Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1904-07-22
ISLAND OF SAKHALIN.
WIFE Z FOES TO Ian Gov
- ERNMENT ARE CONFINED.
Chance for Japanese to Liberats 0on-
victs Who Have ~..otted Against
g. Czar-The Siber-
ian System.

.-
Japanese naval victories have al
ready demuralized Russia's exile sys-
tenn, and they soon might deal It
staggering blow by throwing open Its
chief Siberian prison After sinking
few more Muscovite ships japan
would be able TO land troops on the
convict island of SakhalIn. just north
of the Japanese archipelago, and release
the 40 900 men and women imprisoned
there, says the New York Tribune OF
recent date Once free. .<the murderers,
traitors, nlhllists and revolutionists
who compose the population would be
able at last to avenge themselves to
some sma- degree upon the govern
ment which has doomed them to liv-
Ing death.
/ The convict island Is situated at the
northern end OF the Japan sea, like the
keystone OF an arch. Southwest Is the
Asiatic coast OF the Russian-Siberia
province OF Amoor and the seaport Of
vladivostos Southeast, across a mar
row strait. lies the Japanese island OF
Yezo Although 600 miles long. SAX
haln 10 80 narrow that It has the
shape Of pic,erel on the map. In
area It Is equal to the state OF South
Carolina; In climate II may be likened
TO southern Greenland or northern
Norway If dug up and laid down on
the Atlantic coast between the same
parallels OF latitude. II would stretch
from renFor. Me-. to centra! Labrador.
/ To This cold. inhospitable. remote
part of the earth Russia bnnishes her
worst enemies CT state. When a peas
ant commiis m e,rocious murder the
penalty IL Sakhnlin. When bank
teller omhe1zes fortune he is doomed
to astle IA siahha,in. Should some high
oiflcial prove q traitor TO his govern
ment. he exchanges his splendid st,
rstarshHrs ifawing rooms for the log
hnts Of S1s hahn.
There was secret military confer
ence between Russia and France q lit
tie mora than year ago. when the
two powers agreed on mode Of at
tack on Germany should either nation
20 TO war with the kaiser. Not long
afterwnrd II was discovered that Ger
many by some mysterious means had
learned the strataRem. Col Grimm. a
trusted Russian offlcer. was suspected
of treaehcry, and IN the face OF indls-
putable evidence he confessed himself
traitor II was estimated that the
changes In fortifcations made neces-
sary by his treachery cost the Russian
government $500 900. Yet he was not
hanged or shot His fate Was worse
He was banlshod to Sakhalin.
Since Russia has completed the con-
tinental railroad across her Asiatic do
main she has sought to change the
character OF Siberia from a penal col-
ony to great Industrial province. She
has endeavored to wipe out the wretch
ed associations which haunt the name
of Siberia because OF It's past. and
which has stunted its growth. As long
MS Russia continued to found penal set
tlemel.s within this region, to which
were condemned murdorers as well as
refined men and women banished
thther because OF their political views,
voluntary immigration into Siberia
from the congested parts Of Russia
amounted to little or nothing. For the
reason that the convict settlements
were adjacent to towns. Russian cit
igen Of good standing had no desire to
emiGrase to such community. where
his family must needs associate with
the ou.casis OF society.
Accordingly, Russia IN recent years
has been seadlng her chief offenders to
the far distant island OF sakhalin. The
war, however. has put a stop to fur
ther deportation Of convicts to the is
land II Russia attempts to send her
convicts by ship, as was once her GUS
tom, from the Black sea port OF Odes-
sa. the Japanese warships will hold
them up somewhere along the Pacific
coast II she sends them by railroad
to yladIvostok, the mikado's ships are
likely to capture them after they have
been put on board ships for the island.
Russia began sending exiles to 81
IBERIA In the middle Of the seventeenth
century. instead OF branding them with
hot irons. impalng them on hooks.
cutting out their tongues or amputat-
Ing their limbs. as she had done before.
In the middle of the eighteenth CEN
iuls ti4e s-,ssos.tss abolished clr'ta,
punishment, and. instead OF executing
their worst criminals, they banished
them to Asiatic Russia. They popu-
lated vast tracts with sparsely scatter
ell colonies of convicts. Between the
years 1923 ard 1887 nearly 800, 900 men
and women were torn from their
homes In Europe and driven to fara-
way Siberian settlements.