The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-12-05
SAVED FROM SIBERIA.

u,
SAVED FROM SIBERIA.
Marrow Escape of French Bookseller
An innocent Man in Prison For Seven
Months-Put Over the Border.
The present Government of Russia
seems to hate knowledge as much as
certain gentleman is said to hate holy
water. Save in few privileged papers
of Moscow and ST. Petersburg, nothing
can be published that has not been seen
and sanctioned by censor, and even
these, if they print an, thing the Min
istry dislikes. are exposed to pains and
penalties without lend. The depart
ment may warn them three times, the
third entalling. ipso faclo, suppression;
or the Minister may throttle an Offend
ing print TO death by taxing away its
authorlz alton to receive advertisements,
or by forbidding its sale in the streets.
A daily paper without advertisements
and whose circulation is limited to
regular subscribers may be regarded as
in articulo mort $, and in this way
many Russian papers have been done
80 death. Country that Is to say,
provincial-papers can not come out
until all their proofs have passed the
ordeal of censorship. Imagine what it
must be to conduct q daily journal un-
der such conditions, especially when
the authorities, out of pure deviltry,
may and sometimes do, order an UNI
happy editor to send his proofs, not to
the local censor, but to the censor of .
r..x- rr,ilo- Tho
ceuso are .ust rs capricious about
books. They authorised the publica-
ton of the first volume OF Lecky's "His-
tory Of Ratiopalism" and tabooed the
second. and they lay an interdict on
such books as Hobbies ''Leviathan.
Haeckel's History of the Creation"
and yoltaire's Essay on Morals" In
these circumstances, as may readily be
supposed. booksellers aad publ hers
have no easy time of it. They are re-
garded as dealers in dangerous wares.
The police appear to think that books
are charged with dynamite, and that
those who write. make and sell them
are enemies of the throne and the altar.
Nearly every Russian writer of distinc-
ton has either died in prison or been
forced into exile, and how the mere
vending of literature may get man
into trouble, the strange story which
am about to tell will show. This sto-
~, / may add, is strictly true. 1t was
given to me only q few days ago in
writing by dist'nguished Russian ex-
lie. who had ii direct from the narrator
and victim.
A DANGEROUS TRADE.
Three years ago. or, to be exact. in
August, 1851, n. Kervelli, . French
citizen, albeit he had resided IN Russia
from his youth upwards. opened = book.
store at Il arkoff, one of the principal
cities Of the empire city, too, which
disputes with kieff and Odessa the
honor of being considered the intellect.
nal capital of the South. The French.
mans enterprise created slight sensa.
ton, for in Russian town the starting
of new bookstore Is alwAys somewhat
of IN event. A nnen may start gro
Gerry store q Wfuo Shop or restaurant
BY paying = tax and taking out . Ii
cense, which is granted as a matter o.
coulse; but when . man asks leave x
purvey food for the mind it is quit
another affair. Then the police put OF
their considering caps. make all sort
Of inquiries and ask the applicant NJ
end Of questions, II the answers b
sntas actory and he is liberal in the mat
{ I 81 brides, he may get the requiret
permission, but, IS the sequel will show
he always remains at the mercy
Of the police. In the whole Of Russii
there are only Eve or six houses viii |
hold . regular license for the sale o
eA ~su H. ex>S