Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-13
A DESPERATE FLIGHT.
Terrible Exp eriences Of Political
Exile in Russia.

In the year 1876, Siecinski, Bogdaszewski
and /, with the three Russian soldiers whC
guarded US, occupied a small shed near the
great distilleries of Ekaterinin i-Zovod, il
Northern Siberia.
1t was a poor little dwelling. The wind
whistled and the snow drifted through the
cracks in the boarding but it had the in,
estimable advantage of separating in some
degree our daily life from that of the con.
victs, association with whom is one of the
hardest of the eXile's many trials.
All the workmen at Ekaterininski-Zovod
were prisoners land as a matter of course
also exiles), and by far tho greater proper
ton were convicts. The position of political
prisoners in such an establishment is neces-
sarily full of suffering, and my two friends
and had drunk the bitter cup to the dregs.
We were Polish mobiles and Polish patriots,
and had each passed separately the trial and
imprisonment in irons which had followed
our participation in the conspiracy OF 1S40-1.
Siecinski and Bogdaszewski preceded me to
Siberia, and there, alas 4! left them.
pass over the first five years of my exile,
with its tolls and trials, and will merely OBJ
serve that the permission to build and oc-
cupy dwelling apart had been granted to
my two friends and myself as reward for
= diligence and good conduct
Orr three guards never left Us by day or
might, but they drew apart during the long
evenings, and either slept or feigned to do
so, while we talked together Of our beloved
country and the irrevocable past.
OF one subject, and that the one probably
most constantly in our minds, we never
spoke at all. No one of US whispered the
word escape" and / do not yet know wheth
sr my two friends have succeeded in doing
so or not But this know, that if still in
in captivity they ponder through all the
hours of every day the exile's problem,
when and how to escape Alas how many
die without solving it From the moment
OF my arrest had resolved upon flight, and
a knowledge of the terrible punishments in
ficted by the Russian government, not only
upon fugitives, but upon all who aid fugi-
tive, had induced me to determine to take
no one into my confidence.
My occupation during the last four years
OF NV Imprisonment had been that of cor
responding clerk in the Bureau of the Dis
tilleries, and had in that way been brought
ir contact with merchants and peasants
from all parts of Siberia, and had acquired
a very thorough knowledge of the geography
of the country, of its customs and its inhab-
itants In the latter part of the year 1S45
had made three attempts to escape, which,
fortunately for me, remained undiscovered
and unsuspected.
THESE failures were, however, of use to
NE. since in consequence of them Was in
Guced to try the route which proved the
way to freedom. The choice of a route is
of the greatest consequence to a fugitive
when beginning his perilOus journey. The
high-road from Siberia to the center of Rus
sia is the one oftenest taken, because the
most direct and the easiest. But for this
very reason it is incomparably the most
dangerous The surveillance there exer-
cised by the government is one of unceasing
vigilance, and it is ably seconded by the in
habitants, whose zeal and rapacity are con-
tinually on the alert The Tartars have a
saying with regard to the fugitives from
Siberia: ''If you kill squirrel you have
but his single skin, but If you kill car
nak' Ia term of contempt applied to pris-
soners), "you have three-his clothes, his
shirt and himself (the reward for giving
up the man to iustice). Five other roads re-
manned, all less dangerous than the one
above alluded to, but far more difficult and
wearisome. l decided to go northward.
across the Oural Mountains and the steppes
of Petchara and Archangel to Archangel, a
route which was not only the least used,
hut had also the immense advantage of be-
ing the shortest for, once at Archangel. /
hoped to be able to escape in one of the
many foreign ships always to be found in
that port.
had for many months been accumuIat-
ing one by one, with great secresy and no
small difficulty, the articles indispensable
10 my flight
First among these was passport The
Siberian peasant is fond of travelling, and
the law requires him to be provided with
two passports, one for small distances, that
is, from village to village, and another,
sealed with the imperial arms, and bearing
the government stamp.
succeeded in fabricating the one and the
other. also procured a Siberian wig, that
is to say, the hood called wig worn by all
peasants in Siberia. Ii is made of Sleeps
hide. the wool turned inward, and covers the
forehead down to the eyes, and comes well
forward over the cheeks, malKing-fcr one
not in the ha6it of wearing it-a disguise al
most as complete as a mask or domino.
had also succeeded in procuring peasant:
costume, and had accumulated the sum oi
1S0 rubles labout 200 francs)-a small sun
for such a long journey, and destined 70 bt
diminished still further by fatal accident
On the night of the Sth of February, 1916
4 crept out of the hut while my companions
were sleeping. Ny enterprise was des
perate one at any time, and had selecteC
this month because of the great yearly fail
at Irbit. which attracted e great crowd o.
people from all parts of Siberia, amonG
whom hoped to pass unperceived. wor'
three shirts; the outer one hung over m,
heavy pantaloons of Russian cloth, and m,
peasants waistcoat and ''armiak' IA shor
ss3ypecse Of sheep-slin soaked In tallow