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text-align: left; padding: 0px; - vertical-align: middle; width:49%; } - .quote { font-size: 95%; margin-top: 1.0em; margin-bottom: 1.0em; } - .figcenter { margin: 0em auto; } - div .noindent p {text-indent: 0; } - .linegroup .group { margin: 0em auto; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sixteen years in Siberia, by Leo Deutsch - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Sixteen years in Siberia - Some experiences of a Russian revolutionist - -Author: Leo Deutsch - -Translator: Helen Chisholm - -Release Date: February 7, 2017 [EBook #54129] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIBERIA *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, MFR and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Transcriber’s Note:</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Footnotes have been collected at the end of the text, and are -linked for ease of reference.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The position of each full-page illustration has been changed -to fall upon a paragraph break.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s <a href='#endnote'>note</a> at the end of this text -for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered -during its preparation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cover image has been created, based on title page information, and -is added to the public domain.</p> -<div class='htmlonly'> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div id='frontis' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_frontispiece.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Leo. Deutsch.</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIBERIA</span></div> - <div class='c000'>SOME EXPERIENCES OF A</div> - <div>RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONIST</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><span class='sc'>First Edition</span></td> - <td class='c004'><i>October, 1903</i></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>Reprinted</td> - <td class='c004'><i>December, 1903</i></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>Reprinted</td> - <td class='c004'><i>February, 1904</i></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_I'>I</span> - <h1 class='c005'><span class='xlarge'>SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIBERIA</span> <br /> SOME EXPERIENCES OF A <br /> RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONIST</h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='large'>BY LEO DEUTSCH</span></div> - <div class='c000'>TRANSLATED BY HELEN CHISHOLM</div> - <div class='c006'>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS</div> - <div class='c007'><span class='small'>THIRD IMPRESSION</span></div> - <div class='c007'>NEW YORK</div> - <div><span class='large'>E. P. DUTTON & CO.</span></div> - <div>1904</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'><i>Printed in Great Britain</i></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_v'>v</span> - <h2 id='PREFACE' class='c008'>TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The author of the following narrative is a leader in -the Russian revolutionary movement. The German -transliteration of his name is given here as being the form -he himself uses in Western Europe; but he is called -“Deuc” in the English version of Stepniak’s <cite>Underground -Russia</cite>, which was translated from the Italian, retaining -the Italian transliteration of names. A more exact -rendering of the Russian would be Deitch, the “ei” pronounced -somewhat as in the English word “rein.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>George Kennan’s valuable work, <cite>Siberia and the Exile -System</cite>, the fruit of investigations carried on under circumstances -of much difficulty and even danger, has made its -many English and American readers acquainted with the -true conditions of life among Russian political prisoners -and exiles. The story given in the present volume of the -painful and tragic events that took place in the political -prisons at Kara after Mr. Kennan had left the Russian -Empire was written to him by, among others, a friend -resident in Kara at the time, whose letter he published in -his book. In it are also to be found additional particulars -concerning the earlier or later history of many persons -whose names occur in the following pages; and it thus -throws an interesting light on Mr. Deutsch’s story, which -is told so quietly, with such an absence of sensationalism, -that it is sometimes necessary to read between the lines in -order to grasp fully the terrible realities of the situation.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_vi'>vi</span>It may, perhaps, be useful to readers unfamiliar with the -history of the Russian revolutionary movement if I give -here a rough sketch of its development, and of its position -at the present time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From the first consolidation of the Empire under the -Tsars in the latter half of the sixteenth century, Russian -despotism has consistently regarded with apprehension -and disfavour all manifestation of independent thought -among its subjects. There has never been a time when -those bold enough to indulge in it, even in what English -people would consider a very mild form, were not liable to -persecution, and this traditional attitude of repression and -coercion had the inevitable result. Even early in the -eighteenth century secret societies had come into being, -but these were mostly of the various religious sects or of -the Freemasons. When they began to assume a political -character they were at first confined entirely to the upper -classes, and took the form of revolts organised among the -military, the last and most important being that of the -Decabrists (or Decembrists), who attempted to overthrow -the monarchy on the occasion of Nicholas I.’s accession in -1825.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liberal views were to a certain extent fostered by -Alexander I. (1801-1825), who at one time openly talked -of granting a Constitution. Russians who visited Western -Europe, officers in the Napoleonic campaigns, and others, -had “brought France into Russia,” had made the French -language fashionable, and thus had opened a way for the -importation of new philosophical, scientific, and political -literature, eagerly appreciated by the developing acuteness -of the Russian mind. Literary influence, even the purely -romantic, has throughout ranged itself on the side of -liberty, Pushkin heading the poets and Gogol the novelists. -Indeed, one may safely say that up to the present day -<span class='pageno' id='Page_vii'>vii</span>nearly every Russian author of any note has been implicated—some -to a greater, some to a less degree--in -the revolutionary movement, and has suffered for the -cause.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alexander I. in his later years, and his successor -Nicholas I., fell back on a reactionary policy. Even -Freemasonry was prohibited, mere literary societies of the -early forties were considered seditious, and their members -were punished with imprisonment and death. There now -sprang up political secret societies, whose dream was of a -federal republic, or at least of a constitutional monarchy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The accession of Alexander II. in 1855 strengthened -the hopes of the reformers. The study of political and -social questions became the fashion; while professors, -students, and the “intellectuals” of the upper and middle -classes warmly engaged in the “underground” movement. -With this period are associated such names as those of -Herzen, Bakounin, and Tchernishevsky, whose writings -were the inspiration of the party, and even influenced for -a time the Tsar himself. But the emancipation of the -serfs, on February 19th, 1861, bitterly disappointed those -who had hoped great things of the new monarch, and who -saw from the way in which this and other liberal measures -were emasculated by officials, to whom the drafting of -them was entrusted by the Tsar, how futile it was to -expect any effective reform as a grace from an autocrat. -The reform movement, now definitely socialistic, speedily -took on a revolutionary character, and culminated in the -active sympathy and support given to the Polish revolt -of 1863.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alexander II. resorted to the old coercive methods; all -attempts to voice the aspirations and needs of the people, -or even the academic discussion of political questions, -were met with the savage punishments of martial law, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_viii'>viii</span>imprisonment, exile, death. In face of a new enactment, -which had professed to give fair trial to all accused -persons, special courts were set up to try political -offenders; and the practice of banishment by “administrative -methods” (<i>i.e.</i> without any trial at all) was instituted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A time of enforced quiet followed, when the leaders of -the movement were either dead, imprisoned, or had fled -into voluntary exile abroad; but it served as a time of -self-education and study for the younger generation, at -home or in foreign Universities, and in the early seventies -the revival came. Our author here takes up the story -with his account of the Propagandist movement, which -was peaceful, except in so far as it aimed at stirring up -the peasants to demand reform; for, in the absence of -any constitutional methods for expressing their desires, -this could only be effected by organised uprisings. He -describes how this movement developed into terrorism -under the system of “white terror” exercised by the -Government, and how, after the assassination of Alexander -II., the strong hand of despotism succeeded in -checking, until a few years ago, the passionate struggle -for liberty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A new monarch and a new century have altered little -the essential features of the situation, so far as relations -between government and governed are concerned. Every -day we have examples of the time-honoured policy, in -the dragooning of Russia proper; the attempted Russification -of Finland; and the deliberate fostering by the -Government of anti-Semitism, with the covert design -of counteracting the revolutionary activity of Jewish -Socialists, discrediting their labour movement in the eyes -of the Russian proletariat, and also distracting the latter -from organisation on their own account.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_ix'>ix</span>But a significant change is at work to-day among the -people. The peasants and working-classes in town and -country, formerly the despair of those who strove to -arouse in them political consciousness, are being awakened -by the inevitable development of industry to a sense of -their duties and their rights. A genuine labour movement -has arisen, which, in face of the intolerance of the -authorities, has naturally taken on a political character, -and affiliated itself to the successors of the older revolutionary -societies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The words “anarchist” and “nihilist,” so commonly -associated with the Russian revolutionists, are complete -misnomers to-day (as, indeed, they always have been, -except in the case of a few isolated individuals). The -movement is now carried on chiefly by two organisations: -the “Revolutionary Socialists,” and the party to which -our author belongs, and helped to found, the “Social -Democratic” Labour Party; associated with the latter -being the powerfully organised social-democratic “General -Jewish Labour Union of Lithuania, Poland, and Russia,” -usually known as the “Bund.” Of these the Revolutionary -Socialists alone still adhere to the practice of -terrorism in a modified form, and even they have always -proclaimed their intention of abandoning it directly “constitutional” -methods are allowed to them. The aim of -the revolutionists is to replace the present autocratic -government by a social republic, under which the various -races now grouped within the empire shall each have -scope to develop its national individuality. Groups are -actively at work in widely distant localities, even Siberia -furnishing her contingent, while Poland and Finland have -various revolutionary organisations of their own.