The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-13
THE FACE OF AN ANGEL
A RUSSIAN APOLLO GUILTY OF
MOST TERRIBLE CRIMES.


awares Afioat on the Caspian Sea
With Gang of Murderers en- Route
for Siberia-A Convict with Boyish,
Beautiful Face has History so
Frightful that it Appalls the Hardy
Veterans of the Guard.
Constnntiaople Letter to Philadelphia Press.
There are few more dismal places on the
whole western shore oPthe Caspian Sea
than the little Russian port of Petrovsk,
where-after scurrying night and day
across the whole breadth of the Caucasus
to catch the one weekly steamer for Astrak-
han-I found on arrival that there was no
steamer to catch, for it had not come in yet.
This was owing to the fact that His Majesty
the Shah of Persia then on a visit 10 the
Car had been graciously pleased to GO
northward in four or five steamers at once,
completely deranging all local communica-
tons for the time being
For four mortal days did l 'kick my
heels in this delightful place sleeping at
night on a bench in the dirty little log cabin
that served a. a posting house, which was
haunted by countless indigenous creepers,
not classified 10y botanists, while during the
whole day had nothing to do but swim, to
cat black bread and goats milk cheese, and
TO pace rapidly up and down the stone
breakwater on the little harbor, watching
in vain through nv glass for any sign Of
the delayed boat However the long
expected steamer came at last, and away
we went across the Northwestern corner Of
the great land-locked sea, toward the
mouth of the Nolga and Astrakhan.
| caught sight OF a group of about dozen
men on the main deck just beyond the line
which marked off the tirst-class from the
second class passengers. Six of them dis
played the olive-green jacket and gray frieze
overcoat of Russian grenadiers of the line,
while the rest wore the high sheepskin cap,
white tunic embroidered across the breast,
and smart velvet trousers of Georgian or
CircaSsian mountaineers. Two of the latter
were lying asleep on the Seek, while the
other four were playing cards with four of
the soldiers. AS they moved their feet the
ominous chnking sound was heard again,
louder than before, and now perceived
that it proceeded from the chains with
which their limbs were linked together at
the ankles.
Then | saw it all. was in company with
a batch of desperate criminals on their way
under escort to join one of the chain-gangs
which are sent every year to Siberia. They
must be murderers, too, for no other male
factors would be so heavily irOned, unless,
indeed, they were political offenders; and
they as | know, are hardly ever dispatched
to Siberia by that particular route.
OF the four whom | was able to observe
for the two sleepers had their faces hidden
three were formidable-lOoking fellows
whose fierce brigand-ike visages bore
ample traces in their scowling brows and
fiery eyes of that savage, unreasonable fury
which defies all restraints and ignores all
consequences. But the cOuntenance of the
fourth, who sat facing me as | stood, was
even more appalling i'll its own peculiar
way. The features themselves were mild
and almost handsome, but there was "a
dreadful blankness about them-an absolute
want of any expression whatever-which
was unutterably CHASTITY. 1t was the face
not of an III g.. bu Of an animal-not of a
being i'll II M reason and conscience had
become extinct, but of one in whom they
had never existed.
Just then came mp one of the two unoc-
cupied soldiers sturdy veteran of the Bo-
hemian war, whose strong, upright figure
and bold sInburned face almost contra
dicted the evidence of his grizzled hair.
Are you looking ut our birds, fathers
You needn't b afraid of them, they're quiet
enough in their cages as you See"
'I'm not afraid, brother" answered j;
five seen plenty of such fellows in my
time, and there's no fear of their breaking
loose with a good soldier like you to look
after them"
well, father" said the old "mustache,"
evidently pleased with the compliment, II
dare say | can take charge of them as well
as anybody else But for all that he ad-
ded, lowering his voice mysteriously, 81
shall be very glad to get rid Of them"
"Why soF' said |, startled by the mans
voice and manner more than bv his words
'You must surely be well used to mounting
guard over murderers by this time"
AYE, ordinary murderers; but there's
one man here who IS enough to sink the
ship all by himself. If we get safe to land
with him Oh board it'll be by the mercy of
God there lie crossed himself devouty).
(Which is he" inquired, awed in spite
of myself by the undisguised terror of this
iron man whose Scared face showed that
he had seen many a battlefield, and had
probably taken more than one life with his
own hand
Before the Russian could answer one of
the two sleeping prisoners suddenly awoke,
and raised himself slowly from the deck,
showing me as he did SO the handsomesG
face that | had ever seen in my life
Beautiful as an Apollo, slim and graceful
as deerhound, with bright, boyish look
on his fresh young face that would have
won any heart at first glance, be looked so
utterly out of place amid his rabble of cut
throats that could hardly have been more
startled if | had seen one of Raphael's
CLeruDlm picking pocket. But L was
doubly so when my old grenadier pointed to
him and said, with a look and tone that
shall never forget:
'That's the man!n'
"Hen cried | in amazement "Why, he
has the face of an ANGEL"
$50 every one says, and can believe now
what Father Gregory used TO tell me-that
the Devil himself was an angel once. This
fellow may have. zen an angel when he was
born, but now-ugh! never go near him
without feeling as if | were in the presence
of Satan himself"
"What has he done, them asked |, more
disturbed than should have cared to own.
'Come this way and I'll tell YOU" an
swered the Russian, glancing nervously
over his shoulder as he drew me away.
This demon with the face of an angel had
followed the Russian armys marches like a
vampire, his trade being to murder and rob
the aged and infirm who were left without
protectors in the unprotected villages which
the army invaded He had been known TO
kill gray-haired men who were on the death
bed, and to Stay children and violate de-
fenseless maidens was his pastime. The ac-
count of his crimes-well in spite of my
long residence in lands where the
GOODNESS with which men shed blood
like water has become a proverb it
made me feel absolutely sick with horror.
All through the night that beautiful, terri
BILE face distorted into a thousand wild and