Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1891 — FAMINE AND FIRE. [ARTICLE]

FAMINE AND FIRE.

Terrible Sufferings of the Peas- ‘ . ants in Russia. Several Whole Villages Entirely BurnedOnly Food of the Vilest Kind Obtainable. The dispatch from St. Petersburg describing the sitnation in Russia arising from the failure of the crops, and detailing ha-rowing incidents of the famine now prevailing, part of which has already beee cabled to the United States, adds that not for centuries has such widespread distress been recorded. In addition to the scarcity of foodwhich has caused untold suffering, the distress has been intensified by the great number of unusually disastrous fires that have occurred throughout the faminejitrlckcn district. In many of the districts entire villages have been destroyed. The inhabitants of the burning villages, weak from lack of food and with no prospect of Improving their condition, made no at-; tempt to check the progress of the flames, but, stood and watched their dwellings burn, Some of them, more devout than others, fell og their knees and prayed the Almighty to extinguish the fire, Added to these cruel strokes of fortune came the cattle plague, wliich caused incredible havoc. Thousands of hoad->Of cattle took the disease and perished, and thus many families lost their only means of subsistence. What little food it is possible for the peasants to obtain is of the vilest description, but so sharp are the pangs of hunger that they gladly eat food that at other times they would not touch. In many cases their only food is the sweepings and refuse from the flour mills. In Saratoff the land-owners found this jefusesoinjurious to thoircaUle that they would not feed llTo lhOin. But, t hough it was not iit for cat-tie to eat, the land-own-, ers made bread of it and sold it to the peasants. Bread mado of finely chopped straw and bran mixed with a very small quantity of rye is considered a God-send - In many districts the starving peasantry is not able to procure even these miserable substitutes for nourishing food and reduced to the most dire straits to procure anything that will prolong life. In these districts the starving population are keeping themselves alive by making what they call “hurigerT)read.”lfls hardly to be believed that human beings could be in such dire necessity and live upon such a compound as this so-called “hunger bread,” yet it is stated as a fact that the ingredients entering into the composition of this bread are dried dung the powdered bark of treesand ground peasand goose-foot, a plant commonly known as pig weed. This mess is greedily eaten by the famishing people. Heavy rains have fallen and the ground is so soaked with water that the potatoes .are rotting. The price of potatoes has already doubled and is still rising. The peasant boards have sent petitlonsjto the ministry praying that the taxes and arrears of taxes be wiped out. The petitioners declare that the government will be obliged to maintain the impoverished people for fourteen months, and It will be utterly impossible for them to pay the taxes. A circular has been Issued by the minister of the interior which enumerates thirteen governments in which the people are completely famine stricken and eight in which a partial famine prevails. The great fair which is annually held at Nijni Novgorod, and which is attended by merchants and dealers from all parts of Russia, was a failure this year. This was due to the enormous number of bankrupts and thoir consequent withdrawals from trade. In many villages the peasants have nailed up their huts and have left their communes to scour the_cquntry in search of work. Hundreds®! them have failed in their search and are begging along the roadsides. In numerous cases the seed corn which was furnished to the peasants by the governme’nt has been eaten instead of being planted and the land is lying fallow. Notwithstanding the terrible condition of the peasantry the taxes continue to be extorted from the starving people. Every- 1 thing is taken from them to satisfy the demands of tho tax gatherers. Where the peasants display any unwillingness to pay over their taxes the collectors resort to physical means to extort the money from them. The knout is extensively employed by the officialsof the tax collecting department of Russia.