Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-28

"A fine bsba is yours. You may in.
deed be proud OF her" they would tor.
ment him. She found some other
husband. \ lot does she need YOU, A
prisoner They are all alike. yours
and ours NaSha took such drolleries
very much TO heart. He was I'm com.
plete ignorance Of my Whereabouts
and finally made up his mind that
had betrayed him.
As soon as l was released from the
hospital, l went to the Governor GEN
eral. in whose Office | was told that
Yasha had been sentenced TO four
years exile. Obtaining a pass, I went
10 AeXandrovsk to see him. But
Nasha would not see me Believing
his comrades tsunts, confirmed by my
two months absence, he resolved that
he was through with me. I was
naturally at a loss 10 account for this
abrupt change, and wept bitterly. Some
OF his acquaintances, who had been
brought downstairs, saw me cry and
reported TO him my emaciated appear.
ance. Then he came down.
Visitors were not allowed to come
in contact with the prisoners at Alex
androvsk. There were two steel graf.
ings in the Office. separated by a dis.
tsnce OF couple of feet The prisoner
was kept behind one grating, while the
persons who came 20 see him were
placed behind the other. They could
not touch each other.
This was the setting in which was
permitted TO meet Yashs We both
cried like children. he. at the sight of
my thinness, realizing that he had
wronged me in suspecting me OF faith.
lessness. II was a pathetic scene, this
meeting behind bars. Yasha told me
that he would not be exiled before
May. AS l offered TO accompany him
spend the several intervening months
at some work. l also had to get per.
mission TO join Yasha in exile.
I found work with the same asphalt
firm, but now as a common laborer,
earning only fifty kopecks a day. At
intervals I would 60 to Alexandrovsk
to see Yasha. One time I was work
ing at job in the Irkutsk prison, and
it was not long before the prisoners
knew that I had husband in Alex
androvsk, for there was a complete
underground system of communication
between the two prisons. On the
whole, 1 was we'll treated by convicts.
The winter passed. Toward Easter
OF 1918 succeeded In obtaining per.
mission TO have myself arrested and
sent to AleXandrGvsk, in anticipation
OF my exile with Yasha. I was put in
the women's building. in which were
detailed a number of women criminals.
What endured at their hands is al
most beyond description. They beat
me, but knew that complaining would
make my lot more bitter. When sup
per was served to us the matron asked
me il I had been maltreated. I an
swered negatively, but she must have
known better, for, turning to the WON.
en-, she instructed them not to punish
me.
My reply to the matron somewhat
improved my status with my prison.
mates, but they forced me, neverthe-
less, to wait on them and do their dirty
work. In addition TO these sufferings,
the food was putrid. The hunks in
which we slept were unclesn. Eight
OF us were in one tiny cell I saw
Yasha only once week, every Sun
day. l spent two months in this
voluntary imprisonment, but it seemed
like two years to me, and I looked for
ward eagerly and impatiently to the
day Of our starting on the open road