HEWS BY THE MAIL

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3808, 12 March 1881, Page 2

HEWS BY THE MAIL

HOEEIBLE BARBARITY IN EUBJSIA.

The Kussian Golos gives conspicuous publicity to a terrible story of priestly and peasant barbarity, reaching that journal from Uschitza, in the Government of Podolia. Some short time ago three horses were stolen from the popa of a village in the Uschitza district. Suspecting two of his parishioners of being concerned in the theft, he resolved to extort from them, by force, a confession of their criminality, and to that end invited them to his house, as well as several of the most bigoted and unscrupulous moujiks belonging to his congregation. These he made half drunk with raki, and then set them on to administer torture to the unfortunate men who had fallen under his suspicion. After having crushed their noses flat to their faces, broken their fingers joint by joint, cut off their ears, and torn out their beards by handfuls, the besotted instruments of priestly cruelty seared their victims' faces with red hot irons until, their agony becoming intolerable, they admitted, a culpability which they hare since strenuously denied to the officers of .the law. These abominable proceedings having come to the knowledge of the State authorities at Uschitza, the popa and his brutal accomplices have been arrested and thrown into prison, where they are now awaiting their trial. The annals of the Holy Inquisition contain no more revolting narrative than that to which the Golos calls the attention of its readers, in terms of unqualified indignation.

GOLD DISCOVERIES IN ALASKA.

A letter received at Washington from Sitka, Alaska, by a Treasury officer, says that the development of mineral wealth in that region will produce a gold fever, and attract thousands of prospectors and miners. The writer says :—" Two miners vrho have been prospecting all the summer on the mainland secured some of the richest gold quartz that has been found in Alaska, and many of the old miners say it is the richest they ever saw. An assay was made of a fair sample,; not a choice piece, that ran over 4000dols. to the ton. The only question is, how much can they get of it. Owing to the snowbut little can be done this winter, as the ground is now covered over two feet deep. The location is easy of access, being not more than two miles from water."