The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-01-14

whenever I found need of producing
my papers the word ciyility will scarce
" express the treatment / received.
How | should have been treated without
these potent talismans ! can not say.
The whole countryside in most places
was busy with the hay-harvest; a mat
ter of such importance to the commu-
nifty at large that convicts are told off
for some six weeks to assist in the work
of saving the crops Tho wild flowers,
many Of them very beautiful, grew
freely; the people looked well and con-
tented. Altogether my impressions OF
Siberia in summer were pleasant ones.
Yet / wished it had been the dead OF
winter. Then it is that, in spite OF the
cold one travels more pleasantly. Ivan
assured me that when good snow road
is formed and tarantass may be ex-
changed for sledge, the amount of
ground passed over in a day is some
thing marvellous. am afraid from
memory to say how many miles may be
covered in twenty-four hours when the
smooth-going runners take the place OF
wheels.
We had, of course, various small ac-
cidents and delays on the road. How
ever strongly built tarantass may be
it Is but mortal. Wheels broke, axle
trees gave way, shafts snapped, twice
we were overturned, but rs no evil eX-
cept delay ensued need not relate the
history OF these misfortunes.
Nor need enumerate the towns and
villages through which we passed un-
less / wish to make my story as inter-
esting as scriptural genealogy-Tara,
Kainsk, Koliuvan, Tomsk, Achinsk,
Krasnoyarsk, Mini Udinsk, may or may
not be familiar 10 the reader, according
to the depth of his geographical stud
les; but most Of the others, even If |
knew how to spell their names, would
be nothing more than vain sounds.
Perhps when we trace the march Of
the Russian army destined TO invade
our Indian Empire we may become
better acquainted with the Cars Asiat-
ic dominions.
Yet at the entrance to each OF these
little towns or villages, the very names
of which | have forgotten, so surely as
you found the well-appointed posting
station, you found also gloomy square
building, varying with the size of the
place, surrounded by tall palisade,
the gates of which were barred, bolted
and sentried-these buildings were the
ostrogs, or prisons.
Here it was that the wretched con-
victs were housed as they halted on
their long march. In these places they
were packed like sardines in a box.
Prisons built to hold two hundred were
often called upon to accommodate at
least twice that number of luckless
wretches. / was told that when ioe was
breaking up in the rivers; when the
floods were out; when in fact the prog
ress must perforce be delayed, the
scenes at these prisons or depots beg
CARED description. Men, sometimes un-
sexed women with them, huddled into
rooms reeking with filth, the floors
throwing out poisonous emanations-
rooms built to give but scanty space to
n small number, crowded TO suifocation.
The mortality at times was fearful The
trials of the march were as nothing
when compared with the horrors of the
so-called rest. And It was in one oi
these ostrogs / should find Ceneri.
We passed many gangs of convicts
plodding along to their fate. Ivan told
me that most Of them were in chains.
This | should not have noticed, as the
irons were only on the legs and worn
under the trousers. Poor wretched be-
ings, my heart ached for them! Felons
though they were, could never refuse
the charity they invariably prayed for.
So far as | could see they were not un-
kindly treated by the soldiers and Off
GERS, but terrible tales were told me
about their sufferings at the hands OF
inhuman jailers and commandants Of
prisons. There, for the slightest in
fraction of rules, the rod, the dark
cell and a variety of other punishments
were called into play.
always felt relieved when we had
passed out OF sight Of gang like
this. The contrast between my own
position and that of such number oI
my fellow-men was too painful to con
template-an yet, IL Ceneri did moi
clear away every shadow of doubt
from my mind might retracc my
steps a more miserable wretch thar
either of those footsore convicts.
Some week or ten days after leaving
Tobolsk began to make inquiries a
every ostrog as TO when Captain Varla
moff's gang passed, and when j nigh
expect to overtake it. The answers
received TO the latter question cor
responded with that given me by thu
Govemor-all agreed at Irkutsk, or jus
beyond. Day after day l found we wer'
gaining rapidly upon the party, anC
when at last we reached the large hand
some town OF Irkutsk brightly reckonet
that had reached the end, or nearly
the end Of my journey.
On inquiry found Captain Varla
moff had not yet arrived. At the plac'
where had last inquired l had beef
told he had passed through a day be
fore, so it was evident we had over
looked and outstripped them. The bes
thing 10 be done was to wait in lrkutsl
the arrival of the party.
was not at all sorry to take coupl
, Of days rest after my fatigues. / wa
not sorry 10 indulge once more in tn
, comforts Of comparative civilization; ye
nearly every hour l was sending dow
to inquire II the conyicts had arrived
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