Strangely enough it is only the Conservative, law-and-order members of the Duma' who are just now getting into trouble with the police. One Ostobrist happened, when passing along the street the other day, to see 1 policeman savagely beating a prisoner who was offering no resistance. The deputy remonstrated whereupon the policeman arrested him and conducted him to the lock-up. The prisoner was immediately released, however, and the policeman dismissed the force.
'Another policeman has just got four years' hard labour for an act of shocking barbarity, committed in broad daylight on the public street. Enraged at the sight of a helplessly drunken man, he struck the latter, with his naked sword, wounding him badly and then refused to allow anybody to carry the unfortunate man to the hospital. "Let him die here on the pavement like a dog," he said.
When we consider the conduct of the highest officers in the police and the army. we are less surprised, how-the brutality of the rank aod and fil On June 6 General Gurko, son of the General who distinguished himself in the Shipke campaign, insisted on driving his carriage over bridge on the Fontanka which owing to repairs, had been temporarily closed by order of the Chief of Police. A policeman attempted to stop the carriage but failed: then an inspector came up whereupon the General descended foaming with rage, knocked off the inspector's cap, struck him with his whip across the face, and finally drove in triumph across the bridge. Gurko is, by the way, held accountable for the ess of the battle of Lisoyang owing to premature and uneuccessfnl attack J which he made, contrary to orders, on the very much stronger force of Kuroki.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.