Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-10

Ruetiou bntiad. Inc pffso1tit camp
hushed al once. Everybody drinks tn tina
melody, and happy "reminiscences Of th'
| past, Of wives, sisters. swecthear;s, mo
theirs, companions, and children chase on
| another through these ssddcned minds
Some OF the men. though rough looking
show tear-dampened eyes. IL is sacred
| moment. Even the guard, sent To ordel
the prisoners 20 bed, stops as I; pe;riiicd
bis heart melted by the familiar air.
Many Of them do rot care TO sleep. Herr
and there they light candles and play cards
/ But the Trademarks corner Ia the llye'ies
| spot. There piles OF coppers constantly
| appear on the table and as rapidly disap
pear. The prisoners play for cash, ant
! occasionally the tradesman advances feN
! copeeks under the guarantee that he will
| get the prisoners share the next day
Sometimes the play Is for the "GOvern
ment things" that Is TO say, the prison
| clothes are pawned. and the wrctched mar
sacrifices bis necessities 10 bis passion. TIL,
further we went into Siberia the harder
| Il s 90 move on. The men grew tired
| and many fell sick. Bread was dear, and
the "hungor typhus" was spreading ia
our party. AS the etdpe hospitals were far
apart, we were compelled 10 carry our sicb
and dying patients. Now, there were
stranger scenes in the resting-places. In
one corner men gambled; In another q
story-tclltT provoked paroXysms OF laugh.
ter. Here was heard merry song. and
there came forth the last groans Of DIVING
man. But il was only the world on min.
iature scale.
On the route we often met with runa.
ways. The guards did not bother with
them. Sometimes conversations were held
between the runaways and the prisoners.
"Hullo, Ivan, you are again in the regu.
lars !" runaway would remark.
"lIallo. Semen! IRE you not satisfied
with free board ~ q prisoner retorts.
~ say, Semen, YOU are good running
horse" puts in Jester, yet you viii mol
escape his Maiesty's stables"
The condition Of the political prisoners
was far better than that OF the capital crimi.
mails. The political prisoners got fifteen co.
pecks per day, rode in wagons, and had O
separate room for themselves. IL was the
Government order that the political prison,
ers should be Kept quite apart from the
Others. But on the journey that order
could not he always executed. Every eve
ming. in thc houses. the prisoners OF ali
grades came together. Ii Il a common
practice for the prisoners to exchange sem
fences. A man condemned to settlement
assumes. for some payment, the name
and fate Of his fellow sentenced 10 hard
labor for q tong period. ! engaged
an exile "a r0hbc) 10 assume my roe for
a pair Of hunters boots, flannel shirt,
and eight rubies 80. nm told thatin our
party twenty exchanges took place. Yet
the guards and tine authorities knew moth.
ing about II. As n rule the prisoners do
not betrav enc smother. My new roe and
that OF my substitute were bOthcrsOme.
was medical student. political criminal,
and q noblcmsn. and lie WAS q peasant,
hardly able 10 sign his name. But If
could drag his irons he. too, could support
my reputation. Once our officer was taken
i'll, and as he knew that one OF the prison.
ers OF his command had studied medicine
he called upon me--that is. upon my sub
stitute-tO treat him. Ny substitute did il
well.
Toward the end OF October we reached
the city OF lrkutsk. where the prisoners are
usually classified. Those condemned to
settlement are sent TO Their new home. aud
those condemned TO hard labor are distrib-
uicd among various mines. NY substitute
and / passed the final examination, and
each went his own way, never TO meet
again.
ON the second day we oXiles, or settlers,
were turned over 20 the village authorities.
We were practically free. Ny companion
went TO q 'hquor-shop 20 celebrate the
happy event. | resolved to make the
best possible use al my freedom by run
ming away from Siberia. | bad sold
some OF my things and realized about
seventy-1ve cents. which money ] deter
mined must support me during the
week had 70 travel 40 miles 10 reach
the residence OF a trusted friend. Protiting
by the lessons Of the old ruuaways. | made
my way successfully, though the gem
dalTnes were after me. IT was in November.
Snow covered the ground. Whenever l
bid myself in any bushes | reached them
by walking backward into them, ard thus,
perhaps, ! mIslcd my prosecutors. My
friend secrcted me In his country place for
two months.
On the etGpe road | made the scquaint-
ance 81 many old runaways, who gave me
the knowledge needed for becoming a Suc-
cesslul tramp. In Siberia there are about
90. 900 ruuaways trdmping, as the sun does,
westward to Russia. The Villagers treat
them well as ion. IS they do not miure
property or otherwise misbehaye. Other
wise they hunt them like wild beasts.
Yet, if runaway is badly handled
by villagers without Just cause, the
runaways pledge themselves 10 have
revenge. IncendiariSm is m-ted out for
the whole village and death for the indi-
viduals. am told that in Irkutsk
Province there was native who made il
his business 10 hunt fugitiyes. eli you
kill squirrel" he used to say, "you earn
only Is cOpeckS, but kill a runaway and
YOU are sure OF earning 80 copecks at least.
for his dress costs that sum" That brute
was i'm turn killed 10y runaways.
A professional runaway, Belof, who for
twenty-five years has tramped Siberia east
ward and westward, from the Urai noun
tains TO the Island Of Saghalicn, told the
that for many years it was impossible to
escape from Saghalien, because the Gui-
laks, the natives, used to Kill every fugitive
they saw. AZ last a party OF runaways,
thirty strong and well armed, banded 10.
gelher for their freedom and revenge
They ransacked several Guilak settlement,
and killed everybody in them. After thai
the Guilaks ceased 10 hunt runaways.
When my health was restored ] started
back to Russia in the most dignified man.
ner. | went by the official post-road
changing one troika after another. Ny
pass was all right, except that it belonged
10 retired officer recently dead. In May,
1881, | reached Geneva.