Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-04-15
Russian EZiles.
THEIR rrRbirlr LOT IN ARRANGED.

To explain the part played by the uni
yersities in the hhilist drama theorists
generally refer To Bakunin and his doc
times. A much nearer reason lies in the
great number of students who have, III
these last few wears. been exiled without
any judicial hearing. The crimes enter
ed against them in the books of the
"Third Section are, verbatim, asfollows ::
They had become suspected" but of
what or in what degree there was no at
tempt Mt proof They "hadnot denounced
comrades proved guilty OF receiving for
hidden pamphlets they had been ''iusnb
ordinate" to school inspectors or had re-
ceived more than the permitted quantum
of bad marks for Latin. Official reports
say that only l696 eases come under the
above mentioned category; but sad and
well founded rumurs say that 10, 900 such
arrests took place some three years ago
on the occasion Of the political trial of the
"193." Up to the present moment, out
or the official ,G9t. only ll3 have been
set at liberty. and thirty out of that num-
ber allowed to continue their university
career, no grounds. legal or Illegal, being
found 10 forbid their doing SO. Russian
Commissioners work slowly; questions
and answers come and 60 but slowly be-
tween st. Petersburg, Arkangel, or East
| ern Siberia and vet many among the
remaining l5Sl and giving signs of life;
newspapers are keeping them before the
public they themselves are writing homo
carefully wordcd letters, and hoping rs it
were, against hope. In the cheerless re-
! gi"n of Arkangol of WHICH the aborigi-
mes say, FJiod nla,le hussia, uut the devils
made Arkangel'- there are more thantwo
hundred of those banished ones. men and
women, all Young, all poor, most of them
| sent without trial few among them know
ing even Of what they are accused. Vic
| tor Ivanovitch dimes with his friend b.,
| for instance, and after stroll along tho
Boulevard they separate. b. is arrested
that very evening. and when Victor, as
| founded and horror-stricken, hastens to
| induire the cause. he finds everybody,
even b. s own father, ms much in the dark
rs he is himself all questions and petit
! tiOns on the subject receive vague admin
lstrative answers all friends and rela-
| tives are systematically discouraged and
silenccd eagerly they wait and watch for
the numerous political trials that comeo
without intcrmission, hoping to see the
missing ones name ON the list Of crimi-
nails or see his face once more, let 1t be
even in the prisoners dock but AZ they
wait aud watch the prisoner is, without
any trial en- r"uf, for Arliangel.
N AEKtSdEL.
Arrived there, the routine is the same.
Whatever the crime alleged, the age or
sex, the prisoner Is taken to the police
ward dreary log building, containing
two sections, one for men the other for
women. The solitary table and chair, the
four walls and even the ceiling are cover
ed with the names of Youthful predeces-
sors, whose pencillcd Jets and clever
caricatures bear witness TO the strength
and confidence in thcmeelvrs with which
they began their life in exile. In this
dreary abode week or ten days is spent,
while tho Governor of Arkangel. after
due reflection, marks ont for this danger
Gus parsonage some final place of exile,
some miserable little district town such
as Holmogor, Shcnkoursk, Pinega or
MeZen. Ho is then told that his "docu-
ments" are ready, and a gcndarme enters,
saying that it is time 10 start. The pris-
oner jumps into the ioiting post wagon,
two genlarmcs jump in after him, the
troika bell above the horses neck begins
to ring-and rings on for days and weeks
through wood and swamp and plain,
along arctic roals inconceivably drear
and lonely, until the weary convoy nt
length arrives ut its destination. The lit
| tie town is small and black. consists of
log huts, two unpavcd streets, wooden
church painted green. and the only live
stock visible ten or twelve rawboned
horses, herb of sickly COWS and thirty
| 6. lot,
exceeds ono Thousand. and consists of the
Ispravnik ten subaltcrn officers, the Ar
bitter of the Peace, the Crown Forester, n
priest, few shopkocpPrs thirty or forty
exiles, n chain-gang of ''God-forgotten"
Russian felons and crowd of Finnish
| beggars, On his arrival the prisoner is
driven straight TO the police ward, where
he is inspected by the lspravnik, police
officer, who is absolute lord and master
Of the district, This representative of the
government requires Of Inn to answer
the following questions His name
How old? Married or single? Where
from? Address OF parents. or relations
or friends Answers to all which are cn-
| tered in the books. \ solemn written
promise is then eXactcl Of him that he
will not give lessons Of any kind or try to
teach any one that every letter he writes
will go through the lspravnik's hands,
and that he will follow no occupation ex-
cept shoemakin@. carpcnerrng or field
labor. He is thea liid hc is free but Mt
| the same time is solenniy warned that
should he attempt to pass the limits OF
| the town he shall be shot down like 4 dog
rather than be allowed to escape, and
| should he be taken alive shall be sent off
| to Eastern Siberia without further for
mality than that of the Ispravnik's per.
sonal order.
The poor fellow takes mp his little bun
| die and fully realizing that he has now
hidden farewell TO the culture and mate
rial comfort of his past life, he walks ont
into the cherries street A group of ex
lies, all pale and cmacitcd are there to
greet him, take him To some of their mis-
erable lodgings, md icycrishly demand
news from home. The new conner gazcs
on them ms one III dream some are mel
anhocoly mad, others ncrvously irritable,
and the remainder have evidently tried to
find solace in drink. They live in com
munities of twos and thrrra, have food, n
scanty provision of clothes, money, and
books in common, and consider 1t their
sacred duty To help each other in every
emergency, without distinction of sex,
rank or aga. The noble hy birth get six
teen shillings II month from the govern
ment FOR their maintenance and common
ers only ten, although many of them are
married and sent into exile with young
families. Daily Gcndalme visits their
lodgings, lnspccts the premises when and
how he peases, and now and then makes
some mysterious entry IN his notebook.
Should any OF their number carry warm
dinner, Il newly mrnded pair OF boots or n
change of linen To some passing exile
lodged for the moment in the police ward
is Just AZ likely IA not marked against
him Us Il crime II is II crime to come
and see n friend oil, OF accompany HIM a
little on the way. In fact should the
Ispravnik feel out of sorts The effect Of
cards and drink he vents his bad temper
on the exiles ; and ns cards and drink are
the favorte amuscmruts in these drcnry
regions crimes are marked down against
the exiles in astonishing numhers and Il
report of them sent rtPularly to the Gov
crnor Of the province. Winter lasts eight
months, period during which the sur
rounding country presents the appearance
of Il noisless lfclcss. frozen marsh. Ne
roads, NO communication with the outeI
world, no means of escape. In course ol
time almost every individual exile is mt
tucked by nervous convulsiens, followed
10y prolonged apathy and prostitution.
They begin to quarrel, and even to hate
each other Some of them contrivc to
forge false passports, and 10y u miracle,
as it Were, make their carapc, but the
great majority OF these victims OF
the Third Section either 90 mad,
commit suicide "r die oi delirium-
tremens Their history, when the time
comes for it to he studded and published,
will disclose II terrible tale Of human
suffering and administered evils and
shortcomings not likely to find then
equivalent i'll the contemporary history OF
any other European State.