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

Broken down in health and spirits,
aged, utterly destitute and without
/ friends Mendel Morschovitch Eber. Of
q Chrystle street, tells sad story Of
penal servtude in Siberia.
/ on Christmas Eve. In 1878, Benjamin
Yudman, n member OF the Russian Sc
Cret service-the dread Third Section Of
the Imperial Chancelor-was found
murdered in front of Eber's house, In
polizei street. Grodno, Russia.
Three weeks later Cher was arrested
and cast into a 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-
piice in the murder of the detective,
iudman. The others who were charged
with the same crime were Israel Buk-
steski and Chain Loeb Elkes. Against
Buksteski and Eber the evidence was
SO slender and SO entirely suppostltious
and less than circumstantial that the
three Judges before whom they were
tried COntented themselves with SEN
fencing them to hard labor for fifteen
years.
The case against Elkcs 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
bis escape livedhn foreign countries ana
mad returned TO GrOdno several days
before Yu1man's murder
Although Fixes had taken every pre-
caution to avoid detection, Gudman
discovered his presence, and was au.
thOriZed to arrest him Elkes learned
that Iudmdn was after him with a
warrant. and so the pursued lay in wait
Tor the pursuer.
Just as Yudman passed Eber's house
Fixes emerged from a dark recess, and.
coming up behind the detective, threw
strapIn moose form, around his head ana
strangled him. The murder was done so
quickly and so DEITY that iudman had
not even II chance to utter cry, ana
inasmuch as 1t was considered improba-
b.r that one man should be able TO ac-
cOmplish such "A deed, in such "A 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, Ebcr. who tells TINS story. says
he does not Know,
El;es was sentenced to Imprisonment
In the mines of Siberia, but managed to
escape a year after his transportation.
and has not so far as Ebcr knows,
been rcCaptured.
After my sentence" says Eber Il
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, i atter seyera,
! over to the Board of ENiles in Tumensk,
with orders to be committed to the mines
| in Siberia. =,
berian cOnvCts. over 1000 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
Zchalkal. At Tomsk, on my way thither
| was taken sick. | was incarcerated IN
the fortress hospital and languished
there between life and death for nearly
four years My youngest daughter
| BUscha, who had accompanied me In
my exile, was allowed to nurse and
comfort me.
When, was able to get up and walk
about begged that despatch he sem
to Dn St rslers6Tps TO- lnauire s,a how r0 m;
came back by telegram that the Gov
ernmental Senate had over II year be
fore overruled the sentence imposed
upon mo by the GrOina Court, and
that | was n free man.
II was only technically free. how
ever. The Tomsk authorities We're mo-
other whole year was spent in red-tap,
| correspondence before the prison gates
opened and | was allowed to SO free.
During the, five years of my I'm
prlsonmcnt all my property was eater
up in lawyers fees. and | was left alb
solutcly without any resources. Ped
ding and begging, alternately In tn
hospitals for sickness and in the cit,
? loCkups for alleged violations of city
ordinances, I finally came to America
three years ago with my wife and m,
son, who Is now eight years old.
3 Here my lot is scarcely any bette
( than II was in Russia. | am now owe
= seventy years old. have not cent I,
, my name, am not strong enough t,
carry about the basket of cakes whicl
. pcddled heretofore and earned tn
= sClntcst subsistence for my family.
81 almost wish | had been sent on 4
the Siberian mines There, at least
would have had bread to eat and woul
! not have had to witness the suffering
t Of my poor family"