Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-30
HISOWN ADVENTURES
Geo. Kennan, the Explorer Of ST.
IBERIA, Talks Instead of Writes.
he RELATES A THRILLING STORY
About How He Crossed Over the Dead-Line
of the Mysterious Realm.
THE TRAVELLERS NIGHT IN PITTsBURG

1
George Kennan is no orator. The dis
| tinguished traveller is better writer than a
speaker. There is more of the terseness of
practical conversationalist in his style
than the artistic design and finish of the
platform rhetoritician. He is journalist
| all over. He builds up q lecture as though
he were writing an article for the daily
newspaper. He makes it "a story" Its
aim is not so much to instruct, to describe.
or to moralize, as it is to simply interest
and entertain the auditor.
To do this last night for perhaps the most
cultured and critical Pittsburg audience
that ever filled Lafayette Hall, Mr.. Ken
nan resorted to plan common in journal
ism. Less than one-third of his address
was devoted to the information he secured in
| Siberia. The other two-thirds explained how
| he secured it. Rather than tell what he did.
! he told how he did it. That was
exactly what the people wanted
to know. Kennan. with the instinct of a jour-
| nalist, knew that everybody was curious to see
him and hear him talk about himself. And
with that fine distinction, which a newspaper
man makes between modesty and public mar
tyrdom. Kennan was able to talk all evening
about himself without blush.
A MARVELLOUS MAN.
The lecture being given under the auspices
of the Press Club, Major Harry Byram. of the
Chronicle Telegraph introduced Mr.. Kennan.
Probably 500 ladies and gentlemen faced the
explorer of cold, cruel, mysterious Siberia. 1t
was what might be termed magazine audi
ence. Through the medium of the Century
everybody there seemed to be well acquainted
with Kennan. The applause which welcomed
him was liberal.
The plucky traveller is slightly over the me-
dunn height and rather slender in build. He
is little round in the shoulders in consequence
of lifetime spent at the writing desk. A
grave cast of countenance, which is given
frmness by two sharp eyes and compressed
lips; mustache only: large bald spot on
the top of his head; skin that in some shades
of light seems almost sallow-all combine to
make you wonder how man like him was
ever able to withstand the exposure of Siberian
winters the nervous strain of the perils he un-
derwent and the exhaustion of writing. writ
ing, still writing, it all up. Kennan is stronger
fellow than he looks
The details which made his most ordinary
talk of last evening very graphic and thrilling
were about his adventures in gaining the conf
dence of political exiles in the mines of Kara,
and in securing the consent of the Government
to see the conyicts. Kara is
1000 MILES FROM ST. PETERSBURG,
in the Transbaikal, lying between two ranges
Pacific coast. Accompanied by Artist Frost,
of Boston, Mr.. Kennan said he ar
rived at this desolate place late in
the winter of 1885. He was at
once handicapped in his Investigations by be
ing invited by the Governor of Kara to become
his guest. There were no hotels or taverns, so
he had to accept the hospitality This Gov
ernor, said Kennan, was the embodiment of po
liteness, but it was soon found that he had
given up his ordinary duties TO attend the
American visitors. The guests were never
alone. If they took down their hats the Gov
ernor took down his. If they went out to look
at the stars the Governor also went out This
sort of thing bothered KEENAN, for as he said:
II realized that it was useless to ask for con-
sent to see the political exiles who belonged to
the free command j. e., lived in little huts
outside the prison walls by ticket-of-leave. To
see them would have to act secretly. had
them letters from their friends in Euro
pean Russia But the country around
these huts swarmed with cossacks
and gendarmes and foreigners were
watched closely at all times. Captain Neecolin
was the commandant over the "free commando
of political convicts. He was unpopular with
the Governor and all the soldierly. That only
complicated matters for me until resolved to
make use of this enmity between the officers.
Suddenly my host, the Governor, was called to
another part of the Transbaikal on military
business. In his absence of several days I
changed my quarters to the house of Captain
Neecolin."
A GAME AT BLUFF.
Mr.. Kennan describes this officer of the gen.
darme as a most tconsummate liar. For instance,
he tried to make the American believe that
political exiles had no labor to perform; that
they sat about reading, eating and making
merry in nicely furnished drawing rooms; that
he, Neecosn, was the shrewdest officer
for siberia shs smarness te s of political pFson @stSn
ers because in searching them he had happened
to think of looking in their ears, mouth and
hollow teeth for concealed letters, and that
actually he did find in each of those cavities
dangerous documents.
"When he told me this" says Kennan, 81
trembled for my safety, for upon my person at
that moment l carried from friends in Russia
to certain prisoners two China teacups small
mirror and a red feather duster"
Kennan allowed Neecolln to go ahead lying,
innocent, unsophisticated American tourist,
not at all anxious to know about political pris-
oners. Kennan continues the narratives
"Then pitched in and told that Captain my
whole life. told him more than had ever
told my dearest friends He evidently took me
at last for the greenest kind of customer. He
thought he had deceived me, but think de-
ceiYed him just as bad At least, think he
knows that by this time. Of course my actions
could not be excused on high moral grounds
but 1 hope the recording angel will drop tear
on all said and blot out my manifold sins"
SECRET PERILS.
The lecturer then described the midnight er-
rands he was able to make to the hut of Miss
Nathalie Armfeld, a young lady exiled for con-
nection with meeting of revolutionists, whose
only companion was her aged mother, who had
voluntarily came 4, 900 miles across Siberia to
share her cultured daughters fate. These
visits were only made after Kennan had been
in the place five days, SO hard had it been
to elude the Governor. and then the
Captain of the gendarmes. Miss Armfeld
gathered other political convicts into her hut.
The information Kennan gained from them
has all been printed in his papers.
One night they were surprised by the genda-
rmes and Kennan narrowly escaped detection.
The Governor returning in few days, inter-
fered with further visits to the ticket-of-leave
huts or prisons. Captain Neecolin heard of
the nocturnal investigations Kennan had been
carrying on and informed the Governor. The
latter official assailed Kennan. and the traveller
hearing search of his baggage, burned valu-
BILE letters of convicts, sketches, maps and
much memoranda which, If found on his per-
son, would not only have resulted in his i'm
prisonment in Siberia, but would have impli-
Gated and endangered scores of officials and
exiles who had trusted him implicitly with their
confidence. So hazardous was the nature of his
mission that before he had left st. Petersburg
the United States legation there had full in
structions how to make inquiries and search
for Kennan and Frost in case they didnot
return to European Russia in six months.
During the lecture Mr.. Kennan excused
himself few moments and then reappeared
on the stage dressed in the full garb of Siber-
ian exile-clothes that had actually been worn
hx,a af Kar