San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-08

poet, Abel Davidoff, who had been exied 70
Siberia three years before
Davidoff had been accompanied in his
exile by his only daughter, Nadege, whose
portrait, convict number 1867 wore upon his
breast.
For him, alas she was no longer of this
world, and the little sentimental romance
begun between student in his twentieth
year and young girl of sixteen had had q
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, sue ,enly renowned
every enterprise Of hat kind on learning
that Davidoff ari his, daughter resided at
Irkoutsk rr ,a#
Hence he Strove to accuStom himself to
the terrible life Of miner, making super
human efforts to succeed. Was il H1t posi-
bic that he also might in = i r,5eire an
amelioration Of his lot. l.1 was innocent
guilty only Of sympathy for certain victims
Of tho Cars irexCraSle justice,
At OrIs.;, offended by the rough tone Of
place OF his soiourn, he had answered him
haugh-ly, almost arrogantly. This man,
whose pride was wounded, had taken q
cruel Joy, at the close Of his consultation
with his colleagues, in announcing to him
calling him Monsieur this time-that he
was destined to work in the verdigris
mines at Nertchinsk Was it not possible
that this severe decision might be reconsid-
eredl He felt that he must arm himself
with courage!
His squad was working in an interior gal
lery already commenced in the vein. An
excavation was being made. Two miners
struck, turn by turn, upon the wedge which
third miner held. In the darkness, the
finty rocks emitted sparks beneath the re-
peated blows of the iron.
There was not sufficient air for respira-
ton; Initiated and rare fed, it was also
charged with deleterious dust and deadly
poisons. When the rock was split, the
work with the pick-axe began. 1t was then
necessary to extend the gallery through
soft stone which crumbled to pieces, in
cessantly threatening to bury the toilers
beneath falling masses; and this labor
continued uninterruptedly for ten hours
daily.
Yegor fell from sheer exhaustion when
he reached the mouth of the shaft, in the
evening, after an ascension which lasted
nearly two hours.
He struggled stoutly, but, nevertheless,
encouragement finally took possession Of
| him, fever brought on additional weakness
and with it came the cortege of black ideas.
Soon he could no longer eat; his brain
dried and burned, and there was constant
buzzing in his ears.
In this condition, the poor young man was
haunted by thoughts of suicide; he repulsed
them, at first, as he would have repulsed
the thought of great crime, but they per-
| sistently returned. He grew to think that,
since he was doomed to death, it mattered
but little if he FASTENED the moment a few
hours. Was he not free from all response
bilityl They were killing him and he would
60 to meet death, that was all He, at last,
resolved to end the slow agony to which he
was condemned.
The method was very easy-it was close
ct hand.
He had heard Of desperate wretches who
had caused themselves to be crushed be-
meath blocks of stone. He would follow
their example.
For three days he had been loosening
rock he toiled with redoubled ardor at his
perilous task decided to place himself be-
meath the enormous mass when it was about
to fall,
Tosucceed, he must put forth efforts and
exercise a firm will for two days longer. A
year Of his life fed at each blow of the
pick-axe without shaking his fierce resolu-
tion-at least, he thought so; but this OBJ
stinate work carried on with such design
wore him out.
One morning, he said to the two men who
shared his yOurte:
81 cdnnot rise!"
One of these men was a Russian political
convict, transferred from Minousink to Ouk- ]
boul as an increase of punishment; the 9TH !
er Tunguse brigand, an assassin and
robber. Both of them, like Yegor, were |
new corners, and the government had lodged !
them in one of its yOurtes until they could
get time to build hut. To enable them to !
live, they had a few cents, the salary from
the grantee of the mine, receiving besides |
from the government siXty-siX pounds OF ,
rye flour and one dollar per month. They |
could dispose according to their liking OF |
one week in four.
Seeing Yegor so sick his companions car 4
ried him to the hospital. 1t was rather a !
CLEARINGHOUSE. When he recovered his
senses, about forty-eight hours afterwards,
he found himself in wooden barrack ar
ranged like the between-decks Of ship. 4
Each cabin contained number of invalids
stretched upon shelves, one above another,
on the bare boards. In the midst of COM
plete darkness, those who were least i'll