Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-24
PASSED BY THE CENSOR

THERE arrived in Philadelphia this week
i a copy Of the Courier Of Political Exlles,"
the official paper of those sent to Siberia by
the Car. II is printed in Russian, but for
obvious reasons is published in the capital
city of Russia's ally, France The Courier
contains the first authentic account Of the
death OF Dszheparidze, one of the 100 Social
Democratic members of the second Duma-
who were exiled to Siberia for afixng their
signatures to the famous Viborg manifesto
q Russian declaration of independence.
Laying aside entirely the pathetic human
side OF the story the account of the last
hours of the Russian sounds strangely out of
harmony with the honeyed words OF the Czar,
addressed to his Dear Jews" and My Loyal
Poles" In part, the Courier says;
AT o'clock in the evening the train
approached a small station, Tamskaya, where
we were to change trains. All out, shouted
the head of the convoy, opening the doors.
DsSheparidze rose together with the others,
but Immediately fell to the ground, crying,
cannot. I am all in Tzerete and Macha-
rad2e picked him up and placed him on a
dirty rug nearby.
How dare you sit down, you dog?'
shouted gendarme, whereupon his COM
rades picked him up and carried him out of
Wv Noi " lIle STATION we n0u TO
wait fully an hour for the arrival of the
train for Kursk. Surrounded by host of
gendarmes, beneath the open sky, in the hor-
rible cold and but the scant prison clothes
on our backs, we waited in the snow, shiv-
ering, hungry and trembling for our lives
lest one of the gendarmes take a fancy to
shoot us. Dszheparidze alone was permitted
TO sit down on the ground. Beside him
stood his wife with her 2-year- old child in
her arms. After our arrival at the Kursk
depot we were dispatched to the prison.
All OF us, 40 men in all, were locked up
IN cell IL feet by s. All a,ong the floor lay
the victims OF Russian barbarsm. Not only
was 1t impossible to pass from one end of
the cell to the other but it was impossible
Tor one to stretch out on the floor. In half
hour the air in the room became intolerable.
one of us took chance and attempted to
open little window, but the soldier on duty
ordered him back to the floor In an hour
Dszheparidze began to snore heavily We
pounded at the doors and demanded that
some Of us be transferred to another cell At
midnight the warden of the prison. Kalmi-
kof, entered and ordered that members of the
Imperial Duma be given room in another cell
nearby. That night Dszheparidze died with
out having received any medical attention"
JAMES O'DONNELL BENNETT was the
- most vitrioc dramatic critic in Chicago,
where he sat in theatrical judgment for the
Record-Herald. He was feared by actors
and managers alike, yet, when it was learned
that he had been captured by the Germans
In Belgium and was threatened with death
as spy, even his enemies in the profession
were sorry. OF course he was released,
hence this story.
The other night two actors who had felt
the sting of Benefits pen stood in front of
the Garrick Theatre discussing the war One
referred to Benefits visit to the scene Of
conflict.
wouldn't it be awful exclaimed the other
with heartfelt worry 'if he didn't like the
way they fought