The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-04
THE RUSSIAN JEHU.
He Owns His Own Outfit and is a
Farmer for Part Of the Year.

Farmer for Part Of the Year.
The cab driver of Russian towns diff
fers in many ways from our own Jehu
although In the matter of having a
ready answer, which does not turn
away wrath, for both friend and foe,
he seems to be closely related. There
are no large cab owners, and, if those
of the tram companies be excepted, no
large stables in either Moscow or St.
Petersburg, and almost every driver
owns or has 1t least a share in the lot
he drives. Although at first sight cab
driving in the capitals of the empire
can hardly be considered as village
industry, yet in Russia it is considered
as such. The 'isvoshtchiks," as the
flymen are called, are nearly always
members of far distant village COM
munes, who spend the whole or part of
the year at town work. but who remit
the greater portion of their earnings to
! their native place, and themselves re-
| turn to it when agricultural work or
| fishing Is at premium and when city
work or health gives out This con-
nection between farmer and factory
hand, townsman and tiler Of the soil,
Is characteristic of all Russian indus
try. 1t is no uncommon sight to see a
cotton or linen factory empty during
harvest. The coachman of the city Is
generally a member of a peasant fam
lily whose males outnumber the females,
so that some of the former are forced
to forsake the allotment, which proves
insufficient to provide support or labor
for them all, and turn to the town for a
living! He comes to the busy center
learns his way about 1t, buys droshky.
small but not uncomfortable vehicle
on runners, and a four-wheeled chaise |
of about the same size for summer use, |
takes out license from the police and |
makes a start. His horse (for, unlike |
the London brother, he seldom has more |
than one) he brings with him from the |
farm, or, perhaps, to be literal, it brings |
him; and often the possession of the |
animal is the reasons of the drivers |
change of fortunes and of scene
This isvoshtchik is a strange object |
as he sits on the morrow board which
serves him as a seat at the front Of his
droshky, clothed in a long blue gown
which reaches to the ground, is heavily
quilted with down, and tied in at the
waist with a. strap of ornamental cord
ears. He lives q nomadic life, seldom
having any fixed residence or stable in
the town, and is thus often to be seen
asleep in his droshky while his horse
feeds at the public troughs, which the
local authorities put up in almost every
side street. One may see him, when he
has put down passenger and earned
his fare, go to the nearest corn mer-
chant, buy just sufficient hay and corn
for one meal for his horse and place it
in the manager. Then he gets fodder
for himself from the ambulant vendors
of black bread, tresca (odoriferous cod
fish and weak, mlkless tea, who stand
at the corner of most Russian streets,
and afterward he sleeps peaceably in
his sledge until his horse is rested and
fit for another journey. Then on he
goes again, until, some hours later, he
repeats the process at the other end of ,
the town. AT night he plays Box and
Cox" with his partner, with whom he l
forms a limited liability company. At
4 fixed time he must meet him In some
tavern yard, take out his own tired |
horse and surrender the droshky. The |
second man, whose horse Is fresh, now
axes his twelve hours, and at the ap-
pointed time in the morning must meet
n the same tavern. After a week they
,hange over the night man takes the
lay work and vice versa; thus one We
licle, with no lodgings or stable-for the
men rest in the pothouse-supports two
men whose sole object in life is to earn
md save enough to enable them to leave
he city and return to the land the mis-
ress of every mujik's affections.
The isvoshtchik is an excellent exam
lie of that absence of fiXty of tariff
which is so prevalent throughout Rus
ia, for in the matter Of charges he is a
aw unto himself. When you show signs
f wanting droshky all the drivers
within hail assemble and bid one
gainst the other for the custom; this
ne will take you for so much, that one
or less and so on. One takes ones
hoice, good, fast horse and smart
leigh at a good price, or bad one for
fraction of it. Should one. however X
elect poor looking beast, the drivers
1T behind will make encouraging re-
larks as one drives away. Tie is
Ime," He stumbles.' The driver is 4!