Evening journal., 1897-01-26
JR SAILORS II S IBERIA
venteen Americans Held In a
Russian Penal Colony.
EY ARE FORCED TO BREAK STONE

Ely ARE FORCED TO BREAK STONE
l Crew of the Schooner saipans, Ar
ested In Russia For Alleged Trespass,
IRE Exiled to Siberia and Compelled to
Work on One of the Cars Fortifications.
gMNEw YORK, Jan. 26. - At breaking
@ mes for the Notifications which the car
# Russia is building in eastern Siberia
E& /, it is asserted, II free born American
liens. They are engaged at this con
e It's toll and must remain at it for some
me to come because they happened to be
" md on an island belonging to Russia.
ms These men formed the majority of the
~ Of the American schooner Saipans,
M lich in October, 1895, was cruising in
N T. Okhotsk sea after seals The entire
Nv consisted of 10 men.
@ Those imprisoned are: +. b. Hill,
@ mes Mahoney, James Mccarthy. James
ll5 ley, Second Mate Henry Ross, Charles
|32a slson, Harry Carlson, Andrew Anderson,
III lward Larkin, Charles Evans, Alexan-
# r Lerache, Stephen Brennan, Arthur
@ inge, James Wilson, Charles Campbell,
n iward Howe and one man whose name
@ unknown.
# The story of these men might never
" I've reached America had they not been
III sited by some sailors from the bark viii
Y 4, which reached Vladivostock, in east
@ n Siberia, last July. Matthew Hunter,
" sailor on the Conqueror which has Just
NJ rived here from Kobe, Japan. was one
M these visitors. He told the story of the
len's arrest on Robben island, in the
81 khotsk sea, on Nov. D. 1895. and of their
E,t,
#s.
E The Saipans, according to his tale,
cached Robben Island Oct 8 1896, and
H. men, including the captain and mate,
ent ashore. Some seals were taken in a
\ title inlet, and on Nov 4, as the weather
= 7as threatening, the schooner ran out to
+ "a to avoid stranding leaving II men
shore. The captain told them to be ready
. come aboard the schooner on his return.
{ K)n Nov. the Russian cruiser Yakut an
hored off the island and made the men
4 prisoners. There was a report that the
ailors had misbehaved themselves in some
way on the island, but this apparently did
lot enter into their subsequent treatment
8py the Russian authorities. They were
aiken to Vladivostock by the cruiser
which made no effort to find the schooner
0 which they belonged.
Shut Up In Crowded Hole.
On arrival there according to their ac-
,ount, they We're placed in room 20 by
|90 feet in size, containing SO prisoners be-
sides themselves, made up of Cinnamon
md Koreans.
On Dec. they were shifted to the prison
proper, and after a wait of 10 days prose-
suting attorney took their depositions
which We're not, however, presented in
court until Jan. 20, 1896. Four days later
they were sentenced to five months im-
prisonment
In May, just before the coronation. the
men heard that their case was being tried
by higher court and that the judge Of
that court had protested against their SEN
tence as being altogether too light and had
recommended one of is months The
flag officer of the United States steamer
Olympia so the prisoners told Hunter.
visited them on May 30 last, and they told
him of the report The superintendent Of
police of Vladivostock, who was present,
denied it and said the men would surely
be set free on June "A, but on that date
they were still in prison. They could get
no information as to why they were held
1t was not until July 81 last that they
were taken TO court and told that the
court of asszes of Irkutsk had sentenced
them to IS months Imprisonment, dating
from April /, 1896. The proeuror, or
judge, introduced no new charge and the
men were not allowed a new trial, but
were simply resentenced on the evidence
in the first trial The added time meant
a total sentence of 20 months and days,
which would release the men on Oct. 1.
To Hunter, however, they expressed the
belief that when this sentence was expired
they would be brought up and resentenced
to another term and so on indefinitely.
Hunter said the men were working on
the fortiflcation at Vladivostock when the
wilma arrived there last July and that he
and four of his companions managed to
secure an interview with them through an
American gun expert named Smith, who
is in the employ of the Russian govern
ment and a man Of some influence with
the military authorities at Nladivostock.
The prisoners had seen the American flag
flying from the wilma and had contrived
TO get word to her Of their plight They
had begged especially for American news
papers, and when Hunter and his compan-
ions visited them a large batch Of papers
were taken up.
The interview took place in the presence
of the Russian guards, who stood, rifles in
hand, impatiently waiting for the talk to
cease.
Although closely watched, +. b. Hill
managed to slip two papers up Hunters
sleeve. One of them was an account of
their case printed in the Kobe (Japan)
Chronicle, and the other was a letter 10
Hills mother in San Francisco, apprising
her Of his fate
Lexow Bill Passes Assembly.
T,., De f....