The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-09-14
KILL, BURN AND LOOT
Recent Agrarian Disorders FrghtfuI
in Extreme.
VAST ESTATES DEVASTATED
Twelve Days Of Peasant War in
Southern RussiS-PsopIe Goaded to
1T by Unjust Treatment From the
Authorities.

Voronezh, South Russia, Sept. IL
A correspondent of the Associated
Press has just completed an investi.
CATION or the recent uprising of
peasants in this province, which is
situated in the heart of what is known
as the BLACK Belt" extending from
The Don to the Volga.
Both in the petty act of tyranny
which provoked the ignorant, land
mad peasantry, the savage wildness
with which the Muzjiks ravaged and
burned estates, the role played by the
revolutionary agitators and the ruin
less fashion in which the Insured
tion was finally suppressed and the
guilty and innocent alike made to suf
fer, it presents a typical picture to
the American reader of what is al
most daily chronicled in the cable dis.
patches as "agrarian disorders"
The uprising lasted twelve days,
during which 142 estates were raw
aged; the manor houses, stables and
out-buildings plundered and burned;
horses and stock run off or manned
and left to die, and surplus hay, fod-
der and grain put to the torch. The
mobiles and other landed proprietors,
generally, fed 10 the cities in terror;
only few making any attempt to
protect their property
Troops Were Slow.
The troops, mostly Cossacks and
dragons, were slow in arriving, but
when they did put in an appearance,
they shot and fiogged the peasantry
into submission, and the village and
city jails of the province are still filled
with peasants awaiting trial." al
though hundreds have already been
deported to Siberia by "administra-
tive order" The immediate cause of
the uprising was the refusal of the
governor, General Bibbikoff, to allow
Mr.. Grushoff, member of the duma
to render an account of his steward
ship to his peasant constituents. The
duma was at that time still in ses-
sion, and Grushoff, who was mem
Der of the Group of Toll" had
mandate from his people to secure
"land and liberty"
Loyal Peasants.
In four cases only did the peasants
of the estates make any attempt to
defend the property Of their landlords,
but their resistance was unayailine.
In every other instance the peasants
joined the insurrection.
During all this time while the most
beautiful part of the province was be-
ing laid waste, the governor had ac-
complished nothing. The Dragons
and Cossacks sent hither and thither
in pursuit of the raving bands, in
each instance arrived from one to
three days late. Finally, however,
with two columns of cavalry, consist
ing of about $500 Cossacks and dra-
goons, the governor succeeded in cut
ting off the main body south Of Bob
rov and driving them to the left bank
of the Don. Finding themselves corr
nered, many of the peasants succeed
ell in breaking through the lines and
succeeded in escaping, but about 700,
with their carts and plumber, we're
captured. Before surrendering I the
peasants, many of whom by this time
had managed to equip themselves
with arms taken from the houses Of
the gentry, made stand behind their
wagons. They fought with consider
able courage, but the trained volleys
Of the soldiery soon forced them to
cry for mercy. When the captured
were rounded up" 1t was found that
practically all the leaders had
escaped, and of the ten thousand or
more peasants who had taken part
ia the rising, not more than five hun
bred, including many women and
children, were actually taken.
Thereupon the governor, accom-
panied by several companies of Cos
sacks, started on a tour of the vii
lagos to mete out punishment to the
offenders. The Cossacks would be
turned loose, and the whole popula-
.tion of the village would be given a
thorough beating Such leaders as
could be found were sent back to Vor-
owezh or to the other towns for de-
portation to Siberia A number of the
most dangerous agitators who were
caught were executed without even
the Formally OF drumhead court
martial.