The evening times., 1896-07-08
ESCAPED FROM SIBERIA
Young Pole Tells Of His Suffer-
ings in That Place.
WHY HE WAS SENT THERE
He Was Fond of Reading Works on
Nihilisn, and Could Not Hide Them
Securely-His Father Was Exc
cuted and His Mother Was Sent
to the Mines.

Stories OF Siberian eXiles and husSias 8
treatment of her prisoners, whose only
crime is an expression OF discuntent gainst
the existing government. have often been
! related. butthey usually come secondhand.
| There is a present in Washington. however,
| d young man, a Polish Hebrew, who, FOR
| his political opinions. was banished f.on
| Russia and for eight months endured the
tortures of an underground dungeon IN
| darkest Siberia. Effecting miraculous
escape. he came to America, and for the
| past three years has been engaged in busi-
ness in Washington. His name is withheld
for the reason that its publication might
| lead to his arrest as q Russian subject. and.
under the existing treaty betweenthe United
| States and the cars government, his ex-
tradition might be demanded.
In his case there is nothing to tempt him
| to return to his native land. Being young
man OF good education and having studied
| English in st. Petersburg, his remarkable
experience is lest related in his own ian
guage. To Times reporter he said:
'""I was born in Wilma, Poland, Russia,
twenty-seven years ago. My father was
| a prosperous merchant In that country
he WAS counted wealthy. My oldestbroti or
was sent to st. Petersburg, and graduated
from the university there, which Is worthy
OF note, as the government only allows
60 per cent of the university pupils to lie
Jews. None above that number are ad-
mitted.
He studied medicine in Vienna, and was
appointed Il surgeon in the Russian army.
and bcratne an outspoken nihilist. This at
once lost him his position, and he was ban
ishcd TO Siberia. BY bribing some OF tile
officials he secured his release before reach
ing Siberia, and returning to Tainask be-
gan at once the publication OF paper
called Land and Freedom Ny father was
condemned 10 die. Ny mother WAS banished
to Siberia with her one yea r-oid baby, which
she was compelled to carry in l;er arms
| through the long weary marches.
@'' HIS ARREST.
81 was then in st. Petersburg having
| just graduated from the high school, and
| was preparing to enter the university.
| l began reading nihiiist books, chief among
| which was underground Russia.'' by
Baron Stepniak. who recently met death
| by accident in London. In the Russian me
| tropoiis the government has what is known
| as the iandar, or secret detectives. The
| nihist literature was discovered hidden in
| my room, and. without the formality OF a
trial, was thrown into prison and re-
manned there two months until party of
exiles were made up. We were taken in a
sort OF cattle train by rail so miles. and
| compelled TO march the balance of the dis
tance, 500 miles, chained together. hand
foot. In our, party Of exiles were twenty
| siv nj w.
being political prisoners-nihiists-
| "In Russia there are three classes OF peO-
| ple the poor and the ignorant. who are
worse than slaves; the middle classes. who
are unable to take a ny stand against the
car, though many OF them are at Eeart
nihiiists. IA nd the rnhilists, who re the ed
| ucated people Of the empire not vested
| with the robes Of office.
| "AmonG ourEarty of eXiles, as We marched
| across the dreary waste OF land and
/ through the mountains was one young wo-
man whom l can never forget She was
| the most beautiful girl l ever saw, with
long golden hair, dark eyes, and finely
| formed. Her intended husband was Il nj
| ailist and she was highly educ ated when
| he was banshed she was separated from
| him and sent in another PARTY to make the
| punishment mort cruel. Siie WAS u line
pianist and in her home she had Il large in
strument, behind which was secret door
leading 10 printing office where nj
| ailist paper was issued. During the run
| ming of the presses she would play loudly
| 70 destroy the sound Finally the secret
was discovered and all were exiled. The
Young woman after an imprisonment of
| several months in the dungeon went crazy
| and died. 7-1
| There art three classes of prisoners in
| Siberia. Those who are free to go where
they please inthc country. but must not re-
| turn to Russia: these who work in the gold
| mines. nearly M ked and never see the light
| OF day. and those WHO are imprisoned in
| the miserable underground dungeons. The
most horrible pictures could not portray the
| life of the thousands of exiies in those dun
geons. Mr.. George KEENAN, has not over
| drawn the case: he has not told one-half
| of. the suffering and misery endured. The
| cells are narrow. low. dark and damp, are
! filled with filth and vermin Of the vilest
SORT. i'he fcod is scanty and of tine worst
| sort and the water muddy and full OF in
| 'sects. The worst nf diseases prevail and the
! deaths that result cannot re estimated. BY
an automatic arrangement the hard board
bed on which the pris, sleeps. or tries
to. is thrown down in the morning at 6
O'Clock and the prisoner tumbied onto the
floor
| HIS ESCAPE.
"Adioiningmycell was the sonof wealthy
| nobleman whose estate was next to my
| fathers i'll Poland. and we had been friends
| when boys. His brother secured us pa S.
ports. and with large sum of money bribed
| tile guard and we were allowed to escape
! For six weeks / journeyed back through
the country idn the disguise Of young
priest anu under an assumed name. Baron
Papow. my fellow fugitive. reached Paris
| recognized and again taken into custody
| by two officers of the army and started
back for the Siberian dungeon. Forum
ately my guards became intoxicated, and
after three days.I escaped from them and
fled toward China. and from Shanghai re-
turned in a round about way to Paris and
from there to America. The name l am
Known by here is not my own name, as it
would be unsafe to divulgeit
within the past three weeks I have re-
ceived a cabegram that my mother has
been pardoned by the edict OF the ne W
car since his coronation, ana has been al
lowed to return home after having lived
in exile for seven years"
CRIPPLE'S DELIBERATE SUICIDE.