Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-07-14
THE SIBERIAN EXILES.
The Terrible Lives of Russian EXilcd
CrfminaIs-AnA American at Irkutsk.

\ SfImlnhtS-x4n american AT n.
do not know how many exiled GRIM
inal Irkutsk has the honor of harbOr-
| ing within her walls, says a correspon-
dent Of the New York Herald, but /
should say at least fifth part of the
whole population belong TO this cate
! CORY. 1t is generally assumed by writers
on Siberia that the proportion of politi-
cal to criminal exiIes is about one in
ten, and there are 279 politicals at the
present time in Irkutsk, all, like most
of the criminals, living in freedom in
the city, but kept in strict police sur
veillance. | do not care to go into the
statistics of exiles in Siberia at all, /
am not sent here for that purpose, but
! am inclined TO call attention to the
very absurd statement made by an
English clergyman, Mr.. Landsell, in
his recently published work entitled
| Through Siberia. He asserts tina in
1880 only eighty political prisoners
were sent TO Siberia. This on the face
OF 1t is d preposterous statement, tor
the banished Nihilists are nearly all
classed as politicals, and their number
is very large. OF the 279 political pris-
oners at Irkutsk / should say that two
thirds Of that number are Poles, who
! have grown gray in exile, and IN most
cases have become established In trade
| or have some useful occupation. TIE
Poles are the gentlemen" among the
| exiles; they are the most cultivated
men in the country, and are deserving
of all sympathy. Groups of them may
| be met at dinner or supper every day
| Of -, t,1 n 4
ments of their race, but grown old and
weary, desparing Of every being able
| 70 get back to their own country, not
for lack Of permission, but the neces-
sary means of transport. They are
dreamers still, these aged patriots,
dreaming over grand future for
! Poland, but helpless as children in
rendering any assistance to gain that
| end. 1t seems a. terribly cruel thing to
| have done with these mcn, to have
wrested them from the country and
| home they loved and fought calamity
\ for, and to have condemned them to
this more than useless life in the Siber-
ian waste. No one can grasp the terri
| bic meaning OF exilation to Siberia
unless he has seen these men; grown
| I'm telAh NO6OA1bC III lllo ldI-Oll DldSC3
their poor de crepit bodies thousands
OF miles away from the place where
| they have left heart and soul. [ would
curse heaven and humanity were |
condemned to live forever in this soul
less country, away from all that is beau
tiful and good and healthy in the
world, away from the life where tender
ness and love reign sWeetly over hearth
and home. And there is no escape
from this land made hell for humanity
except pardon, tardily granted, or, moro
frequently, death and a grave that is
frozen all the year round. These
| thoughts arise when [ think of the cate
of the Polish exiles still here. Fer the
ordinary criminals have no sympathy,
nor yet for the Nlhilist, and only think
It said that any country, however
wretched, yet capable Of any future at
all, should be burdened with their
presence. OF the former droves may be
seen on the roads every day; Of the
latter large numbers are constantly
arriving. On the 9th of March the
notorious DR.. Weimar, who was i'm
pllcated III tie Nihilist attempts on the
hate emperor's life, passed through
lrkutsk on his way to some place still
further removed from the world, but
his destination | did not learn, but
probably somewhere in the Amur
province, where he will be enabled to
make interesting studies in the villages
filled with disease and rotten human
ity.
One of the most interesting exiles |
met In lrkuts& was, as you may be
surprised to lealn, an American, but n
voluntary one, an American dentist, DIR.
Ledyard, who, with his wife and child,
arrived only month or two ago from
CHINA, intending to make Il home and Il
fortune for himself in Eastern Siberia.
But | am afraid the doctor will not stay
long Oh the Angara, having inherited
too irresistible desire to travel from his
ancestors to think of settling anywhere
for long time together. DR.. Ledyard,
who halls from the Pacific slope (San
Jose, think Is the grandson of one of
Capt. Cooks officers, John Ledyard,
who had the most romantic enthusiasm
Tor adventure of any man of his time.
lie conceived the progect of travelling
across Europe, Asia and America Us
sci out from London with some $3.50 in
his pocket. He reached Yakutsk,
where he met Capt Billings, an En-
gllshman, who, after sailing with Cook
was employed by the Empress Gather
inc III. to make discoveries on the
northeast coast of Siberia, and among
the islaudi in the Eastern ocean stretch.
my to the american coast At Yakutsk,
however, L.dyard was arrested on sus-
picion Of being French spy, and was
sent back under escort to Europe.
Afterwards he was commissioned by
the London Geographical society to
make explorations III Africa. Dr. Led
yard his decendent, il an inveterate
wanderer too, and | trust that before
he leaves Eastern Siberia he will make
the journey up the Lena, As | have
done, Gakutsk, and make special study
of the wonderful teeth ofthe Yakutsk
he will see along the road and tell the
world the reason why his aboriginal
race can boast OF the most beautiful
teeth III all the wide world. Three
hundred versts from Iakutsk | have
seen old men of sixty or seventy with
sets of teeth small and pearly white
and polished and healthy n. those Of
the handsomest American girl of six
teen. Decay and suffering and un.
sightliuess and loss are actually un-
known. 4 physician of Yakutsk tells
me that he believes the reason of that
phenomenon Is to be found in tn habits
and the kind Of food eaten by the ma
tives, as well as to a certain care taken
by them from childhood up. In the
first place the 1akuts do not touch su-
gar in any form, for the simple reason
that they can not afford to purchase it.
Secondly, that they are IN the habit
of drinking daily large quantities of
fermented sour milk, summer and
winter, which acts as an antiscorbutic
aud is beneficial in preserving the
teeth. And lastly, they have the habit
Of chewing preparation Of the resin Of
the fir tree, piece Of which, tasting
like tar, they masicate after every
meal, i'll order to specially clean the teeth
and gums OF particles of food that may
remain after meals. The gum OF resin
Is prepared and used by Russian ladies.
The fermented milk is said to be not
very savory drink. First the milk is
cooked and then put into large
vase shaped utensil made of frozen dung.
in which ii is slioNe1 to ferment until
the winter, when il Is broken UP into
blocks and preserved for use in the