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Government’s policy at present is to exile to Siberia -without trial, or intern in some place distant from home, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_x'>x</span>all persons known or even suspected to be interesting -themselves in the movement. This is effected principally -through the instrumentality of the gendarmerie, which -was instituted by Nicholas I. as a sort of spy system, -primarily intended to unearth official abuses and report -upon them directly to the Tsar. It soon, however, became -imbued with the prevailing spirit of the bureaucracy; its -members shut their eyes to the official corruption everywhere -prevalent, and they have since confined their -attention to unearthing “political” delinquencies. The -force has at least one representative in every town of any -size, and it has a vaguely defined roving commission to -watch and arrest all persons who appear to be suspicious -characters; these may be kept in imprisonment for an -indefinite time, or may be exiled “by administrative -methods.” It has become an adjunct to the ordinary -police, although quite independent of them, and is -generally employed in all matters of secrecy.<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c010'><sup>[1]</sup></a> Travellers -from Western Europe who observe too closely the life -and conditions of the country are liable to arrest in this -way. Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace and Mr. Kennan, -among others, had this experience.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mere existence of such a force may help to explain -the discomfort of even the ordinary peaceful Russian -citizen under the present system of government; and -he is further incommoded by the presence in every house -of a police-spy. For the <em>dvornik</em> or <em>concierge</em>, though paid -by the inmates of the house, is appointed subject to the -approval of the police, and is responsible to them. He -keeps the keys, and is bound to deliver them up to the -police whenever they may take it into their heads to -require a domiciliary search. As an instance of the petty -tyranny that occurs I may mention that the possession of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_xi'>xi</span>a hectograph (or any such appliance for multiplying -MSS.) needs a special permission from the police.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The police have power to break up any gathering in a -private house where more than seven guests are assembled; -this is frequently done, even on such ordinary occasions as -a wedding or funeral, if many students or such-like “untrustworthy” -people are of the party. When a town or -district is under martial law—an everyday state of things -in Russia—the above number is still further reduced; -indeed, it is quite common for the police to prohibit <em>all</em> -gatherings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Readings at entertainments for the poor got up by -philanthropic people may only be given from books -licensed by the police for the purpose (and mostly very -dull); the catalogues of lending libraries may contain -only such books as are definitely permitted, many being -excluded that are not forbidden to private persons—though -the latter, again, are by no means free to choose -their reading, many authors being entirely prohibited -within the empire; and whole columns of newspapers, -including foreign ones that have come through the post, -are blacked out by order of the censor. Private debating -societies’ meetings or lectures, however innocent, are practically -impossible to all who are not in the best odour -with the authorities, except under the strictest precautions -against discovery—such as closing of shutters, disguise -of preparations, and a warning to guests not to arrive -simultaneously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is evident what opportunity all this gives to officials -“on the make” for demonstrating their zeal, and it accounts -for the fact that every year hundreds of persons not accused -of any definite offence are removed from their homes. -Nearly everyone has friends and relations so banished, and -the result of such systematic interference with private -<span class='pageno' id='Page_xii'>xii</span>liberty is that almost everyone in Russia, outside official -circles, is more or less in league against the bureaucratic -government. The countenance, and even financial support, -afforded to the revolutionists, not only by sympathisers in -free countries, but by the general public at home, is one -great source of their strength. They are willingly assisted -in evading arrest and in escaping from prison or from -exile; and prohibited literature (printed abroad, or secretly -in Russia itself) is circulated and sold throughout the -country in immense quantities—not only leaflets by the -thousand, but reviews, some elaborately illustrated, and -even books of a more solid character. The Russian -original of the present work will presumably soon be -on the “illegal” market.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The illustrations are reproductions of photographs taken -from life.</p> - -<div class='c011'>H. C.</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='small'><span class='sc'>London</span>, <i>July, 1903</i>.</span></p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_xiii'>xiii</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='82%' /> -<col width='17%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'><span class='sc'>Translator’s Preface</span></td> - <td class='c004'><i>Pages</i> <a href='#Page_v'>v-xii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER I</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Journey to Germany—Imprisonment in Freiburg—Episodes from the past of the Revolutionary movement</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_1'>1-11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER II</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The cause of my arrest—Professor Thun—My defence—Plans of escape—My legal adviser</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_12'>12-20</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER III</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Uncertainty—Prison life—The Public Prosecutor—A change of cells</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_21'>21-29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER IV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The visit of “my wife”—More plans of escape—The Public Prosecutor shows his hand—reparations for a journey</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_30'>30-41</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER V</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The journey to Russia—In the cattle-truck—The Frankfort and Berlin prisons—The frontier-station—Through Warsaw to Petersburg</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_42'>42-48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The Fortress of Peter and Paul—The Public Prosecutor as compatriot—A hard-hearted doctor—A fleeting acquaintance</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_49'>49-57</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Changed conditions—A frustrated plan—The minister’s visit—A secret of State—My literary neighbour</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_58'>58-66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Fresh fears—The Colonel of Gendarmerie—Inquiry into the case of General Mezentzev’s murder—Meeting with Bogdanovitch—Departure</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_67'>67-72</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER IX</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>A ray of hope—An unheard-of régime—The hunger-strike—Our club—A secret ally</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_73'>73-82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'><span class='pageno' id='Page_xiv'>xiv</span>CHAPTER X</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>A brave officer—My military service—The trial—Further examinations</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_83'>83-93</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The visit of the minister—I am turned into a convict—The prison at Kiëv</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_94'>94-104</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>New acquaintances—The girl-conspirators of Romny—Arrival in Moscow—Companions in destiny—A liberal-minded governor</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_105'>105-114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The trial of the fourteen—Recollections of Vera Figner—Numerous imprisonments—<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>Agents Provocateurs</em></span></td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_115'>115-122</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XIV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>A not incorruptible inspector—Broken fetters—Resistance to the shaving process—Visitors in the prison</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_123'>123-129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Political condition of Russia and the revolutionary party—Our little society—Fête days—Prohibited visits—A lecture on manners</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_130'>130-137</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XVI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Preparations for our travels—The boat journey by the Volga and the Kama—Ekaterinburg—On the troika—“To Europe, to Asia”</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_183'>138-147</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XVII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>In Tiumen—Parting—On the Siberian rivers—A startling proposal</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_148'>148-157</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XVIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>By way of the convoy-stations—A clumsy officer—The vagabond—A man-hunt</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_158'>158-168</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XIX</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The forest—Unsuccessful attempts at escape—The people we met—The criminal world—The convoy officers</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_169'>169-183</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XX</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>From Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk—Misunderstandings and disputes—The women in Irkutsk prison</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_184'>184-193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The