The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-25

Thrilled aa Audience at the Peoples
Church.

AZ. u Alberti, modest and unassuming,
told all audience at PEOPLES church
iast evening, the tale of his thrilling
life under the service Of the ear. The
lecture was illustrated through the use
OF large number of stereoptieon
views. Albert has had a remarkable
career and the story of his life reads
IKE romance, and goes to verify the
claims or George KEENAN, that the ST.
beflan exile system is one of the most
brutal and bafbarouS systems on the
race OF the globe. Mr.. Alberti was born
IN Italy, but his parents moved to Rus
sra when he was quite young. He
was educated in a government school
ana was required to serve the car for
the i've years Immediately following
ms education M. Alberti was assigned
10 the duties of a government SPY in
Persia and lived in Smyrna for two
years At the end of that time he was
made a lieutenant of an engineering
corps and directed to survey a route
from the Black sea to the Gulf Of
PERSIA While in this capacity the
young lieutenant consented to escort
a family or CircaSsians across the Dor
DER and was rewarded for this act by
the family. He, in return. paid the
soldiers who accompanied him, and the
laltef becoming intoxicated, told the
aHa1r to the officers of the al.my who
pack TO three additional years, service
IN the army as a guard at the Kara
mines IN Siberia. After spending three
years here Alberti again incurred the
d1spleasure of the superior officers
through some trivial offense and was
again sentenced to three more years.
service as transporter Of conyicts
across me 4ura mount Gins. Near the
oaose OF this service, Alebrti escaped to
Jan
trade He moved to Chicago and in
1872 received the information that he
had fallen heir to a fortune. He re-
burned 10 Russia, armed with his Amer
lcan cltlzensnip papers, and was again
seized and thrown into prison,
ana afterwards sentenced to the
SIBERIAN mines without the mer-
30 Iornlahty OF a trial While go
ing TO the mines Albert remembered
that he was a member Of the Free Ma
sons and, as last hope, iust before
crossing the bridge across the Volsa
ne gave the sign OF distress used nv the
order. He did not think he was seen
put the captain of a steamboat recog-
Ilzed the sign and assisted the CON
aenlhed man to escape. He returned to
America after some very thrilling and
unusual experiences
Inc lecturer graphically described
the government system of spies and
| espionage, and showed how easily a
man who had a grlldge against an
other man could send his enemy into
exile. Mr.. Albert alleges that the czaI.
| does not know hundredth part of
what is going on In his own realm
Russia, he said, was composed of 1OO
divisions each of which was ruled by q
governor who had unlimited authority
Even the petty officers Of the govern
nlent have immense power and dispose
or the cases under their notice as thev
see ut without consulting the general
government. Through this systere
thousands and thousands of innocent
men and women are condemned To
horrible exile from which they never.
return. The lecturer detailed MANY
incidents of cruelty which came under
his notice in his nine years service.
speaking of the Russians as a pec-
pie, Mr.. Albert said they were far
more advanced and intelligent than
generally believed. They have art.
science and literature, but the intol-
lerable deSpotism Of the government
crushed the masses and made the sub
jects suspicious. He said the nobility
were the real nihilists, and that the
common people were merely the tools
hired to do the dirty work.