The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-06-13
RUSSIAN MAN OF MYSTERY
DIED RECENTLY In JAPAN
Was Condemned to the Mines After the Death of
Alexander II but Secured His Freedom as Re-
suit of the Recent War.

The foreign papers of japan re-
Gently announced the death in the
japanese village of Gotemba OF Prof.
Vladislav Kopientschk, the Russian
s.man of mystery" about whom all
the countryside had speculated since
first he came to live near the hot
springs in that vicinity nearly three
years ago, Prof. Kopientschk, II
that was the name of the man, once
told small part of his story to re-
porter who was working for an
american newspaper in Yokohama.
After the Japanese expedition to
Sakhalin had followed the crushing
of Russia's 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 be-
gan to stream into Japan a sorry ar
my of noncombatants from Sakha-
lin. As fast as Japanese forces ad-
vanced into the island they released
all the Russian prisoners In the pen
al colonies, and together with the
few free tillers OF the soil about the
settlements these derelicts were
transplanted to Japan and shipped
thence to Shanghai Most of them
came TO Yokahoma, and there the
French consul, acting for the Rus
sian government, took charge or them
and put them on shipboard, nominal
ly for deliverance into the hands of
the Russian consul in Shanghai.
One rainy day in July 1905.
train load of these refugees pulled
into the station at Yokohama, and
the draggled men. women and child
rem. sodden and tumbled from their
woek OF riding on the steamer and
rail, were tumbled into rickshaws
and taken to a 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 beard
ed man loomed above the heads OF
all OF them He was dressed In
a black robe that might have been
the cassock of priest, he wore no
hat on his tllmbled white hair and
his bea.i tlowed down over great
FURNISHED ooprer samovar which he
carried under enc arm,
The big man with the samovar
seemed not t. be of the rest of the
very dirty, very british herd OF ex-
prisoners. He had an air of distinc-
tion, genteel grace of carriage and
csst of features which set him apart.
The reporters 'tr the Yokohama paper
followed him - the Japanese hotel
and there, att,r being passed by the
,Jqpanese policeman he found the
white hairel Giant trying % squat
comfortably on the clean mats or a
room while ne brewed tea in his
samoya". n answer to question
IA tFncnch tla big man introduced
himself as Prof Kopientschk, once
of MOSCOW, an1 courteously invited
his visitor ID I'll down and pariake
OF the tea.
"If my manners seem bit gross,
said the professor by way OF intro
duction 10 the courtesies of entertain
nent. "yon riust pardon not me- but
the Russian government. One soon
forgets his marners when he Is forced
to live with murderers and blachegs,
| have not lived 80 by choice for the
last twenty otd years. The govern
ment made that choice for me.
'I do not know that | have any
thing OF interest to Tell OF my lire
ss a political plisoner at Dull nc
continued, ~ was not different In
great measure from the lives OF many
other men Hike myself who once
came under ,Gpicion OF the cars SER
wants and whose lives thenceforth
have been entirely In the cars
keeping. Yet IS strange seems this
freedom, temporary though 1t may be
that feel az free to talk about my
self as a ,hllI who has been locked
in the nursery TO repent of his sins
~ was oIcs professor at the Uni
yersity OF Mcscow. If you look NJ
the record you will not find my mans
there, however. I was professor o
economics ard the philosophy o
government | prospered as profess
ors may be said TO prosper and wa
happy with my wife and one child
COT sud Ion came the news OF tn
assassination o, Car Alexander Ia
As / remember II was at the break
fast table that heard 1t first. Tha
night was in the hands OF the po
lice. never saw the inside of m
home again Some Of the men VIII
were bel!evel 10 have been In tn
Mot to assaerinate the czar wer
killed. I. who was believed to hav
haen In soms way an accomplice, wa
sent to Dui f,r life. was not ser
TO penal cc'ony for political nri'
oners but to Dui, the place wher
all OF the srlri OF Russia--the murt