Thomas County cat., 1889-08-08
HOW DESPOTS RULE.
Horrible Punishment Inflicted on
Exiles in Siberia.
Living and Dying in Chains-Scoursed
Starved and Frozen-The Fate OF
Human vulture-Ialf Has Not
Beon Told.

Living and Dying In Chatns-ScourSod,
Starved and frozen-The Fate OF
Human vulture-HaK Has Not
Been Told.
Alexander Baranoff, who was Rus
sian ar my officer, and who was sem
fenced to Siberia for alleged com plic-
fly in revolutionary schemes. spoke to
| Boston Advertiser reporter as fol-
lows:
"Were it not for the charity of the
| people of Russia and Siberia no con-
| vict would ever live to see the end of
his journey. The charities of the City
of Moscow, from which so many pris-
Oners start for Siberia. are great 1t
is the custom of the convicts to choose
| one of their own number as foreman
when about to start on their long jour
ney. When our company of eight
hundred men and women, escorted by
the soldiers with fixed bayonets. left
Moscow our foreman went up and
down the lines of people gathered to
witness our departure. He collected
aims from the crowd. the money be-
ing put into bags and carried along to
the first station. where it was divided.
The amount collected was so great
that every man had twenty-seven dol
lars.
1.-The Government does not interfere
with this alms-giving on the part of
the people. In every little town
through which you pass each villager
takes off his hat and crosses himself.
and throws in penny for the benefit
victs are termed by the people.
''All that the American people have
heard and read about the sufferings
endured by the prisoners exiled to Si-
IBERIA is true. The half has never been
told. The soldiers in Siberia have
name for the convicts which we'll ex-
presses their condition. 1t may be
translated freely as you are dead but
not buried This is the truth. 1t is a
living death.
Typhoid fever is the worst scourge
of the exiles. More convicts die of
that than of any other cause. 1tcould
not be otherwise. The indescribable
filth and frightful atmosphere of the
crowded sleeping-places at the sta
tions along the route are steady and
sure breeders of the disease, which
makes dreadful ravages among the
prisoners. The fever broke out
among us when We were at Tobolsk,
and the prisoners died at the rate of
thirty or forty day. 1 was sick with
the fever myself. The prisoners re-
ceived medical attendance, such as it
was. Tobolsk was a great stopping
place for transients, and at that time
there were three thousand convicts
confined in various barracks opening
upon large inclosure which was
strongly fortified.
Another thing from which the con-
victs suffer in Siberia is the cold. The
cold of Siberian winter is intense,
and the convicts on the line of march.
unable to walk fast and keep their
| blood in circulation because of their
chains, suffer much. l remember one
day, near the City of Tara. in the
Province of Tobolsk. when it was so
frosty that some of the baggage horses
even lay down and died. We lost
| three women and five men that day,
who, chilled through and through by
the dreadful cold, succumbed and died
in the road, their bodies being picked
| up and brought along to the next sta
| ton.
Some OF the prisoners died in this
way every week. especially in the
Bratski steppe, and yet it was only the
| ordinary Siberian winter.
Convict life in the mines of Siberia
is well illustrated by our daily routine
at the gold mines of Nerchinsk. We
got up at four o'clock in the morning
and had a breakfast of black bread
and a bowl of Cruel We worked in
the mines till noon and then had din
ner. consisting of more cruel and black
bread. and also piece of meat The
meat was often horse meat, and young
horse. let me tell you. isn't half bad.
| especially if you are a prisoner in
| Siberia.
I'VE worked In the mines again un-
til dark. Supper consisted of cabbage
or some other kind of soup, meat
every two or three days. potatoes or
other vegetables, which were fire.
qoently rotten, and black bread. In
the mines We worked in true miner
fashion With pick end shovel and lamp,