The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-03
THREE WEEKS OF ANARCHY.
Northern salzhaIin at Mercy of Con-
victs After Japanese Left.
(cor. Of the Associated Press.)

St. Petersburg, April 22.=Belated
letters from Alexandrovsky post, Norm
Sakhalin, arriving in the first mai
after months of interrupted communl-
cations bring a wild picture of the
three weeks orgie of murder, arson ana
loot following the proclamation OF
peace and the evacuation by me Jap
anese of the northern half OF the island
The wilder spirits among the prisoners
criminal and political, who form prac-
tically the entire population OF Alexan-
drovsky post, broke loose from all re-
straint applied the torch TO public ana
private buildings, drank themselves
into a wild fury and vented their pas
sions in pillage and murder.
Owing to the fierce october storms,
the ships containing the troops as
patched to take possession OF the lslano
from the japanese were driven on the
coast and Colonel Valyuyeff, the mill
tarys governor, landed with an escort
of only fifty men, scanty Iofce Win
which to face hundreds Of desperate
convicts during the three Weeks DeLofe
further troops were able to land. Ihe
convicts prepared a warm welcome tor
the new. governor, setting fire, the day
he landed, to the police headquarters
and@fhe great AlexandrOVSky prison.
! ten SEPARATE buildings with accommo-
dations for thousands Of prisoners
These were completely consumed me
! japanese had allowed the IRE engines
! to become useless but by the siren
uOuS SxSIliOUS Ol the 1AOo7AeA.4 eett~
/ anese soldiers who walked side BY slde
and patrolled the city TO prevent TUT
/ Their incendiarism, the hre was Hhaily
| checked The next day the Japanese
| troops retired, having first sold theiI
accumulated stocks of provisions ana
LIQUOR at incredibly low prices, casks OF
SAX ordinarily sold for $5, going Tor
10 cents, cases OF timed meats con
tanning 10 pounds Tor 5e cents anu a.. .
tons Of rice and buclxwheat being dls-
/ posed of in a lump for 500. every
/ hody became drunk, and with proVl-
sions enough for the winter and no
necessity for working. many OF them
kept up the debauch for, weeks
70 protect the city, with his little
garrison and the prisons destroyed, the
| governor had to resort to extraofd-
| nary measures. The soldiers were or
/ dered to make free use of their
weanons and for petty offenses the
/ cudRel or knout was resorted to,
thieves getting first IS lashes. later %
and finally q hundred This sufnceo,
but the terminals leaving AIexan-
drovsky retired to places in the in
terror and the governor was forced TO
I divide his SO men. sending an of1cer
and Is men to Pogbi, five men to Ar
kovo, where the japanese had Ie1t
| large stores of provisions, ana three
men each to OnOr and RykOyo- Inc
remnant stood guard day and night
hut the convfcts were able nevertheless
to set the torch to the chancellory OF
the governor. the club, the residence
Of the chief jailer and many other
buildings. During the raging storms
four steamers and a schooner includ-
ing a 1900 ton vessel from America
the German steamer Surabaja, with a
crew of 81 men and the Vladivostoh
with % men which were endeavorine
to bring supplies to Sakhalin We're
wrecked on the inhospitable winter
coasts of the island and all on board
were lost.
Finally. after ~ days ships with
several thousand soldiers arrived and
restored order. The new troops were
without quarters. however. owing t
the destruction of all the crown build
ings and many other houses and sui
Tered extremely from the severe COLI
until they could build barracks
The. correspondents described thu
unlicensed convfcts as more like BEAST
than men but say that they stood il