Telegram-herald., 1889-09-28

D-sAS kss E.z4tes a. Assset-Es - 80
CA<p&&z 49,

sesJsrn Europe IA csc thias~e dat
cc11kL4l o1E @Eil-ll4ls - 1@&s$
No. yoa oou1suon tasn ~ l-e. 40
coat wonder tb4t thzy someone's ~lsh
tue sentence cofaaa 9ted 10 death.
There 90 80 apparent reason "hy
those words should t2sh s3cs apOl a-e =
e1k later ss l stood ~ the deck = ths
steamer thzt ~TAs carrying me- zcEoss the
Caspian SEQ from felrossk - Aslr4Afaa.
watching ne aighty peaks u the Caa-
eas1s melting into the golden spiendor
Of the western say, and the frst shadows
OF evening over the broad. smooth suF-
face Il THAI strange outl4wsd lake,
"hicn seems 70 belOag neither 70 Europe
nor 70 Asia Bur they did haunt ne
strangely. nevertheless.
There were only one or two otEsr
saloon Passengers, who were already De
low, making elaborate preparations foi
beIng comfortably sick. 50 | had the
upper deck 70 myself. On tho lower
deck. just beneath me. a group of hand
some young fellows (ln the embroidered
white tunics, high sheepskin caps. Grim
son girdies and baggy velvet trousers Of
Clrcassian mountaineers) were playing
cards with four gray coated Russian sol
diers, and greeting .Ae III luck that
seemed 20 attend the latter with bursts
OF ooyish laughter. IN which the Russians
good naturecly joined.
sudden chinking from below. like
cups and saucers being set Out. brought
me down in haste, a special correspond
ents meal time being whenever he can
get food. But there was no sign OF tea
In the saloon, and I turned savagely
upon the steward Ia lumpish looking
Tartar half caste from the Crimea) 70
demand the cause of this false alarm.
understand me, but when he did his
heavy mouth opened in grin so broad
as 10 make his fiat brown face look just
like penny with hole through IT,
''lf you want the cups and saucers that
made that chinking. father" said he.
pOinGng to the lower deck outside.
You Il find 'em therer'
Just then the card players asose, aid
| saw with arlazemsnt that the men in
Circassisn dreT, wore heavy letters GU
their ankles, ard that their wricts were
handcuffed and linked together oy
short chain. which. without materially
Impeding the'r orainas movements,
you'd efectually disable them in fight
At the same time / noticed that every
mar of tho gray coats" had short
sword at his siste and a loaded rife with
IN reach of his hand
Then the trnth flashed upon me. These
merry gams-t1s were conyict chsin
gang b9u-d ~ Siberia, and the Russians
with whom Saey were Playing and jrk-
iDs so gsyiy were the soldiers who
guarded them, end who vosn ready to
Kill them without mercy at the least
siSij Of an attempt at escape.
AS hurded down the ladder for a
nearer view OF tt.en the hard faced old
sergeant commanding the party, across
whose brown cheet ran the scar of "A Cir
cassian saissr, caught ny eye and smiled
neaningly.
'Iour honor hasn't often travelled in
snch company, fancy" said he, greet
ing With q stiff salute my Russian forage
cap and nite military jacket.
"Ofterer than you think, my lad: but
who are these Gagged birds of yoursT'
These Circassians are brigands from
a gang that we've just broken up in the
Daghestan mountains; most Of the others
are murdererS. That fellow sitting yon-
der by the mast mas committed twenty
three murders, if not more, for he may
have forgotten a few"
The murderer, guessing that we were
speaking Of him, smiled complacently,
while looked keenly at him for some
outward sign of the ferocity which could
perpetrate such unsparing slaughter.
But found absolutely none.
Heres another" resumed the ser
geant. pointing to a big, slouching fel-
low, whose heavy face had no expression
beyond a coarse good humor. His
baby disturbed him at night by crying,
so he got up and strangled it, and then
went to sleep again" "a fact.)
Just then a girlish voice. clear and
JOYOUS as the carol Of skylark, rose
from the forecastle. singing an old Rus
sian wedding song:
Heat the tea urn. mother dear-bake the cakes
FOR tea;
Guests today to thee VIII cone-sooers gay to
Unto thee they'll give bow. unto me kiss.
And a merry day weu have, merTier cen than
this
Then the singer appeared from behind
pile Of chests-a slender young girl
who seemed hardly l6. though really
several years older. with n face SO fresh,
and bright, and pure that it might have
taken its place among the child angels Of
Raphaels wonderful "Sistine Madonna
Good heaven cried l. starting. what
can that child have done:"
Murdered her husband - said the Rus
sian coolly. "a drunken old rogue Of a
money lender. old enough to be her
grandfather. and ugly "a the doviI him
self Re used to come home drunk
every night and swear ~ her and beat
her. and Of course she didn't like that:
and there was perhaps some other man
whom she liked better. 50 one night she
tiled NJ the old fellow with liquor till
he was quite helpless. and then laid him
face downward on the f0or. with his
head in pan ~ water: and so with
ohucsiel be died of apople1vT
SO ghastly was the contrast between
this hideOus story and tie sweet. child
ike face = its heroine. that had no
heart - pursns TIE talk any further and
it vas An unsyeaksble relief - ne ~hen.
a little after midnight. the shsdowv bun
II = half seen vessel gsided toward n.
through tie gloom ss We nesred shs
mouth q the Noiga. and the clsns q
chains told ne that this Load - crirn.
"a ,-.f---- - re.- .--.-.-f----s