El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-03
.EXILES LEAVE
SIBERIAN W|LDS
Thousands Upon Thousands
Are Pouring Out of Frozen
North of Asia.
Continued from Page L.

q
where about $1,000 exiles and convicts
| lived In semi liberty In the mining
district Of Nertchinsk 100 exiles in
Guiding seven women, convicted Of con-
spring against the emperor, have been
released The first to be freed was the
famous Marie SpiridOnova, who killed A
colonel OF gendarmeS for tOrturing
prisoners. She was herself tortured
and abused Tor seven days and then
sentenced 10 death by a field court
martial After her release she fell i'll
and is now in a hospital in Tchlta-
Crowds Cheer Terrorist.
At Tyumen the correspondent met a
second train load OF exiles from the
Irkutsk prison and penal settlements
OF Tobolsk and Tomsk- The crowds
at the station cheered the famous ter
rorist. Nicolai Anuikhin. who shot and
killed the chief of the Petrograd-War-
saw railroad in 1906 His victim, Gen.
FuChlOff. was about to kiduap 400 rail-
road strikers and send then to Sibe-
ria Anulkhin. who introduced him
self TO the correspondent as "a re-
leased Jail bird is gigantic. broad
shouldered. elderly man with gray
imperial and an excited manner of
speech He said:
Tells of Prison Horrors.
AFTER one year IN European convict
prisons 1 spent ten years in the Alex
andrOvsk prison. 90 miles from r.
kutsk- This is the biggest convict jail
in Russian and contained =. 900 Ordi-
nary criminals and about 500 political
prisoners. mostly sentenced 10 life 'kS-
trOga.' the severest form of Russian
punishment short Of death ] spent the
first five years in the sOcalled prOba-
zion class with hands and feet man
acled and chained 10 a wheelbarrov
which / had to take everywhere. In
addition I was repeatedly logged hv
order Of the governor The assistant
governor during the absence Of his
chief, ordered daily floggings for his
own satisfaction.
Revolution News HaIts FIOggingE.
The badly overcrowded prison was
divided into dOrmitories, each OF
which was intended for 50 prisoners.
but usually contained from 60 10 50.
half OF whom mad consumption Or
rheuma tism. We cOnvicts had secret s
organization which we called the col
lective- The occupants Of the differ
ent dormitories communicated by
means OF tapping and other systems Of
signaling. Although We also had
means OF communication with the out
side world. We knew nothing of the
revolution untl the m9rning of our re-
lease A that time two terrorists and
half a dozen criminal cOnvicts were
being fogged without apparent cause
Inc provincial state attorney suddenly
appeared and announced. 10 our amaze
are free
" hiPping A. Preparation for Freedom.
After our release We learned that !
the assistant governor. on getting the ?
news of the revolution. declared he
would give q farewell flOgging. in
liberty I,
Among the political prisoners from
Iobolsk is Alexander POpOff no was (
sentenced to death for an alleged plot g.
against the emperor, q charge which ?
ne declares was . fabrication by the {
police PopOff, who is highly intel !
nsent artisan was chained by the
wrists and ankles for four years In
describing his release. he said
Needed BIacksmiths BADLY
most remarkable feature Of am !