Year: 1864

fully confounded with the knout, is far
less formidable instrument. 1t Is com


posed of three strong leathern thongs,


terminated at the one end by balls OF


lead the other is wrapped round the


hand of the eXecutioner. In accordance


with the Russian law, this instrument
should weigh from five to six pounds.


1t strikes like triple lash upon the ma


ked back of the sufferer. 1t does not


plough or tear up the flesh like the knout


but the skin of course breaks under the


heavy blows inflicted upon the spinal


column and the sides. Phthisis is q com


mon complaint with those who have been


subjected to the punishment of the plete,


the strokes frequently detaching the


yiscera from their living walls. In order


to give more force to the blow, the exc


cutioner takes q leap and run, only strik-


ing as he reaches his victim. If possible


to gain him by bribe, he may diminish


the punishment without detection. He


may manage not TO use his little finger


on the instrument, which softens the force


of the blow, without attracting the atten-


ton ofthe experimenting officer lfthe


number oflashes is to be great, the OPP


orator is often bribed to give all his availa-


BILE force to the first blows, directing them


principally toward the sides, in order to


put as short term as possible to the


torture and life of the miserable sufferer


"a third kind of punishment is that oy


the .Skroz stroi, literally, through the ranks


This is generally used for soldiers only,


though many Polish patriots have been


subjected to it after condemnation for


political offences. 1t is thus inflicted:


Long rods are taken, freshly cut and


well soaked in water to render them per


fectly flexible, and given to the men who


are to operate. A company of soldiers
range themselves, facing each other. in


double file, placing themselves at such
a distance from one another that they
may be able to strike with their whole
force without being in the way of each
other. The sufferer is stripped to the


waist, his hands are tied before him to
gun, the bayonet of which rests on his
breast, while the butt end of it is carried
by the soldier appointed to lead him
through the ranks charged with the duty
of infiicting his punishment. He is led
slowly forward through the files, receiv-
ing the lashes on his back and shoulders.
When he faints or falls on the ground, he
is raised up and urged to move on.
Peter the Great fixed the maximum of
blows at twelve thousand, but unless
they intend to make an example of some
offender, more than two thousand are rare
ly administered. Ii more are decreed,
the patient is usually carried to the
hospital and cured of his wounds ere he
is forced to undergo the rest of the SEN
tence.'


"A conspiracy broke out in Siberia
which was betrayed on the very eve of it's
commencement at Omsk. The Able
Sierocinski was concerned in it, and he
and five of his accompliccs, among whom
was found an officer of the empire be-
tween sixty and seventy years of age,
we're condemned 10 seven thousand lash
es, each without remission. The other
eonspirators, numbering nearly a thou
sand in all, were sentenced to receive
from one thousand to fifteen hundred
lashes, and to hard labor for life The
day of execution arrived. 1t occurred
in 1887, early in the month of March 1t
took place at Omsk. General Golofeiev,
in consequence Of being celebrated for
his cruelty, was sent from the capitol to
the punishment and COM
mand this mournful conege. Two entire
battalions were ranged in great plain
near the city, the one destined for the
six principal conspirators, the other for
those whose punishment was not to be
so severe. 1t is not our intention to de-
scribe the detailed butchery of this day
of horror: we will confine ourselves TO
the Able Sierocinski and his five COM
panions in misfortune. They were es-
corted on the plain, their sentence was
read aloud to them with great solemnity,
and then running of the guntlet COM
menced. The lashes were administered,
according to the letter of the decree,
without mercy, and the cries of the
wretched sufferers rose to the skies.
None of them lived to receive the full
number of lashes: executed one after
another, after having passed two or three
times through the dreadful file, they fell
upon the earth. dyeing the pure snow
red with the blood of their agonies as
they expired. In order that the Able
Sierocinski N ght drink to the dregs the
bitter cup of his punishment, that he
might suffer doubly through the torture
Of his friends, he had been reserved to
the last. His turn now arrived, they
his back and tied his hands to
the bayonet, and the physician advanced
10 give him, as he had given the others,
some drops to strengthen him for the
torment, but he refused them. saving:
Il do not want your drops-I will not
taste lltID. L ALI ItaIE-(iTlEh, then, the
blood for which YOU thirst The signal
of his fearful march was given. and the
strong voice of the old superior of the
was heard entoning with high,
clear chant: ..Miserere mel. Deus,
secundum magnam misericordiam tuamr'


The chant of the priest was broken
in upon by the harsh cry Of General
Golofeiev to the soldiers PoEreptche.
Pokreptche Harder, Harder Thus
was heard for some time the chant of the
Basilien broken by the kissing Of the
lashes and the angry cry of the general
Sieroeinski had only passed once through
the ranks of the battalion, that is to say,
he had received but a thousand lashes,
when he rolled without consciousness
over the snow, staining it with his daunt-
less blood. In vain they tried to place
him again on his feet-he was too weak
TO stand; and he was then stretched upon
a sled which had been prepared in ad-
vance He was fastened upon this spe-
aias of s.lpporf 81 as IN ,,ra.o,& III henl