The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-12
RUSSIANS ARE FLEEING
: FROM MILITARY DUTY
Hundreds Arrive at New York
After Escaping Across the Bor-
der to Prussian Soil.
BRIBERY OF SENTINELS

NEW YORK, March 1L-Of the 2,O65
steerage passengers brought here by the
steamship Graf Waldersee and landed at
Ellis island to-day, fully 1900 Rus
slams, many of them, it is said, being
refugees who fed to escape possible army
service against japan. An imperial edict
issued several weeks ago suspended the
issuing of passports to any male between
the ages of fourteen and forty-five, the
prescribed period for army service, the re-
suit being, according to some OF those on
the Graf Waldersee, a large exodus from
all villages within reach of the frontier
Every possible ruse, it was said, is being
resorted to in order to get across the from
tier and escape to this country.
Several of the refugees gave interesting
accounts of their departure from Russia
Alexis Kaplan, a "drosky" driver with
five companions, fed from the village of
Wilma.
ION Monday morning, about three weeks
ago." said Kaplan, 1.-The news went around
that the Car had ordered all who were
amenable to military duty to report to the
proper authorities in their district for draft
AS soon as assured of this i made up my
mind TO come to this country. l have a
wife and two children at home. If L was
drafted into the army and sent to the war
they would surely starve. If | could get
here l knew 1 could get work and earn
money to send them for their support until
l can send for them to join me here.
with five of my friends, these men here
(pointing to the men around HIM, l left
that night. l had saved little money. We
reached the frontier just before daylight,
and there found a military post. went
forward while my friends hid at safe dis
lance. When the soldier challenged me l
found he was an old friend from my native
village. / had a bottle of vodka, which 1
shared with him while we talked matters
over. He finally agreed, for Il rubles
apiece, which we paid him, to turn his
back while made dash across the line.
The border here is marked by a river about
eighty feet wide and not very deep.
After the officer in command OF the port
had made his rounds my friend. the sentry,
gave US the signal and turned his back
while we made a. dash for the river. We
plunged into the water expecting TO have
to swim for il, but found that we could
wade all the way across, although in the
middle the water was up TO our armpits.
When we clambered out on the Prussian
side the sentry fired off his gun and gave
the alarm, but we were safe on Prussian
soil and did not fear pursuit. We made
our way across country until we struck a
railroad, and followed this until we reached
a small station, where we took a train to
Hamburg.
Peter Slaboff, a young farm laborer and
one of the large party of refugees said:
There were nearly eighty i'm our party
of US were Jews and the rest Christians.
We were in the hands of an agent who had
provided US our passage tickets and guar
anteed TO get us out of the country with
out passports. None of us could secure
passports because of the war orders The
agent charged US 100 rubles each for the
whole job. He claimed that ne must pay
the sentries on the frontier twenty-five ru-
bles for each of us TO get us across the
borders. When we reached the frontier we
waited a couple of hours while he arranged
matters with the soldiers. Then he lined
US all up before the sentry telling us TO
keep as quiet as possible until we were
given the word and then TO run fast
as we could for Prussia. The soldier
walked down the line and counted US. He
made all the Christians fall out of the line
and the agent take them away. The sol
der said he could not let any Christians
escape no matter how much they paid.
After they went away and he had
counted us again the soldier turned away
shouting, Now run and we did run, never
stopping until we were all across the bor-
der