The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-01

SutGl0es
 Dr. Michael KrasnOi. an escaped Rus sian exile, who for more than six years has been a fugitive from the Siberian prison officials, left St. Paul yesterday, going to Bottineau, N. D., where he will live among the immigrants from his native land and other escaped ex- lies. In his attempt to rid himself of the yoke of Russian tyranny and the hardships of Siberian imprisonment, Dr. Krasnoi has almost circumnavigat- ed the globe. He sailed in tramp ship from Seul, Korea, to New Orleans and made the trip from the mouth of the Mississippi River to St. Louis on riv- CT steamer. He arrived in St. Paul Monday.
 Dr. Krasnoi, who is thirty-one years of age, was educated at the Berlin Uni versity, where he received the degree of doctor of medicine. He speaks Eng fish fluently, as well as French, Ger man, and his native tongue,
 "Yes, I am an escaped Siberian ex- ile," he said yesterday, "and I have been for six years a fugitive. How ever. I am now far out of their reach, and no longer fear their cruelties. am bound for Bottineau, N. D., where intend to practice medicine among my countrymen.
 Tell you about my exile and escape? It is a long story but it may interest you. I suppose you remember the Moscow student riot in 1893 we'll, was in the thick of the fight, and as a lead CT of the students was singled out by l the Russian authorities I had just come from Berlin, where was educat- ed. and returned to Russia imbued with l the spirit of German liberalism. There | were other young men in Moscow who had also tended school abroad. and we, about twenty in number, formed the Russian Independent Society. Our ob- | ject was to force the Government to | certain reforms in the educational in- stitutions, if such you can call the l semi-barbaric school system now in vogue in that country. We wanted the schools thrown open to every one, and | not only to the sons of the aristocracy.
 "One night, while holding meeting in my office, we were surrounded by the Russian guards. was president of the club, and when the officer in charge of the soldiers smashed into the room was addressing the other students. All of us were placed under arrest. and without trial or hearing we were exiled to far Siberia. No two of us were sent to the same place. Some were exiled to the mines in western Siberia and others to the eastern and northern parts of the ernrtre. IEwas detailed to work as a section-hand on the new Trans Siberian railroad, near Nett chinsk, In the province of the Trans Baikal. .f
 l 'I will not dwell on my journey to the village which was designated by the Russian officials 10 be my life pris- on. It was the sanfe as that, of thou sands of other. unfortunates who are exiled yearly to that barren land. It was q journey of hunger and thirst, cold and exposure. Herded together in | dilapidated box-cars, we were trans ported to our destination without even 1 the comforts usually given to animals. From the moment I landed at Neitchinsk I began to plan an escape. First I gained the confidence of the guards, but 1t was tedious task. My effort was rewarded, however, and af- 1 ter two years of exile was placed in charge of crew working few miles from Neitchinsk. We returned to the prison nightly but as I was trusted mo l guards ever accompanied us.
 After several years of work and planning, four of the other prisoners and myself decided to make a break for liberty We felt at the time that it | was sure death, but we were willing and anxious to meet any and all hard | ships. if we could but free ourselves from the misery of slavery. Death it. self was preferable 10 life al Neitchinsk Since reached the United States have read George Kennans accounts of Russian cruelty. Those who say he exaggerates know little of conditions in Siberia. Tn fact, he does not tell half of the truth.
 For the three years I was in exile was tarved, and, although trusted, was beaten by barbarous officials. The officers in the Trans BaikaI region really exiles themselves. feel that thelr positions are due to the poor political unfortunates, and they hate the sight of a government exile so much that whenever we-.sNn across their path fl was to be clubbed and kicked.
 "The life was more than I could bear Often I contemplated suicide but finally decided to try for freedom before ending my life and my misery As I said before, four of us made 6 break for liberty. Only two succeeded The others perished while crossing tht Khingan Mountains into Manchuria.
 When the other student exile ant myself reached Tsitsikikai, in 1899, thf Boxer rebellion was at its height. The few Europeans had been either mas sacred or driven from the province. Ii was not cheerful prospect after oui tramp of hundreds of miles over noun. tain ranges and plateaus. But we made the best of a decidedly gloomy sltua tion. We joined the Boxers. It was hard to enlist to fight Europeans, but 1t was also our only hope of safety For four months we fought against the introduction into China of Euro. pean ideas and customs, that is. wt belonged to an army which was sup posed to be opposed to these things. bu in reality we~ never smelled powder | WA x,,aro eyraat1v YniasrI1ste5 hxy tht