6Z.39 hv tv; Sfawi CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library HV6239 .C46 Sketches of nineteenth •»"W lll ffffi]S|? 8h olin 3 1924 030 309 532 C4G DATE DUE MY-MfipWl "Mf T*a "lTkR. * w The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030309532 A FEW INTERNATIONAL Historical Sketches OF Internal Administration. Copyrighted September, 1895, by W. Chapman. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRICE, Sl.OO. \ ' ' ready for rapine and thirsting for blood, hating restraint and loathing the law. The essayist reminds us that the Nihlilist is often a woman, and a woman of a very noble order of mind and 2 5 spirit. There is a picture of one who stood in the front rank, as an anarchist. She was girlhood personified. Notwith- standing her twenty-six years, she seemed scarcely eighteen. A small, slender, and very graceful figure, and a voice as charming, silvery and sympathetic as could be, heightened this illusion. It became almost a certainty when she began to laugh, which very often happened. She had the ready laugh of a girl, and laughed with so much heartiness, and so unaffect- edly, that she really seemed a young lass of sixteen. She gave little thought to her appearance. She dressed in the most modest manner, and perhaps did not even know what dress or ornament was becoming or unbecoming. But she had a pas- sion for neatness, and in this way was as punctilious as a Swiss girl. She was very fond of children, and was an excellent school- mistress. There was, however, another office that she filled even better, that of nurse. When any of her friends fell ill, Sophia was the first to offer herself for this difficult duty, and she performed that duty with such gentleness, cheerfulness and patience that she won the hearts of her patients for all time. Yet this woman with such an innocent appearance, and with such a sweet and affectionate disposition, was one of the most dreaded members of the Terrorist party. This gracious woman perished in a horrible gallows butchery in Russia a few years ago. PATIENCE. To feel the torture of delay, The agony of hope deferred ; To labor still from day to day, The prize unwon, the prayer unheard ; And still to hope and strive and wait The due reward of fortune's kiss ; This is to almost conquer fate, This is to learn what patience is. 26 Despair not ! though the clouds are dark, And storm and danger veil the sky ; Let faith and courage guide thy barque, The storm will pass, the port is nigh. Be patient, and the tide will turn, Shadows will flee before the sun ; These are the hopes that live and burn To light us till our work is done. ANOTHER PATRIOT AND HEROINE. Sophie Gunsberg, who before her condemnation to life imprisonment, took an active part in the advocacy of the Nihil- ist propaganda, had committed suicide in prison by opening her throat with a pair of scissors. This young lady was condemned to death, owing to her connection with the Nihilists, who were sentenced some few years ago. But the Czar, exercising his prerogative, commuted her sentence to hard labor for life in a Russian State prison, instead of execution, which was a very doubtful commutation of punishment. The sufferings which political prisoners have to pass through who are condemned to such dungeons as the Troubetzkoi Ravelin are apparent to all students of Russia's internal admin- istration. Sophie Gunsberg, it appears, was in secret communication with some person connected with the Nihilist cause. The dis- covery of this fact by the prison officials would, of course, lead to the unhappy woman being mercilessly tormented until she divulged the name of her correspondent ; and lest in a moment of weakness she should betray her friend, this poor woman ended her sufferings by committing suicide in the horrible manner stated. REQUIEM. Let her rest ; the weary night Never brought her dreams like this ; Let her sleep ; the morning light Shall not wake her from her bliss. FLOGGING WITH THE KNOUT. Glad was she to end the fight; Death hath conquered with a kiss. Tired eyes need watch no more ; Flagging feet, the race is run ; Hands that heavy burdens bore, Set them down, the day is done ; Heart, be still — through anguish sore, Everlasting peace is won. The above illustration shows a prisoner being flogged with the knout. Persons have been flogged most cruelly for very 28 slight offences. Women and children have also been flogged in addition to men. Persons have often been known to die of excessive floggings. A year or two ago a terrible act of brutality was perpetrated by the Russian authorities at Warsaw which caused great in- dignation throughout Poland. As usual, the facts have come out little by little and considerably after date. One morning the daughter of General Pouzereff, who is but a child, was playing with a ball in the Saxe Gardens at Warsaw. She chanced to meet a boy named Winter, and struck him with her ball. The boy, who was only ten years old, seized the ball and threw it back, probably with some violence. Thereupon the servant in charge rushed forward, caught the boy, Winter, and began to beat him. The boy, however, resisted, hit back at the servant, and called her names, which showed that he was a Pole and had been taught to look with contempt upon the Russians. The servant now called for the police, and the boy was taken and locked up all night. A full report of the inci- dent was drawn up and sent to the Governor General of the province, General Gourko. On the morrow General Gourko replied that the boy must be flogged and should receive twenty-five lashes. According to the law corporal punishment can only be administered to children by their parents, but Winter's father was dead. The police, therefore, should have applied to the boy's mother. They preferred seeking out Mr. Olchefski, the boy's tutor or guardian. They told Mr. Olchef- ski that if he did not carry out the sentence they would close his business house, a cafe and confectionery shop. The tutor fearing that he would lose his means of livelihood reluctantly consented. The preparations were then made in due form. In accordance with the law the prison doctor was called in, then the boy was brought from his cell, stripped, and the flog- ging began. At the seventh stroke he fainted, and the doctor interfering, said it would be dangerous to inflict such violent punishment. The boy was of a highly nervous disposition, and 2 9 ■the doctor could not answer for his life if such torture was con- tinued. Mr. Olchefski, also, was horror stricken at the effects the blows had produced. He angrily threw the whip away and said the police might close his cate and ruin him if they chose, but nothing would persuade him to finish the flogging. Finding that both doctor and tutor remained obdurate, the police and prison authorities sent a dispatch to the Governor General asking for instructions and relating all that had occurred. It will scarcely be credited that General Gourko, the hero of the Balkan Pass, at once telegraphed back that the flogging was to be finished. The police, therefore, the tutor persisting in his refusal to act, had to give thcunfortunate boy the remaining eighteen blows so as to complete the sentence. Insensible, covered with blood, his flesh torn from his back, and in a state of violent convulsions, this young boy was brought back to his mother. The unhappy woman had all this time been kept in ignorance as to the fate of her son, and the shock that his re- turn in such a condition must have produced upon her feelings may well be imagined. Such cruelty as this perpetrated for so trivial a reason oh a very young child has naturally greatly exasperated the Polish inhabitants of Warsaw. A terrible tale of Russian injustice and