The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-02
ANARCHY IN PRISONS;
MURDER BEHIND BARS
Mutinous Convicts New Russian
Terror Escape and Plum
"s@ der Towns. -,.
Special Cable to The Journal.

Special Cable to The Journal 49, .sa,..- n
St. Petersburg, Dec. Mot only
does anarchy, with mob law rule Rus
sian towns, but it has spread into we'll
known prisons. Accounts come in con-
tinually from different parts Of the
empire, of warders killed, governors
wounded pad mutinous prisoners escap-
ing to pillage the neighborhoods they
pass thru and sow bloodshed and horror
whel ever they go. ...-. ,
From prison in eastern Russia. lust
under the Ural mountains, comes a
story which seems almost incredible
until it. is remembered that as bad and
worse things are happening in other
districts. -. -. 80. =,
According to the report of the gov
ernor, two men, sentenced to long
term OF hard labor, were placed to-
gether in a cell, awaiting their turn to
be taken to the other side of the Urals.
They were friends, and soon made up
their minds to escape. There was a
third man in the cell and to him they
confided' their plans. He promised to
help them. T.. -.
<...~- Dig Long Tunnel.
They worked hard all night long and
for many nights, digging tunnel under
their cell. All the prisoners in the
place knew of it, for in these prisons,
where the supervision is inefficient,
news travels from cell to cell like wild
fire. .~-' . - =. - !.
Every morning these three men filled
their pockets with the earth dug up
during the night and also put it behind
their shirts. They turned it out in the
prison yard when they went for their
daily exercise. -s>:i4 =, - -,
But one morning, when they were
nearly at the end of their task, thew
discovered that they were being CLOSELY
watched and left off digging for day
or two. They had, however, no sooner
begun again than they were searched,
and their tunnel as well. All the
prisoners heard Of it and began to look
for the, spy. who had given notice to
the authorities. f..
$50. Plan to Stay Spy.
All declared that only one could be
guilty, and that was the man who
shared the two friends CELL The
prisoners swore to have the mans life
Delegates from every cell conferred at
exercise time and were unanimous in
declaring that their victim must be
hanged. ~
The only one who suspected NOTHING
was the victim himself, who helped the
friends from -naturedness and had
never the least intention of spying upon
them. At last a fitting moment ar.
rived when there was no guard about.
At 2 O'Clock one afternoon 'tsix dele
gates" entered the cell. The hook
and rope were in readiness They
began their 'trial." s>EG
H:What shall we do with this
traitorY' asked one man, pointing to
the unhappy victim. d,
Hanged in Cell.
"Hang him!' they all cried. The
man tried to escape; he rushed to the
door, shouting for help. But he was
one against eight, and, after an awful
struggle they pulled him back, slipping
the moose around his neck and hanged
him on the hook. -. 49,
At this moment the guard appeared
at the door Of the cell. They were
met with volley of plates, benches.
tables, anything in fact, to keen them
out till their victim was dead, =
The inmates of the other cells. hear
ing the row, ran to their comrades as
slstance. The soldiers fred. Fonr
men fell. The "trial'' was over. A
few wounded, a few killed, and the
hanged ma man cut down-still breathing.
This is one of the pictures, out Of
hundreds; which disgrace Russia daily.