The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-03
SEORY0F SIBERIAN RETURN
RUSSIAN POLTTTCAL CRIMINALS
ESCAPE FROM gEXELE.

'rehsaNts- fRsapOtNs Amu FOtSe EhoA~s
do not know Uho.he il. and Il would be
endiscreee go ~sayvwhere met him, but IL
YVES about week ago, writes n Moscow COR
respondent Of the London VI eRiRg StGndGrd.
By this time nc must he safe over the from
kieF-in Germany, in Switzerland or possi-
bly, in London. which In rather In favor Of
late with those who are not in good odorw with
the Russian gendafmes IN short, he was
n badly wanted political criminal He
had just returned, without cognizanCe Of
che authorities, from an involuntary SD
dcuTB IN farther Siberia.
In manner nc was a gentleman and a man
of education and ciilcure. He WIS possibly
q land owner. for his knowledge OF country
liBs and Agricultural methods was cODsider-
able; possibly a university professor. for he
spoke with that authority and with that rapid
easy flow Of polished Verbiage generally con-
lined in Russia 10 the more worthy u the
university graduates. Of course, he wa
introduced to me by name. but the name
properly belonged to a gentleman Mt Tomsk
or Irkutsk. who had lent his passport for the
return journey, he made no secret of that,
and little need. for the system is by now
Thoroughly well tstablirhed, perfectly we'll
known 10 the police. and only succeeds so
generally because Of the enormous num-
hers OF siberian returns, " and possibly a
little secret sympathy on the part of the
minor official who deals with passports at
the police stations.
The following is ~ much OF his story as he
thought ft TO tell and ] find advisable to
publish;
Il was arrested in January, 1908, on n
charge of completely in the MOSCOW rising of
-A. n-.l. 49, IL.
lutely no evidence gainst ma, 30 they did
not bother about "a trial. You remember the
trial OF the 'rehsfs' here? A hundred bows
and a Few old mnn. mostly acquitted. none
sentenced to death, and verv few sentenced
TO long terms 81 exile and convict labor.
And you remember The evidence ali hear
say and dimsv CuncoCtiOns by officials,
without u shred Of independent C~OrrObora-
ttoo. Well, they bad not even that much with
me. and with more than - Thousand others
whom they seized by administrative order
wien the whole affair was over. and the real
hntors IN the rising were dispersed all over
Russia.
"The gendarmes set about proving their
utility by aTresting every man they could
find who was ON their lists, and went
with the rest. We were six months in the
Butirki convict Jail. and was chosen
Rtarosta of the crowd in our cell. Tine
s~tarosts rs the elder or a church. of a
village. of an 'artel' or of q convict gang.
Prison life. oven with real conviCts. muir
derers. parricides, burglars. etc. il in
Russia very much OF y ComDromise he
tween the demands Of the regulations
for prisons and the actual facts of life.
Tke starOsta is the representative Of the
prisoners IN all deals with the prison
authorities
The chief Of the prison soon took a
lad hatred to me. was suffering then
from disease, and with that and the con-
Anement. The wretched food aud all that,
nearly went mad; ] had put in through
49, nRAnnE phnnnnIa N HNaHfa.fIF IAnnI l.
Nngnd 20 be exiled to a spot within reach
OF medical aid. which most Of the places
selected for political cxiles are not. The
chief of. prisons knew this and had his
revenge on me oy sending me on to Siberia
before IL was possible for my petition 10
reach st. Petersburg. WAS awakened
in thee dead OF night, dragged from my
bed protesting and thrust ont OF the cell
into the corridor Us | was.
"The other 'poItiCaGs' in the cell pro-
tested also. but myself | lost all control
and simply raved like "A mGdman at the
injustice Of the thing. Besides. I was
i'll and in pain. to say nothing of the state
of ones nerves. Outside the sell door
were half "A dozen soldiers fully armed,
with an officer. The officer. fortunately,
was an old club acquaintance Of mine.
and that saved my hfe. The soldiers
began their usual methods df tanning a
refractory prisoner. but he stopped them.
] demanded TO see the doctor. but it was
all no use. I went on that night in the
train for Siberia.
Have you ever seen the inside of those
convict trains? Not with the men In it,
at any rate. IL was a scorching July and
neither doors nor windows were opened
once all the way. The carriage I was in
was full. and Won know the authorities
have a refinement of cruelty nowadays
10 putting US 'politicals' into. the same
carriages with the scum 81 the earth:
The filth, the air, the vermin! They are
all three uncomfortable and undergraduate.
Won Nrnirai On through n hQRnwaa Nrnn aro ~
imagine anything like IL. There is never
a trainloGd OF 'pOiitiCSls' leaves Moscow
without half "a dozen men or women in it.
among the criminal convicts,' suffering
from disease; and with these, too. you have
90 live for weeks in close and unavoidable
contact.
How did I escapes? Oh. that is only q
matter OF y little money for Incidental ex-
penees. Friends one has everywhere nova
days. All through Siberia h very pea
SAINTS would do everything they could to
show their sympathy with us pOliticals.
The times are changed from those days
when your convoy had only 10 drop a
hint that his prisoner was suffering for hav-
ing attempted the life OF the Gar TO ALLEVIATE
him from the common feelings OF humanity.
That horse won't trot any more in Russia
the people know too much.
THE modus operandi of escaping from
exile is simple and only requires a little
nerve at possibly critical moments. All
lpoliticals for exile are sent TO little villages
of the aOOr1glneS ABOUT the lowest saw
ages on earth-in Siberia, in small parties
OF three or four. The only thing that
keeps them there is the distance from home
and the impossibiity Of traVersing IL with
out considerable expenditure. So long
as you are in the train or passing through
towns you are always well guarded by SOL
diers OF the Convoy Commands or any
other hat may be at the disposal Of the
local authorities. They receive their pris-
oners with a sort Of invoice. and must de-
liver them TO the police officer of the sue
ceeding district strictly according to the
invoice. Bur at lass you arrive at those
waste parts OF the earth where il 10 plain
all civilization m authority cease.
"The last representative of authority
ono sees is the ispravnik rural police
mastsrl OF some tOwnlet on the verge Of this
waste. In my own case this officer spoke
TO us plainly. made "a bargain with US. and
we duly kept it. Look here. my friends.
said ne. there are about two hundred Of
you for various villages along the road
, yonder. Now, from here you'll go on with
my police haven't more than Ave men
available now as far as Z which is the
limit of my district. After that you will
have only village elders" or their assist
ants with yOlI to guide each party of you
90 the village you are destined for. Now,
I,havs treated you pretty decently. and l
am sure YOU have no wish To make trOuble