Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-11-05
BANISIIED TO SIBERIA.
Transporting Russian Prison.
erS to the Mines.
A Long and Woarisomo Journey by the
Condemned, and How it is Taken.

A Long and Woarisomo Journey by the
Condemned and How it is Taken
How prisoners are transported from
Russian prisons to the mines of Siberia
is described in the following letter
from Western Siberia to the New
York Telegram: After the sentence
is pronounced and he is doomed to
Punishment, he is usually sent to one
of the so-called central garrisons,'
which are only five in number, In
European Russia. There he awaits
his transportation to Siberia or to the
Island of Sachalio, where he is to labor
in the mines.
The process of transportation affords
a most strange and peculiar sight, not
only to European but even to Rus
sian himself. The very day OF his
conviction the convicts hair is shaved
off. In former days a triangular
stamp produced by hot iron, was set
on his forehead, probably for the pur-
pose of preventing his escape by this
inelfaceable Seal Of Cain His allow
ance of provisions is reduced to min
imum. lie awaits his transportation
to Siberia as an amelioration of his sad
condition. When the long expected
day of transportation arrives and the
governor of the prison announces their
coming removal, the poor prisoners
eyince boundless joy and gladness for
the change at hand. Surrounded by a
vigilant guard of soldiers the conyicts
step into the prison yard in order to
be examined, searched and numbered,
then they select one of them in the
capacity of elder who is to act as 4 rep
resentative in the matters of sup
plying their provisions and delivering
their complaints and requests to the
accompanying officer. Reaching
Nijni-Novgorod they halt for a days
rest in the State Prison. The trans
poItation is always sking place in the
summer season when navigation on
the Volga River is open, l. C., from
May till September. The government
has no steamers of its own and the
convicts 60 on boat covered with an
iron cage and hired on contract of the
firm of Rourbatoif g. lgnatotf, which
has during that season a weekly line
for transporting passengers and freight
from Niinii-Novgorod to Perm. The
convicts' boat is hauled by the passen-
ger steamer until Perm is reached,
whence they go by railroad across the
Ural Mountains to Ekaterinbourg, the
last railroad station on the frontier of
Europe and Asia. From Ekaterin-
bOurg they are transported in wagons
to small town in the province of
Tobolsk. At Tiumen the first step is
taken on Siberian ground
The journey from Tiumen to TOmsk
lasts eight or nine days, and affords
beautiful glimpses of the rich scenery
that is to be found in abundance in
the wild convict land. Having had
their days rest in the State Prison the
convicts, accompanied by an escort,
start on foot. the luggage, the sick,
the women and children, in case of the
latter voluntarily accompanying them,
being transported in wagons. In nspite
of the vigilant eye of the guard no
party of convicts was ever delivered
in full number. Properly speaking,
the guard is held over them till Perm
where it begins to decrease gradually.
On their way to Siberia the convicts
practise among themselves such mer-
camille affairs as changing their names,
which is another way of taking each
others places for certain amount of
money. For instance. Ivan is doomed
to hard labor and Peter is sentenced
only to distant Punishment, but Ivan
having in possession a sum of money
forfeits it. together with the severity
of his punishment, for The benefit Of
Peters sentence, who, henceforth
called Ivan, voluntarily accepts the
exchange and goes to work in the coal
mines for twentyyoars. The possibil-
ity of such exchanges will be easily
conceived if one bears in mind that
the officer and escort do not know the
countenances of the convicts, the
guard being changed at several sta
tions. They only take care to deliver
the number Of convicts they were in
trusted with.