Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-11-24

the night and not knowing why they are
eXiled or punished is concerned, ali the
criminals in Russia have an open trial be-
fore jury just as we have in America, eX-
cept in revolutionary or riotous times and
you know in America at such times the
writ of habcas corpus is suspended
There are in Russia grand juries and
petit Juries, and the right to challenge the
jurors, and the prisoner confronts his nc
cuser, and, mark this, as in no other coun-
try, after prisoner has been condemned
by Juries and Judges he may appeal to the
minister OF the interior, and after that to
the senate, and after that to the emperor,
who is constantly pardoning. AS l said,
the violent and murderous are sent to the
hardest part of Siberia. but the more mod
crate criminals to more propitious parts of
Siberia, and those who have only little
criminality to parts of Siberia positively
genial for climate, for you ought to know,
if you do not know, that Siberia is so large
and wide and long that it reaches from
frgidty to torridity, from almost arctic
blast to climate as mild as that of Italy.
Run your finger along the map of the
world and you will find that the lowest
part OF Siberia Is on the forty-nfth degree
of latitude, and the richest part of Italy is
on the same forty-fifth degree of latitude,
so that Siberia reaches from the furs at
the north to the palm lear fanS at the south.
1t has been demonstrated that ninety
per cent. of the Russian criminals colo
nized into Siberia go into climate milder
than New 1ork-a land songful with birds
and embroidered with fora enough mani
fold to confound the botanists, Much of
the soil is rish loan, and harvests wait
for pillow to liberate them.
When criminal is sent to Siberia, in the
vast majority of cases it gives him an OPP
portunity to make new start under the
best possible circumstances. The criminal
is allowed to take his or her family along,
and tnatis mercy no other country grants
In the quicksilver mines of Siberia-the
hardest place OF eXpatratlon-only one
fourth of the miners are criminals. The
other three-fourths 20 there because they
choose 1t as place to earn their living.
After being in Siberia awhile the con-
demned 90 TO earning livelihood, and
they come to own their cwn farms and
orchards and vineyards, many of these
people coming 60 wealth, and thousands Of
them under no lnducement would leave
those parts OF siberia which arc paradises
for salubrIty and luXuriance. Now which
do you think IS the rest style of q prison
Siberia or many OF cur American prisons?
When man comiAlts big crime IN our
country, the Judge iook1 into the fright
eneu lace OF the cllprlt, ana says, - on
have Deen round guilty; sentence you TO
the penltentlary Tor ten years" He goes
TO prison. lie Is smut IN between Tour
walls. NO S"n4i9ht. NO fresh ar. NO
bathroom. beiorc he has served his ten
years he dies OF consumption or IS so en-
efFated mat !or the rest OF ms lie he sits
with folded nanus-a Wheezlng Invalid.
In preference to the smut in life OF the
average American :rlsoncr, give me ST
berla. BeS!deS That, when offenders come
out of prison IN America, what chance
nave they? ASK the poorly supported So
cetieS formed to get these people places
Tor work. ASK me, to whom the newly
liberated come from all the prisons I'm
ploring what they snail do. No one will
commend them. Inc pallor of incarcera-
ton j. on Their check. Who wants TO en-
ploy in factory or store man or woman
who, IN answer to the Question, "Where
did you live iaSt?' should make Tor reply,
states prison at Auburn or Moyamen-
sing? Now in Siberia they have better
chance. They are never spoken of as Grim
inal5, but rs untortunatcs, and they are al
Io"ed every opportunity of retrieving their
lost 'eputation and lost fortunes.
talked with the president of the Ma
tional Society of Russia for the Education
and MoraliZation Of the Children of Sibe-
rian CouvictS. The president of that soci-
ETY., appointed by jGr emperor is lady of
great accompii ,hineuts and much sym
pathy. which ilidmInes her TACO and makes
fearful her eyes and tremulous her voice.
The evening | passed at her mouse in st.
Petersburg was one Of the memorable