chief of police at Irkutsk—Meeting with exiled comrades—From Irkutsk to Kara—Stolen fetters—A dubious kind of Decabrist—Another contest—Arrival at our journey’s end</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_194'>194-208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'><span class='pageno' id='Page_xv'>xv</span>CHAPTER XXII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>First days at Kara—Friends old and new</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_209'>209-220</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The organisation of our common life—The “Siriuses”—Wagers</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_221'>221-232</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXIV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Some details of the prison’s history—The “Tom-cat”—The “Sanhedrin’s room“—My first Siberian spring</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_233'>233-247</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Humours and pastimes of prison life—Two new commandants—The “Hospital”—The participators in armed resistance</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_248'>248-265</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXVI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The women’s prison</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_266'>266-274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXVII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The “colonists”—Further events in the women’s prison—The hunger-strikes—The Yakutsk massacre</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_275'>275-282</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXVIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Our celebration of the centenary of the French Revolution—Sergius Bobohov—The end of the tragedy</td> - <td class='c004'>283-290</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXIX</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Disquieting reports—Visit of the Governor-General—Release from prison</td> - <td class='c004'>291-299</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXX</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>Nizhnaya-Kara—New life—Stolen gold</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_300'>300-306</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXXI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The tour of the Heir-Apparent through Siberia—Our life in the penal settlement—An incensed official</td> - <td class='c004'>307-315</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXXII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>The death of the Tsar—New manifestoes—The census</td> - <td class='c004'>316-322</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXXIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>A prehistoric monument—My departure from Kara—Life in Stretyensk—My transference to Blagovèstshensk—The massacres of July, 1900</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_323'>323-346</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='2'>CHAPTER XXXIV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'>My flight from Siberia—The end of my journey round the world—My friend Axelrod again—Conclusion</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#Page_347'>347-359</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c012'><span class='sc'>Index</span></td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#index'>361</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_xvi'>xvi</span> - <h2 class='c008'>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='70%' /> -<col width='22%' /> -<col width='7%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>LEO DEUTSCH, IN PRISON DRESS</td> - <td class='c014' colspan='2'><a href='#frontis'><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>FORTRESS OF PETER AND PAUL, ST. PETERSBURG</td> - <td class='c015'><i>To face page</i></td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i048'>48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>PRISONERS MARCHING THROUGH THE STREETS OF ODESSA</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i096'>96</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>“BUTIRKI,” THE CENTRAL PRISON AT MOSCOW</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i110'>110</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>PORTRAITS: TCHUIKOV, SPANDONI, VERA FIGNER, STEFANOVITCH, MIRSKY</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i112'>112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>SIBERIAN HALTING-STATION (ÉTAPE)</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i146'>146</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>IN A SIBERIAN PRISON</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i158'>158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>ROLL-CALL OF PRISONERS AT A HALTING-STATION</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i160'>160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>ESCAPED CONVICT-TRAMP (BRODYAGA)</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i164'>164</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>AN ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i170'>170</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>PORTRAITS: MARTINOVSKY, STARINKYEVITCH, SUNDELEVITCH, ZLATOPOLSKY, PRYBYLYEV, YEMELYANOV</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i208'>208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>PRISONERS GOLD-WASHING AT KARA</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i232'>232</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>YARD OF KARA PRISON FOR “POLITICALS”</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i254'>254</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>DULEMBA, KOHN, RECHNYEVSKY, LURI, MANKOVSKY</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i258'>258</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>LURI, SOUHOMLIN, AND RECHNYEVSKY, IN PRISON DRESS</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i260'>260</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>PORTRAITS: A. KORBA, E. KOVALSKAYA, N. SIGIDA, M. KOVALEVSKAYA, N. SMIRNITSKAYA, S. BOGOMOLETZ</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i266'>266</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>GRAVEYARD OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AT KARA</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i290'>290</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>THE PENAL SETTLEMENT, KARA</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i300'>300</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>COTTAGE SHARED BY “POLITICALS” IN THE KARA PENAL SETTLEMENT</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i302'>302</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>KARA PRISONERS AT WORK</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i308'>308</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>FEMALE CRIMINALS AT KARA DRAWING WATER-CART</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i310'>310</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>AGED ORDINARY PRISONERS AT KARA</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i314'>314</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>THE COSSACK VILLAGE OF STRETYENSK</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i324'>324</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>BLAGOVESTSHENSK</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i328'>328</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'>ON THE AMUR NEAR BLAGOVESTSHENSK—THE SCENE OF THE MASSACRE</td> - <td class='c015'>“</td> - <td class='c004'><a href='#i336'>336</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span><span class='xlarge'>SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIBERIA</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chap01' class='c008'>CHAPTER I <br /> <span class='small'>JOURNEY TO GERMANY—IMPRISONMENT IN FREIBURG—EPISODES FROM THE PAST OF THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>In the beginning of March, 1884, I travelled from -Zurich, through Basel, to Freiburg in Baden. The -object of my journey was to smuggle over the frontier -a quantity of Russian socialistic literature, printed in -Switzerland, in order that it might then be distributed -by secret channels throughout Russia, where of course -it was prohibited. In Germany a special law against the -Social-Democratic movement was then in force. The -<span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><em>Sozialdemokrat</em></span> was published in Zurich, and had to be -smuggled over the German frontier, where the watch was -very keen, rendering most difficult the despatch to Russia -of Russian, Polish, and other revolutionary literature -printed in Switzerland. Before the enactment of the -special law in August, 1878, the procedure had been -simple. At that time the publications were sent by post -to some town in Germany near the Russian border, and -thence, by one way or another, despatched to Russia. -Later, however, it became necessary to convey them as -travellers’ luggage across the German frontier, in order -to get them through the custom-house, after which they -could be forwarded to some German town nearer the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>Russian border. It was on this transport business that -I was engaged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My luggage consisted of two large boxes, half-filled -with literature, and their upper parts packed with linen -and other wearing apparel, that the Customs officers might -not be suspicious. In one trunk I had men’s clothes, -in the other women’s, supposed to belong to my (non-existent) -wife; and for this reason there really was a lady -present at the Customs examination in Basel,—the wife of -my friend Axelrod from Zurich. She offered to take further -charge of the transport, thinking she would run less risk -than I if the police became suspicious. As, however, the -examination of the luggage went off quite smoothly, I declined -the offer, hardly thinking any further trouble probable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Besides Frau Axelrod a Basel Socialist was with me -at the station. He had advised me how to carry out my -perilous mission, for he was experienced in such business, -having managed many transports of forbidden literature. -Only a few days before, accompanied by a Polish acquaintance -of mine, Yablonski, he had been to Freiburg, -whence they had despatched some Polish literature. He -now recommended to me a cheap hotel in Freiburg, close -to the station; and in good spirits I climbed into a third-class -carriage. It was a Sunday, and the carriage was -filled with people in gay holiday mood. Songs were sung, -and unrestrained chatter filled the air. The guard was -pompous and overbearing, as often happened then on -German lines; I do not know if it is so still. When he -saw that I was smoking, he told me very rudely, with -a great show of official zeal, that this was not a smoking -carriage. I answered politely that I had not been aware -of it, and at once threw away my cigarette. He insisted -peremptorily, however, that I must change carriages. “A -bad omen,” thought I, and still recall the sensation. I was -out of temper, and felt irritated and uncomfortable. The -weather, too, grew overcast, and a cold drizzle set in, -which worked on my nerves.