Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-04
WILD ORGIE OF MURDER
STORY OF CRIME
FROM sAKHALIN ISLAND.
Correspondence Of the Associated Pres.


ST. PETERSBURG. April %, 1908.
Belated letters from Alexandrovsky post
North Sakhalin. arriving in the first mail
after rionths of interrupted communica-
lions. bring a wild picture of the three
weeks orgie OF murder. arson and loo.
following the proclamation OF peace ana
the evacuation by the japanese OF the
northern half of the island. The wilder
spirits among the prisoners criminal ana
political, who form practically the entire
population OF Aiexandrovsky post. broke
loose from all restraint applied the torch
10 public and private buildings drank
themselves into a Wild fury snd vented
their passions in pillage and murder
OWING to the fierce October storms. the
ships containing the troops dts,latcbet 10
take possession of the island from the
japanese Were driven or the coast and
COL ValyuyeT, the military governor. land
eu with an escort of only rfty mon a
scanty force with which to face hund, "a.
OF desperate convicts during the three
weeks before further troops were able 10
land ''S !"
The convicts prepared a warm vVelcnp,s
ior the new governor, setting fire the day
ne landed to the police headquarters and
.ne great Aiexandrovsky prison, ten sep
arale buildings with accomodssfons 81
thousands OF prisoners
Ihese were completely consumed tba
Japanese having allowed the fire engines
20 become useless. but by the strenuous
eIhons or the Russian and Japanesa
soldiers. who worked side by side ana 90
troned The city TO prevent further incen-
diarism. the fire was finally checked.
Everybody Became Drunk.
me next day the Japanese troops retired.
having nrst sold their accumulated stocks
vi provisions and liquor at Incredibly low
prices casks OF saki. ordint rily sold for
30. going for 10 cents: cases of .,pnad
meats containing seventy-f iv. pounds for
90 cents. and 275 tons of rics and hpcf-
Mmeat being disposed of In a lump for 500
everyday became drunk and With rro-
VISIONS enough for the winter and no nee es-
the debauch for weeks ~
10 protect the city. with his little ae~ri-
son ana the prisons DESTROYED tho 0overn..
1ao 10 resort to extraordinary measures,
ne soldiers were ordered to make fcsA
US. use o. their weapons. and for petty offenses
lhe eudgei or knout was resorted to- thieves
Setllng nrst twenty-five Iashes later aftv
and finally a hundred 'S
rms sufffced, but the criminals, leaving
AieAdhdrovsky. retired to places In the in
| terror, and the governor was forced To
divide his fifty men. sending an officer and
IIteen men to Pogibi. five men to Arkoyu.
Where the Japanese had left large storea
OF provisions, and three men each to Onor
and Rykovo.
Convtcts Used the Torch.
The remnant stood guard day and night,
put the convicts were able nevertheless to
set the torch to rhe chanceliery Of the GOV.
ernor. the club, the residence of the chief
1ailer and many other buildings
During the raging storms four steamers
and schooner including 3OOo-t ton vessel
from America, the German steamer Sura-
baJa, with crew OF sxty-seven men, and
the Fiadivostok. with twenty-three men,
which were endeavoring TO bring supplies
TO Sakhalin, were wrecked on the inhospi-
table 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 with
out quarters, however owing to the de-
struction 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 unli-
censed convicts as more like beasts than
men, but say that they stood in wholesome
fear of the japanese during the Japanese
occupation, the population then being able
to sleep with doors and windows unlocked.
though hundreds OF conviets were roaming
the streets.