The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-10-24

Tie tHTllluS SIOTy VI ~. a., JIG
writer tells how his months of suf-
fering ended with recovery in hos
pital. He also adds to his specific
charges of torture and murder
against Russian officials.-Editor)
All these cases and a great num-
Der of others I Witnessed with my
own eyes during the four weeks l
passed In Lindvarden. In that time
l was taken several times to the
torture chamber. Each tue was
brought back. senseless and left for
some days unmolested until re-
gained strength enough to rise and
undergo new Interrogation"
The dragons. among other
things, dug deep holes in my legs
with their spurs, and pulled out
pieces of flesh with ordinary iron
pincers. They also stripped the
skin from the edges of my raw
wounds. My wounds were not BAN
daged, my boots were clotted with
blood, and my linen bathed in it
and swarming with vermin.
On Oct. 25 mo. y, 1906, I left
Lindvarten and was taken by two
dragons to Ogern. There, at the
end of October, 1906, Jacob Zarin
was brought in, together with his
parents and a small brother of IL.
They were beaten by Ionin with
wire and gutta percha rods. He
pulled hair from Jacob Zarin's
beard, kicked his old mother and,
tying the little boy to stool,
flogged him with great cruelty.
Jacob Zarin's head and legs were
squeezed into halter so that his
body was doubled in half. He was
then beaten from behind with
leaden weight. Drops of benzine
were poured upon his body and set
alight.
He was battered, mutiliated and
burnt all over, yet he confessed to
nothing.
A few days later, in the begin
ming Of November, 1906, Jacob
Zarin was court martialed on the
charge of adhering to the social
democratic party, condemned to
death and shot.
On the sth (21st) of November,
1906, I was brought to the central
prison In Riga and placed in the
lprison hospital.
In the hospital was, for the
first time, given clean clathes and
thot food, a bed and bedding.
was placed in an underground cell,
very small and dark, was then
| so Ill. after nine weeks of torture.
that I could not sit up in my bed
without help. Here, also for the
first time, my wounds were BAN
| daged.
Amalia Kreger (whom men,
toned before) was lying at the
same time in the hospital. She was
kept apart from the rest, so that
| her terrible condition should be
concealed, but we managed to COM
municate through the medium of
persons employed in the hospital.
She told me in this manner that
relation o fhers. Juris Kruker, upon
interesting himself in her case, had
/ OF 10 is, Oh
now in the Riga central prison, Is
months after his arrest. | passed
four months in the hospital.
The system of torture which
underwent in the tutumn of 1906
still continues, in spite of all Off
cial promises that it should cease.
| will describe a few of the latest
; incidents which happened while |
was still in prison. In November,
| 1907, several Let's were arrested in
Uriev (Estland) and brought to the
offices of the secret police in Riga.
There they were duly given the
bath of blood" The two brothers
Tzirul were submitted to tortures
from which they suffered for long
time in the Riga prison hospital
Gregus, Michaev and Davis still
remained the chief torturers, in
spite Of the official communique OF
their dismissal and committal for
trial, and they were becoming still
more able and inventive in their
fiendish trade. Specially con-
structed iron masks were screwed
on to the heads of the brothers
Tzirul, electric currents were
passed through their bodies, their
teeth knocked out, etc. They were
ordered to confess to being social
democrats.
In January last, 1908. the polit-
ical Robert Knies, was brought to
the secret police fro mthe Riga cen.
trail prison. Gregus ordered him
to be tied to the "socia democratic
! bench" and he was beaten with