Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-03
TALES OF RUSSIAN RULE.

NO..44.
TALES OF RUSSIAN RULE. (.
Under the Car There Are Many Dis
honest Officials.
An English writer tells some extra
ordinary stories Of Russian rule In the
far east. ut is not necessary, he
says, ito repeat here the tale Of the
horrors Of Blakaveshchensk, but per-
sonal friend Of mine Is witness to
their reality. On his way to that city
while two days journey down the riv-
er, he saw floating on the water the
corpse Of chinaman. Then he pass
ed another and another; then two to-
gether tied by their pigtails; then
more, until as he drew near the city
the drowned bodies lay 30 thicikly to-
gether that the whole broad sweep Of
the river was one dark mass Of float
ing dead. Tied together by their pig
tails, and many of them horribly mutt
lated, the dead Chinese in their hum
dreds, in their thousands, stretched
from bank to bank, a moving river OF
the dead. In the spring Of 1901 anoth-
er friend of mine was travelling in Z
Manchuria. He was accompanied by
his Chinese comprador. When they
left the railway line and struck across
country In carts the land became sud-
denly dead: each village as they en-
tered It was deserted. Signs OF life.
recent life. were there in plenty,
loaves Of bread in the ovens, pigs In
the yards, fires in the houses, but no
people. not sign Of man, woman or
child. He had come on business, to
buy pigs bristles, and in order to buy !
1t was necessary to ind some one to
sell. but no one was there. The first
day they wondered, the second they
consulted and then the comprador said
he had plan. Would the master stay
a long way outside the next village
quite hidden and let him go on alone?
The master could and did. The ex-
PLANTATION was simple but sufficient
The Russians had occupied Manchu-
ria for a year and the Chinese were
acquainted with their rule. Seeing 9
white man coming toward the village
they naturally mistook him for Rus
sian and fed, man, woman and child,
leaving all their earthly possessions
behind them, hoping perhaps that he
would be content with loot and leave
;ft alone"
The same writer gives the follow
ing example, supplied by another
friend, Of Russian methods on the
Trans Siberian railway: IA box con-
tanning some bottles OF beer were sent
along few versts Of the line. The
ticket was unfortunately lost When
the Chinese. boy went to claim the
box, which was lying there before his
eyes. he was told that there was no;
proof of ownership and consequently
he could not have the box without
showing the ticket. Az the contents
Fwere not OF much value notthg more
was said. Three months later the
railway sent In IN for storage.
But demonstrated my friend, you
said there was no proof of ownership,
and now you send In bill for storage.
How do you know the box i mime
oh. we know It's yours, because yonr
boy asked for It. Then II you know
1t is mine, win you let me take It
away? Not without the ticket Abs
solute refusal to give up the box. but
imperious demand for the money
Proof OF ownership sufficient for the
bin, but not for the box. The bill was
paid Of necessity. It probably would
have been sent In and paid ad infni-
tum had not the Chinese boy known
and bribed a man who bribed rail-
way 'employe TO get into the ware
house where the boz was stored and
smash It out 3of existence"
AS a personal experience the Eng
lishman offers the following: "By the
grace OF the car foreigners are al
lowed to live and trade In Vladfvos-s
tok; but the governor can deport any
person or persons he thinks fit at
twenty-four hours notice, no reasons
given. This power, which is abso-
lutte, has some curious results and
proves large source Of income to the
governor. Il was much surprised one
evening at the serious effect produc-
ed by what thought an item Of mere
local gossip: "The governor had been
losing heavily at cards. But alter
ed my opinion little while after
when a Russian official came into the
Office and remarked, in substance, II
not In actual words, You're Jones q
CO. Ah!' turning to a list In his hand,
the governor Is raising a subscrip-
tion for bust Of the car; you are
down for 1000 rubles. Pay up!' The
money was paid and promptly. But
the bust has not yet arrived.-Chtcago
Daily News.
A Freaks Beginning.
Joaquin Miller, the California poet
-A....,t.k ,,,oa az, Intimate friend