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span>The train moved off, and before I had got over my -grumbling humour we were at Freiburg. It was between -seven and eight in the evening. Landed on the platform, -I looked out the porter of the Freiburger Hof, and gave -him my luggage-check. He noticed at once that it showed -the unusual weight of my boxes, and expressed his surprise -thereat. To quiet any suspicion I told him at once -unconcernedly that I was a student, and intended to study -at Freiburg University, and that it was my books which -made the trunks so heavy. The hotel was soon reached, -and a room engaged, after which I betook myself to the -restaurant for supper. As I passed by the buffet I saw -the porter whispering earnestly with another man, apparently -the landlord. Directly I had finished my meal the -waiter brought me the visitors’ book; and as I had a -Russian passport, lent me by a friend at the time of my -flight from Russia, I at once signed myself in my friend’s -name, “Alexander Bulìgin, of Moscow.” I then ordered -writing materials and went to my room, but had barely -shut the door behind me when there came a knock. At -my “Come in!” there appeared, instead of a servant with -writing things, as I had expected, a policeman, accompanied -by a gentleman in civil dress. “I am an officer of -the secret police,” said the latter; “allow me to examine -your trunks.” Instantly I thought, “As Freiburg is so -near the Swiss frontier, the police (to whom the porter -must have announced the arrival of a young man with -unusually heavy luggage), may think I have contraband -goods; or they may take me for an anarchist, and suspect -me of conveying dynamite.” I tried, therefore, to look as -harmless as possible, although I felt that things were -awkward. Busied with the unlocking of my boxes, I let -fall the remark that one of them contained the belongings -of my wife, whom I expected shortly. No sooner, however, -had the men begun to turn over my things, than -I saw that my guess as to their search for contraband was -incorrect; the detective was on the look-out for neither -<span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>contraband nor dynamite, but for books, and he immediately -began to examine mine. I then concluded he was -looking for German Social-Democratic literature; and I -was astonished when, at sight of a little book bound in -red, my gentleman cried triumphantly, “Ah, here we are!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the <cite>Calendar of the Naròdnaia Vòlya</cite>,<a id='r2' /><a href='#f2' class='c010'><sup>[2]</sup></a> a book -that had come out about a year before this, and was -openly sold by German booksellers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I must now have you searched,” said the police agent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Besides a notebook, a letter, and a pocket-book containing -several hundred-mark notes, there were in my -pockets a dozen numbers of the Zurich <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Sozialdemokrat</cite></span>, -which I had brought with me to send to a Russian friend -in Germany.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here at least is something that we can read!” said the -detective in a satisfied tone; “now, I arrest you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why? What for?” asked I, much astonished.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That you will soon find out; come along!” was the -answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The procedure of the police agent was extraordinary in -every way: no attempt was made to fulfil the legal enactments -for the protection of personal safety; the domiciliary -search was instituted without legal warrant; there were no -witnesses. I insisted on the officer’s counting over in my -presence the money in my pocket-book, which they had -confiscated, though of course that was not much guarantee -for the security of my property.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I was descending the steps of the hotel, a prisoner -between my two guardian angels, a young lady carrying a -small travelling-bag met us. The detective asked me -if this were my wife, and, notwithstanding my reply in the -negative, tried to seize hold of her. She evidently thought -she had to do with some Don Juan, and fled screaming -into the street; whereupon the detective ordered the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>policeman to lead me on, and himself followed the unknown -lady.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The policeman now tried to take me by the arm, and -so conduct me through the streets, but I hotly resisted -such treatment, declaring that I had committed no crime, -and that he had no possible justification for putting me in -such a position.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We arrived at last at the House of Detention. Here -I was searched again, and for the first time since my -arrest was questioned by an official as to my personal -identity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My detective soon appeared, bringing the lady, who, -weeping bitterly, protested her absolute innocence, and -indignantly demanded the explanation of such an insult. -Coming on the top of all my own experiences since my -arrival in Freiburg this scene put me into a state of fury.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is all this?” cried I to the police officer. “How -can you take upon yourself to insult this lady? I repeat -again that I do not know her; she is not my wife, and -I have never set eyes on her in my life before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, we shall see about that. It is my business. It -is no affair of yours whom we arrest,” declared he; and -I thought to myself, “This is a nice state of things! We -might as well be in Russia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was then told to follow a warder, who took me up to -the first floor. The lock of a cell-door turned, grating, -and I found myself installed in the Grand-Ducal prison of -Baden.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the warder had withdrawn with his lantern -absolute silence reigned, and the chamber was perfectly -dark. Lights were not allowed here either in the cells or -passages. I took my bearings as well as I could, groping -along the walls, and, having found a bed, I lay down fully -dressed as I was. My mind was in a state of chaos; I -could follow no clear train of thought, nor form any -conclusions about what had occurred. The sense of -fate weighed me down; my strength seemed broken. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>Sinister dreams left me no peace all night, and consequently -I awoke from slumber in a dazed condition, not -knowing where I was or what had happened to me. -When at last with an effort I realised my position, despair -seized on me. Extradition to Russia stared me in the -face; I could not banish the fear of it. True, at that time -there was no extradition treaty between Germany and -Russia which applied to political refugees.<a id='r3' /><a href='#f3' class='c010'><sup>[3]</sup></a> But I had -special reasons for fearing that I might be treated exceptionally; -and that the significance of my position may -be clear to the reader, I must now give some details of -my earlier career.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>In 1874, just ten years before the events described -above, as a youth of nineteen I had joined the “Propagandist -movement,”<a id='r4' /><a href='#f4' class='c010'><sup>[4]</sup></a> which at that time engrossed a great -number of young students throughout Russia. Like most -of the young Propagandists, I was led to this chiefly by -sympathy with the sufferings and endurance of the people. -According to our views, it was the sacred duty of every -reasonable and upright human being who really loved his -country to devote all his powers to the object of freeing -the people from the economic oppression, the slavery, the -barbarism, to which they were subjected. The young -generation, always most prone to pity the misfortunes -of others, could not remain indifferent to the miserable -situation of the newly enfranchised serfs. An entire -social revolution in Russia appeared to the Propagandists -the sole means of altering the existing wretched material -conditions, and of removing the heavy burden on the people; -following, therefore, the teaching of the Socialists of Western -Europe, they set before themselves as their ultimate object -the abolition of private property and the collective ownership -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>of the means of production. The Propagandists felt -entirely convinced that the people would instantly embrace -their ideas and aims and join them at the first -appeal. This belief was an inspiration to them, and -spurred them to unlimited self-sacrifice for the idea that -possessed them. These youths and girls renounced without -hesitation their previous social position and the assured -future that the existing order of things offered them; -without further ado they left the educational institutions -where they were studying, recklessly broke all family ties, -and threw their personal fate into the balance, in order to -live entirely for the idea, to sacrifice themselves without -stint for the idea, to make every faculty and possibility -serve in the sacred cause of the people’s deliverance. -Any personal sacrifice seemed to these young enthusiasts -scarcely worth speaking of when the great cause was in -question. The common ideal, the common aim, and the -enthusiasm of each individual drew the Propagandists -together into one great family, linked by all the ties of -affection and mutual dependence. Fraternal relations of -the most affectionate intimacy grew up among all these -young people; a complete altruism governed their actions, -and each was prepared for any sacrifice on behalf of -another. Only in great historical moments, in the time -of the early Christian martyrdoms, and the founding of -religious sects, have proselytes manifested such personal -devotion, such exalted feeling.