The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-30
MET GEORGE KEENAN,
WINONA TRAVELLERS ENCOUNTER
DISTINGUISHED TRAVELLER AND
LECTURER In RUSSIA
HAD JUST BEEN ORDERED TO GO
Expected to BE Detained on From
tier, and Made Arrangements
With Winonans to Get
Him Released.
X .-.-----.r= '.---''s.s.. .,,7---si..

WINONA, Mimi, Aug. 29.-(Special y
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Horton and Mr.
and Mrs. R. E. Tearse have just arrived
from a trip through Russia An inter-
estlng experience OF their trip was the
meeting with George KEENAN, the lee
turer, as he was leaving Russia under
orders from the government to get out
IN tWenty-four hours. The meeting oc-
Cured after the visit of the Horton par
ty to st. Petersburg and Moscow and
as they were on their way out of Rus
STA. Mr.. KEENAN, happened to be on the
same train, and they met at a little rail-
way eating house, where the train STOP
ped for dinner. While in St. Petersburg
and Moscow they had a guide and had
no difficulty in getting what they wanted
in the eating line, but at this little rail-
way eating house they were experiencing
some trouble when a stranger accosted
them, saying that he noticed they were
Americans and that if he could serve
them IN any way he would be happy to
do so. He proved material aid and in
troduced himself as George KEENAN,,
about whom, he said, they might have
heard. He then went on to tell them
further of the orders which he had Just
received from the government to get out
OF Russia in twentyfour hours, and said
that he was then on his way to the from
tier IN accordance with those orders. His
passport had been taken from him and
he had been provided with VOLTS pass
port by the Russian government Mr.
KEENAN, appeared quite apprehensive that
he might have trouble on the frontier and
was exceedingly glad to have the COM
pany Of the Winona party. He was
fund of information on Russian matters,
and the visit with him was most enter
tanning
At last the frontier customs house
town where Russia was to be left was
reached. The passports were all taken
up before arrival to be vized by the Of
1cials there, and in accordance with Rus
sian police requirements all were in the
train ten minutes before the hour for
starting, the practice then being to re-
turn the passports to the travellers Mr.
KEENAN, anticipated trouble at this point
and arranged with Messrs. Horton and
Tearse that if he was held there to at
once report to Ambassador White at Ber-
lin, he in turn to communicate with Am
bassador Charlema gne Tower at ST. Pc
tersburg. The police official soon came
along restoring the passports and the
Horizons and Tearses received their doc
uments all right, but the official passed
right by Mr.. KEENAN,. In few seconds
another police officer came out and sum-
moned Mr.. KEENAN, into the station and
both Mr.. KEENAN, and the Winonians sup
posed that he was going to be held. How
ever, he returned in few minutes and
took his seat on the train He had been
called in to get his own passport again
in place of the VOLTS passport and to
sign receipt for the same Soon after
the train pulled out the boundary was
crossed and Mr.. KEENAN, breathed easier
to be again off Russian soil.
In explaining his visit to Russia to the
Winontans he said that he made his Iiv-
ing by writing and lectures, and that to
write well he had to have fresh material.
1t was for that reason that in spite of
some misrepresentation he had visited
Russia after a long lapse of years from
the time of his first visit, when he called
attention to Russian practices that need
ed reform. 1t was bread and butter with
him, but hereafter he said he would keep
out of the country