The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-07-01

IrlSutsk Cor. N. Y Herald.
/ do not know how many exiled
criminals Irkutsk has the honor of
harboring within her walls. but |
should say at least a fifth part Of the
whole population belong to this cate
CORY. 1t is generally assumed by
writers on Siberia that the proper
tion of political to criminal exiles is
about one in ten, and there are 2T9
politicals at the present time in
lrkutsE, all like most Of the criminals.
living In freedom IL the city, but
kept under strict police surveillance.
do not care to go into the statistics
of cxiles in Siberia at all; I am not
sent here for that purpose; but / am
inclined TO call attention to the very
absurd statements made by an Eng
lish Clergyman, Mr.. Lanasell, in his
recently published work entitled.
Through Siberia" He asserts that
in 1880 only eighty political prison
ers were sent to Siberia. This on the
face of it is a preposterous state
ment, for the banishod Nihilists are
nearly all classed as politicals, and
their number is very large OF the
2I9 political prisoners in lrkutsk. I
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 The Poles
are the gentlemen among the
exiles; they arc the most cultivated
men in the country, and are deserr- (
ing Of al sympathy Groups Of them
may be met at dinner or supper every !
day at the hotel where ! STAYED Ene
specimens of their race, but grown
old and weary, despairing of ever
being able to get back TO their own
country, not for lack Of permission
but the necessary means of trans
port, They are dreamers still, these
aged patriots, dreaming ever Of a
grand future for Poland, but helpless
as children in rendering any assist
aRce 10 gain that end. 1t seems a
terribly cruel thing to have done
with these men, to have wrested them
from the country and home they loved
and fought gallantly for and to have
condemned them To this mere than
useless life in the Siberian wastes.
No one can grasp the terrible mean
ing of oxidation to Siberia, unless he
has seen these men, grown old and
dssolate IN this Tar of place, their
poor deerepit bodies thousands Of
miles away from the place where 1
they have left heart and soul. | pa
would curse heaven and humanity
were condemned to 1.-Two forever in J
this soullesss 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
Tor humanity except pardon, tardily !
granted, or, more frequently, death
and asgrave that is frozen all the
year round These thoughts arise
whenl think of the fate of the Polish !
exiies still here. For the ordinary I
criminals ] have no sympathy, nor
yet ior The Nihilists, and only think {
it sad that any country, however,
wretehed, yet capable Of any future
a All, should te buTdened with their {
presence. OF the former, aroyes may Y
be seen on the roads every day; Of I
the latter large numbers are con- E
staatly arriving. On the 9th Of March I
the notorious Dr, Weimar, who was z
in the Nihiiistic attempts i
IN The late Emperor's lie, passed q
ihrough lrkntsk on his way To some z
place still further removed from the z
world, but his destination ] did not :
earn, but probably somewhere in the
Anaar province. where be will be en- ;.
lbiea to make interesting studies III Z
lie villages flled with diseased and
-otting humanity. E