<a id='r5' /><a href='#f5' class='c010'><sup>[5]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>In this elect band, however, there were found (as has -happened in every such movement) individuals not -capable of this unselfish fervour; there were among -them some paltry spirits, and even some who proved -traitors. Certainly the number of these latter was infinitesimally -small; but the history of revolutionary -movements shows sufficiently that hundreds of the most -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>able secret or public agents of a government can never -do a tithe of the harm to a secret society that can be -effected by a single traitor in its own ranks. In this -manner did treachery become pregnant with evil results -for the Propagandists, and it gave to the movement a character -it might otherwise never have developed. Early in -the year 1874 the young revolutionists, men and women, -went out “among the people,” according to the plan -they had formed; they distributed themselves among -the villages, where they lived and dressed like peasants, -carrying on an active Socialist propaganda. But scarcely -had they begun operations when treachery made itself -apparent; two or three of the initiated denounced the -organisation, and delivered over hundreds of their comrades -to the authorities. Searches and arrests took place -without number; the police pounced on “guilty” and -innocent alike, and all the prisons in Russia were soon -filled to overflowing. In this one year more than a -thousand persons were seized. Many of them suffered -long years of imprisonment under the most horrible conditions, -some committed suicide, others lost their reason, -and in many cases long terms of incarceration resulted in -illness and premature death. Under these circumstances -the reader can conceive the bitter hatred kindled in the -ranks of the Socialists against the traitors who had -sacrificed so many lives. The knowledge of the victims’ -terrible sufferings would naturally incite their friends to -avenge them; inevitably, too, the thought would arise -of punishing treachery, in order to put a stop by intimidation -to the trade of the informer. But the -Propagandists were in the highest degree men of peace, -and it was not easy for them to harbour thoughts of -violence. When such ideas were first mooted, they long -remained only subjects of discussion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Not till the summer of 1876 did the first attempt to put -the terrorist theory into practice take place. The circumstances -were as follows. The members of a revolutionary -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>group well known at the time—the <em>Kiëv Buntari</em><a id='r6' /><a href='#f6' class='c010'><sup>[6]</sup></a>—had -assembled at Elisavetgrad. I belonged to this organisation. -Many of the members were “illegals,”<a id='r7' /><a href='#f7' class='c010'><sup>[7]</sup></a> and for -some time past the gendarmerie had been making captures -among them, acting on the information of a traitor named -Gorinòvitch. This Gorinòvitch had been imprisoned in -1874, and being in the greatest danger had saved himself -by telling everything he knew about the Russian Socialists. -His revelations had injured many; yet, as in numerous -other cases, not a hair of this renegade’s head would -have been touched, if he had kept clear of revolutionary -circles. But about two years after his release from prison -he tried again to insinuate himself among us, and he -managed to get into the confidence of some inexperienced -young people, who of course had no notion of the part he -had formerly played. From them he learned that the -Kiëv Society had assembled at Elisavetgrad; he came -there at once, and sought to find out what the persons -he had before betrayed were doing. We recognised him, -however, and it soon became evident to us that he was -playing the spy, and preparing some fresh treachery. -So I and one other comrade resolved to put an end to -his life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our determination could not be carried into effect in -Elisavetgrad itself, or it might have resulted in giving -the police a clue for the discovery of our organisation. -We therefore asked Gorinòvitch if he would go with -us to Odessa to find the persons he was in search of, -and he agreed. There in a lonely spot we attempted -to execute our mission, and left Gorinòvitch lying, as we -thought, dead, with a paper fastened on his breast bearing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>the inscription, “So perish all traitors!” But he was only -severely injured, was found by the police, and survived -to give information concerning his attempted assassination. -Searches and arrests followed in due course, and although -at the time I succeeded in avoiding capture, in the autumn -of the following year I was arrested, together with other -comrades, on account of the famous Tchigirìn case.<a id='r8' /><a href='#f8' class='c010'><sup>[8]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>I was imprisoned in Kiëv, but in the beginning of -1878 I escaped<a id='r9' /><a href='#f9' class='c010'><sup>[9]</sup></a> in company with Stefanòvitch and -Bohanòvsky.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Those who were concerned in the attempt against -Gorinòvitch were prosecuted for the first time in November, -1879, at a period when both the “red” and the -“white” terrorism<a id='r10' /><a href='#f10' class='c010'><sup>[10]</sup></a> had blazed up. After a series of -attempts against different representatives of the Government, -the revolutionists had concentrated their entire -strength on the endeavour to assassinate Alexander II. -The Government combated the terrorist movement by -means of special enactments, martial law, and death -penalties, to which large numbers of people were sentenced -who were perfectly innocent of complicity in the above -deeds. On November 19th, some days before the -beginning of the Gorinòvitch case (and after the accused -had been acquainted with the facts alleged against them, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>for which they were only liable to comparatively light -sentences), the Terrorists blew up a train on the Moscow -line, believing the Tsar to be in it. In consequence of this -the Government determined to revenge themselves upon -the accused in the Gorinòvitch case. Of these only one -had been directly implicated, and as all had been imprisoned -two or three years already before the beginning -of the terrorist agitation, they could under no circumstances -be supposed answerable for that agitation. In -spite of this it was decided to “make an example” by -inflicting a heavy sentence. Three of the accused,—Drebyasghin, -Malinka, and Maidansky—were condemned -to death by hanging, and were executed on December 3rd; -two—Kostyurin and Yankovski—were sentenced to penal -servitude; and the traitors Krayev and Kuritzin were set -free. If I had been in the power of these judges my fate -would have been sealed. However, early in the year 1880 -I effected my escape from Russia, and I had been living -in Switzerland up to the time of my going to Freiburg as -previously described. From all this it will be clear with -what feelings I contemplated the possibility of extradition -to Russia.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER II <br /> <span class='small'>THE CAUSE OF MY ARREST—PROFESSOR THUN—MY DEFENCE—PLANS OF ESCAPE—MY LEGAL ADVISER</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>In Germany, as a constitutional state, the law requires -that no one shall be imprisoned for more than four-and-twenty -hours without a magistrate’s order. As a -foreigner, however, this was not held to apply to me; and -it was only after two days that I was brought before a -magistrate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After he had asked me the usual questions as to name, -position, and antecedents, he informed me that being a -foreigner whose identity could not be immediately established, -I must remain in prison. He added that, of course, -I could appeal against this decision, but that I should find -it useless to do so. And, in fact, the appeal that I did -make was rejected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So after this examination I was as wise as ever regarding -the cause of my arrest. Again, I began turning over -and over my various conjectures. Uncertainty is always -an unpleasant condition, and most prisoners have to endure -it; but in my case uncertainty racked me with the most -dreadful apprehensions. After three days that seemed -endless, I was again taken before the magistrate. When -the ordinary questions had been answered he asked me -if I knew the reason of my arrest. On my reply in the -negative he gave me the following explanation:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some days before my arrival from Basel two men had -come from the same place, (my acquaintance, the Swiss -Socialist, and the Pole Yablonski). They also had put up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>at the Freiburger Hof; they also had brought boxes filled -with books. They had despatched those books to a man -in Breslau, who had just been imprisoned under the law -against Socialists; and in connection with his arrest -the police had confiscated the parcel, in which were discovered -Polish socialistic pamphlets prohibited in Germany. -The senders having given the address of the Freiburger -Hof, the pamphlets had been sent back to Freiburg, as -a preliminary to the search for the persons who had -despatched them. Orders were given at the hotel to -inform the police if they or any other suspicious characters -should arrive from Switzerland. Thus it was that the -hotel porter, learning that I had books in my trunk, had, -after consultation with the landlord, given information -which led to the appearance of the police. The detective -had found among my books the duplicate of one in the -Breslau parcel—the <cite>Calendar of the Naròdnaia Vòlya</cite>; -and when he also discovered copies of the <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Sozialdemokrat</cite></span>, -things were suspicious enough to warrant my -arrest. The charge against me, therefore, was that in -conjunction with other persons I was guilty of distributing -prohibited Polish literature in Germany.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On hearing this, it was easy for me to reply to the -charge that there was nothing in Polish among my books, -nor any single book which had been prohibited in Germany; -and as to the copies of the <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Sozialdemokrat</cite></span>, their possession -was no offence. The question resolved itself simply into -this: Whether I was in conspiracy with certain persons, -and whether I had not in any case been circulating forbidden -literature. Chance alone had led to my capture.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you had not gone to the Freiburger Hof nobody -would have thought of arresting you,” said Herr Leiblen, -the magistrate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My spirits rose on hearing this. I said to myself, “All -is not lost yet. Perhaps everything will go off smoothly, -and I shall soon be set free, if only the Russian Government -is kept out of the game.” That was the thought -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>which occupied me while the magistrate was writing out -the protocol. He then said, pointing to a gentleman who -sat at a table somewhat apart, “That is the interpreter -who is assisting us in your case, a professor of our -University.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>During my examination I had once or twice looked -round at this gentleman. He seemed known to me, and -his presence caused me involuntary uneasiness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can speak Russian with the Herr Professor,” concluded -Herr Leiblen, as he left the room to fetch some -document.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you not recognise me?” said the interpreter, -turning round.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Professor Thun!” cried I in great astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! am I so much altered that you didn’t know me -before?“ he asked, and did not wait for my answer, but -continued without pause, “How can I help you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know who I really am?” I asked, without -replying, and a cold shudder ran through me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I know your true name. But there is no need -for alarm. You have turned quite pale!