Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-01-16
EXILES FREE FROM SIBERIA
How Two Russian EXileS MADE a
Bleak for Liberty, aud Succeed i'll
Securing 1t.
The Case Of YOlkh0fski, the Poet. and
George Lazaref, the Political TX
lies.
In Russia One Must Conduct Him.
self Carefully, Arrests Being
Made for Slight 0tftnseS.

| ers from Siberia. Both OF these men Mr..
| Kennan made the personal acquaintance
| of while travelling in Siberia some two
| years ago. MIR. kennan has returned to
Washington to spend the holidays, after
| which he viii leave to fulfill his Iecturng
| engagement.
The first Of these men," he said,
! Felix Nolkhofski, was Russian poet of
some distinction: IT fact, one of the trans
lators of Longfeilow IN the Russian
| / n2uage. met him at Tomsk. where he
had been detained seven years In solitary
confinement and eleven more in exile
His pleasing and sincere manner attracted
me at once, and | became deeply interest
ed in him. His life had been Il particul-
arIy sad one, having lost his wife 10y sui
eide, two of his children died of consums-
ton, and. in order to make his escape, he
was obliged to abandon his third child,
a sweet little girl 8 years Old, in eastern
Siberia. After my return to this country
| corresponded with NolkhofskI for some
time by means of secret addresses and
through the aid of mutual friends. About
a year ago his correspondence suddenly
ceased and lost al track of him Short
ly after this | received letter from one of
his friends saying that | had better not
write to him any more. understood the
policy OF compiling with this advice, and
my friend Nolkhofski dropped completely
from my sight but not from ny memory.
Some months ago | received letter.
postmarked Vancouver, addressed IL his
familiar handwriting. Ii never occurred
to me that he had escaped, as imagined
that he had sent the letter by some ac-
qualntance, until | opened it and glanced
over the first few words, which read: My
dear GeOTgewanVitch At last | am free. 5"
| was overJoyed and patiently waited to
hear the details OF his escape from hts own
lips. He came to Albany where | was
lecturlng. and Immediately made for my
room III the hotel The meeting between
us would have made an amusing k0dac
picture. 1t occurred in the hallway OF the
hotel. He was dressed III heavy Russian
furs while | was only clothed iii my well
1t was early In the morning and had
arisen III answer to his knock. Then
heard his story He had assumed the
guise of a retired army officer, and by his
sharpness and etfrontery made his way
down the Amoor river to a Pacific port,
not, however, without many marrow escapes
from detection. Then he skipped to
Japan, where he took steamer for this
country. Upto this time he had not dis
closed his identity, as the japanese govern
ment returns escaping eXiIeS to Russia.
On the steamer, however. it became known
who he was, and subscription was start
ed, to which every man, woman and child
on the vessel contributed. Why even the
lamp cleaner threw In the few coppers he
had
After leaving Albany Volkhofski ac-
Cepted the invitation of Mr.. Huber, whose
acquaintance he made on the vessel from
Japan, to visit his home III Canada Not
long after this received from him very
despondent letter, in which he said that
if he only had his little girl with hi,, he
would have the courage to begin a new
career, but without her life is not worth
living. | offered him assistance, and we
arranged scheme by which she was to
be smuggled from Russia via Finland to
London. NOlkhofski went there to meet
her, and | have received another letter
from him which commenced: 'Hurrah
my little daughter has arrived. The let
ter also contained postscript from the
child herself Volkhofski has returned to
his literary work. and a recent copy of the
tOrtnightiy Review contained an interest
ing article by him, on My Life in Rus
sian Prisons.
'ln the case of George Lazaref, politi-
cal exile who has just reached this coun-
try, was almost similar to that of VoIk-
hofski. met him at Chita. "A Eastern
Siberia, where he bad been exiled for three
years by administrative process-that is,
10y a simple order of the minister without
any trial. He was a lawyer, bright
young fellow. and formed a sincere
friendship with him. Like Volbhofsli,
our correspondence came to a sudden end.
The last letter | received from him while
he was In Siberia was written at one of
the roadside exile stations. 1t was eight
cen pages long. Where he obtained the
writing materia! or how he mailed the
letter can not say Probably he bribed
his guards. He did not write again from
Siberia, and did not know whether he
was dead or living. But a short time ago
! received letter from him, postmarked
San Francisco. in which he related the ex-
perienceS of his escape. They were SINH
! lar to Nolkhofski's Lazaref had served
his three years of exile, and was about to
return to his home when one day an IL
! literate peasant. who could neither read
nor write, came to him and asked him to
write a letter at his dictation. The
crime for which this peasant had been
exiled was for changing mis- political be-
lief from the Russian Church to the
| Lutherun faith.
In the letter which Lazaref wrote for
the peasant ne exhorted his friends at
home that although he had been banished
not to waver in their convictions and to
! stand firm in their new belief. Lazeref
| finished his term of exile ard started for
| his home. In the meanwhile the let
ter had been intercepted. 1t wa. known
that the peasant was unable to write. and
an investigation was set on foot to discov-
| er who the writer was. The authorship
WAS traced to Lazeref and he was again
| eXiled for five more years, 1t was during
this Punishment that he fed the country.
George Lazeref IS now in San Francisco
studying the English language.
People in Russia have to conduct them.
selves in "A most exemplary manner, foI
one will be arrested for the most trivial Of.
fenSes. Just TO illustrate the feeling
which prevails as to the reasons for which
one can be arrested, | will tell you a story
which Nolkhofski told me. One of hit
companions in exile asked him why b,
had been banished. He replied that h,
did not know himself. Don't knowr ex
claimed his interrogation Didn't YOU
father have peculiar-looking COW coloreC
black and whlte?' Very likely. answer
ed VolkofSki. Ny father owned a mum
bev of cattle Well, don't you know tina
that is enough in itself to exile twent,
men, said his friend.
There was a family named Pierce. from
indianapolis continued Mr.. kennan
who were arrested and confined 70
tweuty-four hours because they took no
dac picture within the walls Of the krerH
lin, in Moscow At a lecture in Brookly1
, 4 gentleman introduced himself TO me. an
during our conversation told me thu
story: He had secured the agency of
, fuel cartridge for lighting fires. and sallet
for Russia to introduce his patent there
In his trunk he carried two of these fuy
cartridges. He had printed some band
bills giving his name and address, o
which was an illustration of the fue
cartridge with flames bursting from il
Viii liking in st. Petersburg, IL tax
, ing out his handkerchief, he accidental
pulled out some of these handbills, whic
fell 10 the street When he returned {
: his hotel he found the police in charge {
his room. and they were ranSacking hl
. trunks. They found the cartridge, anC
I believing it to be bomb. arrested hin
together with his aged mother. He Wa
i detained is prison ten days-until the So!