Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-27
PEASANTS ARE EASY VICTIMS
Their Amazing %Gullibility Leads to
Many Queer Things.
KEY TO MYSTERY OF RUSSIA
Commercial Traveller Upsets Com
munity with Yarn About Free
VOdkR-Crime Committed
for Pardon.

MOSCOW. Sept. %.-(speclal)-Nothing
could illustrate more Significantly the hope
less credulity and gullibi1ty Of a large
proportion of the cars "backwoods" sub
jects-4O per cent OF whom can neither read
nor write-than a handful OF tales, some
amusing and some of grimmest tragedy,
that have lately come TO the writer's notice.
You get between the lines OF them a glimpse
of the real conditions that make Russia a
mystery to the outside world.
In many OF the remotest Russian towns
the small commercial traveller. or factor,
as he is called. is depended on chiefly by
the natives for news of the outside world.
A short time ago one OF these factors ar
rived at the village of Piasenko, in the
government OF volhynis, where he was met
by an eager crowd and pestered for news.
There was none to tell, but for a factor to
say he has no news, is, in Russia, para
mount to a chancellor Of the exchequer
saying the country is bankrupt. so the fac
tor-whose name was Szmul-scratched his
head and hooked very wise. well" he
said. finally, its such a piece Of news
as never was, and I don't know II / ought
to tell IT,, because the excise man said 1t
ought to be kept a secret"
szmui sat in his cart, blowing cigarette
smoke through his nose and looking dream
ingly toward the west, while the crowd
coaxed him to continue. At last he spoke:
you see, gentlemen" he began. "the car,
II seems, is very pleased with all the men
in volhynia- They sit quiet and don't en-
courage the socialists, and the car likes
that. He means to reward you, and re-
Gently sent for the excise man to ask what
he thought you'd like best. OF course he
said vodka"
Free Vodka from Gear.
Here a murmur Of delight interrupted
him. Then he went on:
The car said you should have free
vodka, and as much as you like. He wrote
II out with his own hand, and the excise
man showed It to me. Tomorrow you must
go to the crossroads that lie between this
and Ellzabethgrad, Just twelve versts away,
and take all the bottles you've got. The
excise man will be there waiting for you,
and will give you as much drink as you
can carry"
The whole village believed this absurd
story, and nearly drank themselves dead
with vodka, the man at the kabak Qnn)
dealing It out gratis, because on the fol-
lowing day he believed he would get as
much as he wanted for nothing. But,
though the traveller was not forgotten, he
refused 20 drink much, and soon hurried
off to the next village, saying he had very
pressing business there.
Next day all Piasenko sailed forth at the
appointed hour, laden with water butts and
every description OF vessel they could get
to carry the vodka In, fighting over utensils
as though they were worth their weight
in gold, and blessing the czar and the
excise man without end. And though the
village set out much too soon in the scorch-
ing sun. they found the high road blocked
to choking with people from other villages.
Whole regiments of carts were filled with
all that might possibly hold liquid.
At first the assembled multitude waited
patiently enough, but when the sun rose
to its height and waned without a sign of
an excise man, the thirsty peasants became
angry. and accused one another of hoaxing'
Everybody blamed his neighbor for the ex-
pedition, and nobody owned he had set out
Of his OWL free will. As the factor had
doubtless expected, the meeting ended in a
tremendous fight, in which the inhabitants
OF one village tried to smash the heads
Of the inhabitants Of the next and the
bottles destined for vodka were broken
over backs. The too-generous kabak keep
ers. who had dispensed free hospitality the
night before, vainly strove to get their
money back. Those who were not too bat
tered to walk home that night returned
sadder, but wiser men. The more seriously
injured ones lay in bitches till their sore
ness had healed.
SzmuI, the factor, does not pass through
Piasenko and the adjoining villages any
more.
Looked for FardOn for Crime.
The credulity of the cars subjects
mingled with a half savage love of crime
provided punishment does not follow, often
results in strange acts. 1 have just heard
of a case of a young peasant boy OF eight
cen, who reported to the gendarmes of g
village in Mohyhew that his Hatcher had
been murdered. The fathers body was
found, terribly mutilated. A Ratchet lay
close by covered with blood. A few ques'
lions elected the fact that the only per-
son who had been near the dead man wal
his son. who ultimately admitted having
killed his father. The boys behavior dur
ing the subsequent trial was so quiet anC
indifferent that the judges remarked upor
Il. When sentenced to 20 years exile IL
Siberia, 1.-THE heaviest sentence that can b'
imposed except under martial law) he be
came terribly excited, and declared that 1
could not possibly be true because tn,
car had promised to pardon him.
The lad was regarded as insane, but thu
priest who visited him learned that he haC
gone to a fair some weeks before the muir
der and met a ''prorok" Ia kind Of prophet
who had told him his future in considera
ton OF a present OF eggs. According t
the wise man, the lad was under the specia
protection OF the car, and could do any
thing he liked without being punished 70
It, because the ruler had just issued al
ukase to the effect that he would forgivi
all his male subjects under q for an!
crime they might commit within the fol
lowing six months. The lad. who hat
hitherto been a quiet sort OF boy, set L
racking his brains as TO what big Grim,
he might commit. since no punishment
would be melted out to him. At last he toll
the priest he thought Of killing his father
as that seemed to him the greatest possibl
crime. He bore no grudge against his par
ent, but" he said. ut seemed too goo
a chance to throw away. I planned it 70
a long time. as II was hard 10 be alon
with him-some of my brothers or sister
were always In the hut, and they woul
get no pardon from the car. as they wer
all older than p. To the very da.
OF his starting for the mines. he hope,
the cars pardon would coma. and toll