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His recognition had indeed given me no small fright. -I had come to know Professor Thun about a year and a -half before this time in Basel, whither I had then betaken -myself in order that, being there at some distance from -the colony of Russian refugees, I might be freer from -interruptions to my studies than when surrounded by -friends and acquaintances. I had matriculated in the -Basel University, and was attending Professor Thun’s -lectures on political economy and statistics. Karl Moor, -a leader of the Basel working-men, had introduced me -personally to the professor, who supposed me to be simply -a Russian student, not knowing me by my real name, but -under the assumed one of Nicholas Kridner. He invited -me to call on him, and confided to me his plan of writing a -history of the revolutionary movement in Russia. Of this -plan I had already heard, and it was partly this that had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>attracted me to Basel. Professor Thun was a Rhinelander, -had studied at Dorpat, and had then passed some years in -the interior of Russia. He spoke Russian fluently, and -was pretty well up in Russian affairs. When he found, in -conversation with me, that I was not unacquainted with -the Russian revolutionary movement, he suggested that I -should help him in his work, to which of course I gladly -assented; and thus it happened that we became rather -intimate. In this way I learned Professor Thun’s views -regarding the Terrorists and their deeds. He condemned -them ruthlessly; according to his convictions, it was the -duty of all European governments to refuse such persons -the right of asylum, and to deliver them over as ordinary -criminals to the Russian authorities. In particular I had -a lively recollection of the following occurrence. Professor -Thun had given a lecture in the Basel “Freisinniges -Verein,” before a large audience, on “Two Episodes in the -Russian Revolutionary Movement.” These two episodes -were the attempted assassination of Alexander II. and the -Tchigirìn case. In speaking of the latter he related how -Stefanòvitch, Bohanòvsky, and I had escaped from the -fortress of Kiëv;<a id='r11' /><a href='#f11' class='c010'><sup>[11]</sup></a> and he closed with the remark that these -criminals were living in foreign parts, and had “unfortunately” -not yet been captured. I had an opportunity -afterwards of speaking to him on the subject, and gathered -the impression that if he knew my real name Professor -Thun would not only break off all connection with me, -but under certain circumstances would even perhaps assist -in my “capture.” This led me to reduce my personal -relations with him to a minimum, and besides I shortly -afterwards left Basel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now here I was standing, a prisoner, before this man, -and he knew who I really was! My feelings may be -imagined.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know my name?” I asked, trembling -with excitement.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>“Your friend, Karl Moor, told me it in confidence after -you had left Basel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And although you know who I am you offer me your -help?” asked I in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Only tell me how to help you, and I will do -what I can.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I could scarcely grasp it, but one look in his eyes -convinced me that I might trust him; it was that intuitive -confidence that, once given, is unbounded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you,” said I. “Well, if I do not succeed in -getting out of prison by lawful means, I shall try to escape. -Would you stand by me then?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly,” said he simply and earnestly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I still could hardly believe my ears. This German -professor, whom I had heard publicly express his regret -that the minions of Tsarism had not yet caught me—in -other words, that I was not hanging on the gallows—this -same man now offered me help to fly from a German -prison! He gave me, however, undeniable proof of his -sincerity. As translator he was in possession of all books, -letters, etc., taken from me; he now produced my notebook, -and advised me to tear out and destroy pages on -which he had noticed addresses entered that might -prejudice my cause. Of course, I immediately acted on -his suggestion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I then proposed to him that he should go to Basel -without delay, tell my friend Axelrod what had occurred, -instruct him what steps he could take to obtain my -release by legal means, and finally, arrange with him -some way of effecting my escape should the danger of -extradition to Russia arise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This task Professor Thun fulfilled to the letter; and -during my imprisonment in Freiburg he did me many -kind offices, running serious risk of thereby compromising -his own position. He arranged secret meetings in -Freiburg Cathedral with my friends, who had come in -haste on the chance of being useful to me. He was also -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>the medium of both verbal and written communication -between me and my comrades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Having the right of free access to me, as the authorities -placed full confidence in an illustrious professor, he often -had me called into the translator’s office, where we could -chat undisturbed. In these conversations I saw how -much he had taken my affairs to heart. He went so far -as to offer his house as a refuge if I were obliged to -attempt an escape. Sometimes he joked about the part -he was playing:—“Look at me, now,” he would say, -laughing; “I, a German professor of dignity and position, -have become a Russian conspirator; and this peaceful -town of Freiburg is the scene of a plot!” Through his -relations with the magistrate he knew how my case was -going on, and of course he kept me posted up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the first hearing of my case I made the following -statement:—I was a Russian student, and had come -abroad in pursuit of my studies. I had married here, and -had one child. Hitherto I had lived in Switzerland, but -now I wished to remain in Freiburg, whither my wife, now -in Zurich, was to follow me. I lived partly by literary -work, partly on private means. In Switzerland I had -attended the University as “hospitant” (an occasional -student at lectures).<a id='r12' /><a href='#f12' class='c010'><sup>[12]</sup></a> As for my political opinions, when -I left Russia they were still somewhat undecided; but the -influence of German literature had led me to join the -Social Democrats, and I had determined to assist, as far as -I could, in the propagating of their views in my own -country.<a id='r13' /><a href='#f13' class='c010'><sup>[13]</sup></a> When, for various reasons, I had determined to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>live in Germany, I had brought with me the publications -found in my possession, meaning to sell them eventually -to the country people. They were not prohibited in -Germany, and their possession was in no possible sense -an infringement of German law. “And now,” I concluded, -“in a free German town, in Frei-Burg, I have been -arrested with no legal justification, without any of the -prescribed formalities, I am subjected to all manner of -indignities, and clapped into gaol like a common malefactor. -As if that were not enough, the police, with no -shadow of excuse, seized upon and arrested a lady of this -town as if she were a pickpocket or disturber of the peace. -I may well ask, What difference is there between this constitutional -state of the German Empire and the absolute -despotism of Russia? No one could have been worse -treated, even in Russia!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>These words seemed to make some impression on the -magistrate. He walked up and down excitedly, while he -dictated my statement to the clerk, assured me repeatedly -of his sympathy, and asserted his keen disapproval of the -way in which the police had behaved towards me and the -young lady. At one point he muttered, “Still, as Othello -says, ‘The handkerchief, the handkerchief!’” Herr -Leiblen appeared to be quite on my side, and Professor -Thun told me later that he had declared the matter -seemed to him harmless enough; in his opinion here was -a perfectly innocent person being kept shut up in prison, -and he hoped I should soon be set free. I had therefore a -well-grounded hope of obtaining my release in due course; -nevertheless doubts continued to arise, and thoughts of -escape still haunted me. With some slight help from -outside it would probably have been by no means difficult -during these first days of my imprisonment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day, while I was still in this state of suspense -betwixt hope and fear, I was called into the visitors' -room. I expected to find Professor Thun there, and was -surprised at being confronted by a man perfectly unknown -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>to me. He introduced himself by name (I cannot recollect -it now), and informed me that he was a lawyer, -who had been engaged by my friends to undertake my -defence. He announced himself as a comrade, a member -of the Social-Democratic party, and invited me to be quite -open with him, as my friends had already told him everything -concerning my past career. “You think of attempting -to escape?” he asked in a whisper; and when I -assented he continued quickly, “That would be a most -fatal mistake. I have just seen the minutes of your case; -the affair is going splendidly for you. I have no doubt -you will soon be set at liberty. Why should you risk -the dangers of a flight? If the attempt were to fail you -would be in an infinitely worse position than now. I -have been talking to the magistrate; he is convinced there -is nothing of any significance against you. As soon as -inquiries in Switzerland have elicited a satisfactory reply -regarding your identity you will be released.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But,” I interposed, “supposing a simultaneous inquiry -is set on foot in Russia?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no ground whatever for such a proceeding,” -replied the lawyer, “and if it were contemplated we -should get to know it somehow. Germany is not Russia. -With us legal proceedings are not secret. On the contrary, -the law provides that your trial shall be held in -public, and all documents relative to the case are without -delay submitted to me as your counsel. In such documents -mention would be made if an understanding with -the Russian authorities were suggested. In our conduct -of such cases it is absolutely out of the question that such -a weighty complication should be kept private.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” I interrupted, “but how can you be sure that the -police executive will not put the political and administrative -authorities in communication with Russia?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Government and the police would never combine -in an affair of law without some announcement. You -were arrested because there were grounds for supposing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>you in relation with persons who had made themselves -liable to prosecution by German law. If you are set free—as -neither I nor the magistrate have the slightest -doubt that you will be—you will be discharged unconditionally. -There is nothing now to wait for but the -establishment of your identity in Switzerland. You may -rely on this. As a German lawyer I know all our legal -methods; you, on the other hand, judge from Russian -conditions, which are altogether different.