OFFICIAL TYRANNY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1874, 7 October 1913, Page 8

OFFICIAL TYRANNY.

; A RUSSIAN BABY'S MISCHIEF AND, J ITS PUNISHMENT. He enormity of llussiaii officialdom > is well illustrated in the report of , event, which has ocourred at Kharkoff, . where, owing to a piece of harmless, childish mischief, a %hole village was i penalised, and a mother -sentenced to 15 days' imprisonment. ° . ■ M. Katerinitch, tho governor of tho proviuco, started from Kharkoff in a i handsomo automobile, accompanied by a mounted escort of tho district chiefs cf i polico; an authorised public report t-ella what- befell him. When the governor's, cortege was passing through a village Natalie Kolatchenko, aged fivo, was seated by tho roadside playing mud-pies. The narrative .eays that "the dovil entered the little body, sho took-, up some dirty earth, and threw-it at tho autamobilo,'. and it fell on tho governor's coat." So much for tho crimo; comes tliopunishment: The entire cortege halted. Natollo (aged fivo), now terrified and screaming, was pursued and captured. Her mother was arrested and mado to walk under armed guard for 12 versts (about eight miles) to the cliict polico station. All the villagers were _ summoned to meet immediately to decide what peiiaco they would offer for tho enormity oommitted in their midst. 1 The father of Natalie (aged fivo) was 1 arrested a.nd marched the eight miles to t'lio polico ofiico; ho was released ail 3 a.m. to march back and find all tllft 1 villagers in meeting. 1 Finally, a petition craving forgive 1 n6ss. for Natalie (aged five) was pre- ' pared by tho chief of police, who wanted ' tho villagers to present it on tliei? knees. They refused to do this, bu& when the governor returned next day they all stood uncovered in tho roa<) awaiting him. Ho looked tho otiio? way,, and tlioy had_ to shout-: "Wait, i your excellency 1 Wait!" > Al'tor the presentation of tho gorierej petition and special petitions by tho mother, father, and grandfather, pray--1 jng that Natalie (aged five) might bo j forgiven, the villagers wero allowed to , depart with a severe admonition. - ■ Tho mother was seait to prison for 16 days.