The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-08-04
The Peril of q
Russian Workman


Opposite me sat man, evidently In
humble walk of life, who watched
eagerly the one who boarded the train,
leaned out of the TindIw when he
was helped into the conn y tment, then
fell back on the cushiox white as u
sheet
Dangerous attempt" l remarked.
''The fellow might have been killed"
My vis-a-vis made no reply for some
time. Then he said eagerly:
This train makes no stop for over
an hour, l believe"
"You are right"
"Then it will be dark"
Right again"
Another silence followed, during
which the man sat revolving some
question in his mind Finally, looking
me straight In the eyes, he said:
you do not recognize me, superin-
tendenfT
II do not"
II am one of the workmen In the
factory"
"SoT'
Yes, l am Ivan SviazhskA"
'One Of the men who got up the re-
cent petition to the czarr
Yes. They are after me. That man
who boarded the train is one Of the
police. As soon as the train stops he
will arrest me. Then there remain for
me the horrors of Siberia"
He had known that l sympathized
with the Russian workmen--indeed.
that sympathy was one Of the reasons
for my leaving Russia-and had con
fided IN me for this reason. wished
l could help him, but saw no way.
would have given him my passport.
but he told me he was known to fhe
police and could not pass as another
man. His plan was to risk death by
jumping from the train as soon as it
was dark did not think there was
one chance in hundred for him in
this course and told him 80, but failed
to move him.
AS soon as it was dark be climbed
out of the window and, standing on
the footbOard, babe me goodby and
walked away from the window. /
looked after him till he disappeared In
the darkness, then, drawing In my
head, sat and thought about him till
the train made the first stop.
There it was surrounded by the po-
lice, who had doubtless been telegraph
cd, and every passenger was examined
critically. The man they looked for
was not to be found. The police, con-
Guiding that he had jumped from the
train, gave up the search. permitted W
to proceed, and suppose went back
over the road to discover the result
/ knew that there was no time that
the train had not speeded so fast that
the man must have been killed, and on
the way kept thinking Of his mangled
body lying by the track. l could not
sleep and was glad when morning
came and we reached the border,
At the station there l was going into
a dining room to get breakfast when
l was stopped by railroad hand whom
took for locomotive fireman,
Are you the American superintend
entp' he asked.
81 suppose so," replied, puzzled.
Come with me"
In twinkling 1t occurred to me that
be might have news of the man / was
interested in, and | followed him, he
keeping some distance ahead of me. He
took me few hundred yards up the
road, where stood a locomotive The Ell
gineer was cleaning his engine, and one
or two oilers were gaping at the ma
chine. The man had followed glanced
at them meaningly, and l knew we
must wait for them to go away. When
the last one had gone the freman-for
such be was-got up into the tender
and whispered something to some one,
I could not tell whom, for there was
nothing there so far as l could see but
coal Then he beckoned me to climb
up and, removing lump Of coal, ex-
posed mans face, the face of Ivan
SviaZhski.
1t was plain to me that SviaZhski
had walked along the footbOard to the
tender, climbed over 1t and, finding
sympathetic laborers in the engineer
and fireman, they had concealed him
under the coal He had sent for me
hoping that l would furnish him with
means to go to America and find en-
ployment for him when he arrived
there. placed some money in the
hands Of the engineer for him and ap-
pointed place Of meeting provided
he could get safely out Of Russian
territory. I left him still In an uncom-
Portable position under the coal-for
the time had not come when he could
be released without too great risk.
l waited at the rendezvous. and as
he did not appear l feared that after
all he had been captured. made up
my mind to write what knew about
him to his family and proceed on my
way when | was told that there was
an old man at the door Of the hotel
who wished to see me. went out.
thinking that he might be my man
disguised. but on seeing him could
see not the slightest resemblance. He
fooled me for several minutes before
telling me that be was Svlashski
/ brought him home with me, secured
work for him, and in the next steamer
he expects his family 10 joln him.
T. EUGENE DRAPER.