Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-07
MAXIM GORKY COMING
NOTED RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONIST
ON WAY TO AMERICA.

Great interest was aroused in Russian
revolutionary circles in New York last
night by cable dispatches that Maxim
Gorky. the Russian revolutlonist and nov
elist. had boarded the North German Lloyd
liner Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse at Cher
bourg and was en- route to New York.
The dispatch further stated that Gorky
was travelling under an assumed name In
order to elude the Russian secret service
agents, who have been dogging his foot
steps since he left st. Petersburg.
Gorky. it Is said, is coming to this coun-
try to inaugurate an agitation among Rus
sian refugees and friends Of liberty in this
country to the end that the present govern
ment of the car may be overthrown. The
work he is about to begin will enlist the
cooperation of number of famous polit-
ical exiles in New York and Chicago.
A Remarkable Career.
Maxim Gorky is the son of poor Rus
sian upholsterer, who died when the boy
was five years old. He is thirty-six years
old. His life has been varied and tenn
pestuous. After trying many occupations
Gorky sold beer for while; then was hired
by a lawyer, but tramped off to Tiflis.
where he worked in a railroad shop and
published his first novel in a local paper
Later he wandered back to the Volga, and
at Nizhni-N ovgorod lived by selling
sketches to newspapers.
In this way he met the writer Vladimor
korolenko, one of the most brilliant men
of Russian letters, and developed very rap
idly under his guiding hand. He attracted
no attention until he so suddenly sprang
into prominence.
Gorky's writings early attracted the at
tention of Tolstoi, and they became fast
friends.
Gorky was three times arrested by the
Russian government for alleged conspiracy
and treason, but each time. owing to the
great influence which was brought to bear,
was released.
The last arrest was on January 24 1905,
when he was decoyed to his home in Riga
by a telegram from the police stating that
his wife was Ill and desired to see him.
Upon his arrival he was arrested charged
with conspiracy, and was taken to Petro-
pavlovsk fortress, near ST. Petersburg,
where he was incarcerated
After Gorky had served nearly a month
in prison he was released only to be re-
arrested upon leaving the fortress, but
this time he was held only for few days.
Officials of the immigration bureau said
that they had not been notified of Gorky's
impending arrival. They said also that I'M
less socme appeal was made to them they
saw no reason why he should be detained
for any further examination than any
other alien would be subjected to, namely,
whether he was morally and physically
fitted to enter this country. and whether
he had money enough to prevent his be
or not he had been convicted of any crime
involving moral turpitude,
So far as could be seen from reference
to the exclusion law, there was only one
section under which Gorky might be ex-
cluded, namely, belonging to an association
authorizing and teaching the use of force
in the overthrow of constituted authority.
Gorky was, of course, arrested In Russia
and charged with being dangerous agi--
tator 1t was alleged that he belonged to
the fighting wing of the reyolutionaries,
but whether this charge could be MAIDS to
hold against him to the point of preventing
his entry to this country is a question that
could only be determined by an actual hear
ing.
It was pointed out at the department that
he does not come under the heading of a
convicted felon, as in the case of Romaine
1uriac the member of the notorious Hum
bert family, who attempted to gain adj
mittanee to this country after he had
served his term in a French prison. 1t is
not claimed either that the anarchist law
which was invoked in the case of John
Turner. the English labor agitator and an
archist in the fall of 1904 would apply
The Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse is due to
arrive tomorrow and the case of Mr. Gorky
will be relegated to the ordinary immigra-
ton inspectors unless they feel 1t necessary
to pass 1t up to the department In Wash
ington.