Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-17
exlLED TO SIBERIA.
How Justice Miscarries in Russia-Th
Fate of Suspects"

How Justice Miscarries in Russfa-Ihe
Fate of Suspects"
Mr.. Borodin, 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
''perncious" character of manuscript
found in his house by the police during
search This manuscript was a copy OF an
article upon the economic condition of the
province of Viatka, which Mr.. Borodin had
sent to the above named magazine, but when
I'D to that time had not been published Mr.
Borodin went to Eastern Siberia in a con-
vict's gray overcoat with yellow ace OF
diamonds on his back, and three or four
months after his arrival in Sasutsk he had
the pleasure of reading in the Annals OF the
Fatherlandr 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
| ''perniciousn manuscript, and then the ST.
Petersburg committee of censorship had GER
| titled that another copy Of that same manu-
script was perfectly harmless, and had al
| lowed it to be published, without the change
| of a 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 in 1885 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. Otchkin was 'sus,
pected of an intention" to commit was the
taking of a fictitious name in place of his
own. Upon what ground he was suspected
of an intention to do this terrible thing he
never knew.
Another exile OF my acquaintance. Mr.
Y, was banished merely because he wa
friend of Mr. 2, who was awaiting
trial on the charge of political conspiracy
When MIR. Us case came to a judicia
investigation he was found to be innocen
and was acquitted; but in the meantime MIR
y, merely for being a friend of this In
nocent man, had gone to Siberia by admins
trative process.
In another case young student, calle'
Vladimir Sidorski Il use a fctious name
: was arrested by mistake instead of anothe
, and a different Sidorski named Victor, who's
presence in Moscow was regarded by some
body as ''prejudicial to social order" Nlad
mir protested that he was not Victor, tina
be did not know Victor, and that his arres
in the place of Victor was the result of
< stupid blunder; but his protestations We're c
!. no avail. The police were too much occl
:. pied in unearthing ''conspiracies" and iool
u ing after ''untrustworthy" people to devoi
II any time to a troublesome veriflcation Of a
80 insignificant students identity. There mu
have been something wrong about him, the
argued, or he would not have been arrests
: and the safest thing to do with him was
Il send him to Siberia, whoever he might be,
and to Siberia he was sent. When the CO
voy officer called the roll of the outgoing e
lie party Vladimir Sidorski failed to answ
to Victor Sidorski's name, and the office
with curse, cried: "Victor Sidorskil WI
r. don't you answer to your nameT
,e sit is not my name,n replied Vladimi
+, land l won't answer to it. It's another
III dorski who ought to be going to Siberia"
le "What is your name thenf'
g. Vladimir told him The officer cool
erased the name 'tVictor" in the roll of t
y party, inserted the name vladimir and !
marked cynically: at doesn't make q d.
bit of diGerenceIn-George kennan in 7
:, Century.