The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-10
sAylsHEp TO SIBERIA FOR LIFE
Something About Felix vOllkhofski an'
His Devoted, Heroic Wife,

4
IT. ,o nerbaps. the most attractive anu
.,-r,ratbetic of the Tomsk exiles was the
Russian author, Felix Volkholski' WHO We" tSo
banished TO Siberia for life in lS'o upon t,-'
charge of Belonging to society 'I.'' t i
tends, at a more or less remote time III 'Le
futnre, TO overthrow the existing form M, ~
government writes George KEENAN, III l n0
Century 4,o time |
He was about IS years of age at the tlllio >. :
made his acquaintance, and was ulln ni
cultivated mind, warm heart ana hlsh "HP.
rations. He knew English well, was laillii'''t
with American history and llteraVure anu
had. [ believe, translated into RusSian iil'N'
of the poems of LongfelloW' ,,.i,, 7
He spoke to me with great adhlra'lUn' :
remember, of Longfellow'S "Arseh"' nv az
Springfield" and recited it to me aloud no
was one of the most winning and ioVaole
men that it has ever been my good fortune
to know; but his life had been terrlol0
tragedy.
His health had been shattered by long I'M
prisonment in the fortress of PeropaVIoEsA'
his hair was prematurely white; ana "hen
his face was in repose there seemed TO De an
EXPRESSION of profound melancholy IN MS
dark brown eyes.
became intimately acquainted WIN mn,
and very warmly attached to hlmi anu
when babe him good-by for the last tlme
on my return from Eastern Siberia IN looo'
he put his arms around me and kissed me-
and said: George Ivanoyitch, please don
forget usl In bidding you good-by, ieel
as if something were going out OF my lile
that would never again come into IT,
Since my return to America have hearu
from Mr. Volkhofski only once. He wrote
me profoundly sad and touching letter, IN
which he informs me of the death of his wife
by suicide lie himself had been thrown out
of employment by the suppression OF Ghe
liberal Tomsk newspaper The siberian VA
zette, and his wife, whom remember as
pale, delicate, sad faced woman, 20 or 5U
wears of AGE, had tried to help him support
their family of young children by giving
private lessons and by taking in sewing.
Anxiety and overwork had finally broken
down her health; she had become an Invalid,
and in morbid state of mind, brought on by
unhappiness and disease, she reasoned her.
self into the belief that she was an incum-
DranCe, GaUuef Ildn Il uelp, W h0i hu'S
and her children, and that they would ultl-
mately be better off if she were dead.
A little more than year ago she put an
end to her unhappy life by shooting herself
through the head with a pistol, Her hus-
band was devotedly attached to her, and her
DEATH under such circumstances and in such
q way, was a terrible blow to him.
He sent me with his letter a small, worn,
leather matchbox, which had been given by
Prince Pierre Krapotkin to his exiled brother
Alexander, which the latter had left to Volk-
hofski, and which Volkhofski had in turn
presented to his wife short time before her
death.
The car may whiten the hair of such men
as Felix Volkhofski in the silent bombproof
classmates of the fortress, and he may send
them in gray convict overcoats to Siberia;
but time will come in the providence of
God, when their names will stand higher
than his on the roll of history, and when the
record of their lives and sufferings will be
source of heroic inspiration to all Russians
who love liberty and their country.