The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-26
RUSSIAN JUSTICE HIS RUIN.
Eber Sent to Siberian Mines fol-
Murder Done by Another.
Released After Five Years, He Il
Penniless in This City.

Broken down in health and spirits.
aged utterly destitute and without
friends, Mcndel Morschovitch Ebcr, OF
! "a Chrystie street, tells "A sad story Of
penal servltude In Siberia.
on Christmas Eve. In 1873. Benjamin
| Yudman, member Of the Russian Sc
cret service--thc dread Third Section of
the Imperial Chancellor-%as found
murdered in front Of Ebers house, in
| Polizei street. Grodno, Russia.
Three weeks later Eber was arrested
and cast into dungeon In the local
fortress. where he remained for seven
weeks, ignorant of what crime he was
charged with. At last he was arraigned
in the Grodno Court of Criminal and
civil Jurisdiction.
Then, for the first time, he learned
! that he was accused of being an accom-
plice in the murder of the detective,
udman. I he others who were charged
steski and Chain Loeb Elkes. Against
Buksteski and Eber the evidence was
80 slender and so entirely suppostitious
and less than circum. tantial that the
three judges before whom they were
cried contented themselves with SEN
fencing them to hard labor for fifteen
years.
The case against I;lkes was entirely
different. 1t was shown that he had
several years before escaped from
siberia. whittier he had been sent for
at the trial proved that Elkes had after
his escape lived In foreign countries and
mad returned to Grodno several days
before ludman's murder.
Altnouhn Elkes had taken every pre-
| caution to avoid detection. Yudman
| discovered his presence. and was au.
thorized to arrest him. III kes learned
that Iudman was after him with a
warrant, and so the pursued lay In walt
| for the pursuer
Just as Yudman passed Eber's house
| E.kes emerged from IA dark recess. and.
coming up Behind the detective, threw a
strap.in moose form, around his head ana
| stranged him. The murder was done so
quickly and 40 deity that Yudman had
! not even a chance to utter cry, and
| inasmuch az II was considered lmproba-
bic that one man should be able to ac-
complish such deed, in such manner
| single handed Eber was picked out as
an accomplish, because 1t happened In
front of his house What part Buksteski
was supposed to have played in the
tragedy, Eber. who tells this story, says
| he does not know.
Elkes was sentenced to Imprisonment
| In the mines OF Siberia, but managed to
escape "A year after his transportation.
and has not, 80 far as Eber knows,
been recaptured.
After my sentence" says Eber,. II
was sent to the prison mines in wilma.
| was the owner at that time Of two
houses and considerable other property.
| My lawyer appealed my case, and, pend
| ing the appeal, | was, after several
months Imprisonment In wilma, handed
over to the Board of Exiles in Tumensk.
with orders to be committed to the mines
''Tumensk is the entrepot for all ST.
berian convlcts. over 5000 prisoners
are taken there every year, In order to
have the final destination of each one
decided by the Board of Exiles.
| MY destination was designated as
l,ni II al A al m
l was taken sick. ] was incarcerated In
the fortress hospital and languished
there between lie and death for nearly
four years My, youngest daughter,
Bascha. who had accompanied me I'm
my exile. was allowed to nurse and
comfort me.
about | begged that despatch be sent
to st. Petersburg to inquire how my
appeal was progressins The repl.
ernmentai SENATE had over " ; year "4 be.
fore overruled the sentence imposed
upon me by the Grodna Court, and
that l was a free man.
Il was only technically free, how.
ever The Tomsk authorities were moi
satisfied with bare telegram, and an
other whole year was spent Ia red-tape
opened and I was allowed to go free.
During the five years of my i'm
prisonment all my property was eater
up In LAWYERS fees. and l was left alb
solutely without any resources. Ped
ding and begging. alternately In tn,
hospitals for sickness and In the cit,
lockups for alleged violations OF city
ordinances. / finally came to America
three years ago with my wife and IN,
son. who Is now eight years old
Here my lot is scarcely any better
{ than It was In Russia. am now owe
seventy years old. have not cent I,
, my name. am not strong enough I,
carry about the basket OF cakes which
/ peddled heretofore and earned tn,
scantiest subsistence for my family.
II almost wish | had been sent on I,
w S, ii,'h ~ az ieast
not have had to witness the suffering
OF my poor family"