoi names Il
reputable lavyer of the Moscow bar who
was switched Iii the judges private room
after his clothes had been removed. This
LAWYER had had the temerity to refer in
the course Of an argument to a law
whereby Catherine III decreed that adj
voeafes should rank with merchants OF
the first class.
Soldiers, prisoners and peasants sell
u0H escape tofp0tdi pthiiS1tASnS tVt
more than a month at a time says the
report, though numerous ulxases ordain
that army men shall not be treated to the
rod except by decree of a court martial.
saThe cruel suboticers and officers.
craving ain outlet for their inherent bru-
tality, find ways and means to cireum-
vent the cars orders. Soldiers whom
they dislike or who are too poor to pay
for decent treatment are simply placed
in the second Glass;" and a second
class soldier may be ,cudgeled to ones
hearts content. To cause a soldiers
degradation it Is but necessary for a pet
ty superior to state that the man has
been impertinent.
EVERY peasant, lis wife and children
may be sentenced to Is blows by the vii
Iage council, while the higher imperial
officials may lick them as much as they
like. In a single district LIZA peasants
were lawfully caned last year. Flow
many received beasings offhand it was,
Of course, impossible to ascertain"