The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-10-16

and the mechanics, in whose faces he hurled
them, were obliged to bring them back to
him under penalty of dismissal.
Contrary to the custom of the majority OF
the grantees he lived in niggardly fashion
and had but one servant-an old woman
and it was asserted that, far from sending
to Barnoul the entire amount of gold he
mined-for the mines belong to the govern
ment, and all the gold of Siberia is smelted
at Barnoul on the Obi-he did not fear to
purloin large quantities of it which he kept
concealed
One morning, he and his servant were
found dead, the skulls of both split open
with hatchets.
However, the robbers did not succeed in
discovering the Majors supposed hiding.
place They were able to steal only small
amount of silver, Major Dobson being in the
habit of sending the most valuable portion
of his profits to England.
Three weeks later, another assassination
turned out much better for its authors,
and agitated the entire district of Merit
chinsk
A Russian from the Crimea, named Khab.
! aroff, possessed as grantee a piece of land
from which he had been unable to get even
the smallest morsel of gold, though much of
the neighboring territory yielded superb re-
turns. Then, this man devised the meaSs
of putting his hand upon some of the pre-
cious metal, the color of which the govern
ment would never see, thus depriving the
grantees, his prosperous rivals, Of commits
sions to which the results Of their operations
entitled them.
In his capacity of life proprietor, he had
the right to keep liquor shop upon his
lands for the accommodation of his work
| men, but, as he did not employ single
toiler, his spirits were sold to his neighbors'
! people at the reasonable price of half
| pound of gold dust a bottle. Two barrels Of
| brandy worth at most fifty dollars, brought
| him in about one hundred and fifty thou
| sand dollars. It goes without saying that
| the purchases were paid for so magnificent
| ly with the precious ore stolen by the gold
hunters.
Khabaroff was despoiled of a portion of
his ill-gotten wealth, after having been left
for dead upon the public square. But
while he was being cared for his method
of enriching himself at the expense Of the
State was discovered, and misfortune over
took him.
In consequence of these outrages, the local
| Then, it was suddenly discovered that 3
band of gold-robbers, already famous through
odious exploits, had made this double stroke,
and that the son of the Ipravsnil1 or Justice
of the Peace had for long time been asso.
ciated with this band.
Everybody estee1aed the Ipravsnik He
was a proud and honest Russian named Yer
mac, descendant, perhaps, of the Cossack
| IL l. H..
conquered Siberia.
Yer1nac had been at NertchinSl1 for few
years only, in disgrace exiled, in fact. It
was said that he had filled an important
post in the magistracy in Moscow, acquiring
there a reputation for austerity and incor-
ruptibility, and pitilessly denouncing the
prcqarications of his colleagues. The lat.
ter, uniting, had succeeded in undoing him.
Such man could not remain Indifferent
to the too Well-founded suspicious in regard
to his son. He resigned his Office, and, as
he was not permitted to return to Russia
and did not desire to make further efforts to
create an independent and honorable situa.
ton for himself he solicited and obtained
the position of superintendent among the
guards of the Oukboul mine. Yermac was
the keeper whom Yegor Semenoff had in
suited and struck. No doubt il he had
been acquainted with the rectitude Of the
man Of the whip, Yegor would have repent
ed of his fury, for he was capable of appre-
ciating in others qualities he himself pos
sessed in common with them.
Yegor Semenoff had been exiled for politi.
cal causes. Arrested at Kieff, where he
attended the university, he did not know
what was his crime. One evening the police,
making descent upon his residence, had
seized his letters, papers and books and led
him to prison.
Two weeks later, he was hurried over
the roads leading to Siberia. He had de-
parted for ''the land from which no one
returns
Being a noble, the law spared him the pain
of travelling on foot, slight amelioration of
punishment inflicted in an entirely arbi-
trary manner.
BY dint of reflection and from few ques.
tions which he remembered had been asked
him, Yegor felt satisfied that he owed the
seventies of the police to the friendship
which existed between him and the aged
poet, Abel Davidoff, who had been exiled tc
Siberia three years before.
Davidoff had been accompanied in his
exile by his only daughter, Nadege, whose
portrait, convict number 1857 wore upon his
breast.
For him, alas she was no longer of this
world, and the little sentimental romance
begun between a student in his twentieth
year and a young girl of sixteen had had
sad epilogue!
Their destinies, however, seemed to have
this in common; that she and he, in all
probability, would end their days far from
Kieff
Yegor, who, as soon as he had arrived at
Oukboul had studied the country with the
intention of escaping, suddenly renowned
every enterprise of that kind on learning
that Davidoff and his daughter resided at
IrkoutSk
Hence he strove to accustom himself to
the terrible life of miner, making super
human efforts to succeed. Was it not posi-
BILE that he also might in time receive an
amelioration of his lot He was innocent
guilty only of sympathy for certain victims
of the Cars MEMORABLE Justice.
At OmSk offended by the rough tone of