The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-06-04
FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS AN OUTCAST.
A Russians story Which Reads Like
Those George Kennan Heard.
How Felix Rrant 8atiIed for Life In
Foul Prison Cells.
Many Weary Years Spent as a PoIItIs
cal Exile In Siberia.

60 10 Canauas is DelnB HOnlLeu throughout
the Dominion. He says that his first arrest
resulted from letter sent to a student. who,
himself, had been arrested and searched. He
was 81 years Of age at that time. The gen
darmes arrived at the house at midnight, and
reused his mother with their loud knocks.
She opened the door, and the room was in
stantly filed with officers. They asked for
her son, and received answer that he was In
bed. The reply came, ''No matter" and
then they began the search Of all the papers
In the house, the examination lasting until
early morning Then he was told to dress
himself. and taken In sleigh TO the secret
police department at Moscow, and thence to
st. Petersburg, where he was put in solita-
ry cell. He was well fed. and could see the
courtyard from his window, but he had no
books and no recreation TO divert his mind,
which could not fail to brood upon the fact
that he had been ruthlessly torn away from
friends and all that made life most dear. He
got hold of piece OF printed paper and
tried to amuse himself by seeing how many
words he could make out OF each word, but
when his guard saw that he was thus divert
ing himself he took the paper away. His
mother finally contrived to see him, but their
interviews, held In the presence OF gen.
darmes, were naturally very constrained and
they dare not mention any names Of mutual
friends for fear OF getting them into trouble
After eight months of solitary confinement,
he was brought to trial. There was no ju-
ry, he had no lawyer, and there was no
told to go, without learning the why or
wherefore OF his arrest.
He had only been free about year when
he was again arrested and placed In a dirty
cell, in which he could not take four steps
either way. The bed was Of straw. without
any bed clothes or Quilt, and 1t was so full
Of vermin that he WAS unable to sleep dur
Ing the first two nights. All that the author
tiles allowed him was five cents day on
which to feed himself, and he was forced to
live on bread and pork sausages. Had not
his mother come to his assistance he must
have died there. Russian newspapers are
never allowed to publish arrests or tell where
the accused are taken, but his mother, after
weeks of searching discovered his prison
and brought him assistance. He was charg-
ed with melting students, when, as a matter
Of fact, at a meeting held by them, he had
used all his efforts TO show them the useless
ness Of their proposed plans. He dared not
urge this fact In self-defence, however, or he
would have been called upon TO give the
names Of those present. He was finally tax
en- to St. Petersburg. and again placed In q
solitary cell. The prisoners were allowed TO
take exercise every two days In the court
yard, but with gendarme In front and an
other In the rear, this recreation was not so
enjoyable as it might seem. The only thing
the prisoners valued II for was by reason OF
the fact that they could drop letters to one
cigarette paper and folded so small as to be
hardly discernible. Another mode Of con
versatiOn was by knocking on the walls.
This was done by system OF knocks. IL
was only by means Of these communications
that many OF them were saved from mad
ness.
At the end Of two and half years he was
brought to trial, and acquitted In the
meantime his health and nerves had be-
come completely shattered, and upon his re-
lease he broke down utterly, becoming seized
with typhoid fever. After recovering he was
forced TO spend year In the south Of Russia
before he was able to 10 anything, and even
cses.-S was yery weak and feeble. In Odes-
sa he became the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
for the purpose OF bettering the condition Of
the;people. For the third time he was arrested
and once more sent to Moscow. He became
deaf In the dirty prisons Of that place, and
when finally transferred to ST. Petersburg
he could not hear the knocks of fellow pris-
oners, which before had done so much to
vile away the time.
He spent whole year In this way, and
when he saw his mother 1t was with diff
Guilty that he could think Of words to speak
TO her. Then began the fight for reason, and
the expedient that he adopted was that OF
composing poem regarding a Russian his
t0rical Incident. He had to memoriZe the
lines, having nothing to write with, ana In
bulH way ub COulpOStu ZlO NtlStSs
He related many instances OF heartrendlng
cruelty practised on the prisoners. and says
that the punishment cells were near an oven
and covered with filth and vermin. In fact,
so maddening was the temperature that
many of those placed therein went insane
for the time being. He waited three years
for his Indictment. Finally. his cell door
opened one day and two soldiers seized him,
beating him with their iron fists almost all
the way to thu room where he was tried. He
uToG . hrnnnhf N fo1 unit Of and
an evidence Of the terrible condition In which
they all were, no less than five died during
the hearing. iThey had ne jury. Juries In
Russia are only for burglars, murderers, and
the ike. lie was exiled for life to Siberia,
and two months later was awakened at mid
night and started on his journey. The gov
ernment allowed people of noble birth SO a
month, and month later he found himself
domiciled in town with orders that he was
not to go outside the limits. His letters had
all to be first submitted to the police. aud all
sent to him were first read by them. He had
known instances where the authorities blot
ted every word except the date line, "Dear
so-and-s0," and the signature.
He had been brought up as a lawyer, and
finally entered upon literary works, so that
In place OF 1900 people there was no
chance whatever for him to exercise his
talents In these directions. He managed by
manual labor to make $40 month and thus
he lived for five years until he received per-
mission to go TO Tomsk, a place Of 10000
people. AT the end Of five years he was or
dered to leave Tomsk, and he received q
good place In bank in Irkutsk. The third
month of his stay there he was ordered to
leave town, and then he went TO another
place and engaged In business with friend.
He had only been there short time when
he received orders to get out within three
days. His record as an exile was sent after
him wherever he went, and consequently
there was no place wherein he could rest the
soles Of his weary feet
1t was then that he deterpined to escape.
and, securing a three-months' passport to go
anywhere In Siberia save the places from
which ne had been expelled, he started on
his journey. He irelates some thrilling in
cidents tou ufhing his many narrow escapes
from detection. Finally he reached the
Siberian port of the. Pacific, and found
in in" port, including anu an English tSI steamer. amer
He went on board and asked the
| Captain II he would take passenger to j ap.
| an. He replied: "Yes, for S25." He then
told the captain that he had no passport, and
| The captain hesitated, and he then told him
his whole story. Finally the captain prom
hSed hosrs d9 nsIt .aEe him. telling him to come on
wSaT tbe water was 50 rough that no boa
| man would venture out, and he was in de-
/ spair. He finally, by Offering one OF them
/ a large sum. prevailed upon him to make the
trip. When they got near the, the steamer he
| the captain. He buried his face in his hand
| keIchief and told the boatman to row to the
| opposite side of the ship. When he got there
| the steward whispered him to be quick In
| getting up the gangway, and once on deck
| be found the officers were not there. The
| captain had seen him coming and taken
| them into the cabin. The steward hid him
| until the boat started, and that was the last
| solitary confinement for him. Altogether he
has spent seven years In solitary conhne.
ment. and his exile in Siberia lasted for II
| years.