The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-08-15
he Prisoners
Alphabet
How 4 Gill Learned II and
II Led 70 Her Freedom
81 cArHERINH KRorgIN

Ny 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 1t seemed to
me-then girl OF twenty 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 OIL
cials AS cattle. have seen a man go
into cIamoring 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 would get
into trouble. But my sympathies were
so strong that / consented to teach
clandestinely. found It easier to
teach the children. and used n back
room IN peasants cottage for a school.
] had not been long at the work be-
fore the secret got out. and one day tho
government officials broke into the
room while my school was In session,
and 4 WINS caught red handed.
pass over our 1reary march to ST.
beria for it has nothing to do with my
story. That story begins on the first
night of my arrival Mt the prison. at
Kara. was lying on my cot in my
cell, overcome with that dreadful feel
fhg 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 10 me
outside or now that was within the
prison walls So uncomfortable Were my
thoughts that tried to turn them TO
the home i had left. my father. my
mother and my sisters. But 1 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 ] was plunged.
there came something that turned my
thoughts from my nlisfortunes. a
heating pipe entered my cell ut the
floor and ran -perpendicularIy through
the ceiling. Suddenly sound pissed
over the pipe, as when steam is turned
on IN n radiator 1t was but one tiny
tick, such us would be made by the
pipe being struck by metal. 1t was i'm
Indefinitely fofiowcrt hy another tap,
then short interval. then a third.
Next three taps came together foffoAvs
ed by two.
This was enough to indicate that the
sounds were not. made by the expan
sion or contraction of the pipes fr9m
heat3or cold. but that soEleSone ystls
tapping on them with what1 did not
know. listened for some time. dur.
ing which knew that message was
being transmitted: but. since | did not
know the code. could not Interpret it
When it ended another series of taps
commenced. and there was ;l-&dfneRs
ence in the key. indicating that the
later series was produced by Il differ
ent instrument from the first.
Oh blessed relief ~ something to
think about, something to unrnvelI
Messages were being transmitted
through my room over the heating
pipe. was Mt once interested in read
ing them. Had known of the Morse
telegraphic code-which l did not-I
would have surmised that this one was
similar. The Morse code is composed
Of dots and dashes. This prison code
was composed OF taps and intervals.
For instance. one tap might mean the
letter A. two taps p. two taps and one
after an interval c, one tap and two
after an Interval ID. and so on.
did not gain Knowledge of n sin
gle letter that night, though two per
sons talked over the pipe for some
time. All communication ceased a
| quarter of an hour before the last visit
of the guard and Recommended quar-
ter Of an hour after the round had
been made. the persons continuing to
communicate for half an hour. when
they ceased. giving me tile first cue
J to their code. The last two divisions
I or words-as took them to be-were
tapped after short silence. and the
same taps and intervals were repeated
by the person who received them.
| 1 had by this time learned to sep
arate letter from letter and word from
| word. These last two words. tapped
| and repeated. we're composed the first
Of four, the second of Eve letters.
listened for some time for more, but
heard nothing. and 1t occurred to me
4 that the words spoken Were intended
for closing OF the conversation, just
as today persons talking over n tele-
phone say ''goodby'' to each other to
| indicate that they have nothing more
! to say. Immediately it flashed upon
me that the words spoken we're good
by, but the second word OF goodby is
composed of two letters. whereas, rs
1 have said. the second word of the
last message was composed Of five.
81 have It'll The message was good
night
/ So ended the first evening OF my pris'
j ~ NE. enr .mnll M the distraction