The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-09
A NARROW ESCAPE IN RUSSIA.
How the vigiIant Officers of the Czal
Were CieverIy Outwitted.

Were CieverIy Outwitted.
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 unexpected perquisitioD
in the house Of the acquaintance with
whom Shamarin and Peterson were stay
ing. This acquaintance, it seemed, wa
under suspicion, and late in the evening,
during the absence of the two young men
from their quarters, the police suddenly
appeared with orders to make house
search. The search was duly made, but
nothing of a suspicious nature was found
except the two locked trunks of ShamariI
and Peterson.
In reply to a question as to what was IN
them the proprietor of the house said that
he did not know, that they were the prop
erty of two of his acquaintance who hac
stopped for few days with him on then
way from Irkutsk TO st. Petersburg. UpoL
being asked where these acquaintance
we're, he replied that he did not know; thai
:hey usually went out after dinner and re
turned between IL and 12o'clock. After Z
brief consultation the police officers de
cided that as they had no orders TO search
the personal baggage of the houseowners
guests they would not force the locks oi
the trunks, but would merely cord and
seal them, so that the contents could moi
be tampered with, and leave them until
morning.
When Shamarin and Peterson returned
to their quarters about midnight they
found their trunks corded and sealed 81
that they could not be opened In one Of
them were many letters from political ex
lies and convicts in eastern Siberia and
friends and relatives in European Russia
letters describing my Investigations aud
the nature of the material that / was col
lecting. and asking the friends and rela
tives in EuroT can Russia to cooperate with
me-and a photograph of myself thSt J
had given TO Shamarin with a dedication
or inscription on the back that would re
veal to any Intelligent police officer the in
innate nature Of my relations with poliC
ical convicts.
Wha. was to be done' To break polics
seal under such circumstances would be
penal ofense. and would probably lead e
Imprisonment and an investigation. Tc
leave the letters and photograph IN The
trunk would be 70 insure their discovery
and confscation on the following morning
and that might create a very eua abarrassiDs
situation for me. as well as for the author
OF the letters and their friends. The tws
young men finally concluded 70 make 81
attempt to get the truak open without re
moving the cords or breaking she seals. and
as the letters and photograph were ueaI
the bottom. and as the I'd could nof b
raised even If the trunk we're unlocked
they decided 20 take cut q part Of the BOT
tom and afeArvrs ID -nntRre Il
By working all the rest ot the night
they succeeded IN getting cut one Of The
bottom boards. obtained the dangerous
letters aud the photograph, bat the board
hack without disturbing any Of the seals
and when the police came in the morning
stood bT with unru.nsd serenity and saS
the trunks searched OF course notkins
more dangerous than a hzir5r1sk aDG
nothing more incrminatiug than kOts,
biu could be found--George Ksarsn IL
Century