The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-03
Reign Of Lawlessness Follows
Japanese Evacuation of
North sakhalin.
SHIPS BEARING TROOPS
CUT OFF BY STORMS
Small Force Of Guards Unable to
Restrain Drink. Crazed
Exiles.
Correspondence Of the Associated Press.

SO11ScVOHOouCo VI tu0 <bsOCldto0 GEc3es
st. Petersburg. April 22.-Belated
s sttsrs from b.b post North nth
first mail after months Of interrupted
communication, bring a wild picture Of
a three weeks orgie Of murder, arson
and loot following the proclamation Of
peace and the evacuation by the jap
anese of the northern half Of the island.
The wilder spirits of the island 8
form practically the entire population
Of Alexandrovky post, broke loose from
gil restraint, applied the torch to pub
lie and private buildings. drank them
selves into a wild fury and vented their
passions in pillage and murder.
Owing. to the fierce October storms
the ships containing the troops dis
patched to take possession Of the island
coast and Colonel Valyuyeff, the milf
tary governor, landed with an escort
Of only fifty men, the scanty force with
which to face hundreds of desperate
convicts during the three weeks before
further troops were able to land.
Burn Public Buildings.
The conviets prepared a warm well
come for the new governor, setting fire,
the day he landed, to the police head
quarters and the great Alexandrovsky
prison, ten separate buildings with &C
| commodations for thousands of prison
! ers. These were completely consumed,
the japanese having allowed the fire
| engines to become useless, but by the
| strenuous exertions of the Russian and
Japanese soldiers, who worked side by
side and patrolled the city to prevent
further incendiarism, the fire was fin
ally checked.
The next day the Japanese troops
retired, having first sold their accumu-
| lated stocks Of provisions and liquor at
| incredibly low prices, casks of "sake'
ordinarily sold for SIS, going for 10
cents; cases of timed meats containing
seyenty-fve pounds, for so cents: and
disposed Of in lump for 800.
ia Debauch Lasts Weeks.
! Everybody became drunk, and with
| provisions enough for the winter and
no necessity for working, many kept
up the debauch for weeks. To protect
the city with his little garrison and the
prison destroyed, the governor had to
resort to extraordinary measures. The
soldiers were ordered 20 make free use
Of their weapons, and for petty offenses
thieves getting first twenty-fv lashes,
later fifty and finally hundred.
This sufficed, but the criminals, leav-
ing Alexandrovsky, retired to places in
the interior, and the governor was
forced to divide his fifty men, sending
an officer and fifteen men to Pogibi,
five men to Arkovo, where the Japan
csc had left large stores Of provisions,
and three men each to Onor and
Rykovo.
/ The remnant stood guard day and
| nioht hit the eonvicfs neuartbal
| were able to set the torch to the chan
cellory Of the governor, the club, the
residence Of the chief jailor and many
other buildings.
| Five Ships Wrecked.
During the raging storms four steam
ers and schooner, including 3,000-
ton vessel from America, the German
steamer Surabaja with crew Of sixty.
seven men and the Vladivostok, with
twenty three men, which were endeav-
oring to bring SUPPLIES to Sakhalin,
were wrecked on the inhospitable win
ter coasts of the island, and all on
board were lost.
Finally after twenty-five days ships
with several thousand soldiers arrived
and restored order. The new troops
were without quarters, however, owing
to the destruction of all the crown
buildings and many other houses, and
suffered extremely from the severe cold
until they could build barracks.
The correspondents describe the un'
licensed convicts as more like beasts
than men, but say that they stood In
the Japanese occupation, the population
then being able to sleep with doors and
windows unlocked, tho hundreds of con-
, victS were roaming the streets.