Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-01-17
A DESPERATE FLIGHT.

- D1hJ4 I1ul4 l. IL h LIN IL Il o
Terrible Exp eriences of Political
Exile in Russia.
In the year 1916, Siecinsk. Dogdaszewski,
and /, with the three Russian soldiers who
guarded US, occupied small shed near the
great distilleries Of Ekaterinin ski-Zovod, In
Northern Siberia.
1t was 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-Zovo
were prisoners land as matter of course
also exiles), and by far the 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-l.
Siccinski and Bogdaszewski preceded me to
Siberia, and there, alas left them.
Ipass over the first five years of my exile,
with its tolls and trials, and will merely OBJ
serve that the permission to build aud &C.
cupy dwelling apart had been granted to
my two friends and myself as reward for
diligence and good conduct.
Our three guards never left us by day or
night, 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 'cscape," and / do not yet know wheth
err my two friends have succeeded in doing
80 or not. But this know, that II 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
knowledge of the terrible punishments in.
fiicted 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.
NY occupation during the last four years
of my Imprisonment had been that of cor
responding clerk in the Bureau of the Dis
tilleries, and had in that way been brought
in contact with merchants and peasants
from all parts of Siberia, and had acquired
very thorough knowledge of the geography
of the country, of its customs and its inhab-
itants. In the latter part of the year lS45
had made three attempts to escape which
fortunately for me, remained undiscovered
and unsupported.
These failures were, however, of use tc
me, since in consequence Of them was in
duced to try the route which proved the
way to freedom. The choice OF route is
of the greatest consequence TO fugitive
when beginning his perilous journey. The
h,sh-resd from Siberia 10 the center Of Rus.
STA is the one oftenest taken. because the
most direct aud 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.
tiuually on the alert The Tartars have q
saving with regard to the fugitives from
Siberia: "If you kill squirrel you have
but his single skin, but II you kill car
maxi - Ia term of contempt applied to pris
sopers), "you have three-his clothes, his
shirt and HIMSELF (the reward for giving
mn the man to iusticel. Five other roads re
manned, all less dangerous than the one
above alluded to, but far more difficult and
wearisomc. / decided to 60 northward
across the Oural Mountains and the steppes
~ Petchara and Archangel to Archangel, 9
route which was not only the least used
bnt had also the immense advantage Of be
inc the shortest, for, once at Archangel.
honed to be able to escape in one Of the
many foreign ships always to be found In
that port.
had for many months been accumulat
ing one by one, with great secresy and nc
small difficulty, the articles indispensable
70 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, thai
is, from village to village ana anotner
sealed with the imperial arms, and bearing
the government stamp.
succeeded in fabricating the one and thu
other. also procured Siberian wig, ina
il TO saw, the hood called wig worn by al
neasants in Siberia. II is made Of sheep
hide the wool turned inward, and covers thu
Forehead down to the eyes. and comes wei
forward over the cheeks, making-for on'
moi in the habit of wearing tia disguise al
most a. complete as a mask or domino. !
had also succeeded in procuring peasant
costume. and had accumulated the sum o
,so rpb,es labout 800 francs)-a small sun
for such long journey, and destined TO b
diminished still further by fatal accident
On the nigh, Of the sth Of February, 1916
rcrept out Of the hut while my companions
xere sleeping. My enterprise was des
rsrate one at any time, and had selecte'
this month because Of the great yearly fail
A. Irbit. which attracted great crowd O
,<.,sle from all parts OF Siberia, amoni
,~ssr, hoped to pass impoverished. Iwor'
.hrce shirts: the outer one hung over N,
sssvv pantaloons Of Russian cloth, and ~
rsssspt's vaisscost and 'srmiak" 70 shoF
sSruoose Of shsspskia soaked y islles