The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-08-14
FRIENDS
WITH A
NIHILIST
By PKTTIGREw EDGAR
Copyright, 1901, by p. Edgar

| had been doing Poland in leisure
ly way-a young Englishman who had
plenty of money and could go where
he pleased-when fell into trouble at
Sandowin, on the Austrian border. 1t
is no use to tell an Englishman or an
American that he must keep his mouth
shut while travelling in the dominions
of tie car. He sets out intending to
do so. but something is sure to happen
sooner or later to arouse his sympa-
thies Or indignation, and he finds him.
self expressing an opinion that gets
him into hot water. .t..
Now and then as journeyed l had
heard of cases where citizens had been
imprisoned or sent off to Siberia with
out trial, and had witnessed many in
cidents of autocratic power, but had
come out of them unscathed. 1t was
while L was mixing with the rather
strange crowd at the hotel in San
DOWN that l learned, almost by acct
dent. of the case of returned exile.
He was man named OStrov, who had
formerly been quite prominent citi-
zen of the town and had considerable
wealth. 1t was in my own room that
he told the story of his experience to
three of us. He had been arrested at
minutes notice and started off for ST.
IBERIA without legal trial. His proper
ty had been confiscated, his family OPP
pressed and driven out, and it was
only when he was ready to set out on
the long journey that he was told he
had been sentenced to penal servitude
for fifteen years for having said that
taxes were too high. He had served his
time and returned to find all his family
dead or scattered beyond recall. He
was an old man now, broken in health
and having but a short time to live,
and when he told us Of his treatment
our indignation was intense. pitied
him, and l know l used strong lam
guage and also made him a cash pres
ent..
You will scarcely credit me when /
say that Ostrov rewarded me by going
straight to the police and reporting all
that had said. 1t is possible that it
was required of him, but l think he
IL III Il - NiShi way Ill VI ~
curry favor. Before noon next day l
received an official visit and was
warned to. get out of the country.
had sense enough to realize what that
meant and to go. In the eyes of the
Russian authorities l had become a
suspect" and had l been a Polander
it would have meant dungeon for
me- l headed fer Cracow, just within
the Austrian border, and as soon as
had crossed the border the matter was
settled. While Austria is almost as
autocratic as Russia, in one way you
are not debarred from expressing
free opinion about other countries. l
therefore took satisfaction in telling
my story and abusing Russia.
1t was this story that brought about
my acquaintance with Poland nihilist
named GrodnO. 1 knew at once, Of
course, that he was a Polander, but it
was a fortnight before 1 learned that
he was an exile and a nihilist. He was
forty years old, well educated and Of
good address, and his story was that
of a hundred other exiles. At the age
Of twenty-eight, while professor in
one of the colleges at Warsaw and
while thoroughly loyal to the car in
every thought, he had expressed pO-
litical opinion that caused his down