Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-19
The Daily Story
THE PRISONERS ALPHABET CATHERINE KRoNIN
Copyrighted Literary Bureau

came quite proficient.
As soon as could read readily de-
termined TO take a hand in the dia.
lOgues. Two men, both politicals, were
communicating. the one a young man
who had been sent to Siberia from a
university: the other had been impli-
Gated in conspiracy to assassinate a
minister of police. The latter was
much older than the former-at least
he talked more sedately-while the stu
dent was full of hope and enthusiasm.
He was discussing with the other plans
for escape. which his correspondent
discouraged as impossible and would
only bring down more horror on those
who attempted them.
The call signal learned at the out
set It was three taps at intervals till
the party TO be called responded. When
was sufficiently practiced to hold a
conversation gave the signal. A re-
ply came.
What is il, Paul?"
made the reply myself said that
I was political prisoner, a young girl;
that | had heard their conversations
over the pipe and had interpreted their
code. l would be pleased to talk with
them when they were not engaged
chatting with each other Paul, the
university man, asked me how long I
had been in learning the code and.
when l told him, complimented me on
my readiness. | asked him If he were
not afraid of the prison authorities be-
coming aware that he, was communi-
eating, 10 which he replied that the
prisoners all knew the hours when the
guards We're due and were careful to
refrain from tapping when they came
round. He added that the latter were
a stupid lot and, if they heard the tap
ping and suspected code, could never
learn it as 1 had done.
Doubtless the principal deterrent
from insanity among prisoners is plan
ming escapes. Paul, who, learned, was
in the cell directly below me, was full
of these plans, which he had been
proposing 10 Alexis, who was in the
cell above me. After I came into the
trio Paul consulted me rather than
Alexis as to the practicability Of his
plans, but l had not been there long
enough to have any knowledge of the
prison or the habits of our guards and
could be of no use to him. Neverthe-
less he finally laid plan intended for
my escape, with the assistance of the
other two, which Alexis pronounced
feasible, though not probable. No es.
cape could be made without bribing
the guard, and this could not be done
without his being able to make It ap-
pear that he was innocent. A woman,
Maria, had charge OF the cells for the
woman prisoners, and l succeeded in
winning her sympathy. Indeed, she
became so fond of me that she would
willingly aid me to get away provided
she should not suffer for negligence or
abetting me in my escape.
paul's plan was for me to effect q
change Of clothing with him. to pretend
illness, be sent to the hospital and trust
TO luck TO get back into woman's attire
and go out as an unidentified prisoner
There seemed to be no way to carry
out the initiatory part of the plan unit
proposed TO do my clothes up in d
bundle that could be put through tho
window bars and let 1t down TO Pau
on the floor below. Then l would hau
up bis clothes by the same means.
could make cord by tearing certain
articles of my clothing into strips.
We exchanged the clothing without
difficulty, and the next morning when
| Maria came around she found me IL
mans dress. / offered. if she would
! help me. to send her n thousand rubles
! from home. This she declined, bu
agreed to assist me because she pitie(
and loved me, though she would hi
| obliged to leave the prison and Kars
as we'll as / if she did so. She wen
! away. leaving my cell unlocked,
agreeing to give her couple Of hours
| to get away. At the end OF that tim
| walked ont into the corridor till
saw a jailer approaching, then fell OF
| the floor Coming to meILhe picked m
up and not knowing who | was, bu
| thinking me to be i'll, sent me to tn
hospital, where was put to bed.
The nurses We're men, and / had n
opportunity to appropriate woman
| clothes. But at midnight ! got out o
bed in my nightclothes and went on
into the prison yard. There l wa
picked up by an official and. being
woman, was taken to the woman's hos
pital, the man supposlng me to hav
come from there. Before morning
had stolen the uniform Of a nurse an
in this disguise succeeded in maxim
my escape.
had appointed a rendezvous wit
Maria and took her with me to Berlir
where I communicated with my f.
I Their
All this happened twenty years agt
and Maria has been in my service eve
| since
heard some time after my leavin
Kara that Paul had made his escar
and had gone TO America. hav
lived since leaving Russia in Germa n,
/ suppose I should sacrifice myse
again for the cause, but the prospe.
of that horrible prison life deters me.
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