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>An inner voice said to me that the consistency of -German law was not so entirely to be trusted; but I had -no rational ground for demur, as German affairs of the -kind were perfectly strange to me. And an attempt to -escape, although it might have been easily managed in the -first instance, became more risky as time went on. Though -not quite abandoning the idea, these considerations led -me to set it aside for the moment, till we had some proof -of collaboration between the Russian and German Governments. -Apparently such a step could not be hidden from -me; and I had the well-known and influential Professor -Thun on my side, who was on the best of terms with the -authorities both of town and state. News must reach me -through him if anything fresh were planned.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER III <br /> <span class='small'>UNCERTAINTY—PRISON LIFE—THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR—A CHANGE OF CELLS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>For some time longer I had to remain in the prison -of Freiburg, vacillating between the expectation of -speedy release and the dread of extradition. Every day -I changed my mood a dozen, nay, a hundred times; and -this everlasting alternation had a most depressing effect. -The days dragged on, and seemed endless, although I -tried to occupy myself by every possible device. I was -well supplied with books—my comrades and Professor -Thun saw to that—and I was accommodated with writing -materials. So I read much, and tried to put on paper my -thoughts, impressions, and recollections.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But it was not only uncertainty as to my own fate that -worked on my spirits: anxiety about my friends, and -about the further development of our “League for the -Emancipation of Labour” troubled me. Our organisation -was only in its infancy; we were but a small band, and our -means scanty. In coming to Germany for the despatch of -our first output over the Russian border, I had planned at -the same time to arrange for future transport. On this -account I had many duties to discharge, regarding not -only money matters, but organisation. I had also left -behind me in Switzerland much business that called for -my return as soon as possible. All my comrades had -their hands full; time was precious to them all. And -now not only was I sitting here in prison, condemned -to inaction, but all the other members of our League were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>occupied with my affairs, and waiting about to see how -they could help me. The consciousness of this check to -our work, and of being its involuntary cause, oppressed -me, and raised my impatience to the highest pitch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My state can easily be pictured if one imagines a man -who has an important and urgent affair to manage, and -who suddenly breaks his leg, so that instead of pressing -on to the goal he must lie inert on a sick-bed. But in -that pitiable state he would be preoccupied with his -physical suffering; and I, being free from pain, was given -over entirely to worry and distress of mind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The conditions of prison life left much to be desired. -At first, particularly, I found them hard to bear, till by -degrees I accustomed myself to German regulations. As -I have already said, the cells were not lighted at night, -and there was nothing for a prisoner to do but to sleep -away the long hours of darkness, if he could. I afterwards -learned that light was denied for fear of fire, and on the -same ground smoking was forbidden. What there was -to burn I could not imagine; for, except the doors, the -window-frames, and the floors, there was no wood, the -building being of massive stone.<a id='r14' /><a href='#f14' class='c010'><sup>[14]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>The irksomeness of the long evenings without light, and -the prohibition of smoking, must for many people be not -only a discomfort, but a hard penance. Yet there should -have been no question of punishment in this prison, as -only accused persons awaiting trial were detained there.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The behaviour of the prison officials towards the -prisoners was anything but tender. For instance, this is -what took place on one of my first days. Exercise in -the prison yard was taken by all the inmates of one -corridor at the same time. We were trotted round in a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>continual goose-step, always a certain number of paces -distant each one from the other. One felt like a horse -being led round the riding-school by a rope. I found that -many prisoners regarded it as a humiliation, and preferred -to forego the chance of fresh air. One day during this -walk the military guard was being changed in the prison -yard. The formalities of German drill were new to me, -and involuntarily I stopped a moment to look, thus upsetting -our beautiful order by not keeping at the correct -distance between my preceder and follower; besides, perhaps -I also dropped out of line an inch or so. Suddenly -I felt someone seize me by the shoulder, abusing me -violently. I scarcely knew what was happening till I -found myself being raged at by the warder in my cell, -whither he had whisked me off. The man was like one -possessed, and threatened to deprive me of exercise if I -behaved as I had done. At first I could not understand -what frightful misdemeanour I had committed. When it -dawned on me that all this was because of my momentary -pause, it was my turn to show temper. I asked the man -how he dared treat me so, informed him that prisoner -though I was I would not permit anyone to knock me -about or abuse me, and said that if such a harmless infringement -of discipline was looked on as an offence -against German prison rules, it was his plain duty to -have warned me of the fact, and so on. This had its -effect; the man’s bearing instantly became milder, and -thenceforward our intercourse was on the most peaceful -footing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The prison rations were quite insufficient; there was -never enough to satisfy a full-grown man. If I remember -rightly, they consisted of a pound and a half of rye bread -daily, and twice in the day a little soup or gruel. Meat -was only allowed twice a week in the first month, and -that in microscopic portions. Even the gaolers admitted -that unless a prisoner had means for providing himself -with extra food, he would never get enough to eat.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>The cells on the first floor, one of which I first inhabited, -were roomy, bright, and clean. For furniture they were -provided with a table, a stool, and a bed, the latter having -a mattress, straw pillow, and woollen covering. In one -corner of the room stood the stove, heated from the -corridor and surrounded by an iron grating intended to -prevent escape by the chimney. On the wall hung a copy -of the regulations, whereby prisoners were informed of the -various penalties for the slightest departure from the rules. -All these rules were framed to spare the staff trouble, and -to make the business of looking after the inmates as -simple as possible. The interest of the inmates was not -considered; they were not treated like people unconvicted -of crime, but rather as malefactors deserving punishment, -which the prison staff on their own responsibility had -to see carried out in their own way. I will give an -instance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day I was conducted from my cell to a corridor on -the ground-floor, where a number of prisoners were already -ranged along the wall, evidently awaiting something. -I was directed to a place. I wanted to know what was -happening; and after I had asked several times in vain, -the gaoler told me that the Catholic priest had come, and -wished to speak to all the prisoners, who would be taken -to him one by one in order. I said that I was a Socialist -and had nothing to do with Catholic or any other priests. -I therefore begged to be taken back to my cell. This -seemed to strike the man as irresistibly comic, and he -burst into an ironic laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you want or don’t want is all the same to us. -He wants to see you, and so you will be taken to him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The warders who stood by were immensely tickled. -They joked about the Russian barbarian who came to -a German prison and expected to have his own opinions -taken into account. So before the priest I went, but our -conversation was of the shortest. To his question about -my religion I answered that I was a Social Democrat, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>belonged to no Church. Whereupon he looked at me -compassionately and dismissed me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another disagreeable feature of life in this prison was -the system of espionage. Often, when I was buried in my -book or writing, a warder would suddenly appear. He -would creep along on tiptoe to open the door noiselessly -and spy round, probably designing to catch me -if I were looking out of the window—a diversion strictly -forbidden by the rules. Not only here, but in other -German prisons that I have seen, the extravagant care -with which the prisoners and their things were inspected -was perfectly ridiculous. For instance, a dozen oranges -sent me by my friends aroused the suspicions of the -warders, and they conscientiously cut up every single -orange into quarters to see if there were anything inside! -So far as I know, even Russian gendarmes have never -given one credit for contriving a hiding-place in an uncut -orange or apple. The good people, however, do not -achieve their purpose, in spite of all their cleverness. The -“kassiber,”<a id='r15' /><a href='#f15' class='c010'><sup>[15]</sup></a> or written message to or from prisoners, passes -under their very noses. Nor had I ever any difficulty in -getting forbidden articles conveyed into any German -prison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I have said, the numerous petty formalities made me -very impatient at first, but I accustomed myself at last -more or less to German prison methods, and the officials -dropped their over-zealous harshness towards me, and -became more confidential. The fact that I was a foreigner, -a Russian, rather interested them, as probably they had -never even seen one before. And then, however incorruptible -a German official may be, the possession of -worldly resources cannot fail to influence him. The staff -knew that I was in command of money. The chief -inspector, a man named Roth, boarded me; and they -knew I had everything that could mitigate the hardness -of my lot, that my friends, in fact, supplied me with all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>sorts of little comforts and luxuries. This seemed to impress -the prison staff, and I also was for ever telling them I should -certainly be released very soon. I really almost believed -it, and they seemed to do so, too—at any rate, for a time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The staff consisted of three men—two warders and the -chief inspector, who was also the governor of the gaol. -All three often came to chat with me; they asked me -questions about Russia, and on their side related much -about German matters—prisons, laws, and other things in -which they were interested. They all impressed me as -being perfectly contented with their situations; indeed, -their wages were comparatively high—up to 2,000 marks -(£100) and more a year, if I am not mistaken. The -warder with whom I had had the tiff recounted above -paid me many visits. He, like the other two, had been -a soldier, and was therefore imbued with notions of strict -military discipline, which is the watchword throughout -German prisons. Though in outward appearance hard -and even forbidding, he was really a good-natured -creature. Of his own initiative he asked me to let him -have the remains of my meals, to take to a neighbouring -prisoner who was poor and often went hungry through -being unable to afford extra food. Of course I gladly consented. -This warder was a big, powerfully-built man, aged -about thirty, who had taken his present situation because -he did not like his original trade—that of a joiner. Like -most German workmen, he had only been to a <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Volksschule</cite></span> -(public elementary school), but the instruction given there -is far better than in similar schools in my own country; -and in comparison with our workmen of like standing, he -might be considered a highly intellectual person. We -talked over all sorts of things—politics among the rest—and -he told me he was a supporter of the existing Government—the -National Liberals, I think. My own attainments -caused him great admiration, especially my knowledge -of French and German, as well as of my own -mother-tongue.