The sun., 1908-05-03
RUSSIAN MAN OF MYSTERY
FREED NJ the WAR, he DIED
NOT LONG AGO IN JAPAN.

By Ills Own story . Professor at the Unyer-
sIty Of Moscow and Condemned Ia the
Mines After the Death OF Alexander
H.-Left Several Unpublished Books.
The foreign papers Of Japan recently
announced the death in the Japanese village
Of Gotemba OF Prof Vladislav kopientschk,
the Russian "man OF mystery about whom
all the countryside had speculated since
first he came 10 live near the hot springs
in that vicinity nearly three years ago,
Prof. Kopientschk, il that was the name
of the man, once told small part Of his
story to a reporter who was working Tor
an American newspaper in Yokohama.
After the Japanese expedition to SAX
hain had followed the crushing OF Russia g
last naval force under Rojestvensky and
the brown soldiers Of Japan had pushed
into some Of the seaport towns on that
bleak island with little or no opposition
from the Russian garrisons there began
10 stream into Japan a sorry amy OF non
combatants from Sakhalin. As fast AZ
the Japanese forces advanced into the
island they released all the Russian
prisoners in the penal colonies, and to-
gether with the few free tillers OF the soil
about the settlements these derelicts we're
transported to Japan and shipped thence
20 Shanghai. Most OF them came TO Yoko-
hama, and there the French Consul acting
for the Russian Government, took charge
OF them and put them on shipboard, nomin-
ally for deliverance into the hands OF the
Russian Consul In Shanghai.
One rainy day In July, 1905, trainload
of these refugees pulled into the station at
Yokohama, and the draggled men, women
and children. sodden and tumbled from
their week OF riding on steamer and rail,
were tumbled into rickshaws and taken
TO Japanese hotel in the vicinity to await
the disposItion to be made Of them by the
French Consul. As the motley procession
walked down the length Of the station plat
form to the rickshaw stand the head and
shoulders Of a great gray bearded man
loomed above the heads OF ali Of them.
He was dressed in black robe that might
have been the cassook Of priest, he wore
no hat on his tumbled white hair and his
beard flowed down over great Furnished
copper samovar which he carried under
one arm.
The big man with the samovar seemed
not to be Of the rest Of the very dirty, very
british herd Of eI-prisoners. He had an
air OF distinction, a genteel grace Of car
riaee and cast Of features which set him
apart. The reporter for the Yokohama
paper followed him TO the japanese hotel,
and there, after being passed by the Jap
anese policeman, he found the white haired
giant trying TO squat comfortably on the
clean mats Of room while he brewed tea
in his samovar. In answer to question
in French the big man introduced himsei
az Prof. Kopentschk. once Of Moscow, and
courteouslv invited his visitor TO sit down
and partake Of the tea,
IF my manners seem bit gross said
the professor by way Of Introduction To
the courtesies Of entertainment, you
must pardon not me, but the Russian Gov
ernment. One soon forgets his manners
when he Is forced 10 live with murderers
and blacklegs. have not lived 20 by choice
for the last twenty-odd years. The Gov
eminent made that choice for me.
Il do not know that have anything Of
| interest TO tell Of my life as a political
prisoner at Dui,- he continued. 1T was
not different in great measure from the
| lives OF many other men like myself who
| once came under suspicion Of the Gar 3
servants and whose lives thenceforth have
been entirely in the Cars keeping. Yet
30 strange seems this freedom, temporary
though Il may be, that ! feel a. free 10 talk