The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-16
Penal Servitu de in Siberia.

Liabilities a q NJ COllege, anu AVallhOle cunl't
Balance, Cash and Bonds Observation-Disclosures.
Penal Servitu de in Siberia.
After the blood curdling tales we
have head of the systematic fortunes
inflicted on Russian convicts de-
ported to Siberia, we necessarily
experienced shock ofsurprise when
confronted with the sober state
ment of facts presented in the book,
Through Siberia" by a recent
English traveller, Mr.. Henry Lans-
dell:
1t is q genuine record of remark
able expedition, written by trav-
eler who has evidently eyes with
which to see clearly, and a mind
free from prejudice or bias, whether
political or theological. Making
his way right across Siberia, from
the Ural mountains to the Sea of
Japan, he visited the prisons IN each
town at which he arrived, and every
mine or other place of penal servi-
tude which lay near his track
Everywhere he was received with
the greatest kindness, and where
ever he went he was able to leave
behind him q reminder of his visit
in the shape of religious books. Of
these he distributed in person about
10000, and through the authorities
about $4,000 more. There are
thousands of persons whose minds
are naturally narrowed by the tales
OF horror related to them, and who
are led to false conclusions by per-
fectly conscientious and honorable
indignation and sympathy. MIR.
Lansdell's book will now enable
every one to judge for himself, and
compare the testimony of a credit
able witness-one who has done all
he could to arrive at the truth
with the assertions of writers who
have perhaps never visited the
country which they pretend to de-
scribe, and who aim at producing a
sensation of horror, or at stirring
up angry passions.
The staple theme of such authors
has always bcen the quicksilver
mines of Nertchinsk, in which num-
bers of political prisoners, including
ladies, are supposed to be "rotting"
Mr.. Lansdell visited Nertchinsk,
which he describes as "being black
with age and decay. There was a
woebegone look about the place,
and the streets seemed deplorably
neglected" He inquired diligently
after the quicksilver mines, about
which so much has been written /;
but he could not find a single person
who had even so much as heard OF
them. No scientific work mentions
! the existence of such mines in Sibe-
ria not one of Mr.. Lansdelps in
formants, smong whom were in
Guided several ex-convicts who had
been sent to Nertchinsk, had ever
seen such a mine; and at last he
came to the conclusion that "there
does not exist quicksilver mine in
Siberia at all" OF the silver mines,
which really do exist at Nertchinsk,
he gives an interesting account,
based for the most part on the state
ments made to him by persons who
had worked in them. The conclu-
sions at which he arrived with re-
gard to them are as follows:
"The period of an exlle's life spent
at the mines, before being set free
to colonize, cannot but be hard.
Whatever laxity of discipline may
prevail, as compared with the pris-
ons of other countries, the herding
together of the worst of characters;
the deprivatlons of social, intellect
ual and religious privileges, TO speak
| 20 10
life in the mines, from the nature of
things, burden. But this is very
different from killing exiles by
inches IN quicksilver fumes, or keep
ing men, women and children I'M
derground by night and by day,
with insufficient clothing, food and
sleep. Such gross misstatements
must in time be refuted, and the re-
vulsion caused by their exposure
often makes people too easily be-
lieve less severity than really .ex-
ists."
The worst prisons which Mr.. Lans-
dell visited in the Russian empire
were IN Finland, those of Abo and
Wiborg being the most dismal.
" The descent by steps with candles
to prisoners in the lower rooms. the
dim light entering by windows in
walls ten feet thick, the clanking of
chains" all these things make very
unfavorable impression on his mind,
especially as the Firms still use sets
of irons "nearly ten times the
weight of any others he has seen
in Europe. One or two revolving
cases of cruelty were reported to
him.
AS general rule, the scenes which
Mr.. Lansdell witnessed were not
more painful than all prison scenes
must be, and he is of the opinion
that E" if a Russian exile behaves
himself decently well, he may in
Siberia be more comfortable than
in many, and as comfortable as in
most, of the prisons of the world"
OF the Nihilists Mr.. Landsell has
not much information to give, ex-
cept as regards the rumors about
them current in st. Petersburg,
where he was told that ait was
thought by the lower orders that
the Nihilists obtained large por-
ton of their funds from the Inter
national in Englad." One of their
number he met in Siberia, ga man
who had been concerned in one of
the attempts upon the life of the
late emperor. He was sentenced to
the mines, and, no doubt, popular
Imagination pictured him chained
and tormented within an inch of
his life, whereas found him con-
fined indeed, but only to the neigh
borhood, and dressed, if remember
rightly, in a tweed suit, looking
highly presentable, and engaged in
a way that purposely avoid NAM
ing, but did not necessitate the
soiling of his fingers.
The officials with whom Mr.. Lans-
dell made acquaintance seem to have
impressed HIM for the most part ia
vorably.
BY way of final quotation from
Mr.. Lansdell, we may cite the opin-
ion he expresses about religion in
Russia. After saying, 81 regard the
Russian people as presenting a
promising field for the diffusion of
more spiritual religion than they
now possess" he makes the follow
ing remarks, which come with spe-
cial weight from a witness for whom