The Washington herald., 1908-04-19
ARREST BY BLUNDER
EngIiShman Is Herded with
Criminals in Cell.
TELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCE
Nicholas LuxenburE, Wrongly Ar
rested in Odessa, spends sixteen
Grated After Repeated Protests by
the British Foreign Office.

London, April ls-A tired man. wasted
In frame and haggard in face. stepped
from tile boat train at Victoria railway
station yesterday morning. He was met
by his wife and daughter. who flung their
arms round his neck and kissed him
again and again.
| The traveller was Nicholas LuxenbuFg,
who was wrongly arrested in Odessa.
| spent sixteen days in a Russian Jail,
and, after repeated protests by the for
! eign Office, was liberated with profuse
apologies.
| Mr.. Luxenburg related the full story OF
| his terrible experience. prefacing his
graphic narrative with the words: Il am
glad to be at liberty; I am pleased tha,
my ordeal is at an end"
The traces Of the rigorous treatment
he received are evident. A hacking
cough shakes him. and It will be con-
siderable time before he recovers from
the sixteen days of practical starva-
/ ton he endured.
irrested by Ruse.
ION the night of March T." he said, Il
went TO bed and slept. At about half
past / in the morning I was awakened
by a number of heavy knocks on the
door.
Who is it,? / demanded.
"A telegram. was the reply. I sprang
/ out OF bed on the instant A police in
spector and four men with fixed bayo-
nets and two watchmen with revolvers
marched into the room.
The ruse of the telegram was, I was
afterward told. due TO the fear that I
/ had concealed bomb. which / might
have hurled at them in moment of des-
peration.
The police inspector said abruptly: 7
have orders to search your rooms and
arrest you
The search was thorough Even the
sofa was pulled TO pieces. But the only
| revolutionary packages that were found
were 80 samples Of boots and price
books
The police inspector, when the search
had ended, bluntly declared; There has
been a great blunder made
When ! protested against detention
| he replied: must obey orders He
waited awhile and then telephoned to
headquarters that nothing suspicious had
been found in my possession, and that
he had absolutely no doubt Of my hav-
| ing been wrongfully arrested.
THE reply came that nothing could be
done. But one Of the warders insisted
that I should be placed in comfortable
room, as I should be long there"
Mr.. Luxenburg's description Of this
Comfortable room was startling. II
was small and I'll ventilated, a sort of
''Russian Black Hole -
Herded with Criminals.
Il was herded with seven criminals, I"
said Mr.. BuxenbuTg. They included a
police inspector of the Black Hundred,
who was a blackmailer and informer.
He was an ungainly fellow. overbear-
ing and dishonest. He had appropriated
the one bed in the room; the others had
to hudde on the floor.
"As soon as 1 entered he demanded 5
rubles for the poor. 1 gave him them
and he pocketed them. He stole the food
that was sent to me by my agent. Mr.
Samuely, and made himself as objection
able as he could.
He had amazing license, too, and
would drive out with warders, returning
to the prison hopelessly intoxicated.
I could not eat the black bread ana
soup that was served to me. The soup
was a dirty, evil-smelling, indescribably
repulsive concoetion. The Black Hun
dred man intercepted all the food that
was sent in, so that 1 tasted nothing
from March until March TO- except an
occasional cup of tea which the warders
brought me
I was removed to the Turma-a sort
- /
clean and, in q sense, besrable, especial
ly since was placed among the 'polIti-
cal prisoners.
"The room occupied was on the fourth
floor, and was shared by a young stu
dent named Gross. There was only one
bed-a narrow, hard couch, that swung
from the wall and could be fastened up
In the morning.
Letter Delayed.
Il wrote to the British consul, but he
did not receive my letter until eight days
had elapsed.
He visited me on March 20 and on the
following day was brought down to the
governor and questioned by some one
who, I understood, had been sent from
ST. Petersburg. The visitor asked me
number of questions, such as where
came from and what business I was do
ing.
The next morning at s / was called
down again, and found a captain Of
gendarmerie lie inquired If I had ever
been to Rief. and when I replied had
not. he exclaimed: That is where the
mistake lies
81 was brought down by the warders
again on the 23d You are at liberty,
they said. Instead of letting me go. how
ever. they brought me down again to the
governor He brought me my money,
less one-third, which is always deducted.
He returned my papers and passport
and requested me 10 sign receipt for
them He expressed his deep regret for
what had occurred. and passed out, a
free man once more.''