Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-09-09
SEES RUSSIANS
FLOGGED, SHOT
CHICAGO DETECTIVE RETURNS
WITH STORIES OF ExEcU-
TIoNS IN RUSSIA.
WITNESSED PUBLIC HoRsEwHIP.
PINGS AND SUMMARY EXEcU.
TONS OF PRISONERS.

Chicago. Sept p Wholesale fog
ging of citizens in the public streets
as a method of clearing up petty
,hefts, and summary execution of pris-
oners, many of them mere boys, is
. the method of justice in Russia, ac-
cording to Detective Make Mills of
Assistant Chief Schuettlers staff, who
has just returned from the land Of
the czar.
The detective left Chicago two
months ago in charge of a Russian
murderer and little girl whom he
was to take to her mother. He spent
several weeks visiting various cities
OF the Russian empire.
| Detective Mills is of Slavic blood,
and his knowledge of the languages
and customs Of the people of northern
Europe has made him an expert in
the detection of criminals amcag i'm
migrants from that region. Last
June he arrested Mefod Ziernosekow,
a young Russian fugitive, wanted in
Libau Russia, for the murder of four
aged peasant women He obtained
the extradition of his prisoner
through Baron Schlippenbaeh, then
Russian consul in Chicago, and July
3 he started for Libau with Zeirnose-
kow and Mathilda Mallin. IL years
old, whom he was commissioned to
return to her parents.
Hears Prisoner Is Executed.
The three sailed on the steamer st.
Petersburg. During the sixteen days
of the voyage Zeirnosekow was
shackled in barred stateroom pro-
vided by the transportation company
at the request of the Russian govern
ment. Mills said that on landing at
Libau, which was under martial law,
his prisoner was taken in charge by
marines and rushed to a military
prison where he was executed within
a week
Il tried TO find out what happened
to the man." said Detective Mills,
but the military authorities do not
let the people know anything of what
goes on within the walls 70 the prison.
From what l could learn, Zeirnose-
kow's body never left the prison yard
81 went from Libau to Odessa and
found conditions there the same if
not worse than at Libau. On an aver
age twenty military prisoners are exc
cuted each day in some of these cit
les, and it is only on rare occasions
that the outer world hears of them.
Sees Fifteen Boys Shot Dead.
''In Odessa saw fifteen men and
boys-most of the boys were shot
very young-herded into the prison
and shot They were condemned at
drumhead court-martial. and their
comns were dragged to the public
field and buried a few hours after
their arrest
Il learned that these people call
themselves revolutionists, but, in fact,
they are blackmailers and terroists
for the most part. These men send
threatening letters to anybody who
has little property and do not hest
tate to carry out their thereats if
given an opportunity.
AT Merzalkowa, fifty miles south
of Odessa. it was said that a wealthy
merchant hat refused the demands OF
the teFroists, and that there was a fire
In one or another of his many build
ings every night. Finally ,Ae military
commander. young lieutenant of Cos
sacks. gathered all the peasants to-
gether in the public square and fog
ged men, women and children. He
told them that if another FIRE was dis
covered in the merchants property
every house in Merzelkowa would be
burned to the ground before sunrise.
The fires ceased.
4 visited wilma, Kier, lula, and
Minsk and found conditions even
worse, if possible, than in Odessa
and Libau. The revolutionists in
these places are for the most part
boys under the age of 20, and nearly
all of them have been in college. In
one town a church was being white
washed. and two of the whitewashers
stole some OF the implements Sun
| day morning the commander of the
! Cossacks surrounded the church. and
| after the service, he had every mem.
Der of the congregation logged in
the public square. A month later
the perpetrators of the theft were
found and were sentenced to long
terms in the government mines.
Theft from the church is consid.
cred the most grave offense. aside
from conspiracy, against the govern
ment
There are thousands OF Cossaeks
in every part of the empire They are
no longer employed by the Russian
government, but are In the employ of
the various provinces. They are the
npfifsor1nr ng p,,essa opa -,oO;,-o -