The Washington times., 1935-11-05
POET PRISONER
PUNISHED FOR
PROTESTING
By GEORGE KITCHIN
Chapter Xiv

CSTS was Lue S4V0u SN'AN"
Prince Baryatinsky, who is
known under the nom de
plume of Lidin. Concerning
him the administration had re-
ceived a telegram from the
Commissariat Of Public Educa-
tion, asking that the talented
young man be placed in living
conditions conducive to Gre
ative work. He was therefore
assigned to our barracks for
privileged workers.
Under the influence of the
more normal living conditions
the young poet soon regained
his fervor and used his hours
of rest to write to the camp
commander a 42-page protest
against the Odessa 0GPU and
the methods employed there.
He read it to me when 1t was
ready and I tried my best to dis
Euade him from sending it.
Couldn't he understand the use
lessness of it and didn't he know
with whom he was dealing? But
all my arguments were wasted, the
protest was handed in. Two days
later the young poet was dis
patched to Ukhta under special
convoy.
The case of another prisoner
had the Savor of an anecdote. It
concerned an humble, elderly
man, q bookkeeper. He was high
ly religious and, grieving over the
persecution of his church, had
written an appeal to no other
than. the Pope in Rome. He
signed his full name and mailed
the letter in the regular way. Since
in the U. S. S. r. all suspicion
looking mail is read by the censor,
the envelope addressed to the
Pope at Rome was opened and it's
conscientious author arrested. His
account of the examination that
followed was told and retold
among the prisoners and caused
much merriment.
Let Off Early
It was a good story but almost
cost the poor man his life. He was
charged with appealing for for
eign intervention and was sent
enced to be shot. He assured us
that only the hand of God had
saved him at the last moment.
After some deliberation, the board
OF the OGPU declined to confirm
the sentence.
A man who openly wrote letters
to the Pope could not be consid-
cred a very dangerous plotter and
1t was not necessary to shoot him.
He got off with a ten-year sent
ence in the penal camps, for cor
rectlon. He accepted his fate with
resignation, grieved for his reng-
ION and slowly wilted. Looking at
him one felt sure that he would
not live to serve even half his sent
ence.
The relations among the pris.
oners themselves were quite friend.
1y. Only the Ukrainians quarreled
with each other on the sore sub.
ject as to which form of govern
ment was best suited to the
Ukraine. None of them doubted
the ultimate Independence of the
Ukraine and without exception
they advocated complete secession
from huSSia. The petty bourgeoisie
stood for government by the Rada
tparllamenD, the peaSants-for
the Hetman.
The adherents of the Rada idea
were hard pressed, as the great
majority OF prisoners were for the
Hetman. This majority had had
It's fill Of experiments, they didn't
even want to listen to any argu-
ments in favor Of the Rada. Only
q Hetman could bring order into
the chaos and they pinned all
their hopes on Hetman Skoropad-
sky. They had no use for Com
munistS or any other socialists,
1T is these party politicians that
brought ruin to the Ukraine" they
said. "The Ukraine does not need
men who prefer their party to
their country. They ought to be
chased out of the country for
good"
Case Of Petrov
At the barracks my neighbor
to the right was the craftsman
Petrov, a typical lost sheep,
morally delinquent. Once he went
out in the evening, going in the
direction of the camp of "vol-
untary colonistS" and when he
came back he assured me that
many prisoners, especially those
from the unprivileged barracks,
went out evenings to meet women,
Possibly this was quite natural.
for but few prisoners were given
permission to have their wives
visit them, and many wives could
not come on account of the
distance or the lack of money.
He said: