The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1891-10-30
a MARROW ESCAPE.
GsOrgs KEENAN, Got Into TroubIs Ssua
Outwittsd the Russians

GA0rES ~
Outvtttsd the Russians
On the second day after our arrival
in Krasnoyarsk We narrowly escaped
getting into what might have been
serious trouble as the result OF an IN
expected perquisition in the house of
the acquaintance with whom Shanarin
and Peterson were staying. THIS ac-
ouaintance, Il seemed, was under s,is-
picion. and late in the evening. during
the absence OF the two young men from
their quarters. the police suddenly ap-
peared with orders to make q house
search The search was duly made
but nothing of a suspicious nature was
found except the two locked trunks of
ShsmRrin and Peterson In reply 70 a
question as TO what was in them the
proprietor OF the house said that he
did not know, that they were the pro
perty 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 acquaintance were he replied
that he did not know. that they usual
ly went out after dinner and returned
between eleven and twelve o'clock.
officers decided that as they had no
orders to search the personal baggage
OF the. house-owner's guests they would
not force the locks OF the trurks but
would merely cord and seal them so
that the contents could not be tam
pered with end leave them until morn
ing.
When Shamarin and Peterson return
ed TO their quarters about midnight
they found their trunks corded and
sealed so that they could not be open
ed. In one OF them were many letters
from political exiles and convicts in
Eastern Siberia to friends and rela-
tives in European Russia-letters de-
scribing my Investigations and the ma
ture OF the material that l was col
lecting and asking the friends and
relatives in European Russia to CO.
operate with me-and a photograph OF
myself that l had given to Shamarin
with a dedication or inscription on the
back that would reveal to any intelli-
gent police officer the intimate nature
OF my relations with political couvicts.
What was to be done? To break a
police seal under such circumstances
would be penal offense and would
probably lead TO imprisonment and an
investigation. To leave the letters
and photograph in the trunk would be
TO insure their discovery and confsca-
ton on the following morning and
that might create a very embarrassing
situation for me as well as for the
authors and their friends The two
young men finally concluded TO make
an attempt TO get the trunk open with
out removing the cords or breaking
the seals and as the letters and pk o.
tOgraph were near the bottom. and as
the lid could not be raised even if the
trunk were unlocked. they decided to
take out part OF the bottom and
afterward replace it By working all
the rest OF the night they succeeded in
getting out one of the bottom boards
obtained the dangerous letters and the
photograph. put the board back with
out disturbing any OF the seals and
when the police came in the morning
stood by with unruff1ed serenity and
saw the trunks searched. OF course
nothing more dangerous than hair
brush. and nothing more discriminating
than a hotel bill could be found. =
Century.