The daily Alaskan., 1905-06-19
My Siberian
 Prison Love

prison. But twenty two years old, on the very threshold Of life and con demned to spend twenty years-frcm youth to the beginning Of old age-in confinement
 Tick, tickety, tick
 Some one is rapping on the heating pipe which runs up to the floor above. All political prisoners know the code, and I was not long In spelling out the remainder of sentence The begin ming had lost
 "-so lonely
 I must eondense two years Into a few sentences. The rapper, occupying a cell directly above mine, was a girl, Anna vronsky, the daughter or a university professor, She had been sent to Siberia for teaching the peas ants. She had been placed In solitary confinement and at the time she made my acquaintance was on the verse Of insanity. To save her I eXerted my self to the utmost, encouraging her, telling her of escapes of which l had heard and Of escapes I invented. For this sympathy she was grateful and I was not long In turning her grati- tude 10 love.
 There Is nothing Ike love to Stlmu- late both hope and endeavOr. I spent all my time in planning an escape both for her and me. Escape was not im- possible for the prison system was bad and the prison officials corrupt lt was recapture that feared, To gain time after leaving the prison and by tirse distance hit upon the plan Of having dummies in our cells.
 This plan l communicated Co Anna suggesting that when the guard brought her meals she should always sit in the same position and answer no questions. Thls was to get the guard used to what 6 dummy would he. Anna began the process at once as I did. Ky our rap ping code other prisoners told us that there was an hour supper time. when one might walk out of the prison un- seen; but as Anna and | could not rely upon escaping at the same time, we were to meet. if possible at dis tant town where exiles having served their terms In prison were permitted Co live.
 made a dummy out Of my mattress and my beiclothing Every time my guard appeared | sat with my head bent on my bed as though In mclan- choly. I arranged by the code with prisoner at the end Of the corridor that at three coughs from me he was Co shriek. One evening | gave the sig. nal he guard. without rclcckinc my cell, hurried to the prisoner. ! set up my dummy and walked out | sue. cecded In getting out of the prison without being seen except by one man, who supposed was a privileged con. vict. It was very dark and hld In a corner of the wall had noticed from my cell window a place where one couA get on a low building with a chance Of escape Finding a piccc of scantlinc In the prison yard, l used N first to climb on the building and next to reach the top of the wall, from which jumped down and escaped.
 Ny dummy must have worked sue ccssfully, for l was not pursued, and if pursued I should surely have been captured. I went Co the rendezvous and waited there as long as | dared tor Anna Vronsky, but she dd not appear. Then I reluctantly made my way Co Russia. stopping just beyond the bor- der. where I remained under an Os- sumed name. Indeed, my Identity with my former self was unrecognizahle l made a living trading In turS and kept a lookout for escaped prisoners, from some of whom hoped Co hear some thing of Anna NUonSky,
 It seems strange that a man should love and continue O love a girl he has never seen. but there was worc cc- | tween me and my fellow sufferer than between most lovers who had been brought up together. And thls Is the mason why [ remained In what to me was the most dangerous position In RuSSla. near the Siberian borler.
 SIX years passed. One day | went up 70 Kara bay tc make purchases and on ny way back stopped for Suppcr and h. night at a little farmhouse, the only ,ccupauts l'cing an old woman and her liccc From the moment I saw the ,iS,e I felt that she alone could take he place of ny imprisoned love, ] Shltted with the two women dN the aunt went to bed. The girl was about to follow her when |, fancying from a sslrcss stampel on her face that she night have suffered as e political pris- lue-. ta1red v,th a load pencil ca tho -a,l2 from force of habit spelling rs-'s tbat had often spelled in .E.SsE:
 '.'N-a. ' love ycr.
 Thc ctau-e in the girl before we was
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