Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-03
APPLY TORCH TO BUILDINGS.
Drink Themselves Into a Wild
Fury and Vent Passions in
Pillage and Rapine.
Gave The New Governor "a Warm"
Reception by Setting Fire to
Police Headquarters.

st Petersburg April 22.--(Corre.
spondence of the Associated Press)--
Belated letters from Alexandrovsky
post North Sakhalin arriving In the
first mail after months OF interruption
bring Wild picture OF the three
weeks OF murder and loot following the
proclamation 81 peace and the evacua-
ton by the japanese of the northern
half of the island The wilder spirits
among the prisoners. criminal and
political. who form practically the en-
tire population OF Alexandrovsky post
broke loose from all restraint applied
the torch 10 public and private build
ings drank themselves into wild fury
aud vented their passions In pillage
and murder. owing to the fierce Oc-
tober storms, the ships containing the
troops dispatched to take possession
OF the island We're driven off the coast
ana Col Nalyuyeif, the military gov
eIhof' landed with an escort OF only
% men. scanty force with which Ia
face hundreds OF desperate convic,s
during the three weeks before further
troops were able to land.
a WARN" WELCOME.
These convicts prepared warm well
come for the new governor, setting Are
the day he landed to the police head
quarters and the great Alexandrovskv
prison. 10 separate buildings with ac
combinations for thousands OF prison.
ers These were completely consumed.
The japanese having allowed the Are
engines TO become useless, but by the
strenuous exertions of the Russian and
Japanese soldiers, who worked side by
side, and patroliea the city. TO prevent
iurther tncendlarism. the fire was fnsl
ly checked. The next day the .Japansse
troops returned. having first sold their
accumulated stocks OF Provisions and
liquor AT incredible low prices. casks Of
sac ordinarily sold for Sc, going for
~ cents cases OF timed meat contain
ing % pounds for 30 cents, and 27b tons
or rice and buckwheat being disno.ed
OF in lump for 500. Everybody he
came drunk and with provisions enough
tor the winter and no necessity Tor
WORK many OF them kept up the de.
bauch for weeks.
GOVERNORS HARD TASK
To protect the city. with his IittIe oar.
rison and the prisons destroved Tho
governor had to resort to extraordinary
measures, The soldiers were ordered
to make free Use of their weapons and
Tor petty ofenses the cudgel or knout
was resorted TO, thieves getting frst
% lashes, later 50. and finally hun
dred. This sufficed, but the criminals
living at Alexandrovsky retired to
places I'm the interior and the governor
was forced TO divide his 80 men. send
ing an ofiicer and IL men to Pogibi.
hve men to Arkovo where the Lamar
csc had left large stores OF provisions,
and three men to Rykovo. The rem
nants stood guard day and night but
the convicts were able 10 set torch 10
the chancellery Of the governor. the
club, the residence Of the chief Taller.
and many other buildings
STEAMERS WRECKED
During the raging storms four steam.
ers and n schooner, including a 1000
ton vessel from. America. the German
steamer Surabaja, with q crew OF 81
men and the Vladivostok, with % men.
which were endeavoring 10 bring sim
plies 10 Sakhalin, were wrecked on the
inhospltablo winter coasts OF the island
and all on board were lost.
Finally, after % DAYS ships with .ey-
eral thousand soldiers arrived and re-
stored order. The new troops were
without quarters. however. ewing to tho
destruction OF sll the crown building,
and many other houses, and suffered
extremely from tho severe cold unt,l
they could build barracks.
CoNv1CTs LIKE BEASTS.
The correspondents describe the con-
victs more like beasts than mon. bnt
say they stood in fear Of the yapa,ns.
the population being able 70 sleep with
doors and windows unlocked, though
hundreds of conHots we're roaming The
streets