Rock Island Argus., 1898-06-11


| accepted the invitation He had never
been On ship before. He ran here and
there, clanibercd aloft and explored below
Nhen he came back up en- deck, tho
ship was under sail Cairo had been left
in the distance
II was on the ship six yes-s and half
1t Was u pirate ship 1t cruised in the
Black sea all the time The men were
fierce and rough They murdcred and
pillaged and burned Ehey did not mis-
treat me or the little girl, but boodshcd
ard robbery did not suit ne. When was
l3, determined to escape. had taken
| money every chance | got ard had over
1000
'Onc day tho ship landed at Nicoh
With two suits Of clothes on and rxC
money plastcrcd oyer my body l. went
ashore with members OF the crow and
when they were not looki1g made a becak
for fhcrtyf'
After year or so OF rowing he landed at
coast town In japan. He was then Il
years Old. His physical strength was won.
dlcrful
he was standing one Gay looking In at
the door OF y gymnasium Beco:aing in
tcrcstcd in the work, he took u course of
training and loft at the end OF SIX months
a wonderful athlete
Then he resumed his wandcrings and
went 10 Russia. In Odessa he Joined a
company OF nihilists and was eventually
arrested His great strength made him a
trerblcsome prisoner, ard he made several
unsuccessful but daring attempts to escape.
In order to keep him quiet the prison SUI
perintendent allowed him to marry a
young woman whose parents were nihil-
lists like himself
They were rs happy As people could well
be under such circumstances, and Skobel
matle'no more trouble for his keepers. But
by and by a child was born to them and
another and "a third. The frstborn,
bright boy, was years old and was be-
ginning to understand why other children
drew away from him IN the street. Once
lie went crying to his mother and told her
the children had pointed at him in the
street and said his papa was a prisoner.
The next time Skobel's wife went to SEQ
him she told him about it and mentioned
for the first time how she had been made
to suffer also by unfecling taupts.
When she had gone Skobcl sat a long
time and thought in gloom and bitterness.
When she came again, he told her she
must take the children and go to America,
where the finger of shame could never b,
pointed at them. Reluctantly she oieyui.
As soon as she had gone Skobel becrme
unmanagcabie again. He grew savage
and had to bc watched constantly. 1Efe
he made futile attempts to escape Among
the political prisoners with whom he waS
then thrown in cont;pc. was one man
prcinaturcly aged whose days were clearly
numbered Hc had sacred talisman, a
small piece OF metal with the picture of an
apostle on one side and u Biblical inscrip-
tion On the other He gave IL to Skobel.
Before he slept another plan of escape
had come TO hissiiud
The next night ho crcpt under his cell
bench and set tcvork with his fingers dig
ging the mortar away around one Of the
large stones in the wall He dug enough
out to get a slight held with his fingers.
Ezerting his enormous strength he sue
ceeded in working the stone loose
More dead chan alive, he reached Ir-
katsk. The hnlf wild natives cared for him
and gave him clothing he put his old
clothes and the shackles in q bag and final
ly reached Germany The German Social
lists assisted him TO get passage on a ship
for America
He LANDED in New York and rented a
room in the Jewish quarter After weeks
OF privation he secured an engagement in
a variety theater and began TO perform
fea;s T strength The papers printed col
ulnns about him. He was the lion of tho
hour
In the meantime Skobel's vie ,hai gone
from New York 60 Chicago an1.froin Chi
cago TO ~. Louis. She read about the
feats Of SiYbeL That was nos his correct
name nor ehc HaR,e Under which she had
married him she had never heard the
name before, but the papers said tie strong
man had escaped from a Siberian prison.
She wrote a letter to New York aarer.
a reporter took 1t to Skobel.
He hurried to st. Louis, and thsre was
n joyful reunion in the house on Madison
street where he and his wife are now liy-
ing