Mohave County miner., 1888-12-29
ExlLep TO SIBERIA.
How Justice NIiscarries I'm Ruasia--The
Fate OF ''Suspects."


How Justice nIiscarries In Russia--rhs
Fate OF Suspects"
Mr.. Borodin, a well known writer for the
Russian magazine, "Annals OF the Father
land" was banished to the province OF va
kutsk on account Of the dangerous" and
''perniciousn character OF q manuscripts
foand In his house by the police during a
search This manuscript was copy OF an
article upon the economic condition Of the
province Of Viatka, which Mr. Borodin had
sent TO the above named magazine, but which
up to that time had not been published. Mr..
Borodin went 10 Eastern Siberia In a con-
vict's gray oyercoat with yellow ace Of
diamonds on bis back, and three or four
months after his arrival In Yakutsk he had
the pleasure Of reading in tho "Annals Of the
Fatheriand" the very same article for which
he had been exiled. The minister Of the In.
terror had sent him to Siberia merely for
having In his possession dangerous" and
''pernicious" manuscript, and then the St
Petersburg committee Of censorship had GER
titled that another copy of that same manu-
s,ript was perfectly harmless, and had al
lowed it to be published, without the change
of line, In one Of the most popular and
widely circulated magazines in the empire.
A gentleman named Otchkin, in Moscow,
was exiled TO Siberia by administrative pro
cess la 1856 merely because, TO adopt the
language Of the order which was issued for
his arrest, he was suspected OF an intention
TO put himself into an Illegal position" The
high crime which Mr. Otchilin was ''sus-
pected of an intention" to commit was the
taking Of fictitious name in place Of his
own. Upon what ground he was suspected
of an intentionn TO do this terrible thing Ea
never knew.
Another exile Of my acquaintance. MI.
Y, was banished merely because ne was
friend OF Mr. g, who was awaiting
trial on the charge ef political conspiracy.
When Mr.. Us case caine to a judicial
investigation be was found 10 be innocent
and was acquitted; but in the meantime Mr.
Y, merely for being q friend Of this in
nocent man, had gone TO Siberia by admins
tratiye process
In another case a young student, called
vladimir Sidorski Il use fictious namel,
was arrested by mistake instead of another
and different Sidorski nar,ed Victor, whose
presence III Moscow was regarded by some
body as 'prejudicial TO social order" Vladl-
mir protested that he was not Victor, that
be did not know Victor, and that his arrest
in the place Of Victor was the result of
stupid blunder; but his protestations were Of
10 avail The police were too much occu-
pied In unearthing ''co;sp;racies" and look
ing after 'untrust worthy" people TO devote
any time 70 troublesoms yerification of an
Insignificant students identity There must
have been something wrong about him, they
argued, or he would not have been arrested,
and the safest thing TO do with him was to
send him 10 Siberia, whoever he might be
and TO Siberia he was sent. When the con-
voy officer called the roll Of tho outgoing ex-
lie party Vladimir Sidorski failed to answer
to Victor Sidorski's name, and the officer,
with a curse, cried: "Victor Sidorskil Why
lon't you answer to your namep
1T is not my name," replied Vladimir,
land l won't answer to it. It's another ST.
dorski who ought to be going to Siberia"
"What is your name thenr -
Vladimir told him The officer coolly
erased the name ''Victorn In the roll of the
party, inserted the name ''Vladimir, and re-
marked cynically: 'It doesn't make a d--d
bit of differencer'-George Kennan in The
Century