The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1916-03-11
LOVERS BEFORE
THEY HAD MET
Romance That Began In a
Siberian Prison.

prison. But twenty-five years old. OH
the very threshold OF life. and con
demned to spend twenty yenrs--from
youth to the beginning Of old age-in
confinement.
Tick. tlckety. tick.
Some one Is rapping on the heating
pipe which runs up to the floor above.
All political prisoners know the code.
and was not long ip spelling out the
remainder of sentence. The begin
ming had lost.
so lonely"
must condense two years into few
sentences. The rapper, occupying cell
directly above mine. was girl. Anna
vronsky. the daughter Of university
professor. She had been sent to Side
ria for teaching the peasants. She had
been placed In solitary confinement
and at the time she made my acquaint-
ance was OIL the verge OF insanity. To
save her l exerted myself TO the ut
most, encouraging her, telling her OF
escapes of which l had heard and OF
escapes l invented. For this sympa-
thy she was grateful. and l was not
tOnS Ill itt ktutbtuuG " iO'S'
There is nothing like love to stimu-
late both hope and endeavor. spent
all my time In planning an escape both
for her and me. Escape WINS not i'm
possible. for the prison System was bnd
and the prison officials corrupt. 1t was
recapture that l feared. To gain time
after leaving the prison and by time
distance hit upon the plan Of having
dummies in our cells.
This plan I communicated to Anna.
suggesting that when the guard brought
her meals she should always sit in the
same position and answer no questions.
This was to get the guard used to what
Il dummy would be. Anna began the
process at once. as ! did. BY our rap
ping code other prisoners told ns TINT
there was an hour. supper time. when
one might walk out OF the prison uI-
seen; but, rs Anna and | could not
rely upon escaping Mt the same time.
we were to meet. II possible. at dis
tant town where exiles having served
their terms were permitted to live.
made dummy out of my mattress
and my bedclothipg. Every time my
guard appeared I sat with my head
bent on my bed as though In melan-
choly. arranged by the code with n
prisoner at the end of the corridor
that mt three coughs from me he was
to shrek. One evening gave the sig
nal. The guard. without relOcking my
cell, hurried to the prisoner. l set up
my dummy and walked out. sue
ceeded in getting out Of the prison
without being seen except by one man.
who supposed l was n privileged con
Wet. 1t was very dark, and hid In
corner of the wnll. had noticed from
my cell window place where one
could get OH a low building with n
chance Of escape. Finding piece of
scantling In the prison yard, l used 1t
first to climb on the building and next
to reach the top of the wall. from
which I jumped down and escaped.
Ny dummy must have worked sue
cessfully. for was not pursued. and
II pursued I should surely have been
captured. went to the rendezvous
and waited there as long as dared for
Anna Vronsky. but she did not appear.
Then I reluctantly made my way to
Russia, stOpDing lust beyond the Dor
der. where 1 remained under an as
sumed name. Indeed, my Identity with
nv former self was unrecogniznblc. ]
made living trading I'm furs and kept
n lookout for ESCAPED prisoners, from
some M whom I hoDed to hear some
tbiny of Anna yronsky.
II sooms strange that n man should
love md continue m love girl H., ms
never soon Inf there was more be.
twecn me and nv fellow sufferer than
I.etwcen most lovers who had been
brought nm together. And this Is the
reason WIN I remn,nefl in what to me
was tho most dangerous position In
Russia. peor the siberian border
civ yoors noase,1 One dav I went I'm
IN L,r. bov IN make nurchases md on
INV way bnck stonped for sumner and