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


the official paper Of those sent to Siberia by
the Car 1t is printed in Russian, but for
obvious reasons Is published in the capital
city of Russias ally, France. The Courier
contains the first authentic account Of the
death Of Dszhepardze, one OF the 100 Social
Democratic members of the second Duma-
who were exiled to Siberia for affiXing their
signatures to the famous Viborg manifesto
a 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 Gear,
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, Yamskaya, where
we were to change trains All out shouted
the head Of the convoy. opening the doors
Dszheparidze rose together with the Others
but Immediately fell to the ground. crying
I cannot. I am all In Tzereteli and Macha-
radze picked him up and placed him on
dirty rug nearby.
I" How dare you sit down, you dog?
shouted a gendarme, whereupon his COM
rades picked him up and carried him out of
the car to the station platform. We had to
walt fully an hour for the arrival of the
train for Kursk. Surrounded by a host of
gendarmes, beneath the open sky, in the hor-
riole 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, As men in all, were locked up
in a cell u feet by s. All a.ong the floor lay
the victims of Russian barbarism. Not only
was it impossible to pass from one end of
the cell to the other, but it was impossible
for one to stretch out on the floor. In a half
hour the air in the room became intolerabe.
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"
TAMES O'DONNELL BENNETT was the
e most vitriolic dramatic critic in Chicago
where he sat in theatrical Judgment for the
Record Herald. He was feared by actors
and managers alike, vet, 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 Bennetts 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"
THE original manuscript Of Arnold Ben
i nett's The Regent" also known as THE
Old Adam" is in this country, the prop
erty of Edgar selwyn, the dramatist. How
Selwyn smuggled the manuscript out of Ben
nett's house at Thorpe-le- Soken, in Essex,
England is an interesting tale. Mrs. Ben
nett is the feminine Cerberus who guards
original manuscripts with a zest and care
verging on the fanatic, No manuscript has
ever been known to leave her possession be-
fore. Bennett and Selwyn We're discussing
things in general when the former offered the
desired manuscript to the dramatist.
But how will l get it past your wife,"
qucried the American.
Here it is; just put il under your coat
and walk out" responded the Briton,
But it's a bulky package and she'll see IT,"
If she stops you give her this" replied
Bennett. And seizng pen he wroteNon the
cover Of the bundle: This manuscript be-
longs to Edgar selwyn and is the property
Of no woman"
And that is how the manuscript was snug