oppression is told by a man named Ivan Ilnitzki. This man has returned to Berlin from Copenhagen. Ilnitzki, who alleges that he is a victim of the cupidity of Russian officials, went to the Danish capital in order to present a petition to the Czar, who was at that time in Denmark on a visit to the Danish royal family. Ilnitzki succeeded in handing his petition to the Czar in person, but was subsequently expelled from Denmark without having received any reply. The story he relates, and which has pro- cured for him a good deal of sympathy, is that a number of years ago he was persuaded to leave Bulgaria by General Kautbars, the Russian envoy, the inducement held out to him being that if he went to Russia his abilities and technical 3° knowledge, assisted by the General's influence, would enable him to make his fortune. Ilnitzki states that he settled in Kiev, where he obtained an appointment in the office of a civil engineer. Some time afterwards he was induced to erect works on a valuable mining property belonging to Colonel Ruban, Secretary to the Governor, who, together with the Prefect of Police and another official, formed a syndicate to work the property. Ilnitzki was to have ten per cent, of the profits for managing the concern. Under his control the undertaking became so flourishing that in 1886 his own share of the profits amounted to over thirty thousand roubles. The officials now wished to buy him out, and when Ilnitzki refused to fall in with the proposal the Prefect of Police made out an extradition order against him. Ilnitzki complained to Governor Drenteln, but without any result. On his return home he found that his books and documents had been seized by the police, and was horrified to discover the body of an old aunt, who had lived with him, and who had resisted the seizure of his property, lying lifeless on the ground in a pool of blood. Since that time it has been the constant aim of Unitzki's life to obtain justice. During his endeavors to do so he has been subjected to all manner of persecution, and has been frequently imprisoned and accused of various crimes. As showing how people, especially an ignorant people, are at the mercy of corrupt officials, we bring the following under the notice of the reader. A serious police scandal is reported from Warsaw. General Brock, the Chief of the Gendarmerie, gave orders that domiciliary visits should be made by the secret police in the students' quarters, fixing the hours at which the visits should be made. An hour before the appointed time, however, the general himself went to some of the houses desig- nated and had searches made, but found nothing. He then awaited the police agents, and on their arrival he had them searched, with the result that their pockets were found to be OFFICIALS TAKING BRIBES. filled with seditious proclamations, which it was evidently intended to leave about the students' rooms, for the purpose of making up a case against them. The General naturally charged the police with having acted the parts of agents provaturs, and as the facts have become public great excitement has been created. The Governor-General has left for St. Petersburg to try and smooth away this compromising circumstance. As an example of military injustice: Some time ago a state- ment went through the press that General Gourko had had shot for the murder of a sergeant three volunteers, who, 3,2 as it turned out later, were innocent. The " Kreugzeitung " now gives the following particulars of the matter. Three vol- unteers — one of them being the only son of the Moscow tea merchant and millionaire Perloff— were on their way back to the barracks, heated with wine, when they were seen by a police- man, who told them to be less noisy." Perloff struck the police- man twice with such force in the face that he dropped bleeding to the ground. The young men were immediately marched off to the police office, and thence to the Warsaw chief of gen- darmes, Baron von Fredericks. On the young men begging the Baron not to make the affair public, he declared himself agree- able, on condition that the policeman be indemnified. The policeman agreed, and the matter was arranged. The young men hurried to the barracks, where, an hour before, the murder had been discovered of a sergeant, who was well known in the regiment for his severity. When the three volunteers came upon the scene, their excited appearance and the smell of wine upon them aroused suspicion, which was strengthened by the discovery of blood spots on Perloff's shirt sleeves. All three were arrested. Next morning General Gourko gave orders for them to be handed over to a court-martial. It is the custom for the Governor-General in such cases to telegraph immediate- ly to St. Petersburg to the Minister of War, who at once pro- nounces sentence, so that the court-martial is nothing less than a mockery. Such was the case this time, and General Gourko received the answer, "Shoot all three." In the meantime Mr. Perloff, senior, who had been in- formed of the matter by his son, telegraphed from Moscow to General Gourko begging him to postpone the court-martial for a few days, and declared himself ready to send one million roubles as bail. General Gourko paid no attention to the telegram, only remarking that Perloff was a fool. At the trial it was proven that at the time of the murder the young men were in a restaurant, but their presence there was used against them by the procurator, who argued that they must have gone 33 there to supply themselves with courage. When the police- man was examined he declared that no one had struck him, but that he had received his still bleeding wound by a fall while running after a thief. Perloff denied this, begged them to send for Baron von Fredericks, who knew how the police- man had received his wounds. Baron von Fredericks was at once sent for, but the messenger brought an answer that the Baron had left Warsaw for a few days on business. The sen- tence of death was then passed on the three. Some hours after this the sentence was confirmed by General Gourko, and the execution fixed for next morning. A priest was sent to the condemned men, who received the sacrament. From the prison the priest drove direct to General Gourko. " Your Excellency," he said, " I have just given the condemned men the last sacrament, and as their priest I consider it my sacred duty to express my full conviction that they are dying inno- cent." General Gourko answered: " It is not your business to decide who is innocent and who is guilty," and turned on his heel and left him. Next morning the three young men were led out and shot. While the impression caused by the sad incident was still fresh in the minds of those present at the execution, one of the common soldiers, a smith, confessed that he had murdered the sergeant. General Gourko, on hear- ing this, fainted. The father of Perloff in the meanwhile heard of the death of his only son, and, driven to desperation, he wrote a detailed letter to the Czar. The impression which this letter made upon the Czar, and especially upon the Czarina, was an inde- scribably deep one. " By whom am I surrounded ?" said the Czar to Count Worontzoff and to General Isherewin. " What are you ? And is it not your direct duty to acquaint me with all important matters ; or do you perhaps wish to state that you knew noth- ing about it ?" The Czar at once wrote an autographic letter to Mr. Per- 34 loff expressing his deep regret at the sorrowful event. The impression which this letter produced on the rich Moscow merchant, however, was not so great as expected, as Mr. Per- loff'is- among the leading men of Moscow, so that great ex- citement prevailed there. The Empress lays the whole blame upon the Minister