Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-11-22
EXiles in Siberia.

| do no. know how many exied crimi-
mails lIku sh has the honor of harborino
within her walls, but | should say Mt least
a iillh part Of the whole population belong
to this cate CORY. II is generally assumed
by writers on Siberia that the proportion
of political Ia criminal eXiles is about one
in ten, and there are 279 politicals at the
present time in Irktush, all. like most of
the criminals, living in freedom in the city,
but kept under strict police surveillance.
L DO not care 10 90 into the satisfies Of
eXiics in Siberia at all; am not sent here
fol that purpose; hut | am inclined to
call attention 10 the very absurd state
mcuts made by an English clergyman.
Mr.. Landsel, in his recently published
wo.k entitled Through Siberia" He
asserts ihlt in 1880 only so rolitical
prisoners were sent to Siberia. This on
the face 0l i; is n preposterous statement
Tor the banlshcd nihiists are nearly all
classcd a, puliticals, and their number is
very large. OF the 279 political prisoners
in Irkut,k ! should say that two.thrds
of that number are Poles, who have
grown gray in exile, and in most cases
have hecome established il trade or have
some useful occupation. The Poles are
the gentlemen" among the exilcs, they
are the most cultivated men in the country,
and are deserving of all sympathy. Groups
OF lhtm may he met at dinner or supper
evcr' day at the hotel where | stayed,
ine specimens of their race, but grown
old and weary, dcspairing Of ever being
able 10 get back to their own country, not
for lack of PERMISSION but the necessary
means Of transport. They are dreamers
still. these aged patriots dreaming over a
grand future for Poland but helpless as
chilmcn in rendering any assistance to
gain That end. 1t seems Il terribly cruel
thing th have done with these men, TO
have wrestcd them from the country
they loved and fought gailanLly for, and
TO have condemned them to this more
than useless life in the Siberian wastes.
No one can grasp the terrible meaning of
eXilation 10 Siberia unless he has seen
these men, grown old and desolate in this
fur of place, their poor dccrepil bodies
thousand 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 souless
country, away from all that is beautiful
and good and healthy in the world, away
from the life where tenderness 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, more frequently, death and
grave that is frozen all the year round.
These thoughts arise when think of the
fate of the Polish eXiles still here. For
the ordinary criminals have no sympa-
thy. nor yet for the nihilisLs, and only
think it sad that any country, however
wretchcd, yet capable of any future at all,
should be burdened with their presence,
OF the former drovcs may be seen on the
roads every day; of the latter large num-
bers are constantly arriving. On the 9th
of March the notorious DR.. Weimar, who
was implicated in the nihilstic attempts
on he late cmperors life, passed through
kusk on his way to some place still
further removed from the world, but
probably some where in the Amur prov
ince, where he will be able to make inter-
esting studies in tho villages filled with
diseased and rotting humanity.