Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-09-21

sary, / will beg his Majesty to
abolish corporal punishment In
our holy Russia" With these good
words the Czarina sent away the COM
missioners appointed by her to inquire
into the abuses of the knout, the rod
and the switch In her husbands empire.
Later she registered VOW with her
father confessor to- make her promise
good.
Drs. Ibankow, Buschujew and Lobes,
three of the foremost physicians of st.
Petersburg, and the great writer's Toll
stol and Dostejewski collected the evil
dences for Alexandra Feoderovna. The
report of these gentlemen is horrible
indictment of autocratic rule.
The incident that moved her Majesty
to employ the services Of these distin-
guished gentlemen in her campaign OF
civilization is almost too revolving for
publication. Nine Tschechow, politi-
cal prisoner in the penal colony of Lu-
toga, Siberia, was treated to the rod
and the poor woman was taken from
the torture platform a corpse.
Count Tolstoi, who enjoys the unus-
eign lady without interference from
secretaries and couriers, was able to
bring this atrocious crime to her Majes-
tvs attention and the Empress not only
promised prompt investigation, but
gave Tolstoi leave to form committee
to inquire into the method and extent
of corporal punishment throughout the
empire.
Abolition of the laws permitting pun
ishment by rod, switch and other brutal
means was promised If the finding ia
vored such radical reform, her Majesty
offering to do all in her power to influ-
ence her husband to that effect If cir
cums,ances warranted action on her
part.
The physicians named and the novel
list Dostejewski thereupon constituted
themselves into travelling commission
for hunting up testimony, while Tolstoi
Invited victims of official and private
brutality throughout the empire to send
in well-authenticated reports of their
sufferings. From these recitals and the
direct and circumstantiale evidence gath
cred by Ibankow and his colleagues the
report finally submitted to the Czarina
was made up.
At the outset the paper establishes
the fact that hundred and twenty-five
millions Of Russians out of total Of
one hundred and thirty millions may be
lawfully spanked, licked, birched, caned
or knouted, as, outside of septuagena-
rians, only mobiles, officials above a GER
tain rank, ministers and honorary citi-
zens are exempted from that mode Of
punishment. Those enumerated are
privileged" persons, but may lose that
character by decree Of the court In the
same way as titles are revocable.
Soldiers, prisoners and peasants sell
dom escape corporal punishment for
more than month at time," says the
report, though numerous ukases or
dan that army men shall not be treated
to the rod except by decree Of court
martial.
THE cruel sub-officers and officers,
craving an outlet for their inherent bru-
tally. find ways and means to circum-
vent the Cars orders. Soldiers whom
they dislike or who are too poor to pay
Tor decent treatment are simply placed
into the second class and second
class soldier may be cudgeled to ones
hearts content. To cause q soldiers
degradation 1t is but necessary for q
petty superior to state that the man
has been impertinent.
Every peasant, his wife and chill
dren may be sentenced to fifteen blows
by the village council, while the higher
Imperial otficiihs may beat them as
much as they like. In single district
1,1G4 peasants were lawfully caned last
year How many received beatings Off.
hand. that was, of course, impossible
20 ascertain
There are four classes of beatings
"oydlnary. extraordinary, administra.
tive and Illegal beatings" The village
council and imperial officials may de-
cree ordinary beatings; extraordinary
and administrative cudgelings are dealt
out in the event Of riots, strikes, etc
The worst is, perhaps, that every man
or woman either. wearing European
clothes thinks himself or herself priv.
ilegcd to occasionally fall upon some
poor native with stick. riding whip OF
fists. The peasant will never return In
kind, Sometimes a maltreated work
man, artisan or small merchant will sue
HIS tormentor, but in nine cases out OF
ten the judge will decide that the gen
tleman or lady served him right.
"Poor Jews" says the report, care
worse of than even soldiers and peas
ants, for all classes OF Russians, includ
ing soldiers and peasants, think they
have right to beat them. AS a partic
ularly atrocious case. the affair of 6
county commissioner named SiopeinslI
is cited. who knouted jew to dealt
merely because nc was a jew"
In the cities. official cudgelings arr
less frequent than IN the villages, blu
every merchant ard artisan boss cal