Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-24
The Russian Nemesis in Siberia.


From the New York Graphic.
A dispatch says that great disorder prevails
in the penal colonies of Siberia, sowing to Of
fetal corruption" Probably the corruption may
have been an immediate irritant, but the main
cause is found in the convict colonsts. Recent
travellers in Siberia have told Of the growth of
that vast region, more especially in it's southern
portion. The deportation of political offenders
especially has, during the past ten years, been
so great that it has been impossible to prevent
the growth of civilization which is hos
tile at heart to czarism. The nihsts who have
been sent there and have gone during the past
10 years by the scores Of thousands, have been.
as a rule, of the best educated and most intelli-
gently related class, especially in social sense.
Their relatives have been able to save them from
fortress, dungeons or from death under the
knOut. The dreaded third section has sent into
the penal colonies of Siberia many thousands
who were arrested secretly and without war
rant, who are held without Charge and most of
whom are known officially not by names but by
numbers. 1t is an open secret that here is pro-
paganda and association at work which has
extensive ramificatiOns touching both San
Francisco and New York as well az reaching
into British India and Europe also. In the
city OF San Francisco there is small COLONY of
distinguished Poles and Russians. whose ret-
cence as to their immediate past ia unite
marked. All along the Pacific coast and in
Mexico there may be found educated Russians.
not many in the aggregate, perhaps, but enough
to distinguish them as a social factor There
are rumOrs OF mysterious yacht, which clears
occasionally from San Francisco or Portland for
Pacific voyage, and this may explain the fol-
lowing IN the most recent dispatch: "a large
number OF eXfles made an attempt to escape but
were recaptured, except those who fed from the
island of Saghaen." The island lies north of ia
pan with the Yellow sea between. 1t faces Siberia
and has ManchOria and Kamschatka at its
northern and southern eXtremities. Saghalien
is long, narrow island, with q bold, rocky
shore looking out on the Pacific. The strait be-
tween 1t and the continent is from SO to 100
miles wide. Until within few years Saghalien
was Claimed by both Japan and Russia, and
jurisdiction was shared between the two cOun-
tries. Finally the question was submitted to an
arbitration and decided against Japan. Russia.
after taking full possession turned the island
into penal colony for nhilists. Only the most
important and formidable were shipped there.
Ihey are sent in Russian men-of-war, being
generally kept between decks, locked in iron
cages. the cages chained to the deck. The first
cargoes were sent during the heated term and
the route chosen is always the mid-tropical one
of the Mediterranean. SueZ canal Red sea. In
dian ocean, the straits of Sunda, and the Chi
nese and Yellow seas. An American naval off,
Ger was, three years since, at Singapore, admit
ted to one Of these vessels. He saw the living
cargo. There had been 800 when the rrigate
sailed from Cronstadt; at Singapore there were
less than 200 remaining. In answer to remark
Russian officer said it would be as we'll for the
poor wretches If none of them were living on
arrival at Saghalien. The escape chrOnicled in
the cablegram u.s. then. evidently of Importance
Inc horrors OF Russian cZarism will never be
known, but there are still lOOpholes from which
we get glimpse within. Saghalien is one of
them.