of War. The oppressed in Russia are victims of and martyrs to bad laws. THE PEOPLE'S ANTHEM. When will Thou save the people ; Oh, God of Mercy ! when ? Not kings and lords, but nations, Not thrones and crowns, but men. Flowers of Thy heart, oh, God, are they, Let them not pass like weeds away, Their heritage a sunless day ; God save the people. Shall crime bring crime forever — Strength aiding still the strong ? Is it Thy will, oh, Father, That man shall toil for wrong? " No !" say Thy mountains ; "No !" Thy skies. Man's clouded sun shall brightly rise, And songs be heard instead of sighs ; God save' the people. V V-'-J cv_W-\ ■ ■■ . COLLECTING TITHES IN THE NAME OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE. result that the law has stepped in to enforce its own decrees. Riots have resulted, numbers of police have been required and troops have been called out. At different times sheriffs' officers have seized on the prop- erty of defaulting tithe payers and sold it at public auction to the highest bidder, which was generally for a low sum, and much under its value, to satisfy these claims of the Church. The legal expenses in connection with these sales were very heavy. Lawyers' fees, extra police, sheriffs, troops, etc., and traveling expenses of same, with other contingencies and extras. A lawyer making out his bill would make it look what he calls respectable, that is to say, high. There is still some hope for the future of England when even a few men are yet found of 47 principle and backbone, who, rather than pay the unjust de- mand of the tithes, will thus practically protest against this imposition. The selfish, mean and cruel practice that prevailed of send- ing rotten and unseaworthy ships to sea that had been pre- viously over-insured, in the hope and full expectation that they would founder at sea, and never more to be heard of, the owner after a reasonable lapse of time claiming his money on the insurance policy, was a disgrace to the British for a number of years, as the dead tell no tales. Floggings in the navy a few years back were very frequent, and floggings were inflicted for the most trivial offenses ; for instance, spitting on the deck. This punishment was most severe and brutal, men having been known to die from the effects of it, and were always under the doctor's hands for some days, perhaps weeks after the flogging took place. Man in almost all nations in the past has done wonders of endurance, courage, self-denial, privations and deeds of daring when we remember that he is made but of flesh and blood. But history of international deeds tell us that the British naval seaman has not been excelled for those qualities which form the best side of human nature. He has his failings of course. The reader can judge by the following bit of history how Jack has been appreciated in the past, by petty tyrants who happened to be in authority. About the year 1865, among other ships forming the English Channel Squadron, was an ironclad ship by the name of Lord Clyde. The Channel Squadron is divided into two divisions, known as the Eastern and Western divisions. The Eastern division is attached to Portsmouth, and the Western division is attached to Plymouth, for the purpose of repairs, coaling, victu- aling, leave giving, etc. After cruising about off the coasts of England, Ireland and Scotland, with an occasional call at Lisbon or Gibraltar, the 4» divisions repair to their respective headquarters, viz., Ports- mouth or Plymouth, and the rule was to allow the ships' crews forty-eight hours leave per month, one watch or half the ship's crew being allowed on shore at a time to stretch their legs. The divisions of the squadron had separated at sea and headed for their respective headquarters, which they reached all right. The ships remained in port some days, coaling, victualing, drawing stores from the dockyard, painting and leave giving, etc. This last was given to the crews of all the ships except the Lord Clyde, whose captain stopped the ship's company's leave because he said they had been dilatory on one occasion during the last cruise of the fleet, when the Lord Clyde was the last ship to complete some drill that the fleet were engaged in. Coaling, etc., having been finished, the Western division put to sea, with the object of meeting the other division of the fleet off Portland the following morning. The division left Plymouth in»the evening, and that night at sea a small boat's gun, about a four or six pounder, was thrown from the upper deck, its proper place, through the skylight, down onto the ship's engines, dis- abling them. The Marine Guard were then ordered on deck, armed with loaded rifles, to effect the arrest of the mutineers, but when the guard tried to get out of the hatchways on to the upper decks, they were received with a shower of holystones and driven back, and they could not reach the upper deck until daybreak. All hands were then piped aft and the Captain addressed the crew, and asked who had thrown the gun onto the engine, and further who had thrown the holystones. He received no response and could get no information. The Division put back into Plymouth, and the facts were reported to the Admiralty in London, with the result that the bluejackets of the Lord Clyde were ordered to be tried by court martial for mutiny. The trial took place, and as there were a great number to try — about three hundred — the men were tried in batches. The result of the trial was, that 49 sixty-five men were sentenced to be flogged, a few were sent to prison, and the remainder were sent out to China and dis- tributed, a few to each ship of the British Naval Squadron on the China station. The men to be flogged were ordered to be flogged around the fleet, that is to say, on board the different ships of the fleet. The flogging would begin about nine A. M., the whole of the ship's company would be called by the boatswain's mate piping, "All hands, witness punishment." All hands would then group about the main rigging, where the flogging usually took place. There would be six or eight prisoners, under the escort of a strong marine guard. Pris- oners would be stripped in turn and triced up to the grating and receive half their sentence of forty-eight lashes, viz., twenty- four strokes at the first flogging. At the conclusion of the flogging this batch of eight prisoners were removed to the sick berth, as the hospital on board ship is called, and there examined by the ship's surgeon, and each case reported on by him to the captain. If these men's backs were not much cut and lacerated, their sentences would probably be completed the following day on board some other ship of the fleet, when they would receive another twenty-four stripes, makingup their complement of forty-eight lashes, to which they had been sen- tenced.' The reading over of the finding of the court-martial, and the sentence to the assembled ship's company, the slow and deliberate flogging, as each stgoke was counted aloud by the master-at-arms, took a considerable time. Men vary physically much ; many of these men would be cut badly, many strong able men at times faint at the infliction of this torture, by the cat-o'-nine-tails, in the hands of the boatswain's mate, said mate generally being a strong man among strong men. Where a man from being cut up so much had to wait some days under the doctor's hands who was dressing his back, and patching him up for the next application of torture, to such a man the flogging around the fleet was double punishment. The flogging went on for weeks and boatswains' mates of the fleet were completely fagged out, as these boatswains' 5 1 mates were each in their turn drafted to do the flogging. These sixty five prisoners