The Portland daily press., 1885-01-02

When Ossinsky had finished the narrative,
the turn came of Ivan BokanoVski, sur
named the Cossack, because, being native
of the Ukraine, he Tesembed the ancient
Cossacks of that county in his courage, his
imperturbable ceolness and his taciturnity.
Everyone turned towards HIM. He took
his little wooden pipe from his mouth and
said: Why, there's nothing to tell. He
came, took us, and we went out; that's
ALL"
''No! mop exclaimed those present. Gre
late is all from beginning to end"
"Well, then, when the day fixed arrived
he came with the keys of our cells"
mo! nov' they broke in again. "I4et us
have it all. Begin at the beginning and tell
the whole story"
The Cossack, seeing that every way of es-
cape was closed against him, slowly filed his
pipe with the air OF man preparing for
long Journey, lit it, tried to see if it drew
properly, and then started in on bis nara
live, which contained more words than the
Cossack would ordinarily pronounce in
three months at least.
''Michael came to the prison about two
| months before our flight. 1t was a very
| long AID difficult business to get him in. At
last he succeeded in being received with
| false passport of rustic named Fomenko,
! first as mere odd man, and afterwards as
warden.
In short time, by his diligence in the
o. rformanoe of his duties aud his unexcep-
| tionable conduct, be succeeded in gaining
The favor OF all his superiors. A month al
forwards he was promoted to the rank OF
head len in one OF the corridors OF the
| prisoners confined for ordinary offences.
| In order o give the governor OF the prison
| a splendid proof of his excellent moral quail
| ties, Michael: acting on the advice of Stefan
| ovic, went one day To play The spy upon him
| while the latter was writing expressly Tor
the purpose in his cell a note of no lmpor-
lance Rbatever, SO as to be taken IN tJdgrGn-
te dereLicto.
The governor would not, however, take
advantage of this denuncatioh.
1t should be stated that in the prison at
Kleff the position Of the political prisoners
was quite exceptional at That time. Toe ter
rorism, which, at the first, struck at the sec
cndary officials, produced such panic OF tear
at Kieff that everyone, from the procur'Stor
to the governor Of the prison, We'd with the
rest in paying court 10 us; for they all feared
thew would be killed at our first signal.
When the governor learned that it was that
very Steianovic, the most favored OF Them
all, who was writing, be said: Let bin
write and did nothing more. From that
day, though, Michael had gained his Aeart
In order make himself agreeable to us,
the political prisoners, the governor had ap-
pointed as our bead HaFder a certain Nlklta,
an excellent man. as good as gold. 1t was
essential, however, to get rid OF him at al
hazards, as On his post becoming vacant 1t
would probably be given to Michael.
This, however, was no easy matter. The
worthy man had done nothing whatever Il
US. So we sudaciously invented Offences
which he had not even dreamt Of commit
ting, in order that we might complain to th'
governor, who censured him, reprlmande(
him AID threatened him, although he wa
not the least % blame. But the honest fel
low. instead of growing angry with US AM
committing, as we hoped, some impruden
j act, bore all quietly, repeating;