Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-07
RUSSIAN OFFICERS ourw1rrEp.
Siberians Managed to Make Way With
Some Important Letters.

Oiucr1hns nidntSti W IutAS why WIN
Some Important Letters.
Century Magazne.l
On tho second day after our arrival in
Krasnoyarsk we narrowly escaped getting
into what might have been serious trouble
as the result of an unexpected perquisition
in the house of the acquaintance with whom
Shamarin and Peterson were staying. This
acquaintance it seemed, was under suspi-
|. oion, and late in the evening, during the alb
sence Of the two young men from their quar-
ters, the police suddenly appeared with or
ders to make housesearch. The search
was duly made, but nothing of q suspicious
narEre was found except the two locked
trunks of Shamarin and Peterson. In reply
to question as to what was in them, the
proprietor of the house said that he did not
know, that they were the property of two
of his acquaintances who had stopped for
few days with him on their way from Irkutsk
to st. Petersburg. Upon being asked where
these acquaintances were, he replied that
he did OF know, that they usually went out
after dinner and returned between ii and II
o'clock. After brief consultation the po-
lice officers decided that as they had no or
ders to search the personal baggage Of the
house-owner's guests, they would not force
the locks of the trunks, but would merely
cord and seal them, so that the contents
could not be tampered with, and leave them
When Shamarin and Peterson returned to
their quarters about midnight they found
their trunks corded and sealed so that they
could not be opened. In one of them were
many letters from political eXiles and con-
victs in Eastern Siberia to friends and rela-
tives I'll European Russia-etters describing
my investga tions and the nature of the ma
terial that was collecting and asking the
friends and relatives in European Russia to
cooperate with me-and photograph of
myself that had given to Shamarin with a
would reveal to any Intelligent police officer
the intimate nature OF my relations with po-
litical convicts. What was to be done? 70
break police sealunder such circumstances
would be penal otfense and would proba-
bly, lead to imprisonment and an investiga-
ton. To leave the letters and photograph
in the trunk would be to insure their
discovery and confiscation on the following
morning. and that might create very en-
barassing situation for me, as well as for the
authors of the letters and their friends.
The two young men finally concluded to
make an attempt to get the trunk open
without removing the cords or breaking the
seals, and as the letters and photograph
were near the bottom, and as the lid could
not be raised even if the trunk we're un-
locked, they decided to take out part of
the bottom and afterward replace it, BY
working all the rest of the night they sue
ceeded in getting out one of the bottom
boards, obtained the dangerous letters and
disturbing any of the seals, and when the
police came in the morning stood by with
unruffled serenity and saw the trunks
searched. Of course, nothing more danger
GUS than a hair brush, and nothing more in
eliminating than hotel bill, could be found.