received their complement of lashes, and as it was sickening to the crew who were summoned to witness it, what must it have been to the victims ? Holystones are a white description of hard sandstone which is used on board ship in conjunction with sand on the decks to keep them clean and level. Holystones and sand are usually brought on the upper deck the evening before they are re- quired for use early the following morning, which is generally Saturday or Sunday morning. The case of the Lord Clyde is but 6ne instance of abuse of authority. More later on. The Press Gang has been quite an institution in Great Britain, where they boast that Britons never shall be slaves. The " pressing was generally done by the smaller men-of-war at fish- ing villages or small seaport towns. Mode : parties of seamen armed with cutlasses were landed in the evening, and any men, young or middle aged (young by preference) that the gang met £and they tried to waylay and meet them), stood very little chance of escape ; indeed, a party of armed men against an unarmed individual, they would try to talk him over, no doubt telling him what a grand thing it was to serve his country, es- pecially in the navy, Nelson's arm of the service. If he was disposed to run away from them, he got his head broken for giving them trouble, was bound and gagged, and carried to their boat a prisoner, for they were short of men and were determined to have him ; some few would go without much persuading, others had their business or families on shore and wished to stay and attend to them, and the strict discipline of a man-of-war, with its frequent flogging for most petty of- fenses, was not at all to their taste, and they went only on compulsion. Larger warships would overhaul merchant ships, either at sea or in harbor, and take the men by force, leaving often but a very few men behind to work the merchant ship. Great wrongs and injustices have been done in the past by 52 the press gang taking people by force, who thereby disappeared entirely from all knowledge of their relatives for years and have often been given up for dead, as these men were sent to sea as soon as possible and not given much chance to effect their es- cape, as they were not allowed on shore in Great Britain for some considerable time, and the punishment for desertion in time of war was death. Many of these men were killed in action or died from dis- ease brought about by visiting unhealthy ports, the use of im- pure drinking water, or the overuse of salt provisions. There was no redress for the men taken by fo ce, or satis- faction rendered to the relatives for the loss of the services of husbands, fathers, brothers or sons, thus taken away. The law was all on one side — the side of the strong and powerful. The illustration shows an infantry soldier who had deserted and had been recaptured. After having taken the shilling and joining his regiment, he finds that the service is not as pleasant as had been represented to him by the recruiting sergeant ; hi fact, that he has been grossly deceived, and he therefore feels chagrined and disappointed, and as the authorities demand such a high price for the purchase of his freedom, and he does not possess the amount asked, namely, twenty pounds sterling, he deserts, -is recaptured, tried by court-martial, sentenced to be branded with the letter D and also to a term of imprison- ment. But with infantry, cavalry and artillery it was much the same, so far as the deception practiced on recruits went. The young man, impressible, thought he would like soldier- ing. It looked so nice, the uniform was taking and they had lots of music, so he enlisted in a smart cavalry regiment, but soon found out that the show and glitter was rather deceptive when you saw it from the other side ; what with his recruit's drill, grooming horses and insufficient food, to make up for which deficiency of food he spent most of his pay ; he found himself both deceived and disappointed, but as it required twenty BRANDING IN THE ARMY. pounds sterling to purchase his discharge from the service and give him his freedom again, and as he had not the money, he resolved to desert the first favorable opportunity, which chance, according to his idea, soon presents itself. He disposes of the different articles of his kit, which he had been served out with, for a trifle, they being of no service outside the regiment ; in 54 fact, one of these articles being found upon him, will certainly- lead to his identification and arrest. He has quietly got together a suit of private clothes in which he has had to be very wary in doing, as the least suspi- cion that he was trying to buy private clothes would have led to his arrest and confinement in the guard room until his case had been investigated, and if the case against him could be proved, he could make sure of a court-martial, with imprison- ment to follow. But he has managed to get his suit of private clothes, and having leave of absence until midnight, be leaves barracks in the evening, goes, when dark, to where his clothes are secreted, changes his suit, and after throwing his uniform in some out- of-the-way place, proceeds to walk to the first railway station out from the town where his regiment is quartered, where he arrives in due course and takes the train for his native place, his object being to see his mother, tell her what he has done, bid her good-bye, and then try and get on board of a vessel bound for America. He arrives at his native town, and tries to get home as little noticed as possible, by taking a roundabout way to reach it ; he goes in the back way, and quietly ; his mother is startled, and surprised to see him, but at the same time she is glad. When he has told her what he has done, she was terrified on his ac- count for the consequences, and after kissing him and sympa- thizing with him, advised him to leave as soon as possible, which he promised to do. She, on her part, promises to raise a little money to help him get away, but so as to run as little risk as possible, he keeps quietly at home all day, and goes out of an evening to get his legs stretched, his mother in the mean- time getting his clothes and things together and packed up, and the promised money has been found. After more embraces, and a parting kiss and blessing, he starts one evening to reach a not distant seaport, and arrives there about midnight. He gets lodgings for the night, although 55 he would much rather be on board one of the many vessels in port, whose masts he can see in the dim light. He is up and about among the shipping, early next morning, with the result that he has secured a berth as steward on board of a vessel bound for New Orleans. He goes back to his lodgings at once to remove his effects on board, being restless and anxious ; as he is coming down the wharf rather elated, one of two policemen touch him on the shoulder, and tell him he is wanted. He asks what he is wanted for ; they tell him that he exactly answers a description in the " Gazette ;" but come this way, we will soon see if we are mis- taken or not. He tries to make them believe they have made a mistake, with the result that they feel sure that they have got the right man. He is taken to the police station, the "Police Gazette " produced and examined ; he is found to tally exactly with the description contained therein. The police tax him with deserting from such and such a cavalry regiment, stationed at Middlewich. He owns that it is so, and is locked up. The colonel of his regiment is communicated with by the police by telegraph. A military escort, consisting of a corporal and trooper, arrive in a day or two ; he is handcuffed and marched between his guard to the train, thence back to his