Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-10-08

The hut the exiles lived In was, IL ap.
pears, a miserable affair, built after the
manner of Yakutsk youpdta, of rough
timber plastered with mud, containing
the usual outer and inner apartments,
q kind OF weather-por ,h and a kitchen
which contained their fireplace and
cooking apparatus. In the inner apart.
ment, where they lived, they kept their
books. bedding and clothes. Russian
illustrated papers were pasted on the
the room presented dark and dismal
appearance, and candles were burning
there at midday. The Government al
rows each exile n monthly stipend OF
twenty-five rubles (paper), about S12.5 90
in American coin. Out of this they
must feed. clothe and house themselves,
besides procuring fre-wood and service.
This is almost absolute restitution, fol-
in Siberia the pud, or forty pounds Rus
sian (thirty-six pounds American), costs
five rubles. Sugar is worth ruble q
pound. Though venison, beef, horse
| flesh and fuel are comparatively cheap,
all tho other necessaries of life are ex-
travagantly dear. Some Of the exiles
had rich relatives who sent thom mon
ey, but not more than three hundred
| rubles could be sent at one time, and
tho mail service is so irregular that
sometimes there is only one delivery in
six months. and only ut odd intervals
during the winter when some Govern
ment official has occasion to go over the
road. No exile may send or receive any
sealed package. Everything of that ma
ture must be opened and read or exam
med by the Cossack Commandment OF
Chief of Police.
"My coming" Melville writes, "iilled
them with tho widest hopes, for here
tofore it had been considered as impos-
sible to effect an escape by the Arctic
Ocean rs to cross living sea of fire,
and for them, doubtless, it would be, as
there was not q seafaring man in their
number, nor one. l suspect, who had
ever seen the rolling ocean. Yet before
lett they told me that they intended
to make the attempt, and 1 ardently
hoped that it might be successful, for
here saw youth, intelligence and re-
finement banished for life to an Arctic
desert, without companionship of books
or cultivated society, surrounded by
filthy and disgusting Yakutsk, who were
to q certain extent their keepers-for
the natives are held strictly accounta-
BILE, under penalty of the dreaded knout
or Of imprisonment, for the escape of
an exile, since nobody could travel far
into the country without their knowl-
edge.
The exiles told Melville that all they
asked and strove for was a constitu-
tional form of government They
only wanted the privilege of being inn
prisoned and hanged, If needs were,
under Russian law and constitution,
and not driven like a herd of cattle into
exile by the Chief of Police of some
small provincial town.
Leon" Melville continues, sin his
character rs interpreter, obtained for
himself and his companions tho full
benefit of my recital to Kasharoffski OF
the Jeannette's cruise and equipment,
our retreat, supplies, clothing and line
of march. The youngest exile had been
a student at the 'Ecole Polytechnique.
and seemed to be physicist in general OF
the party. He gazed fondly on my SEX
tant, for with it he could find his way
across the ocean. They had watches
and compasses, but no means of deter
mining latitude or longitude. So this
earnest young Nihilist began the con-
struction of n sextaut, and soon had
navigation tables in course of prepare
ton, using Russian almanac to find
the suns declination. 1t was their in
tention to build boat on the Yara
River, near Verkcransk, and attempt a
| journey of q thousand miles TO the
| cna,t ap1 thop avotbor of txua tbnuoo nj
miles along the coast of Siberia TO the
Eastern Cape or Behring Straits.
IL learned afterward, to my regret,
that they had attempted to carry out
their bold project, but without success.
They eluded their pursuers and sue
ceeded, after many difficulties, in work
ing their way down the Yara, past a
large village near its mouth within sight
of the sea- They might then have &C
complished their escape with compare
tive ease, but the rolling waves terrified
them and washed into their boat over
laden with its freight of thirteen exiles,
and when they waded ashore it was
swamped and all their provisions
soaked. One of the fugitives was O
young woman. Some of the eXiles,
frightened at the situation, straightway
gave themselves up to the authorities al
Oceansk, who soon captured the re-
mainder and sent them all into O
crueler captivity than ever. Leon was
sent to Kolayma River. Others were
taken from the settlements and took UP
their abode among the Yakutsk."
Another exile whom Melville took an
interest in was Buali, who lived apar,
from the others and fulfilled the duties
Che was doctor) of the post-surgeop
who had gone blind from a cataract
DR.. Buali had been very kind in his at
tentions to Danenhower and Leach
His life held more of sorrow in it thar
that OF most men. He had been prac
ticing physician in q small town of Lit
tie Russia, had neither committed any
crime nor belonged to secret society,
and he firmly believed that his only of
fense had been marrying n young wom'
an he loved in neighboring village
not knowing that he had rival.
The story of his capture and of hi
residence in Verkeransk was translated
to me, with tears in his eyes, by Leon,
his friend and companion in misery. l
seems that for week he had been o.
tending the little daughter of the chief O
police In his native town, who at length
so far recovered that he erased he
name from his visiting list. But on
morning he was surprised to see tn
Cossack of the chief of police, VIII,
came to tell him that his masters chile
was worse. "Would the doctor com
at oncep' Buali, not supposing tn
case serious one, replied that he woul'
call there after breakfast.
But the Cossack insisted that h
should come OF once, and so he bad
him wait until no got his overcoat
Hero again the Cossack interposed, say
ing that the chiefs house was but
short distance away and that brcakfas
would be served for him there. Bual
supposed that the child must be serious
ly iii and fastened Off at once; but tn
Cossack said they must first go to hi
masters Office. Buali was surprised
| lint NOT droaminv that quvthinU wa