The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-02-16

"'NnuC has happened" / asked.
"'Notniug, he answered. Certain
papers have come and you are 10 go
travelling
"Moy say good-by to my friendsY
1 asked again,
There won't be time We leave
in few hours
May L send for clothesY
you WA need none, said my
.cr shortly.
81 knew then IL was the intention
of the authorities to transport me 20
siberia. Argument was useless. So
1 followed the jailer without further
purlcy In the corridor 1 saw march
ing along three comrades who had
had hand i'm the assassination Of
Plehye and surmised that they too,
were to be sent away on the same
long forlorn journey.
We four had been, 50 10 say, the
princes of the prison. We were not
regarded or treated as common Grim
inals by any means Our jailers, for
the most part, We're good fellows,
were not revolutionists, and yet they
had sympathy for the sufferings of
the great Russian people and large
amount of tolerance for the extremes
to which We had gone in an effort
to relieve those sutferings. There is
this drift of sentiment away from
tyranny everywhere and in all walks
of life in Russia.
80, when IL came to forging hand
cuffs and chains for us, they hesitat-
ed, argued the question among them
selves, and tried to see II they
couldn't arrive at some means Of re
lieying us Of that odium and incon-
venience. Some held that they had
no orders from st. Petersburg 10 put
us in handouts and others asserted
that since we had come to them with
out chains and handouts we should
be sent away without them.
THE opinion Of the majority pre-.
vailed and we four, 1 believe, were the
first political prisoners ever trans
ported to Siberia unshackled.
AT midnight we were marched To
the railway station under an escort
Of twelve soldiers and put into a car
that was strongly barred and locked.
In this fashion we Travelled for a
whole month. We landed at a small
siberian station, were kept there
awhile, and then for eleven days we
were marched on foot across Siberia
to the mines at Akatui, on the Man
churian border, where / was CON
demned to hard labor in the mines.
No sooner did 1 land in Akatui
than l began to scheme how 1 mighc
escape; but / soon saw that an at
tempt woul be fraugbt with almost
insuperable difficulties. We were
strictly watched and guarded and
TWO officials were severely punished
because they had not taken better
precautions against our fight.
Moreover, shortly after our arrival
a new chief was appointed. who went
to unusual lengths TO keep his pris-
oners with him and who in his zeal
to perform what he considered his
duty exceeded the most tyrannical
measures employed in the darkest
hours of Russian reaction. He order
ed the wives and the children Of the
conyicts, who had followed their hus-
bands and fathers into Siberia and
who had a legal right to live in the
prison zone, 10 leave Akatuf at once.
The guard outside was REINFORCED.
being increased from four 70 twenty
soldiers. Inside the prison. where
there had been no military guard
save that Of the inspector, a military
patrol was established that was
changed every two hours. On every
corner of the wall surrounding the
prison towers were built where senti-
neis might be placed with advantage.
Everything that went IN and out Of
the prison was thoroughly searched
and minute inspection was made of
the cells, which led TO the discovery
Of tunnel which We had already
begun 70 dig.
But despite all this, one vague
nope remained The basement ~ IN.
administration building. which stood
III the prison courtyard, was used a.
sort Of warehouse in which 70 store
The eonyiets' provisions and since the
conYicts themselves prepared a large
share oft heir own food We wero by
the necessity Of the case allowed AZ.
cess into this building when accom-.
= panied by guard