regimental guard room. A few days after he is tried by court-martial. After the investigation before the court, which takes but a very short time, he is removed back to the guard room ; the court deliberate in his absence and forward their finding to the officer commanding the military district, who approves of said finding, signs, it, and returns it to the officer commanding the regiment. The following morning the regiment is paraded to hear the finding of the court-martial read out, together with the sen- tence on the prisoner. The regiment is drawn up on its parade ground, leaving a space for the prisoner and his escort, the finding and the sentence is read out by the adjutant ; the pris- oner is to be branded with the letter D and to be imprisoned for fifty-six days. He is at once returned to the guard room, 56 stripped and branded, tattooed with needles and India ink, his clothes again put on ; he is handcuffed, and, under escort, marched to the nearest military prison, to undergo his impris- onment. When his time expires he is met at the prison by a non- commissioned officer of his regiment, who accompanies him back to headquarters. Young soldiers seldom recover their aversion to the service after such initial and severe treatment. Treatment of military prisoners is very severe and harsh. A TRUE CASE OF A YOUNG SOLDIER. About 1870 a young gunner named Thomas Cuff belonged to the Twenty-first Brigade, Royal Artillery, stationed at Fort Brockhurst, one of the outlying defenses of Gosport. This man had just served a term of imprisonment for insub- ordination, which means being unruly, and is very elastic in its interpretation, and military law is generally severe. This man had been out of a military prison but a few days, when a petty tyrant, a bombardier, ordered him to do some work, and as Cuff did not go about the work quick enough to please this non- commissioned officer, he was marched to the guard room a prisoner and a charge entered against him of insubordination. A few days afterwards he was tried by court-martial and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. His brigade was paraded, the prisoner brought out, his sen- tence read over ; he was then handcuffed, placed between the usual escort, consisting of bombardier and gunner, with loaded carbines, and marched to the military prison at Gosport. He looked more fit for a hospital bed than a military prison, with its starvation fare and very hard labor and punishment. The following day this man died in the prison. The day following his death, and the second from the day he was marched to prison, this victim of the law was buried, and he (what was left of him) received a grand military funeral. 57 This showy funeral consisted of the usual firing party in front, with their arms reversed ; next came the infantry band, with its drums craped, followed by the field gun, on which the gunner's coffin rested, covered with the Union Jack. Follow- ing the coffin were the mourners, represented first by his own corps, and a certain number of each corps in garrison, which is the usual courtesy corps extend to each other of sending a following party to the funeral of every soldier buried from the garrison. The officers bring up the rear of the procession. Should a modern John Howard attempt to inquire into this case, it would probably be found to be entered in the reports that this man died of heart disease, that disease which has been made to cover many iniquities and much malpractice. A single drop of water at a certain stage of this man's life would have been much better and more effective than all the worldly show, noise of the volleys and formality at his funeral. PENSIONS. While on the one hand we see in vogue in Great Britain the unfair and unjust system of perpetual pensions, that is, pensions paid to people for some act that said persons' forefathers had done in the past, either for the country or for royalty, said action may have been good or doubtful ; on the other hand, many of those who have done much, and suffered much for their country, get no pension or consideration whatever. THE CHARGE AT BALAKLAVA. ' ' We die, ' ' passed through each warrior's heart, And vainly, but the care Rests not with us ; it's ours to show The world, old England and the foe, What Englishmen can dare. — Gordon. 58 THE FATE OF THE SIX HUNDRED. Speed the news, speed the news, Speed the news onward; Died of starvation, one Of the Six Hundred. One who his part had played Well in the Light Brigade, When through the Vale of Death Rode the Six Hundred. Food to the right of him, Food to the left of him, Food all around, yet The Veteran hungered. He who through shot and shell Fearlessly rode, and well; And when the word was charge, Shrank not, nor lingered, Off to the workhouse, you ; Back in dismay he drew ; Feelings he never knew When cannon thundered. His not to plead and sigh, His but to starve and die, And to a pauper's grave Sink, with a soul as brave As when through the Vale of Death Rode the Six Hundred. Flashed a proud spirit there, Up through the man's despair ; Shaming the servile there, Scaring the timid, while Sordid'souls wondered. Then turned to face his fate Calmly, with soul as great As when, with high hope elate, He, through shot and shell, Rode with Six Hundred. 59 Hunger his mate by day, Sunday and working day, Winter and summer day. Shame on the nation ! Struggling with might and main, Smit by disease and pain, He, in Victoria's reign, Died of starvation. What can that horror hide Of the dread death he died ? Well may men wonder, One of the Light Brigade — One who that charge had made, Died of sheer hunger. While yet the land with pride Tells of the headlong ride Of the Six Hundred ; While yet the welkin rings, While yet the Laureate sings, Some one has blundered. Let us, with bated breath, Tell how one starved to death Of the Six Hundred. Not long ago one of the Six Hundred, named John Fitzpat- rick, died in England of starvation. For some time he endeav- ored to eke out a miserable existence by riding in circus page- ants, but old age and disease unfitted him for this or any other work. He refused to go to the poorhouse and eventually died of starvation. At the inquest the coroner's jury brought in a verdict : "Died of Starvation," and the case a disgrace to the War Office. The foregoing are but a few of the cases of the victims of and martyrs to bad laws. A LYNCHING PARTY. AN INSULTED, INDIGNANT AND EXASPERATED PUBLIC ADMINISTERING JUSTICE. CHAPTER VI. AMERICAN INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION. The general public are long suffering, and put up with much before they are goaded into becoming public executioners. The honestly disposed part of the community feel themselves insulted by numerous crimes being committed in their neigh- borhood and no offenders being brought to justice for these 6i crimes. The whole neighborhood suffers in reputation thereby. In addition to some person or persons in the neighborhood being the victims of the crimes committed, that has not in any way been redressed or atoned for, they are further indignant, that, being assessed and taxed for the express purpose of paying for and maintaining the legal machinery in working order, the said machinery will not do its work, whether from dilatoriness, or underhand bribery, or some other cause. The result is the same, namely, criminals at large and general insecurity. With well-known criminals parading themselves and laugh- ing at the non-lawbreakers, what wonder that the well disposed -part of the community become exasperated and at times admin- ister justice — per Judge Lynch. Americans make the boast that the United States leads the van in civilization. And take her all around no