Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-08-04

offs body with a cloth: the skin red
dened, and clear traces OF former
punishments became visible.
| stood near the doctor, whose face
was flushed with shame.
Ivan Wassjutin." Ivan Ieared the
horse"
"Of with all clothes" said the exc
cutioner. 1t was long while before
he grasped the meaning of the words.
Lie down. Wassjutin mounted
the horse" astride.
Take your hands off. lie down;
put your arms around the horse"
Wassjutin embraced the horse" It
was humiliating, horribly humlliating.
to see a naked man stretched on that
horse" and awaiting the cruel lash.
Chruspel, the executioner, looked like
dog into the inspectors face.
Thirty rods" Chruspel picked up
bundle of rods, drew one out Of
the bundle with astonishing agility,
retired a step, and waited.
Go ahead!" The rod whistled
through the air once or twice before
the inspector counted one. Then an
other whistling sound, and a red stripe
was seen on the qual.ing body. 1.-TWO,
three, four, FIVE"
Chruspel threw the rod away and
took up another. He walked over to
the other side of the horse. Five
more blows fell on the other side OF
the body.
Every five blows required another
rod, and Chruspel changed his position
for eacl rod. The sound of the rod
whistling through the air almost broke
ones heart, and the interval between
two blows seemed like an eternity.
The inspector counted Twenty
nine, thirty"
Wassjutin rose on the horse and sat
astride. His eyes were filed with
tears. Get off"
1.-TWO and a half minutes" said the
doctor.
l thought 1t had lasted an hour.
Then came the Caucasians' turn.
Chruspel laid them down on the horse
one after another. He used the knout
on them 'in accordance with the YER
dict" A look at the inspector ex-
planned to Chruspel what he was to
do. He grasped the knout in the
middle, which is the punishment of
the half knout."
Bardunoff trembled and shivered.
He looked helpless like hunted rab-
bit, and attempted to smile. ChruspeI
poked him in the ribs. Lie down"
Bardunoff convulsively clasped the
horse and pulled himself together.
Chruspel swung the knout with an
ominous movement. This was not a
punishment "in accordance with the
verdict of the court" this was a
private transaction, according to
the customs of the Sakhalin prison in
spectors.
The room was perfectly still; not a
breath was heard.
Chruspel gazed inquiringly at the
inspector. The latter looked about
for moment in confusion, glanced at
the doctor and me, and finally made
sign to the eXecutioner. Chruspel
grasped the half knout" A sigh of
relief was heard from everyone in the
+ room. Bardunoff's body trembled con-
+ yulsively. Heaven knows what ter
rible blows the man had expected. For
the comparatively weak, yet cruel, lash
, seemed to him child's play.
, Former Methods.
When l used to come to roll CALI
: boasted K, 81 was in the habit of say
ing: Good morning, dogs Good morn
ing, jailbirds.' And they always re-
piled, joyfully: Good morning, your
: honor For they knew that 1 was in
good humor. If I came and did not
. call them dogs they knew that some
= thing was brewing. When 1 ordered
Il knouting they tainted with fear. used to
i say: "Knouts AMI spadesto dig grave.
: | wanted to make them believe that
some one would be knouted to death
. My assistants pretended that they were
calming me. The convicts were wal
L lowing in the dust before me- and
/ wept for mercy. But corporal pun
ishment is no good. In my opinion
l. nothing beats solitary confinement
: Worse than knouting. Two weeks OF
:. solitary brings them all to their
; senses. Come, and / will show you
d We entered a gangway which was
y narrow and dark. On both sides were
n narrow cages, with tiny windows IL
e each door The air in the gangway
d made breathing impossible. 1t smellee
S like a dog kennel. The moment W,
s. entered the gangway blood-curdlinl
a oaths and cries were heard on al
s sides. The convicts howled in frenzy
and attempted to burst their doors.
s was reminded Of madhouse and O
d Dantes Inferno.
l. Let Gussoff out" commanded tn,
IL inspector.
h. The guard approached his cage
d. From the cell arose a maddened roar
N Don't come near, don't come near
ID | will murder you!"
al We'll, perhaps you'd better leay
,e him." calmly remarked X.
Don't you see now that this is NOR
"a effective than knouting? Knouting /
"a nothing"
= w. DORASHEVITSCH