| Show i ir 17 i TERRORS OF RUSSIAN LYNCH LAW prevalence of horse stealing has driven the peasants to stern meaner of repression an extraordinary affray took place a few days ago at Lopat chevo a lous village in the government ot of kleff russia ahia place has lately earned an evil repute as harboring a band of cattle and horse thieves who systems raided the cattle of the vil lagas and hamlets in the adjoining dis brict the rural police took little notice of the complaints of the victims and the latter therefore ther etore took the matter of chastisement into their own bands hands they organized an overwhelming at tack upon Lopat chevo which they approached pro ached in three columns from varl vari ous points chere were no firearms among the attacking parties but they were well equipped with stout cud gels the enemy had however received warning and were prepared for the onslaught which was delivered with desperate vigor the conflict lasted a couple of hours when the attacking party had to re tire leaving five of their number be hind beaten to death the defenders lost three killed making eight fatal atles altogether there are thirty three combatants in hospital many of them injured for life year by year so soon as the dark nights of autumn begin a veritable plague of horse stealing breaks out in the rural districts of russia there seems to be no means of checking this evil which Is now at its yearly zenith when one considers that the peas ant a horse Is almost his only property and his chief instrument of labor one can understand his bitter hatred ot of the horse thief his ills hatred 1 Is nour dished and tanned fanned to fury by the knowl edge of the light punishment which th the law provides for horse stealing this is the explanation of the presence of lynch law in russia a and of its recent violent manifestation the mode of lynch law most preva lent in I 1 ittle russia Is this when a horse thief is caught the men in the village club win alm ilm to death each trying to strike in such a way as to inflict no injury more serious than a bruise far more horrible Is the method of binding the feet of the criminal to the tail tall of a young and active colt A lad ad leaps upon the animal s back and gal lops away over ditch and meadow A A very few minutes of a ride like thia and little Is left of the horse thief A similar punishment Is to bind th abe thiefs thief B felt to the axle of a cart and then drive away as fast as the horse can travel less general Is the method of severing the knee tendons which makes the thief a cripple for life A death of fearful agony Is that by pin pricks for this mode of execl tion the thief Is bound hand and toot foot to a benca belica or log and the women are then called together and proceed to thrust needles and pins into the soles of the wretched victim a feet and other sensitive parts |