doubt this is true. With her wonderful electrician, rapid general growth, and de- velopment she leads the world. But she has many abuses that are deep-seated and still eating their way in, and spreading their influence around. The United States is noted outside of its borders for the great number of murders committed within its boundaries, and that murder is rather a common crime in the United States ; and further, that there are comparatively few murderers executed, and that the few so disposed of are the poor and friendless as a rule. How has it come about that this impression is abroad ? It has come about through the well- known fact that money will buy delays, purchase friends, work the jury, get inconvenient witnesses out of the way, and finally will procure liberty for the offender. The United States being a large country, a murderer has but to go a few hundred miles and change his name, and he begins anew with a clean slate, so to speak. He may commit other murders, or he may have profited by the large fees he has had to pay to lawyers for their labor in working the legal machinery in his interest, and in the future keep clear of the clutches of the law. 62 The effects all around from such a social state of affairs are bad, lawyers being paid such large fees, which under present conditions they do receive, they are willing to undertake any case, no matter how dirty it may be, so long as there is money in it. Some queer stories could be told of the actions of some of the lawyers in court of their implied, insulting and offensive questions to witnesses, browbeating them, etc. Further, the number of young men studying law, not only in the United States but in many other countries, is a very bad outlook for the future, as these men quite expect to live on the quarrels of the different communities and to fatten in a short space of time, as their fathers did before them. The numerous cases of lynching that take place in the United States are the result of the exasperation of the well- disposed part of the community at the well-known and oft re- peated delays, uncertainties and inconsistencies of the law as shown, by allowing even an offender, caught red-handed or in the very act, and therefore not the slightest doubt of his guilt, being allowed to go free, because said offender has friends and money which has enabled them to secure the ser- vices of the legal firm of Cheatem, Graball & Keepit, who are noted for the large number of clients they have successfully pulled through with great pecuniary advantage to themselves. Tricky politicians abound by the side of good, straight men, rings exist, members of which shout the loudest of the Ameri- can's liberty and freedom, and at the same time rob him the most. Far-reaching and overbearing monopolies are numerous, selfish in the extreme, and oppressive. Concessions that may have been granted in good faith and business straightness at the time of granting, have grown to be a public imposition, that rob and cheat the people with the aid of rich corporations, companies, etc. And the general public can get but little redress, and that little only through expensive 63 and uncertain legal processes ; the remedy, much expenditure and loss of time being nearly as bad as the disease, the op- pressive monopoly. The outrageous case of a number of settlers getting their holdings from the Government, clearing, building, fencing and improving the same at much expense and time, and then to be turned out of house and home and off their holdings without any compensation, because a blunder had been made and this same land had also been granted to a railway company. It is a well-known fact that some of the Indian tribes have been badly treated by Government agents in being robbed by them ; that is to say, defrauded, cheated out of the supplies allowed them. This has led to uprisings, and settlers being robbed in turn by the Indians, settlers murdered and their homesteads burned. The practice of exchanging the majority of the public offi- cials with the change of President, should he happen to be of the opposite political party to the last occupant of the post, has both its friends and opponents, altogether outside of those who have axes to grind ; that is to say, have some self-interest to serve, as some hold, that it is good for the State to have new blood infused into the public departments occasionally ; others contend that it completely upsets and throws out of work the machinery of each department, and that it takes time to get the new people into the usages and ways of the department, so that things may work smoothly again, after the great change of almost the entire number of employees being new to the work. Max O'Rell has told us of the insolent independence of per- sons paid by the public to do certain things, or to minister to their paymasters' comfort in some way, which he found ramp- ant in the United States, but of course this will apply to many other countries in addition to the United States. Gushing candidates for honors and posts of different descriptions generally manage to stroke the voters down the right way of the grain, by telling them something that they like 6 4 to hear, about what such good men as Washington, Lincoln, Garfield, and others have done in the past to benefit their country ; but they themselves find it very convenient not to see many abuses which exist right under their noses. Here's a case to prove the assertion : a number of merchant seamen were held as prisoners at a place in California, because they were witnesses in a murder case ; they were detained as prisoners for many months, not because they had committed any offense, but because some one else had committed one, and they chanced to see it done. Not having money to deposit and being strangers, and having no one to go bondsmen for them, they were kept prisoners, while a murderer, if he has money or friends, is out on bail, and enjoying his liberty. One law for the weak and another for the strong, certainly the weak in pocket and therefore the weak in influence, and law indulgences, purchasing power. The privilege or license to evade the penalities of a broken statute lies with the rich who can afford to pay for the favor, but it brings the law, and all connected with it, into bad repute, and some of the results of said bad repute are Iynchings by infuriated people, who are at times determined to have a little justice, even if it is risky to themselves. The practice of applauding big impositions, frauds and swindles, and making out that the big rogue is smart, is bad, and is the cause of others taking to bad ways. The poor labor under many other disadvantages in addition to not being able to purchase law. They are forced to buy in small quantities necessary commodities, and that retail, and therefore in the dearest market, while their richer neighbor can buy wholesale and in the cheapest market. Of course the poor can often get terms, where he is in constant employment. But buying on terms has its disadvantages, as in addition to terms giving an opportunity to buy, buyer pays a bigger price than he would do if buying for cash. A peculiarly sad case was that of a working man living at 65 one time in Newark, N. J., with his wife and children, and who bought, while he had regular employment, some goods on installments. He lost his situation, and not being able to obtain another, was arrested on complaint of the merchant to whom he was indebted, and while attempting in court to explain the matter, trembled violently, showed great agitation, and finally dropped dead upon the floor of the court room. It should be remembered that while those who sell goods on the installment plan will usually be very pleasant and appar- ently