Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-11
Siberian Exiles.

AS soon as they arrive in Siberia the
convicts are divided into three classes.
First come those condemned for the
foulest crimes known to the Russian
law, such as would in England entail on
the criminal penal servitude for life or
for long term of years. These Gull
prits are doomed to work in the mines,
and usually have hard lot. Such ex-
lies are called in Siberia "Katorshuih
"a term no doubt derived from kat
eron, the name given to a galley by the
Byzantine historians, as well as by the
Greeks on the Black sea at the present
day. Next come the Loslannyjeena
robotto, or exiles condemned for short
er periods and for minor offenses.
Migrants at large, rogues worthy OF
longer term of punishment than i'm
prisonment, prisoners sentenced by the
Communal courts, and, in former days,
serfs condemned as refractory laborers
by the Government, on application by
the proprietors of estates on which they
lived, as minor political offenders who
are well out of harms way, comprise
the bulk of these "unfortunates." The
place they are sent to is proportioned to
their turpitude, the worst offenders be-
ing dispatched farthest from the bound
aries of Russia in Europe; for instance,
to the shores of the Arctic sea, and the
Eastern provinces-while the lighter
;ulprits are permitted to settle down in
Western Siberia, Immediately to the
west of the Urals. This class of con-
victs are usually condemned only for
short terms, and are designed for colon
lists on the expiration of their term of
forced labor. Even before that date
they are often employed in the Govern
fhent srvice, more like ordinary labor
ers than as legal slaves. The third and
highest class of exiles are the Loslan-
nyie ma poselenye, who are condemned
for mild crimes. In fact, they are con-
sidered to have expiated their ofenses
as soon as they arrive in the country,
and are at once established as proper
colonists, sometimes in villages already
existing, at another time in new ones
already laid out for them. Siberian
society, constituted to great extent of
such elements as these described, is
very genial, and frequently refined, but
net moral. Many of the convicts
| are pOuIlCdl MISUNDERSTANDING VI
the highest education and nobility
of character-but a vast number
who have gained certain amount of
freedom, or, whose sentences having
expired, have settled down in the coun-
try, are of quite another class. Actual
criminals have no place left for them
for repentance-they are always under
the jail ban. But offenders of the high
er class, and especially political exiles,
are rarely scowled on. Russian society
is the most tolerant in the world, and,
since political exiles have increased,
the front of their offending has ceased
to be visible They are, after year OF
two, received into the best company,
and in every way receive the treatment
their rank and education would have
entitled them to at home. It is only
the worst offenders who are not allowed
to be accompanied by their wives and
families, and, as many of them are PEG.
pie of rank, the balls, clubs, and card
parties of Tobolsk or Tomsk are very
different from what a similar social
gathering chosen from the detenus OF
Port Arthur would have been.