Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-04-26
dozen persons present, including pris.

dozen persons preSeut, iuCluuluS plis-
oner, guards and clerks. A villainous
looking individual with q face so un-
symmetrical that he seemed to be made
from the halves Of two very different
men that had been split longitudinally
acted as states attorney. He charged
the prisoner with being an escaped ST.
berian convict, Sergius Bilowski. His
opening remarks were brief, and he
galloped through them at such a gait
that Darrell had hard work to follow
him. Witnesses were then admitted,
one at a time, from an adjoining room.
They swore to the prisoners Identity
with such alacrity that three Of them
testified within five minutes. Darrell
was not permitted to question them,
but at the close of the farce he had
chance to testify In his own behalf.
As If to make the proceedings perfect
" fair, nobody questioned him. When
he had said his say, the judge signed
some documents, and the officer who
had brought Darrell in received them.
"The prisoner will be taken to Cred.
skov," said the Judge, land will be re-
turned to Siberia at the earliest oppor-
tunity."
He then left the bench. vanishing
through q door behind 1t. Darrell was
led back to the room in which he had
been previously confined. He was not
fettered, and there was no added sever
ity In the treatment of him except that
an armed guard was placed within the
room, a gigantic fellow with good ma
tured face, who sat on q stool tilted
back against the door with short gun,
like a cavalry carbine, across his knees.
Darrell had struggled to preserve his
self command throughout the tragic
farce of the trial, well aware that the
approval Of his own sense Of honor was
all he had to hope for. He had main
tanned q calm demeanor from first to
last, and In his prison room he ad-
dressed his guard cheerfully.
"Where is this Gredskov?" he asked.
"Gredskov." was the reply, with a
sort of plying grin, "ls prison city In
the Caucasian mountains. 1t is main-
tanned for the purpose Of guarding the
captives taken among the rogues Of
the -Circassians, robbers,
Turks or any Of the bad men who seek
to plot against the czar. Every three
months q prison train is made up for
Siberia, where the prisoners are d.
yided among the mining towns"
Darrell's stay in Stavropol was short.
On the following morning he was
placed with about dozen other prison
ers. all seemingly Of the lowest type Of
peasants, and was conducted under a
strong guard to the city gate. He had
not been dressed in any sort Of prison
garb and still retained his minor be-
longings and the money that the
searchers had missed, but his hat had
been replaced by cap and his over
coat by a ragged garment that might
have been q part Of an officers OUTFIT
in the far past.
Outside of Stavropol the road was
smooth for considerable distance, and
the cavalcade moved slowly along
through q rural scene Of what might
have been prosperous comfort and
wealth had it not been for the stagna-
ton arising from the policy Of the
deputized government of Getchikoff.
At the end of the days march they
rested at q little post village. In the
morning they again advanced and at
night reached Gluglersk, on the main
road leading to the pass over the Cau-
casus to Tifls.
Darrell was treated with no more
and no less consideration than any
other Of the prisoners. To the officers
and soldiers of the escort he was SIM
ply the nihilist Sergius Bilowski, and
no argument could make him anything
more.
After leaving Glugiersk the way be-
came more rugged, though the road IT.
self was smooth and hard, Travelled as
it was by the numerous trading cara
vans from north to south that crossed
and recrossed the mountains.
Finally they reached Mozdok. where
q stay of two days was made. Their
next stopping place was Vladikaukas,
on the upward slope Of the steep noun
tain pass.
Ten hours after leaving Vladikaukas,
in the morning. the turrets Of Cred.
skov could be seen.
Darrell knew nothing Of Gredskov,
and as none of the soldiers would talk
to him and be was not allowed to
speak to bis fellow prisoners he could
obtain no information In regard to 1t.
But as the frowning battlements could
be seen rising above the trees he no.
ticed that the other prisoners became
more detected, and their faces express
ed terrible fear.
It appeared, then, that Gredskov was
q place to be dreaded.
At the gate of Gredskov the cavalcade
was met by an officer, who halted the
prisoners and took from the captain or
the escort q paper. This contained the
list of names, and the two officers went
over it together.
| Even then Darrell was not allowed
to speak, though he made a desperate
attempt to tell the officer at the gate
who he was.
Without ceremony he was taken from
the column of prisoners, handed over
to fresh guards and rudely hustled
into q low building that was built close
| 1,ao oif
Here he was thrust into dungeon
that was foored with stone, walled
| .r-i+h ctnna nnl rnnfnd with stone.