very accommodating to a prospective customer, they are very apt to be extremely harsh and inconsiderate in their sub- sequent treatment of him ; and unless a man can be almost certainly sure of being able to meet all payments as they become due, it is far better to do without the goods until the money is in hand to pay for them. It is very sad to know that there are men who are willing and able to exercise their natural right to labor for the sup- port of themselves and families, who are debarred from doing it, by causes over which they seem to have no control. Those who think and teach that any man who really wants to work can always find something to do, would be enlightened a little on this point could they know the real difficulty that surrounds the average man, who is looking for work ; and it is the aver- age man, or those that are below the average, that in the main experience the difficulty. The best men, the extraordinary men, have little or no trouble usually, but it is no solution of the difficulty to tell a man who has nothing to do and a family to support that he must make himself better than the average ; all men cannot be better than the average man, and some must be below the average. It is cruel and thoughtless to say that these latter must starve, because they are not superior to others. When every man who wants to work can find work to do that will remunerate him in proportion to his ability and energy, the labor problem will be solved. In an entirely new country which is to be developed this is always the case, and 66 men while not equal in ability and industry are equal in oppor- tunities, to go to work and earn an honest living ; but as coun- tries grow older, something seems to step in between men and their opportunities to work. This can be nothing more nor less than monopolies of various forms, and when these are removed, not only the labor question but the questions of socialism, anarchy, etc., may be safely left to settle them- selves. There are two classes of people in the United States who state that they wish to see Canada come in and join the United States, so that the two might form one glorious country. Of course these people have an axe to grind. One of these classes are the manufacturers, who say quietly, how readily we could extend the market for our goods, if we only had Canada to work upon. The prospective benefit to the Canadians is kept well in front and well in sight, and made the most of, so that the Canadians may appreciate it. Another class is the political office- seeker who, ever since he had a vote, has consistently voted for his party, and who feels that his claim for an appointment has been overlooked ; but then there are more applicants than there are offices at the party's disposal. After a success- ful campaign these classes argue, that if Canada was but annexed or came into the Union in some way, that there would be a few thousands of additional places at the disposal of their political party to be distributed among the dissatis- fied army, seeking for well-paid posts with as little work to do as possible. Canada could thus be made a double use of to the hard- working political crew, who still look forward to the good times coming, which have been so long on the road, that the patient army of waiters are nearly disgusted. AVith a few thousand more government appointments at his disposal, the President of the United States would require a stronger bodyguard always about him than any monarch in Europe, the maintenance of which guard would be expensive. 67 The United States has already had two of its very best Presidents assassinated, namely, President Lincoln, who was murdered because he did his duty in prosecuting the Civil War, which duty must have been to such a man exceedingly unpleas- ant and thankless ; again, President Garfield was assassinated because he did not give a government appointment to an appli- cant who thought he had as good a right to such an appoint- ment as hundreds of others who did receive appointments. With a much larger number of appointments at his disposal the President would be much more worried for positions than he is even at present, and the campaign for the election of President would be much more fierce and. bitter than it at pres- ent is, as the spoils would be worth fighting hard for. Canada is, and will be of much more benefit to the United States as a good neighbor, as she is at present, than as a bad tenant. With the system of making almost a complete change of the personnel of the Civil Service, which the change of President of different political opinions to his predecessors leads to, or is the excuse for much demoralization among the employees, the majority of whom are up to all kinds of sharp practices, they intend to make, by hook or by crook, all they possibly can while they are in office, as they may lose their appointments next Presidential election, and never get such a chance again. Of course bribes are taken, but keep it secret ; do not men- tion it. And boards of investigation and inquiry are continually taking place, as there is first a leakage in this department, and then in that ; now in this direction, again in another. These investigations are at work all the time, trying to find out what became of certain moneys that have been paid into some office, but has not reached headquarters, it having gone astray in transit. There is seldom any of this astray money recovered, and, as a rule, much whitewashing done. Chiefs of departments- and officers are anxious to suppress or cover up the truth, if at SELLING SLAVES. all unpkasant, and to give the office a clean and decent appear- ance to the outside public, even if the coating of wash is thin, mean and semi-transparent. The whitewash has served its turn and the public will soon forget it. Their attention will be drawn off to the next exposure. The case, for the sake of the office or department, must be hushed up as quietly and quickly as possible. These investigating committees are expensive, with salaries of members, and their traveling charges. The United States is a large country, with a numerous pop- ulation, which requires a strong civil service, but in which there is much room for improvement. We do not intend to speak much of slavery, which, under 6 9 bad masters, was terrible, but under good masters bearable. We will state the case of a brute, who worked the law for his own benefit, but who proved by his actions that he had not the slightest feeling for others. William Watts, whose atrocities committed on the high seas, on the men on the ship Gatherer, of which he was mate, sent a thrill of horror through the world at the exposures at his trial. A more fiendishly cruel man never escaped the gallows. He was arrested, tried for his crime, and sent to San Quentin for only six years, but was released after serving a little over two years, and lived some years after his release. But the odium in which he was held by seamen, and fear of being assassinated, kept him from going to sea again. The first news of Watts' atrocities were made known to the public March, 1882. They were the culmination of a large number of brutalities on shipboard. Never before had so many cases of cruelty occurred on a single vessel. The case was one continuous chapter of abuses, almost unprecedented in modern history. These outrages were committed on board the Ameri- can ship Gatherer, which sailed from Antwerp on September 1st, 1881, with Captain C. N. Sparks in charge, and William Watts, Cornelius Curtis and John Driscoll as first, second and third mates, respectively. Watts was the most brutal of all, and was seconded by Curtis, who had been his shipmate for many years. They aided and guarded each