Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-08-20
The Prisoners
Alphabet
How a Girl Learned 1t and
1t Led to Her Freedom
By CATHERINE KRONIN

!. +
My father was a landed proprietor in
the department of Koskoma, Russia
Our peasants, who had formerly been
serfs and not many years liberated.
were very ignorant, and it seemed to
me-then a girl of tWenty-that the
first thing to do to better their condi-
ton was to educate them, for they
were only fitted for grade of labor
but little above what was performed
by beasts of burden. Indeed, they
were treated by the government off,
Gals as cattle. l have seen man 60
into a clamoring crowd with stout
whip and scatter them as he would so
many steers.
My father forbade me to do anything
for the poor creatures that was not
permitted by the government. know
ing well that by doing so I would get
into trouble. But my sympathies were
so strong that l consented to teach
clandestinely l found 1t easier to
teach the children, and l used a back
room in peasants cottage for school.
1 had not been long at the work be-
fore the secret got out, and one day the
government officials broke into the
room while my school was in session.
and l was caught red handed.
: l pass over our dreary march to ST.
IBERIA, for it has nothing to do with my
story. That story begins on the first
night of my arrival at the prison at
Kara. | was lying on my cot in my
cell, overcome with that dreadful feel
ing Of being locked in and wishing that
death would relieve me from the suffer
ingS in prospect for me. | do not know
whether it had seemed bleaker to me
outside or now that | was within the
prison walls. So uncomfortable were my
thoughts that I tried to turn them to
the home l had left. my father, my
mother and my sisters. But l knew
they were suffering on my account, and
to think of them gave me no relief
But dark as the prospect was, deep
as the gloom in which I was plunged
there came something that turned my
thoughts from my misfortunes. a
heating pipe entered my cell at the
floor and ran perpendicularly through
the ceiling. Suddenly a sound passed
over the pipe. as when steam is turned
on in a radiator It was but one tin,
tick, such as would be made by th
pipe being struck by metal. 1t was i'm
mediately followed by another tap
then a short interval, then a third
Next three taps came together, follow
ed by two. e.--..
This was enough to indicate that tn
sounds were not made by the expan
sion or contraction of the pipes from
heat or cold, but that some one wa
tapping on them, with what l did no
know. l listened for some time, dur
ing which knew that message wa
being transmitted; but. since did no
know the code. could not interpret IL
When it ended another series of tap
commenced, and there was a differ
ence in the key, indicating that tn
later series was produced by a differ
ent instrument from the first
Oh, blessed relief - something t
think about, something to unrave
Messages were being transmitte
through my room over the health
pipe. was at once interested In reat
ing them. Had I known OF the Mors
Geographic code-which l did not
would have surmised that this one wa
similar. The Morse code Is compose
Of dots and dashes- This prison COG
was composed of taps and interval
For instance, one tap might mean tt
letter A. two taps B. two taps and or
after an interval G. one tap and tw
after an interval D. and so on.
l did not gain knowledge Of ST
gle letter that night. though two pc
sons talked over the pipe for son
time. All communication ceased
quarter of an hour before the last Wis
of the guard and recommended a qua
ter of an hour after the round h;
been made, the persons continuing
communicate for half an hour. VIII
they ceased, giving me the first C
to their code The last two divisio
or words-as l took them to be-we
I
same taps and intervals were repeat
by the person who received them.
had by this time learned to s,
arate letter from letter and word frt
word. These last two words, tapr
and repeated. were composed the Fl
Of four, the second Of five letters,
listened for some time for more. /
heard nothing. and it occurred to
that the words spoken were intend
for a closing of the conversation. j.
as today persons talking over a te
phone say '.goodby' to each other
Indicate that they have nothing MI
to say. Immediately it flashed ur
+ me that the words spoken were go
nv. but the second word Of goodby
composed Of two letters. whereas,
~ have said. the second word Of
last message was composed Of five.
~ have it! The message was &c