Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-10-23
ESCAPED FROM SIBERIA.


OfIAHAs O0tHs OEt. - "A NbUC0oveI,
B c., dnpAtch Gays that one of the pAssen-
gers BY the Empress Of India from Hong
Kong 70 thst port has tale OF terrible cut
fesing to ielaIe. sueh Indeed - fes in Cao-
ada have ever sxpeiisf csd. Scarcely yet
has hs recovered from the { # cts Of his
lorg pe,iod Of misery and privation.
Shor ly After the Empress Of India had
reschfd thers il was iearne3 that \ stov-
s<xr. who Vas an escaped exile from ST.
berian prisons. had been feuad soon after
The vessel Put 10 yea. This man, Dsmet-
nus Konoplitsky by name. was seen soon
aftefward He could speak little Engiiah,
bus not sufficient to make himself clearly
understood ooe wsuid expect to meet
man sho. though perhaps now in adverse
csrcumstances, would have the bearing
Of cne who formerly bad been q lesder
smorg men, hut, instead, This
poor mats pi'it seemed completely
broken. His face vas almost eolofless. his
eyes we're 'uok, and bis voics was weak and
lIstiess. He was : mere shadow Of what
he had been. He was Of fair complexion,
Of medium hsis ht, with light mustsehs, ar d
sppAre pt:y abou. O ffy years Of age. Among
these aboard the ship was j. Hanson Txylos.
the storekesPer, who before joining the
ship hsd been = reporter on the Bslfss,
Telegraph Mr. Tsylor during the voyage,
through Mr.. Smith, oUe Of the qusrtermas
ters, who speaks French and German quite
flasntiy, learned many details Of the exile's
history.
Konor lissky mad said that he was born in
1884 in kozsn. He had been printer.
af.erward = soldier. aud had then gone into
. lawyers flee. This lawyer established
q democratic newspaper, the name of which
when translated means "r The will Of the
sopis," and Konoplitsky ~as one of the
compositors. The pubiics ion could
scarcely be called Nihilistie, although it
was most democratic in its views. Its
suppress Oh was at last ordered by the
Russian government, and one day every
body connected with it. 70 in all, were ar.
rested and held for trial. The editor, two
reporters and the foreman of the compost
tors were executed. The others were
Obliged to walk to Moscow, a journey Of
ten days, where their trial was held. Some
of the prisoners were sentenced to exile
for lite, but the msj lrity for 10 years.
For two years they fingered in Russian
prisons Then they we're taken by steamer
up the Volga to Perm, and from there to
EEub tuoy Neht
t, Tobolsk, aud from there party Of come
600 exiles, men and women, were mar, he'd
overland across the wilds Of Siberia to
Krssnoy arsk. a place about $50 milss from
the mouth Of the Yenesei. uese knoplit-
sky was condemned to work in the gold
mines. Six years of untold suffering fol-
lowed. Fourteen of the men were thscklsd
together, working for below ground in
almost total darkness They all slept in a
room about 6 feet by . on bare plsnks,
with one little higher for pillow. They
began work at A. Nj. in the winter time
and finished ut Z p. NJ, and in the summer
time they worked from 4 A NJ. to p NJ :.
with emily one hours intermission, from l
to 2 o'clock.
They get but one meal q day, and that
consisted of black bread and water, and on
Sundays they we're allowed small portion
of canned beef. Almost as many Cossacks
as convicss stood guard at the mouth OF the
pit to absolutely bsr oil possible means Of
escape Any complaints were punished
most vigorously, aud on one occssi on
Konoplitsky was stripped. with the excep-
sion of belt around his waist, and shactled
to rock and left exposed TO the cruel
Siberian climate for "a hours, simply for
stating 10 the overseer that he was not
quite comfortable.
At lsst the hour to escape arrived. Four
teen Of them were working in the one
shift all shsckled together. With stone
Konoplitsky msnaged to remove the ar
kiets. The same opportunity was offered
to the others but he only. SO far ss he
knows, svsiled himself of it. To Visdi-
vostook, the eastern seaport OF Siberis,
was long journey, but he undertook II
and, after weeks of suffering, reached it in
August One Of the other prisoners had
managed TO keep his passport by him
during sill these yesrs and he had
given it to Konoplitsky to aid him IL
possible. 90 the way to liberty. Al Viad'
ivostock it bad to De shown 10 = Russian
official. Upon the passport the description
of the rIghiful owner WAS given. The
refugee almost corresponded with the de-
scrtption given, but X ,nopiitky had 4 lat
too msrk Of Christ besriug the cross upon
his forearm, while the passport particularly
pointed out that there were no tattoo marks
upon the person TO whom the passport hsd
been given.
The case was a desperate one and required
despersts remedy. With An ordinary
claspknife Konoplitsky cut the piece Of
flesh from the arm. The scar is not yet
healed. At Vladivostock he worked pas
sage on the Tssasahimauru, a Japanese
stesmer, to NaRasski, q trip OF seven days
For four days he remained in Nagasski.
To Yokohama vas four days trip in the
Kobe Maru. In Yokohams he remained
sixteen days. but the greater part Of that
lime Was spent in the hospital. " hen the
Emnress NJ India left for Vancouver he
got on board and hid in lifebOst and did
not make himself known until after the
ship was out Of sight Ct land.