The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-08-30
HOW DESPOTS RULE.
Horrible Punishment Inflicted on
Exiles in Siberia.
Living and Dying in Chains-ScOurged ed,
Starved and FrOzen-The Fate OF
Human Vulture-Half Has Not
Been Told.


Starved and FrOzen-The Fate OF 3
Human vulture-Half Has Not
Been Told.
Alexander Baranoff, who was Rus
sian ar my officer, and who was SEN
fenced to Siberia for alleged com pic
ity 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-
Wet 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.
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
and throws in penny for the benefit
OF the poor unfortunates,' as the con-
victs are termed by the people.
"All that the American people have
heard and read about the sufferings
endured by the prisoners exiled to ST.
IBERIA is true. The half has never been
told. The soldiers in Siberia have a
name for the convicts which we'll ex-
presses their condition. 1t may be
translated freely as you are dead but
rut buried This is the truth. It is a
living death.
Typhoid fever is the worst scourge
Of the exiles. More convicts die of
that than of any other cause. Itcould
not be otherwise. The indescribable
filth and frightful atmosphere of the
crowded slecping-places at the STA
tons 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 f~rty day. l 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 Enclosure 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 circulate because of their
chains. suffer much. I 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 we'll illustrated by our daily routine
at the gold mines of Nerchinsk. We
got up at four o'clock in the morning
and had breakfast of black bread
and 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 prisoner in
Siberia.
1--WE 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.
quently rotten. and black bread. In
the mines we worked in true miner
fashion with pick and shovel and lamp
on hat We still wore our chains.
They never came of. The c0nvicts
had to live in them and die in them.
''Such life, of Course. sooner or
later. caused the death of many con-
victs. The political prisoners. many
OF whom were of high rank and totally
unused to manual labor and to such q
diet and manner of living, suffered the
most and succumbed generally the
fastest. The ordinary offenders,
thieves, common malefactors. etc,
who csUpe from the lower classes.