The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-24
TERRORISM IN POLAND.

| ~ -
WARSAW, Poland, Aug. 4.-Thc present
generation has never seen tine whom the
people OF Russia were 20 racked as they
are to-day by private financial difhoulties'
intense anxiety and even terrorism, The
overwhelming misfortunes Of the war seem
To have paralyzed the Cars Government.
Law and order have ceased to exist In large
districts. Thousands of the landed gentry
who have never known what privation
meant find II difficult to raise ruble TO
pay their ordinary expenses. Money can be
borrowed only at ruinous rates, The
prevailing wretchedness Ia intensified here
In Poland by the fact that armed bands
Of robbers are travelling here and there
levying forced tribute upon estates on the
pretense that they are agents OF the revo-
lutionary propaganda which purposes to
reestablish the independence OF Russian
Poland.
The newspapers are printing stories OF
these outrages, and many facts illustrating
the intense fear, anxiety and distrust which
two years ago would have been thought
to be impossible. THE SUN correspondent
will mention here two incidents illustrating
the present state OF lawlessness and terror
ism. He selects these two because he Is
able to supplement one Of them by facts
that are known to all the residents OF
Bielostok, where he has spent several
days; In the other affair a family with
which he is intimate are the victims.
Bielostok, on the railroad from Warsaw
to st. Petersburg. ia one Of the larger towns
Of Poland. being surpassed only by few
other cities in population and commercial
Importance. The state of terrorism to
which it has been reduced by the events
Of the last few months is illustrated by the
following curious incident which a corre-
spondent OF the Vdrshdrskii Dnepnik
(Wdrsdw Daily sends from Bielostok. I
translate it literally
| al was passenger In a street car this morning
Men were going TO business and the car was
crowded. At one Of the corners police commits
sioncr entered the car About half the passengers
| left the car at the next corner. BY the time we
had gone three blocks the only persons left on the
were the police commissioner, the driver. con-
ductor and myself. ] asked the conductor what
| was the matter.
oh" he replied. the police commissioner is
on the prescribed list. He's had his notice that he
| will soon go journey to the other world.
Everybody In Blelostok knows II and everybody
thinks he may be blown up at any moment II he
happens TO be near the commissioner"
No one who has recently been in Bielostok
has any doubt Of the accuracy Of this state
ment The prescribed list numbers several
SCORES Of persons. and the dastards behind
the movement have taken the trouble to
make the list public. Their desire to create
state Of complete terrorism has fully
succeeded.
These threats were not empty-there
| was grim business behind them. THE Sun
printed about two weeks ago the news that
the new chief Of police of Bielostok had been
mortally wounded by boUb. About twenty
other unfortunates who we're not prescribed
but happened to be near the marked man
were killed or wounded by the explosion.
| Several other police officials and a number
Of ordinary policemen had been previously
murdered and all were on the prescribed list.
| II the unfortunate man who emptied the
} street car 80 speedily is having the expert
enoe Of his fellow sufferers he is Stunned
| by the entire populace. If he enters
barber shop no one will shave him until
| police guard is placed at the door. Cab
men fee from him. His friends dare not
talk with him in the street. One Of the
prescribed living in the suburbs has fine
we'll in his yard from which the neighbors
have long been permitted to draw water
for table Use. The we'll Is no longer pat
ronized. for every one fears it may be
poisoned.
Observers at distance may wonder why
the police do not root out the criminals
and put an end to them. They do not
understand the conditions. Terrorism is in
the air; the law is paralyzed. 1t is the
criminals and not the sworn defenders Of
the law who are boldfaced and Stout
kneed Why do they proclaim the crimes
they intend to commit 1t Is because they
invite conflict with the authorities, they
wish to be hunted; they depend upon oppo-
sition to swell their ranks and to bring on
the full tide Of outlawry communism and
revolution they are trying to precipitate.
The other incident is only one OF large
number OF the kind -Four weeks ago
several armed men presented themselves
at a small country estate a little south Of
Wilma and demanded 100 rubles. They
said they we're agents for the revolutionary
propaganda at Wilma and were raising
funds for the cause. Their written message
was carried to the proprietor, who said he
would give them shot instead OF rubles.
He was 30 excited that the family feared
they would all be murdered if he were per-
mitted to deal with the fellows. His wife
finally went out to see them.
She asked them on what authority they
demanded the money. They said on the
authority of the revolutionary committee.
But. she protested, the paper they pre-
sented bore no seal or other mark of legiti-
macy. No, unfortunately, there had been
80 many documents to stamp and this one
had somehow been overlooked But they
wanted the money and intended to get it
one way or another. What guarantee was
there that no further demand upon the
family would be NADER Their word Of
honor! She would receive a receipt for the
money tomorrow.
Well, the men had guns and threatened
murder. The lady paid the money. 1t
was case Of plain holdup, but there was
no redress. The facts were reported to the
police, but nothing was done. This oc-
CURED in one Of the most densely peopled
parts Of Russia and one OF the finest agri-
cultural districts Of the empire.
Ia it any wonder that many families are
leaving their estates and taking refuge in
Warsaw and Wilma and that far more are