The Washington herald., 1908-01-05

ed in the Russ a letter dated ION the
Amur High Road" which must once
more direct attention 20 the awful suf-
ferings of the thousands Of exiles ban
ished during the present reign Of "repres-
sion" to Siberia, which, perhaps. have
been to some extent forgotten while pub
lie interest has been centered on events
happening nearer home.
Extracts from this letter follow. No
preface is needed save the remark that
many Of those doomed to suffer the al
most incredible barbarity described by
the writer belong TO the educated and
cultured classes. and therefore suffer far
more than the ordinary hardened Grim
inaL
a Party of 100.
At the outset, the writer explains that
he formed one Of a party Of ls0 exiles,
twenty-three Of them being state Of. po-
litical offenders. detailed 20 work on the
construction Of the KoIessnaya Aiterally.
wheel road, and sent thither under Cos
sack escort from the penal settlement az
Irkutsk. He proceeds 30 describe the ar
rival Of ~ party at Pashkovo, Cos
sack settlement Ui the Amur:
We landed from our barge on August
q. at in the evening, and passed our
first night in the open on the shores Of
the Amur. We were orGcred by the eg-
cort not to talk, not 10 lie down 10 sleep,
not to stir. No supper must be cooked.
II raiDed IN torrents, and we were all
speedily wet through. When at last morn
ing came our letters were knocked of.
and We set OF for the camp thiTty-tWo
versts distant, dragging after US the bags
containing our luggage as no carts were
provided for baggage transport The first
verst was covered without incident but
as soon as the village was out OF sight
the escort got 10 work with the butt ends
Of their rifles. urging the party on with
blows and curses.
"One Of cur comrades, c.. fell in q
dead swoon. Another tainted soon after
ward. Both were lifted into a cart pro
vtded for the use of the escort
Eventually the tents came in sight, and
we reached the camp. where most Of US
imet old aequaintances On these cues
tons were shoWered. but the only an
sweTs we received were: We are beaten:
it is hard
AS a matter Of fact, our eyes told US
enough All the faces that met our gaze
wore an exhausted look. All who greeted
US were terribly stung by the small mos
quitoes which swarm hereabouts. all were
unciean and attired merely in tattered
Undertaking. The feet Of many were
covered with wounds, and were swathed
IN filthy rags. In the tents the sole topic
of conversation was the brutality OF the
COsacks- You Will see for yourselves
1r~1 Trf1
few days only, We became the counter
parts Of the older occupants Of the camp.
J dirty, unshOd, uHclothed. and exhausted.
One single days rest was then allowed
Fus, but on the following day We were
reused at a. m. and driven to work.
Stripped 10 the skin.
1T was raining fast, and for a whole
verst our way lay across submerged
land. Every day for a fortnight We had
i to cross this same flooded ground.
stripped TO the skin and carrying our
shovels on our shoulders. This was our
life Of torment Up every morning at 4,
working until 5 or in the evening. and
: returning then utterly worn out. for roll
call. prayers, and sleep. Sleep! IN
ragged and battered tents. open TO the
rain and dirty and damp within.
The spot where we are working is be-
tween fourteen and sixteen Verstg from
the camp We have thus 10 walk some
thirty versts daily. besides performing
. our hard task. How hard that task is
; may be gathered when it is said that ten
men are required each dav to excavate
| a length OF some 200 feet and a depth
I and width of one and One-quarter arshins
about a yard. One has 10 work knee
deep in mire, and after about three weeks
= rheumatism sets in. and the legs Of the
workers begin tOYswel. The administra-
ton pays no heed to this, or half the
prisoners would have 70 be sent home.
Whether in rain. OF in d temperature 10
degrees Fahrenheit, we are driven out TO
work In June one of the exiles died OF
sunstroke There were six cases OF sun
stroke in July. but no deaths. According
to the regulations, no work must be done
on Sundays. But what are regulations TO
X, our chief. and the engineer? On
Sundays we work as usual. and are COM
PEELED TO sing hymn of thanksgiving in
the evening. One Sunday the prisoners
resolved 10 do no work, but the butt ends
of the rifles soon settled that.
The Food Bad.
'4The food is bad. Every man Is sup
posed to receive y kopeks daily but from
May to August a sum equivalent to a
total of As kopeks per man was all that
was received. Money sent by friends and
relations is not delivered
The letter goes on to describe the help
less condition of the sick. There is a
small hospital for fifteen patients and
when the hospital is full sick prisoners
doctor. the work being done by an assist
ant surgeon. Most Of the cases that come
under his notice are cases Of wounded
feet He forbids the patients to go about
unshod. but they are unable to do other
wise, there being no shoes for them.
1.-The work is hard and the conditions
of work are harder, continues the writer,
but the hardest OF all is the beating.
You are beaten on the way TO work at
work. and on the way home; beaten al
ways and everywhere Beaten for unwill
ingness TO give up your bedding to the
Cossacks, beaten If you put on clean
clothing CAhl you're eleanly one and
blow from dubbed rifel, beaten for
wearing spectacies or a pince-nez GA
scientist! A stTiker), beaten for no rea-
son at all. The Cossack must be adj
dressed as Master, the sentinel as Mr..
SSDtinei, the escort as MI. Escort. NO
talking is allowed during roll call time.
The inspectors and the chief inspector
himself are as unsparing in their blows
as any of their subordinates. No differ
ence whatever is made between state
prisoners and ordinary criminals"
Other Gases of Cruelty,
Then follow some instances of III treat
ment witnessed by the writer. An ordl-
nary prisoner, named Abdicheff, aged
fortv-three had TWO rihs broken BY q