The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-04
FREED BY A SONG.
Maria MieIer, Sympathizer of Fin.
nIsh Revolution, Tells of Escape.
New York WORLDLY

Miss Maria Mielier. an Estbonian
priifla donna from Finland. after hap
Ply escape from Russian prison in St.
eterSours, where she was put for
oelng IN sympathy with the Finnish
revolutionary movement, has arrived
IN New York and is going to sing and
stay in this country.
L was put In dark, cold and dirty
prison cell, said Miss MieIer. There
was hotnlng TO sleep on and / walked
up ana down the whole night. Toward
morning l lay on the wet and dirty
moor and slept. More than twenty-four
hours l was in this cell without food
UT drink. L heard often the cry of a
woman who was being tortured by the
police, and / expected the same tortur-
ing myself every hour.
After many requests and lament
ings l got drink and piece of black
bread. u
The torture Of women is a common
thlng in Russia, and when the notice
We're searching my room the officer de-
mahded that l undress myself for
search. When 1 refused to do so he
became angry and would have beaten
me mad not the manager of the hotel
lIIerLered. Then maid servant was
called, who searched me.
In this dark and narrow cell he
gan to sing the sad Russian and Fin
nlsh folk songs and some of the beau
tlIul operas, and my voice resOunded
through the silent prison. Not only the
prisoners became joyous and excited
but also the wardens Of the prison
liked 1t, and they listened to all nv
songs. Singing usually is not permit
ted IN a prison. / was told that the
chief of the prison stood silently be-
1~-.r1
l finished
THE singing saved my life. for soon
began to receive better treatment.
My cell was heated and 1. got better
food than before. One of the wardens
told me that he wept like a child when
sang folk song that he had heard
when he was boy. Always when I
finished my prison recitaIs there were
applause and enthusiastic shouts such
as l never received before
Once on dark night prison
guard slowly opened the iron door of
my cell and whispered that he was
willing to help me to escape for nv
songs had urged him to do for me any
thing 1 wished. L gave him some ad-
dresses of friends in the city and
asked him to go to them and arrange
matters. Among them was a son of a
judge of the supreme court, who ad-
mired my singing, and he began to
make plans with the guard
Il do not know how they arranged
ii, but II was again on a dark and
stormy night when the guard quietly
opened my door. saying, Take all your
things and follow me- He led me out
of the prison with my sister to where
the son Of the court justice awaited us
at the prison gates. He told me that
he telephOned to the prison office.
where that night the friendly guard
was on duty, that-by order of the chief
of police l must be released imme-
diately. as my arrest was a mistake.
He spoke as though he himself
were a police official, and sent two
men, disguised as policemen with
forged order to free me. He escorted
me to the Finnish railroad station and
introduced me there to another friend.
who was disguised as a policeman.
L went TO Finland, and the second
day after my release gave a recital in
Vilborg. The hall was crowded. L
gave some other recitals until the Fin
nish governor told me that the Rus
sian police were again hunting me-
and advised me to leave Finland i'm
mediately. I decided to come to Amer
lea, for il rs a free country, and here
will sing of the great and heroic Fin
nish women who make the laws and
fight in the streets. 1 will sing the
songs of the Finnish composers. which
are not known in this country"