The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1903-09-12
CAR LATEST MOVE.
Reforms lns, ituted to Show
Mercy to Eis Prisoners.
OHAINING CONVIOTs PROHIBITED,


usually Brutal Conduct In Jail 10
| Have Heads Saaved-Russin's Ruler
Abolishes Some OF the Worst Tor
tures-RcmarkabIe Eject of Blows
Delivered by IA FloGger In siberia.
The czar sent confidential official
| to the principal central prisons IN Euro
pean Russia and IN Siberia last Febru'
ary to get an absolutely impartial. un-
| colored report about the state OF the
prisons and the nature OF the punish
ments inflicted on prisoners for refrac-
| tory conduct.
This official, q former colonel in the
guards, named Zabelnikoff, has now re-
turned to ST. Petersburg and made q
full and fearless report to his imperial
master, as result of which some Inn
proyement in the condition of things
has already been made, says the New
York World.
For instance, no political prisoners s
head is to be shaved-only those of
criminals convicted of unusually brutal
conduct while in Jail.
eighteen is to be subjected to blows or
stripes from a stick or whip for any
offense, and In all eases where whip
ping is regarded as necessary by the
prison authorities the consent Of the
governor of the province must be first
obtained and full reports Of circum-
stances be sent to ST Petersburg.
TN. - hot Nt,,.r vnfr afs Y.y-
convicts to ears in mines or elsewhere
has been abolished.
The minor punishments, such as con-
fining a prisoner In totally dark cell
underground, have been much modified
No prisoner is to suffer this punish
ment for more than three days The
doctor who accompanied Colonel label
nikoff on his journey says a weeks
confinement In totally dark under
ground cell Injuries the eyes beyond re-
covery.
Colonel Zabelnikoff's attention was
especially directed to complaints which
had reached his imperial masters ears
that In the military prisons Jewish sol
diers suffered far worse treatment than
Christians. Zabelnikoff found this to
be the case in only isolated instances
and that any difference in the treat
ment Of the two religions was due
rather to the attitude of the lower
ranks of wardens than to the action
of the prison directors.
A Russian traveller and litterateur
named Doroshevitch recently returned
l., l,.,I. tell n,,6 ofp hn
east coast Of Siberia. While there he
had an interview with one Komleff, n
man employed to fog prisoners. Kom-
left Is an artist" with the whip.
Doroshcvitch asked him with how
many blows he could kill man.
Komleff answered. 1.-Two" Then. re-
fiecting, he said. with one" explain
ing that he thought he could break the
backbone
Komleff distinguished between ap-
parent blows and real blows. He told
Doroshevitch to lay his thick notebook
on the flogging block. The traveller
did so, and with one whizzing blow
KomlefT shattered 1t into n thousand
fragments
"Now put your hand on the block"
said komleff.
Doroshevitch complied ana heard the
same dreadful. whizzlng sound. but his
hand was only gently touched by the
whip.
1t Is optional with Komleff what sort
Of blow to infiict He said:
II can either torture or tickle, as Ii
pleases me-"
When Doroshevitch told this terrible
man that sort of punishment would
now be abolished the eXecutioner re-
sponded fervently:
@God grant 1t may be sor'
cADr ne rAt\fCC