Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-01-12

March 3, 1851 On this day the guards
of the mine had every year great
carouse, which lasted all night Prison
ers who had lived many years in the
mines relate that on such occasions all
the guards get completely drunk, and
that the mine is then generally I'M
guarded. The plan was for the fugi-
tives not to leave the mine by the open
ing by which we entered, but by the
lower cave of the third gallery, where
the water which flowed out into the
| ocean reached to the hips, and where
OF late nobody went and nobody was
on guard.
81 left Baikaljeff. agreeing that at
given signal would get up and with
two of the men in my cell accompany
| the fugitives as far as the cave. When
the hour of rest had arrived the only
member of the guard who remained
behind was surprised in his
sleep, bound, gagged and locked in
an untenanted cave, whereupon the
prisoners crept cautiously to the lower
shaft. In a stiffness like that of the
| grave was heard only the cautious
sliding OF feet the creaking of one Or
| two wheelbarrows which could not DE
| Ioosened. and the rafting of chains. /
| sought Baikaljeff among the fugitives.
but could not find him Meanwhile we
had gained the lower opening. From
the star-spangled heavens two silver
rays Of the moon pierced the cave and
| trem bled on the dirty water flowing
out therefrom. We softly whispered our
farewells and they went into the
| water. For short time I could see
their bodies above its level, but they
| became darker and darker, and at last
vanished altoge ether. ! retraced my
steps. OF my two companions only
one remained, the other. evidently
overcome by a longing for freedom,
had gone with the fugitives. With
heavy heart we returned to our cave.
deep stiffness reigned throughout
the lower gallery, as if nothing had
happened, and when l returned TO my
resting place I felt as if I were sur
rounded by death. Besides us two
there was not q soul in our cave. All
had fed. lprayed and sobbed, but at
last was overcome by sleep. I awoke
on hearing the shout of a harsh, rude
voice crying out to us. / staggered to
my feet and saluted, but the guard re-
ceived me with blows. The other
prisoners were also dragged forth
from their caves and logged. On
bending down / saw Baikaljem, who,
as he told me afterward, had oversize pit
himself and remained A little further
OFF lay the dead body of the night
guard. The unfortunate man had died
of suffocation from the gag For three
days we were made to suffer cruel
torture because we had not prevented
the fight. On the fourth day an un-
usual noise was heard in the gallery.
And then we saw a number OF
L.,
itives. who had been captured and
fogged till they bled. A fearful fate
awaited them. Even the women had
all their clothes torn off their backs.
Each one was bound to a thick board,
SO that they could not move, and
thrashed with leaden- weighted knots
till the blood spurted and they were in
capable OF utteraice. This scene was
enacted every day for some days, and
we were obliged to stand by and see it
done, the guards shouting to us: Only
try to escape and the same thing will
happen to you OF those who fed not
one is living. Not one was able to en-
dure the torture longer than five days.
Many died at the first few strokes. and
to-day the last four have been released
from their agonies.'
The convicts always lived under
ground; they were never led into the
air. Those who died were pushed into
some unused gallery. A decree OF the
summer of 1884 ordered that the pris-
oncrs should be taken out for an airing
from to time and that only the worst
eases were to be kept in the mine at
night. The others were to live in a
) prison built outside. But even after
this the condition of the convicts was
not much better. The heavy work and
brutal treatment remained. The wom-
en- who had followed their husbands
into exile were not safe from the per-
secution of the mining officials. Sui
> cides of every description released
many of the unfortunate people from
their sufferings. And Jallsak o1f-w no,
only thirty-two, had in the meanwhile
become gray-says in his last letter
that it is better to be placed on the
rack than to share such fate. When
Jalxsakoff was arrested he was not a
nihilist, but that he became one by
what he saw and suffered is clearly
seen in the numerous reflections scat
tered through his letters. = London
Daily News.