The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-03-12

nlhli.StS. soon began To arrest them on
charges Of organizing revolutionary So
ci"tlr> dangerous 10 the Car : dynasty.
l he prisoners We're sentenced Ia ten.
twelve and fifteen Years in Siberia The
speaker told of his own arrest with three
others. and the four were marched Off to
prison. But one prisoner was a nihiliSt,
and managed To get the prison guards
drunk during the night, and the four
| prisoners escaped,
After two hours nf hard walking the
| prisoners reached almost tile point from
| which they had started. They had lost
| their way in the dark and had missed
| the road To the railway station thirty
five miles from til" prison The fugi
| tiycs saw ii light in a small house and
vcntured iii. only to be received by a
constable. But the speaker had Il copy
of an cid song in his pocket. which he
palmcd OIL "n the llitcratc constable for
passport
The prisoners forged tkrir own pass
| ports. and, escaping from the country.
| Stepniak found refuge in London.
The SPEAKER then referred to the sys
| tenn OF trials. by tribunal and 10y ad-
mini>tratiNe Justice. 80 called. in Russia.
| Men were allowed Il jury in the tribunal
| system, and sometimes were acquitted.
| But in the admin StratiVr Justice system
| they were arrested. convicted and eX-
| lied to Siberia without even knowing
what charge had been placed against
| them, or knowing the na res of their ac
cuseIs. They were often taken away
| by officers To Siberia without knowing
| the point OF destination The speaker
| gave Il graphic description of the in
| qui>itorai infections ON til" Prisoners in
| Siberia. Two young women who
| Wer" confined in jail were forced
| to di-robe before crowd Of brutal
| men from the fortress. One Young ot1i-
| Ger was arrested for being nihilist who
went insane while IN jail, but he was
| tried and executed while in his dementcd
condition. Out of 1872 prisoners al one
| place in 1877. seventy-four died from
| privatons in Siberia, and now there were
only five OF six Of them alive. These
| prisoners were simply propagandistS who
had committed no crime, but had simply
spoken what they believed. Where one
| prisoner gets trial there are twenty
| five who are convicted without a trial.
| If there is nothing found against a man
| he is likely eNiied simply 10 prevent him
| from committing some nltenSc in the
| future.
The government now exiles even chill
dren. In 1887 3I9 boys and girls under
age were cXiled to Siberia. The speaker
cited one ease of a little girl l3 years OF
age, who had been noisy at Il public
demonstration. The police arrested her.
She called on the crowd TO rescue her,
and the crowd oheycd her appeal She
was afterward rearr1Sted and eXicd to
Siberia. where she committed suicide in
prison. Many of the men who are ar
| rested are cXiled to satisfy political re-
vcngc. \ man of influence can place
charge of nihiIism against poor enemy
and get him ont Of the way.
In conclusion the speaker said nihlism
used peaceful means when proper but
was oftentimeS compelled to use de-
structivc methods. But the day was
coming when the army would supper,
| the nihili>ts, and a general uprising of
the people would overthrow the Cars
| dynasty. Where there are one hundred
! prominent leaders there are thousands
upon thousands of dissatisfied people
who never take an active part in fight
ing for the doctrines of letter govern
ment NihiiiSm was spreading among
| them. The opinion of America, which
was decidedly against despotsm, had
great weight with the intelligent classes
| in Russia.