Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-13

outside world. In his book on life Among
Trans-Siherian Savages" Mr.. Howard
through Russia and even in the mines of
Siberia, Is inspired by the appalling and
Almost prohibited mention Of 'Saghalin!'"
This Is substantially true. but the word
casionally In print. DIR. Tchekhov's ref
erence to cruel corporal punishment" es-
capped the censor, and under the guise of
cold history, an account of the hogging
of conyicts, with illustrations by a former
exile. Mirolubov, has just appeared in
Russian historical review.
Tolstots Resurrection produced one of
those little revelations so much material
for which lies suppressed in Russian So
ciety- In a Russian weekly paper. the
Physician Vrach), a certain DR.. Radakof
objected that Tolstoi had exaggerated the
cruelty of prison life. whereupon a corre-
spondent signing himself "a Saghalin Sur
geon entered upon a defense of the great
novelist DIR. Radalsoff,' he said. lis dis
guSted by the picture given by Toistoi of
female prisoner giving birth to a child
while In the train. which he thinks is
nothing but an invention of the author.
But what would he say IL such facts as
these We're mentioned to him. viz: That
quite recently woman who was enceinte
was subjected to a fiogging at Saghalin?
Or that enceinte women not infrequently
are sent to the remotest and most de-
serted parts 70 Saghalin, where there is
scarcely any communication at all, and
where there can be absolutely no possibil-
ity of getting any medical assistance what
ever?"
Even Harry De windt, an apologist for
the Russian government, speaks of punish
ment by the birch and plet Ia horrible
loaded whip. by claiming to wheelborrow
and Imprisonment in special penitentfary
cells. The discipline of the two chief jafls
he describes as extremely severe, far
more SO than in any Siberian prison." pun
ishment by the 'plet' as "a terribly severe
one, worse even than the now abolished
'knout"" second attempt to escape
usually is punished by being chained for a
year to wheelbarrow.
The Latest Atrocities.
The latest news from Saghalin has just
come to London from two Russian journals
which are subject to the press censorship.
They are the Priamursk Viedomosti and
the Amurski Krai, published in the Amur
province of eastern Siberia, and are nearer
to the scenes described than any other
papers of any Importance. According to
the Viedomosti. the chief of one. of the
Saghalfn prisons is ''a demon who for four
teen years past has abused his office by his
barbarous ill-treatment Of the prisoners of
both sexes under his charge"
The Russian correspondent goes on to
say that Russian travellers through Sagha-
lin relate with horror the maltreatment of
male and female prisoners to which they
have been eye-witnesses in many of the
inSular prisons, and it may reasonably be
| taken for granted that they were not per-
mitted to see the worst. Every day some
of these unhappy deportes. without ade-
quate cause. are fiogged barbarously. Fe-
male convicts. young and old. are beaten
with whips and fists, and kicked for the
slightest fnfraction or negligence of their
duties, and frequently for no cause what
ever. Men and women after such brutal
handling may not be admitted to the laza-
retros without the orders of the chiefs who
have ill-used and crippled them"
Another prison chief in the south of the
10 a roi hnS
equally evil reputation. Recently, and for
some trivial fault, this man struck con-
vict SO heavily and repeatedly that his
victim was made insensible. The chief
then called warder to remove the convict
to the cells and this command was execut-
ed by placing d laSSo round the neck Of the
insensible victim and thus dragging him
away, with the result that he was stran-
gled Chiefs and warders carry lassoes for
similar purposes.
The Worst of All.
But the worst is yet to come. Here Is
the statement from the Amurski Krai: ION
the arrival of party of female deportes
from European Russia the single women are
assembled in a large barrack room. The
bachelor convicts are then admitted in turn
to choose their partners, who are compelled
to mate with the murderers and others
who may select them, and forthwith are
married and quartered as husbands and
wives. Some Of the younger and better
looking of the female convicts are exempt
ed from this public matrimonial selection
for reasons which will not bear inquiring
| into" This is not the first inkling that has
reached the west Of this last depth Of in
fanny, for the DR.. Tchekhov before quoted
told Of it as far back as eight years ago.
Rarefed HumOr of the Rockies.