The Detroit times., 1908-08-14
GIRL TELLS AWFUL
TALE OF TORTURES
BY CARS AGENTS
"WOMAN PRlckED BY RED.HoT
NEEDLES; THROWN ON FLOOR
AND TRAMPLED UPoN"-eREAK
A MANS SPINE.

LONDON, Aug. 1.-THE following
amazing story OF the brutalities prac-
ticed In the present year OF grace by
the cars agents on defenceless WON.
en- and children Is related by Mary
Nerdin, young Russian girl who has
escaped to London after being eight
months in Russian Jail. Her story
is published by the Daily Chronicle.
An Esthonian girl OF IS with whom
shared cell was arrested on sus-
picion, and placed in the central Riga
prison. where her brother and her
father had already undergone days
and nights OF torture. In this prison
there Is special room set aside for
questioning and torturing prisoners.
Three men, Popil, the agent provoca,
teur; Gregus. the chief OF the police
de surete OF Riga, and Ketekowd, the
head of the police station in the First
Mitavian district OF Riga the latter
a specialist in devising tortures), re-
celved the girl prisoner, and urged
her with coarse threats to give evil
dence against her comrades and
friends. This she refused to do.
'She was then. by order OF Gregus.
placed on the torture bench, vet
cloth was forced into her mouth to
prevent her crying out, and they then
beat her with their fists on the head
and back till she lost consciousness.
She was then carried into her cell,
but an hour later was brought back TO
the torture chamber. laid face down
ward on the bench and logged.
Bears Torture In Silence.
Her hair was torn out, and she was
beaten till she lay half dead. but not
a word passed her lips. She was then
taken to Gregus' private Office, where
she was again questioned about the
doings Of her comrades. but she re-
fused to speak.
This poor child also told me Of
woman Of 90. who when arrested was
brought before a police official named
Daug. She was too scared and con-
fused to give her name Immediately,
SO the police officer started beating
her with the butt-end OF his revolver,
till she fell down in a faint. Two
buckets of water were thrown over
her. and as she did not Immediately
revive they hung her up by her feet,
head downward. She was then re-
moved to Gregus' Office. There tho
same questioning was recommended.
And again through fear the unfor'
tunate woman failed to answer
promptly. Gregus then threw her on
the floor and trampled on her; after
which she was laid on the bench in
the torture chamber and pricked with
red-hot needles.
Nail Driven Into His Head.
"One man had a nail driven into his
head, and then he was shot; another
man had his spinal column broken
while they were trampling on him, A.
man Of the name OF Neiland was
beaten about the head with nagaikas,
and with an iron bar. the soles OF his
feet were burnt. and red-hot needles
were thrust under his finger nails. One
man was tied up by his hands, and was
logged day after day till his flesh be-
gan to rot and smell: some plasters
we're then applied to his back, and
when It was partly healed they logged
him again.
Several have undergone similar
and one man who suffered
in this way was allowed no change OF
linen for two months. He was finally
taken to a village prison. and under
the pretext that he attempted TO
escape they -mercifully shot him.
"One girl who was kept on remand
for a year in the prison at Riga came
out Of 1t a cripple. both her legs hav-
ing been broken by the Cossack war
ders. A school teacher was brought
to the same prison with both arms
broken; the Cossacks had tied him
tun pallnning horses"