The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1906-07-13

NV Siberian
Prison Love
tOriginal.l

VTlSOu DuI twenty WV
the very threshold of life, and con-
Gemned to spend twenty years-from
youth to the beginning Of old age-m
confinement.
Tick, tickety, tick
Some one is rapping On the heating
pipe which runs UP to the foor ABOVE
All political prisoners know the code'
and was not long in spelling out the
remainder of sentence. The begin
ming had lost.
so lonely"
I must condense two years into
few sentences. The rapper, occupying
a cell directly above mine, was girl,
Anna Vrousky, the daughter OF
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
nv acquaintance was on the verge or
insanity. To save her ] exerted my
self to the utmost, encouraging her.
telling her of escapes of which l had
heard and Of escapes l invented. For
this sympathy she was grateful, and
was not long in turning her graft
tude to love.
There Is nothing like love to stimu-
late both hope and endeavor / spent
all my time in planning an escape both
for her and me. Escape was not i'm
possible, for the prison system was bad
and the prison officials corrupt. 1t was
recapture that feared. To gain time
after leaving the prison and by time
distance hit upon the plan of having
dummies In our cells.
This plan l communicated to Anna.
suggesting that when the guard brought
her meals she should always sit in the
same position and answer no questions.
This was to get the guard used to what
a dummy would be. Anna began the
process at once as / did. BY our rap
ping code other prisoners told us that
there was an hour, supper time. when
one might walk out of the prison I'M
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
to live.
made q dummy out of my mattress
, and my bedclothing. Every time my
guard appeared ] sat with my head
bent on my bed as though In melan'
cboly. I arranged by the code with a
prisoner at the end Of the corridor
that at three coughs from me he was
to shrek. One evening gave the sig
nal The guard. without relocking my
cell, hurried to the prisoner. ] set up
my dummy and walked out. l sue
: ceeded in getting out of the prison
without being seen except by one man
, who supposed was privileged con
Wet. 1t was very dark, and hid In q
corner Of the wall. had noticed from
Z my cell window place where one
: could get on low building with &
e chance of escape. Finding a piece Of
scantling in the prison yard, l used i
!, first to climb on the building and mex
y to reach the top Of the wall, from which
I jumped down and escaped.
MY dummy must have worked sue
=. cessfully. for l was not pursued, ant
II pursued l should surely have beef
captured. I went to the rendezvous
and waited there as long as dared TO
Anna vronsky. but she did not appear
Then I reluctantly made my way II
Russia, stopping just beyond the Dor
der, where I remained under an as
sumed name Indeed. my identity witt
nv former self was unacceptable.
made living trading in furs and KEEP
I lookout for escaped prisoners, iron
some of whom I hoped to hear some
thing of Anna vronsky.
1t seems strange that man should
love and continue to love a girl he ha
never seen, but there was more be
tween me and my fellow sufferer tina
between most lovers who had bee
brought up together And this Is tn
reason why / remained in what to m
was the most dangerous position ]
Russia, near the Siberian border.
Six years passed. One day I went u
to Kara bay to make purchases and o
my way back stopped for supper an
the ulKut III ~ itLtit TIC oDs
occupants being an old woman and he
niece. From the moment l saw til
niece / felt that she alone could TAX
the place Of my imprisoned love.
ch8tted with the two women till tt
aunt went to bed. The girl was abo,
to follow her when l. fancying from
sadness stamped on her face that 81
might have suffered as political pri
oner. tapped with lead pencil on IL
table from force of habit, spellir
words that / had often spelled
prison:
Anna, I love you"
The change In the girl before me W,
astonishing. She turned first whit
then a rosy red. catching at the san
time at the table.
Are you
Eyes. and your"
-. started forward and clasped her
4, my arms. Oh, the happiness Of tn
. embrace! Except for our hearts bes
"A Ing against each other there was I
- lence. Then l asked her II she wou
!. love the real az she had loved the ides
a She said she would.
The woman with whom she liv,