other like brothers. The Captain was a witness to most of the outrages and con- doned them, though rarely a party to them in person. The pilot had scarcely left the ship when Watts and Curtis jumped upon and beat a sailor named Peter Clark for a trivial offense, which did not deserve censure. The man's wounds did not heal for months. On September the 15th, the second mate attacked a Belgian sailor, named John Hansen, a harmless fellow, who could not speak English. One of Hansen's eyes was nearly put out, and his mouth so badly lacerated that he could not eat without a great effort, even in March, when his 7° speech was still materially affected. On September 20th a German sailor, named John Burns, beat back Watts at first. Then the mate had him lashed to the ship's rail, and he then renewed his attack, with a pair of brass knuckles, breaking the man's nose and otherwise disfiguring him. A Danish boy of eighteen, who was standing by, expressed his horror at the crime, when the mate turned on him and cut a piece out of his ear, from which he lost his hearing. On October 1st John Burns was loaded down with a capstan bar, lashed to his back, and made to march up and down the deck, Watts finding pleasure in kicking him and pushing him as he passed by. The same day he ordered four other sailors to the poopdeck, and after making two of them strip naked stretch out full length on the deck ; the other two had to stand guard, and what followed is too revolting to speak of. When this was over the men were kicked down-stairs. Among these four men were a man named McCue and a boy known as George. A few days later these two were again deprived of their clothing, and, with straps fastened about their wrists, were compelled to haul each other about the deck of the ship, while Watts, the first mate, sat upon their backs. Fearing a repetition of the revolting treatment of a few days before, they appealed to Mate Driscoll. As a result of the treatment the boy was completely broken in health, and, seeing no hope of relief, betook himself to a yardarm, and, swinging off, found rest at the bottom of the ocean. A Danish boy was also brutally outraged and beaten, and then placed in irons, and again beaten. He would also have drowned himself, but was prevented from jumping over by the third mate. The next to suffer was Gustave Adlung, a young German boy, who was kicked until he could not move. He lay appar- ently lifeless ; the mate had jumped on his face with the heels of his boots, and had nearly crushed the eyes out of his head, the eyeballs were turned from white to black, the lids were torn by the mate's heels, and the lad was completely blind 7i when he recovered his senses. The boy was subjected to other foul treatment and abuse. As his eyes remained sore, the mate delighted in pricking them, almost killing him each time. This boy was made totally and permanently blind. On October 30, John Hansen, another of the crew, fell under the displeasure of Watts, and, rather than be further maimed, jumped overboard and was drowned. When last seen on the Gatherer his face was so horribly lacerated that he was hardly recognizable by his friends. His mouth was so badly cut that he could not eat, and his eyes so battered that he could scarcely see. His body bore marks of welts and bruises from head to foot. When Hansen cried for help Watts said, "I'll feed you." He then lashed him into the rigging and crammed the poor fellow's mouth full of hard biscuit. When through with him he kicked him below. This man committed suicide, as stated before. A Frenchman known as John had his nose broken on No- vember 5th with a belaying-pin. The bridge bone was broken, a portion of which had been taken out. He was permanently disabled. The steward of the vessel, who had been with one captain for three years, did not escape the devilish ire of the mates. He was beaten and cuffed and kept locked up without food for five days at one stretch, with the result that he be- came a raving maniac. On November 15th the man McCue was again punished for some trivial matter. He was deprived of a portion of his cloth- ing and a strap fastened about his waist. He was then raised io the mizzenstay, his feet off the deck, and was held there until he was black in the face from strangulation. Two other sailors were badly beaten on this trip, one having lost his hear- ing by a blow with a belaying-pin. The vessel was loaded with steel rails and her destination was San Pedro. She arrived there on January 17th, 1882. Though the contracts called for discharge at San Pedro, the captain refused to pay the men off when they made their de- 7 2 mand, applying vile epithets to them, and saying he would not let a single one of them go. One by one the men were ulti- mately allowed to go, the mates being first paid off, giving them a chance to escape. The sailors who had been treated worst were kept on board longest. They were finally all landed, after being nearly starved. Then the people of Wil- mington interested themselves in the crew, and United States Commissioner H. T. Lee issued warrants for the arrest of Cap- tain Sparks and the mates. The mates escaped, Watts ship- ping on the ship Imperial, bound for Queenstown. Captain Sparks had also sailed away. Watts was finally captured in Australia, and brought to the United States on extradition papers, tried and convicted. He had been an old offender. He had been arrested several times for cruelty, and had served a term in the penitentiary for an assault with intent to commit murder. Yet despite his bad record, the court imposed a sentence of only six years, and he was liberated after serving two years. Watts' trial was a long and sensational one. The details of that voyage caused men to shudder, and much of the testi- mony could not be alluded to even. The judge, in pronounc- ing sentence, said Watts' crimes were the most atrocious that had ever been brought to his attention in a long service at the bar and on the bench. He said it was a wonder that the crew had not risen in mutiny and avenged their wrongs. There was much feeling against Watts at the time, and if the opportunity had been presented, he would have been lynched. What wonder that there are lynchings when such a fiendish brute as Mate Watts receives light punishment? 73 WHAT WE WANT. All hail the dawn of a new day breaking, When a strong-armed nation shall take away The weary burdens from backs that are aching. With maximum labor and minimum pay. When no man is honored who hoards his millions, When no man feasts on another's toil, And God's suffering, striving billions Shall share his riches of sun and soil. There is gold for all in the earth's broad bosom, There is food for all in the land's great store ; Enough is provided, if rightly divided — Let each man take what he needs — no more. Shame on the miser with unused riches, Who robs the toiler to swell his hoard ; Who beats down the wage of the digger of ditches, And steals the bread from the poor man's board. Shame on the owner of mines, whose cruel And selfish meanness have brought him wealth, While the ragged wretches who dig his fuel Are robbed of comfort, and hope, and health. Shame on the ruler who rides in his carriage, Bought with the labor of half-paid men — Men who are shut out of home and marriage, And are herded like sheep in a hovel pen. Let the clarion voice of the nation wake him To broader vision and fairer play, Or let the hand of a just law shake him, Till his ill-gained dollars shall roll away. Let no man dwell under a. mountain of plunder; Let no man suffer with want or cold ; We want right living, not mere almsgiving— We want just dividing of labor and gold. There are numerous victims to bad laws in the United States. % J $%^