Evening journal., 1911-09-20
IRKUTSH The
WICKEDEST CITY
Siberian Town is Making a
Strong Bid for UnenviabIe
Distinction
HAS POPULATION
OF ABOUT 100000


IRKUTSK. Siberia. Sept 2O-There
is no doubt about it this is-the wick
edest city in the world. One would
hardly come to Irkutsk for a rest
cure. With a population of 10000
persons crammed into a couple OF
square miles on bend in the Angara
river, it produces 500 murders a
year, with an average of one arrest
for each so killings. And for each
10 arrests there are convictions.
In one day this month there were
% murders and attempted murders
within the city limits. Then the few
citizens who didn't quite like so much
promiscuous murder, began to talk of
reviving their vigilance committee Of
other days, but those whose memories
harked back a little dissuaded them.
THE vigilantes are worse than the
murderers," was the burden of their
arguments, which was only too true
Vignlance Committee.
A handful of law-abiding citizens
got up the idea of a vigilance COM
mittee not so long ago. The plan
was enthusiastically received--by
lrkutsk's ex-convict population, and
the associated thugs themselves. They
enrolled by the score, got together a
compact organization and volunteered
for service. The governor granted
them exceptional power-oh, now,
crime would be stamped out in short
orderi
Well, the first thing the new vigil
ance committee did was to get the
police on their side-which was easy.
Then began the shooting of rich
hos MI s~, s-.If
were suspects, you know. Next, under
cover of house-inspection" and
penal confscation" burgarly bios
somed forth on every hand. Very
soon it took all the power the govern
ment commanded to rid Irkutsk of
this vigilance committee, which was
only vigilant for its own best inter-
ests.
No Worse Than Cossacks.
We'll" says Irkutask's none too
large law-abiding population, they
were no worse than the Cossacks. '
which is strictly true. For example:
A few years ago all the gold mined
in eastern Siberia had to pass through
the government laboratory at IrlutslI
As a matter of fact only about 40 per
cent of it did. The other 60 per cent
went to the local Chinese dealers in
tea" and journeyed back to the Celes.
tial empire in many and devious ways
Quite a quantity packed in the
corpses of cofined Cinnamon being
returned to the East for burial among
their ancestors. In spite of thai
leakage a considerable quantity o
gold managed to find its way into thS
laboratory, and having been cast intC
ingots, was stacked up awaiting trans
portation to Russia and the mint.
yAfter several night watchmen al
the institution had died sudden deaths
the authorities. began to perceive th'
coincidence and appointed a force d
Cossacks to come in each evening Z
guard the treasure. All went vel
for a time. Then one dark night th'
Cossack guards drank a glass of no
'chai,' lighted their cigarettes, turned
up their overcoat collars and disap
peared, with every single ingot of golC
on the premises. Since then Cossacki
have been looked upon in Irkutsl
minds in the same way as vigilance
committees are regarded.
How Policing is Done.
The policing is done partly by muni
cipal, partly by private patrolmen
the latter employed by property own
ers. The private patrolmen deserv'
an honored place in the annuls o
Twentieth century philosophy. Thl
American idea of a night patrolmal
is a keen~eyed, stealthy, gumshoe MAJ
in blue, leaving what the Chimes
euphoniously term "the piecee steale
men" to play first and then taking tn
trick
The Irkutsk patrolman, with tn
N high-souled idea of warning prospec
1A tive burglars Of his approach ant
causing them to abstain from SHINING
makes the night hideous by perpetu
ally clattering a powerful woodei
rattle. He grasps it firmly in the han,
and parades the streets, whirling
round and round at every few PAGES
Lying half asleep in the early hour
of the morning, you might imagin
yourself in a Pittsburgh boiler fac
tory.
Servants Ex.COnvicts.
Many of the servants here are ex
convicts who decided to settle dow
in the East For instance. that tai
partly head waiter with the restles
eyes and the big, bifurcated Slavoni
beard, who will be recollected by tn
traveller who has visited the Hote
Russia at Tomsk. slew his wife an
her friend and has served a long terri
of Imprisonment in a barracks Of tn
frozen North.
Irkutsk is pretty gay al nights nov
but the citizens look back enviousl
to the zenith of its career, to the day
of the recent Japanese war. The
champagne and wines we're ofte
cautiously transported free Of freigh
charges from ST. Petersburg and Mos
COW in steel cars labeled powder
M cars militant, with imperial eagle
and Cossack guards.