The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-01-10
ONE. OF STEPNIAK'S ADVENTURES.
Russian Brandy and n Glib Tongue
Served Him Well Twice in One Night.

From Tie NeD YORK SIN OF me we.
Sergius Stepniak, the Russian revolu-
tionary leader, lecturcd for the first time
in New York at the Metropolitan Opera
House last night. The house was well
filled. He was listened to attentively and
was frequently applauded. His lecture
consisted chiefly of anecdotes from his
own experience as q Nihilist. Among the
more interesting Of these was that Of his
first arrest.
With companion he was found at
work among the peasants, teaching them
his unlawful ideas and making friends as
well as converts. -Four policemen took
them to village on the way TO prison
set apart for political offenders, and
stopped there for the night. Then came
friends from among the peasants bringing
many bottles of Russian brandy to the
police, SO that by midnight each officer
was dead drunk and the prisoners We're
free to run. They did run, hoping to
reach a larger place some distance away,
and there get horses to carry them to a rail-
road station. They undertook to cross q
swamp to save distance. 1t was freezing
night, but the leo was in places too thin
to bear their weight, SO that they fire.
quently fell into the water waist deep,
and their clothing became stiff with Ice.
Worse than all they lost their way, and
after two and half hours came out on q
highway but half an hours walk from
tho place they had escaped from. 1t was
now so near daylight that horses must be
procured or recapturc was inevitable, and
yet they feared that IL they applied for
help in this village they would find some
one who would recognize them.
There was no help for it, however, and
they ut oncowcnt to house where light
was seen. \ party enjoying a dance was
found there. They walked in and the
first man they met was a constable from
the. other village, who had seen them
under arrest. lie looked at them sus-
piciousiy, but StepnialS walked up and
greeted him enthusiastically.
"But saw you under arrest yesterday
said the constable.
Certainly, but it was all a mistake An
| order came from the government order
| ing our release. Here is the order We
want horses" and Stepniak pulled out a
| copy of Il song he had made, trusting that
| the constable was illiterate. And so he
| was; but he was sharp enough to demand
| that the escaped prisoners so to the village
| clerk, who could read.
At this Stepniall and his friend deter
mined to fight rather than be recaptured,
| but before there was necessity for that Il
| girl said the clerk had gone To u wedding
| That was good news, for he was sure t.
| be drunk, and so away they went, found
him so, and then, having passed his stu,
pid scrutiny, they mounted horses and
He'd to railroad station much further
away than they needed to have gone
There, instead of taking train thai
would carry them further away, they
took a train that carried them back neal
the scene of their escape-they doubled on
| their track. At one station they saw {
crowd of officers watching for them, but
no search was made in the ears, and they
reached Moscow and friends in safety,
As described by Stemiak, the life of {
| political outlaw is one of thrilling excite
mont until he is captured; then he is eN
ccuted commits suicide, becomes insane
or quickly dies of hardships in prison o
| exile i'm SihQrin