Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-09-08

dais and motioned to the soldiers, and
some of them approached Aaron and told
him he must leave the court. He seemed
dazed and broken, but he moved away,
great sob broke from her. Out OF that tenn
pie of the law, where the scales of Justice
were not balanced, went poor Aaron and
his child, and when they gained the outer
vestibule they sat on one OF the stone
benches And presently they heard an ex-
ultant cheer from the people in the court.
A lawyer in his gown came out, and was
hurrying away, but Aaron clutched him
"Teil me, he said, us he condemned"
HE is"
And the sentence?"
"Sakhalin," CURLY and grufily answered
the lawyer and hurried away.
All alert as she was. Rachel heard that
dread word, and with sob that came from
her bursting heart, she moaned in the
agony of her distress this prayer
''Oh Lord, God Of the weary and sorrow
full, uphold me and comfort ME in this hour
OF my bitter trial, pray Thee and give
Even though it compels us for mo-
ment or two to turn aside from the Incl
dents in the story, it may be we'll to give
here some account OF the famous prison to
which Moshka had been sent. Sakhaln is
one of the largest islands in the world, and
is situated in the Northern Pacific, off the
coast Of Russian Manchuria, from which it
is separated by a narrow strait six miles i'll
width, and known as the Gulf of Tartary.
This island is used as Russian convict
station, and is one OF the most dreadful
and desol ate regions on the face o! the globe.
1t is out OF the route Of trading vessels; and
SO. wild and barren is it. 50 difficult OF
access, so wrapped in everlasting gloom
and tog, so iull of fever and disease OF all
kind. that it seems verify to be accursed.
And vet to this awful place the Russian
Government, in its pitileSs barbarity sends
its prisoners whom it is ashamed to
execute. but whom it wishes to bury alive.
1t was in 1869 that Russia first BEGAN to
send her conv!cts there and removed as it
is from all civilization, and shut Oft by
pitileSs, ice-bound and stormy seas from
trading ships, the cries ofagony that arc
wrun- from the suffering victims are heard
not. and the world knows nothing OF the
inhuman torture that the brutal governors
intiict upon their charges. The island is
$40 miles long, and from 20 10 160 broad.
The aboriginals are a barbarous and savage
race known as Ghilaks and Amos, and
mountain people called Oroks. They num-
miserable existence by hunting: The only
thing il the island of any value besides
the fur animals is coal, but as this cannot
be shipped away it is practically useless.
There is a mountain range from 1000 to
5000 feet covered with sub-Arctic vege-
swsmps, where cultivation is impossible.
The convict settlement is about the mid
die OF the island. at place called Alex
ondrovsk. There are two huge prisons
here amidst surroundings that suggest the
gloom of Dante's "In1erno." The food
supplies for these, prisons are transported
from the only harbor the island boasts of
on the backs OF convicts journey Of sixty
miles across the mountains Many OF the
people perish during this terrible Journey,
either rom the ser ere labor or the whips
ofthe brutal gaolers. The bodies are let
where they fall. and no mercy or pity is
shown to the dying. If anyone thinks
that these statements are exaggerated l
would refer him to the report of pr Petri,
published in the 'Jahresbericht, OF the
biographical Society of Berne, during
lSS3-S4.
The first batch Of convcts were sent to
Sakhalin in 1869. They marched 400
miles across Siberia, and more than halt
the number persisted by the way, while
those who arrived We're half-rotlen with
scurvy. while some had become helpless
imhecilcS At the present day the convicts
are sen, from Odessa by ships, but their
sutierinss, while shorter, are so terrible
that the poor wretches say they would pre-
Ter the march overland. The governor Of
the Island has absolute power OF lie and
/ death in lis hands, and as with all Russian
! governors, brutal tyranny would seem to
/ be his motto: The conTlcts LABOR IN heavy
! chains, which are never removed, ana the
least act OF lnsuborninauon Is pnhisheo
! Win "eath. IL appears ma. one ol sne
/ great inducements Tor the Government TO
send IT'S victims 10 oakhahh, apar. nom the
/ certainty OF Their dying SOON was the ap-
! parent impo;S!bil!1y OF escape:
| Fut an Official report publ shea icN
! years ago stated that something IKE
| lG per cent. OF the prisoners !, got
clear OF the prisons. Nan: o! 'hese
are captured, 3oWever' by the natives, "hc
are encourased thereto by me oner Q. re-
ward II the prisoner Is returned alive the
caltu.cr ge;s ten roUbles; II dead the Price
ist;ve rouoles. ElIes have oeen dlstrinus'
/ ed by the administration amongst the ma,
prisoners down ,i,hey show tie slightest
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