Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-11-02
A Reception Of the Fix Ie,.


From George Remnants illustrated article 10
the October Ceatnry we quote The following:
THE pr soners had disemharkei before we
reached our destination. We found them as
sembled In two dense gray throngs at the
ends OF long wooden she'd which was sur
rounded and turned into IA sort of cattlepcn
by high plank wall. Here they were Identl-
fed, counted and turned over by the convoy
officer 10 the warden OF the Tomsk forward
Ing prison. The shed was divided transverse
ly through the middle b. low wooden barrl-
cade. at one end of which was fenced in
closure, about ten feet square. for the accom-
mediation OF the officers who had TO take part
In the reception Of the party. About half the
sxlles had been formally "received" and we're
handing at the eastern end Of the shed, while
The other half were grouped in dense throng
At the western end, waiting for their names
10 be called. The women, no stood huddled
together In group by Themselves, were most
In peasant costumes, with bright colored
ierchiefs over their heads aud their faces, /
thought, showed great aux ETY. and apIrehcn-
ZION. The men all wore long gray oyercoats
over coarse linen shirts aul trous ,rs: most OF
hem were in chains, aud the bare heads OF
he conyic.s aud the penal colon sts had been
half shaved longitu linally In such way that
me side OF the scalp was smooth and blue,
Nh lie the other eide was nil len By long neg.
ected hair. Soldiers stool here and there
round the shell, leaning upon their bayonet-
I'll Hes, and ins de the little Enclosure were
;he convoy officer Of the party the warden and
The surgeon OF the Tumsil forwarding prison,
the chief of the local bureau OF exile admin.
stratlon, and two or three officers, all In full
a,.ff "
American travellers Nh) desired 10 see the re-
reption OF an * lie par y, and we were inYited
10 stand inside lie nclosure
1.-The officer who was conducting the exam
lnalion oil the cOnvcts Dire "A folded pa Der
from large bundle In his hand opened and
glanced at IT, aud then shouted, ~ icolia Kolt-
SOL! thin, pale mau, with heavy. wearied
eyes and a hope ess EXPRESSION of face who
was standing In the front rank OF the exile
party, picked up the gray linen bag that lay
beside him on the floor, ana with a slow clink
e.ink, clink OF chains walked into the enclos-
are The examining officer compared his face
carefully with a photograph attached 10 the
statein speesok,' or 'identl fication paper in
order TO make sure that the pale man ha q
not exchanged names with some other exile
while Cossack orderly examined him from
head 10 foot and rumiuaged through his bag
TO see that he had neither lost nor surrupti-
tiously sold the articles of clothing that he
bad received 10 Moscow or Tiumeu, and that
- is everything there! inquired the off.
Ger.
Everything replied Cossaclz.
Stoopia Pass onp said the leuien-
ant; and the pale faced mau sbou dercd his
bag and Joined the ranks of the 'rece ,yed at
the eastern end Of the sued.
The photographs are new thing
whispered Colonel Yag0dkin To me; 'and on.
iy part Of the exies have them. They are
intended to break up he practice OF exchaug-
Ing u mes and Identifies
But why should they wish to exchange
nampsF inquired.
- III a man Is sentenced 10 hard labor at the
mines he replied, and has little money,
be always tries to buy secretly the name and
Identity OF some poor devil Of colonist who
longs desperately for driOl of vOdk 4, or who
wants money with which to gam bic. OF
course the convoy officer has no means of pre-.
venting this sort OF transaction, because he
cannot possibly remember the names and
faces OF the four or i've hundred men in his
party. If the cony CT succeeds In finding a
colonist who is wiling TO sell his name, he
takes the colonists place and is assigned to a
residence in some village, while the colonist
takes the cOnv cts place and goes 10 the
mines. Hundreds of hard labor convicts es-
cape In this Wnyu