Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-12-16

-HE DEATH. in Anaconda recently OF
David Gordonowski better known in
Anaconda n vicinity as Dave Cor
don, marked the passing OF a char
acter whose career, could 1t be recorded,
would verify the truth of the oft-hand
slogan, Truth is stranger than fiction
Born in Russia of wealthy parents and
reared in luxury. his declining years were
spent shifting from Pillar to post and
relying on h generosity of friends and
acquaintance.
Extremely reticent regarding his past
career. his complete life story will never
be known, but such fragments as were
gathered together by one OF his most in
innate acquaintance. would provide the
basis OF any number Of wonderful tales
In the hands of Beach, London or
OHenry.
Born in st. Petersburg
As near as can be ascertained, Mr..
Gordon was born in May. 1858, in what
was then St. Petersburg. H is father was
interested in mining projects, and stood
high in the graceS OF the rOyalist party.
but early in life his son shove a decided
leaning toward nihilistic doctrines. 1t
was after he had started his collegiate
studies In st. Petersburg that he became
an out and out nihilist. The plot made
ON the life of the Russian car in the
late '70s as the latter was returning from
LlVaOld 10 OF. TeleISDulB apparently III
fluenced the young mar greatly. Whether
or not be was one of the students sup
posed to have been implicated in the at
tempted assassination is not known, but
the old fellow often alluded to the Incl
dent In late years. He also used to tell
about the bombing Of the dining room
Of the winter palace in st. Petersburg
on Feb. II, 1880, when l omen of the
Finnish guard were killed and So others
wounded. Although the place was blown
TO pieces, the car escaped uninjured.
The assassination of Gar Alexander IL
ON March 10. 1881, through the agency of
a bomb thrown by one Rousakov was
related by Gordon to a local acquaintance
about a year ago. At the time the person
TO whom the story was told too notes
Of what the old fellow told him, and
later discovered the names of the assassin
and the date correspondent with historical
data.
Banished to Siberia
1t was during the nihilist trials that
followed an attempt on the life of the
succeeding car that Gordon was ordered
banished to Siberia. This was one of
the few events of his life that he openly
boasted about and admitted he was
responsible for the demise of a prominent
official. Moscow was in an uproar at
the time, n serious disturbances broke
out in the university. The city was put
under military rule and the Universities
OF Moscow and Kasan. as we'll as those of
Odessa, Kharkov and st. Petersburg. we're
closed.
shackled in squads and platoons. men
and women alike, the student prisoners
were started on foot for Siberia under
the guard of Cossacks. Gordon o go
into a frenzy when relating incidents Of
the terrible journey and its attendant suf-
fering. He would curse and blaspheme
as he told Of the brutalities practiced on
the prisoners by their guards who
thought of killing outright when 1T
suited their fancy.
But ~unbeknown to the prisoners, plans
had been made by influential friends to
save them. 1t was after the gang to
which Gordon was attached had reached
a point well to the interior that the
guards were entertained one night upon
their arrival at a frontier outpost. Vodka
of. high quality flowed freely and the
guards, never dreaming of what was
afoot, drank themselves into insensibility.