The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1905-09-28
The Peril Of a
Russian Workman
fOriginal.1

OF a factory In Russia. Three years
were all I could endure In that mis-
governed country. and after the cars
troops slaughtered the workmen who
marched to the palace to present their
petition | made up my mind to quit
the country.
Just as the train on which I left
pulled out OF the station a man came
running from the outside, jumped on
the footboard and was helped by the
guard into N of the compartments.
Opposite me sat a man. evidently In
O humble walk OF life, who watched
eagerly the one who boarded the train,
leaned out of the window when he
was helped into the compartment, then
fell back on the cushion white as Q
sheet
Dangerous attempt" I remarked.
The fellow might have been killed"
My vis-a-vis made no reply for some
time. Then he said eagerly:
This train makes 70 stop for over
IN hour. l believer
You are right"
Then 1t will be dark"
fright 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'
tendentT'
Il do not"
II am q Of the workmen In tho
eActory."
"SoY'
Eyes, I am Ivan Sviazhski."
Zone Of the men who got up tho 70
cent petition to the carr"
"YoA They are after me. That man
who boasiisd the train is one OF this
police. A oosn as the train stops he
will arrest me. Then there remain for
me the horrors of Siberia"
He had known that l sympath:zed
with the Russian workmen-indeed,
that sympathy was n of the reasons
for my leaving Husband had con.
6ded In me for this reason. l wished
| could help him. but saw no way. I
would have given him my passport.
but he told me he was known to the
police and could not pass Is another
man. His plan was to risk death By
jumping from the train as soon rs 1t
wal dark. I did not think there was
one chance In q hundred for him In
this course srd told him so, but failed
Z move him.
AZ noon as II was dark he climbed
..s - H. ~-.uF1., o,.A ...rJt.- -,
the footboard, babe Inc gooeby and
walked away from the window. l
looked after HIN TIL he disappeared In
the darkness. then. drawing in MY
lead. sat and thought about him til
the train made the first stop.
There II vas surrounded by tire po-
lice. who had doubtless beer telegraph
ed. and every passenger was examined
critically. The man they looked for
was not to be found. The police, con
GLIDING that he had jumped from the
train. gave up the search. permitted us
to proceed. and | suppose went back
ovc. the road 10 discover the result.
knew that there was 10 tine that
the train had not specded so fast that
the man nuss have been killed. and Oh
the way kept thinking OF his managed
body lying W the track. | could not
sleep nnd was glad when morning
cane and we reached the border.
At the station there | was going ini0
q dining room 70 get breakfast When
I was stopped by a railroad hand whom
! took for q locomotive fireman.
Arc you tie American superintend'
ent?" he asked.
II suppose So" I replied. puzzled.
Come with me-"
In a tw.nkllng II occurred to me that
he might have news OF the man l was
interested in, and l followed him, he
keeping some distance ahead Of me. He
took me a few hundred yards up the
road. where stood a locomotive. The en-
g.neer was cleaning his engine, II one
or two idlers were gaping ut the ma
chine. The man l had followed glanced
at them mcaningly, and l knew we
must walt for them to go away. When
the last one had gone tho fireman-for
such he 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 ! could see but
coal. Then he beckoned me to climb
mp and. removing a lump OF coal, ex.
posed a man's face. the face Of Ivan
0viaxhski.
II was plain to me that Sviazhski
has 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 I would furnish him with
means to 90 to America and find en-
ployment for him when he arrived
there. I placed some money In the
Aands Of the engineer for him and ap-
pointed q place Of meeting provided
he could ret safely out Of Russian
territory. left him still In an uncorn-
Portable position under the coal-fcr
a 49, -If-- AA ~nt.1A