Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-05-02
"JouN BAKER"
s,ry Of Russia as told by One
= e escaped from siberia.

r,.n known as "Johu Baker,. He
DIV, ,s.tsn- Pole, so, needless to say, this
= 80 N. raj name. He came to America
y. ,,ng man, and fought in the Civil
~ ,,sinr his left hand. He is a noted
va and a great student OF Russian
$50 M. SO is in great demand at the pres
emf time II. ,,,o no,o-, ~.
-, historical Society, recently, and
~, !. the story am to try to tell you
BE began; -
,,hv do not tell you my real name
! soc,nss il contains seventeen syllables
sa,uld break your jaw TO pronounce it.
sH0 .,hs, reason is that, should 1t become
-, IN Russia who really am, IL would
.n csrtain death for me. so no one in
' Us knows 1t but my wife. How
~ ,.o name of Baker, / win tell you
hisr" 49,,
rae travelled one week studying, and
-, .iebt.seeing the next week, and he'd
-, ,T,tessars OF seven different nation
- IN study under. lie then went to a
sn,ee,s,tv from which he was recalled by
s,.,,other who wrote him that the gov
a.,,,snt was pressing all men into service
ior war.
M. tsthar was absent upon his return,
"a no WAS not told where he was, at
~hieb he wondered greatly. Before long
!. hoard runors that ghosts were appear
=, IA tb, cemetery near and people were
,r,v much frightened las they were
,.r,b, TO ci,eve in the supernaturall, as
M. always toretold some great disaster to
The country war, etc.
He resolved to iaihom the mystery, so
,r,b several Of his friends he visited the
cemetery at midnight. Sure enoughl
Tbere we're about fiity spooks there. The
otber bows He'd, but though trembling In
.ery limb, be erept near enough to grab
one. The spook immediately disappeared,
and "a Mfr. Baker expressed Il, II dis
.pveared also-down a stone stairway"
awhen consciousness returned, found
myself in large underground apartment
lighted with lanterns, with about $50 more
,pooss araund me. One who appeared TO
n the chief Of the spooks then spoke.
He cane 70 as OF his own Accord His
blood be upon his own headi' Then an
cher cried. Haiti This is my sonl
sent Tor him,' More MYSTERY Here was
nv father among these ghostsi
n was then asked II would take the
cath and Join this universal brother hood.
Explanation followed, and said yes |
took their oath, and | have kept il, too,
ihoagh tortured numerically, as | shall
tell you.
"You perhaps have mistrusted that we
we're, a. yoa call It, nihilis,s, but we are
simply working for our liberty-the free
dom Of Poland from the Russian oppres-
sion. This chamber was our meeting
place; the spooks, guards. We were sas-
pec;sd, however. and soon after, with sew
srsl others, ! was captured aud the report
which WAS sent ON to the government was
captured with arms in his hands, and all
The aims carried at that time was copy
Of the New Testament.
ave were oil placed in fortress, and
uhIie there one of the first fiags OF free
dom only red, white and blue rag ever
Fang TO the breeze OF Russia, was ioated
tsom our cell window"
Mr.. Baker himself drew his own life's
blood to make the red stripes on this poor
little emblem Of freedom.
Then came torture which would have
done credit to the days of Nero. The
guards Of the prison entered the cell, aud
naming over some OF those suspected as
being leaders in the party, tried 20 get
him to betray himself and them. When
Be refused to speak they began the torture.
When he asked for food, they gave him
slice Of the black bread OF Russia, and
very salt, salt herring or sardine, To make
aim thirsty. Water was then denied him.
He was chained to the wall on one side
Q, the cell, before him out of reach, was
Placed running water, and the floor slanted
away from him so none could run near
him. This did not make him speak, so
Iaey stripped him and laid him in the
snow land Russian winters are not mild)
ihen made him get immediately into hot
oath. What agony this is can be imagined
IN small part, perhaps, from the feeling
OIL ones hands on cold, cold day when
plunged into hot water. Still he refused
'oooniess, and the lash was ordered, forty
Stripes, or thirty nine rather, AS the last
stroke is always omitted by the lenieney ~
q AIS gracious majesty, the Gar. Should
NO stripes be ordered, he said, and man
o'ed under the first fifty, the 4ooth would
SUI be withheld by the Ieniency OF his
majesty the Car.
After the lashing csne the dread word
70 prepare for Siberia. Think OF march
ing from st. Petersburg to the wiids of
SIBERIA, chained together like dogs-worse
uan dogs-dressed in heavy yellow coats
ana thick leather boots, each one num-
0efed and known only by his number,
marching more than ten and sometimes
twenty miles day. Women and children,
700, many Of whom died before halfway
'herel The chains were loosed only at
night.
During this tuna hou.avar Mr. Ralar