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>The way they dealt with my money was a little odd. -As I have said, the money in my pocket-book was taken -possession of at the time of my arrest. Some days later -the inspector presented me with an account of expenditure. -It appeared that the police had been most generous on -my behalf. A day’s use of the room at the hotel, which -I had barely seen, was paid for, and four or five marks -in addition as “compensation for disturbance.” Furthermore, -as the good people had not been able to open -my second box, although they had the key, they had -paid a locksmith (very liberally too) to open it. Naturally -I made no objection to the bill, but I felt somewhat amused -at having to pay for the “disturbance” of my arrest, and -the breaking open of my own trunk!</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon after my imprisonment I was taken to a photographer’s -and photographed. I did not like this at all, -as I feared that my portrait might be sent to Russia and -recognised; but I could not make any protest, lest my -reasons should be suspected. The photograph was needed -for the inquiry in Switzerland, that by means of it I might -be identified as Bulìgin. The Swiss authorities certified -that it did represent Bulìgin, with whose passport I always -travelled; so that part of the inquiry was got through -safely. Also, the proofs I adduced of my not being -implicated in the doings of Yablonski and his friend -were accepted, and it was agreed that I had neither -circulated forbidden literature nor had had any in my -possession. Weeks passed away before these formalities -were accomplished, and at last, nearly two months after -my arrest, the magistrate informed me that he should -close the affair in a few days, and that he himself was -satisfied there were no grounds for my prosecution. The -decision lay with the Public Prosecutor,<a id='r16' /><a href='#f16' class='c010'><sup>[16]</sup></a> who might concur -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>in this, and so release me at once; or he might after -all think fit to take the matter into court. In the latter -event, however, the judge would most probably uphold -the finding of the magistrate; and even if against all -expectation a prosecution should be set up and a penalty -enforced, the sentence would be such as my term of imprisonment -here would be held to fulfil. In any case -I might be certain my release was now only a question -of days. It seemed absurd to distrust this forecast, and -it is but natural to expect what one ardently desires; -so I began to feel easy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some days after I was again sent for to the visitors’ -room, where I found Frau Axelrod and a grey-haired -gentleman, the Public Prosecutor, Von Berg. In stern -tones he informed us that we were at liberty to converse, -but only in German; at the first Russian word he would -separate us. This precaution, and the whole behaviour -of the grim old gentleman, did not quite bear out the -idea of speedy release for me; and knowing him to be -acquainted with the magistrate’s views, I wondered what -his reasons were, but I was not apprehensive. Frau -Axelrod and I did not find much to say to each other -under this supervision, and our interview was brief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I remember the next few days very well. On the -morrow the inspector, Roth, came and told me, in a most -cheerful and friendly way, that I must change over into -a cell on the ground-floor, as the one in which I was had -to be renovated. He was quite apologetic, regretting that -the other cell would not be so comfortable for me. This -change did not please me at all. My plans of escape -had all been based on the situation of my cell, and its -being on the first floor would have been no impediment. -One of my friends had hired a room in the opposite -house, towards which the window of my cell looked, so -that at a pinch we could communicate by prearranged -signals. Besides these reasons of business, so to speak, -on other grounds I was sorry to quit my now familiar -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>quarters. My associations with these four walls were not -all unpleasant, and looking out of the window had been -my greatest distraction. On market days many lively -scenes were enacted between buyers and sellers—peasants -of the district. Sometimes military exercises took place -in the square, and the unfamiliar drill interested me. But -above all I loved to climb up to the window in the -evenings to watch the children, who, when twilight came -on, always romped about the square, playing all sorts -of games. Their merry laughter and shouting took -me back to my home in South Russia and my own -childish days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this came to an end with my change of lodging. -My new cell was dark, less roomy, and the window looked -into the yard. This latter circumstance made escape well-nigh -impossible. I comforted myself with the thought -that the idea of flight was needless, and tried to reckon -how many days were likely to elapse before my release. -I argued that my transfer to another cell was probably -in view of my departure, or else a mere chance, necessary -for the reason given me by the warder. But my friends -took it quite otherwise when they saw me no more at -the window, and thought I must be already on my way -to Russia!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER IV <br /> <span class='small'>THE VISIT OF “MY WIFE”—MORE PLANS OF ESCAPE—THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR SHOWS HIS HAND—PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>On one of the following days I was told there was -someone to see me. No sooner had I crossed the -threshold of the visitors’ room than a young lady threw -herself, laughing and weeping, into my arms. It was -Frau Bulìgin. As I was in prison under her husband’s -name, she had now come to play the part of my wife; and -so well did she play it as even to soften the heart of the -Public Prosecutor, who witnessed this moving scene of -meeting between such a young and loving pair. He left -us alone for a moment, and only when the first emotional -greetings were over did he warn us that we must speak -German; but his tone was less stern and dry than at my -first encounter with him, when Frau Axelrod was there. -Frau Bulìgin had at once whispered to me that I must -somehow contrive that we should speak Russian, as she -had important things to talk about. I therefore begged -Herr von Berg to let us speak in our own language.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot,” he said shortly; “you both seem able to -speak German quite well enough to understand one -another.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must allow,” said I, “that however well a man -speaks a foreign tongue, when he meets his wife after -weeks of imprisonment and in circumstances like mine, -he wants to speak freely. We cannot talk of family -affairs in German. But,” I continued, “if you insist about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>this, though I cannot understand by what law nor for -what reason, could you not let Professor Thun be present -as he would understand all we said in Russian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After some further demur he at last relented so far as to -say that though he would not request Professor Thun’s -attendance himself, not being in any way bound to do so, -yet if the professor chose to do us such a favour, we might -then be permitted to speak Russian. Of course I would -not betray my relations with Professor Thun, so I carefully -inquired his address, that my wife might take him a -message.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your wife shall be given it in my office,” said Herr -von Berg. So he and Frau Bulìgin departed, and I was -taken back to my cell.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a short interval I was sent for again, and found -Professor Thun with the others. I had not seen him for -some time, as he had been away for his Easter holidays; -besides, his official duties as translator had come to an end, -and my case being now in the hands of the Public Prosecutor, -he had not the same freedom of access to me. -Frau Bulìgin told me that she had hurried hither because -of the great anxiety felt about me by my comrades. -Russian spies were closely watching all my friends and -acquaintances in Geneva; showing my photograph (which -of course strongly resembled that sent from Freiburg by -the police), and asking where I was. From this my -friends concluded that the Russian Government was -already on my track; they feared that if my imprisonment -lasted much longer my real identity would certainly -be discovered, and they therefore begged me to try and -effect my escape. We talked over every chance, and tried -to work out a plan, Professor Thun taking the warmest -interest, and making many suggestions. But, as I said -before, absolutely no plans were feasible from the cell -I was in now; and I will not trouble to describe those we -discussed, except to repeat that Professor Thun played an -important part in them all, even undertaking to provide -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>me with a key to the outer door of the prison. The -personal risk he was willing to accept, or even court, was -great; yet this was the man who had at one time avowed -his desire of handing me over to Russian justice! After -eighteen years it is scarcely comprehensible to me, spite -of my lively recollection of his kindness and sympathy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Public Prosecutor, Von Berg, who remained in the -room during all this confabulation, played rather a comical -part. Of course, he understood not a word, as we spoke -Russian; but whenever we laughed he smiled indulgently, -as if amused at us. I cannot imagine what would have -been the feelings of this painfully correct and stern old -gentleman if he had known the chief cause of our merriment, -which was simply that we had to concoct the report -of our conversation with which Professor Thun was subsequently -to regale his worship.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we had finished our consultations, which lasted -rather a long time, Frau Bulìgin took a very tender farewell -of me. She thanked Von Berg for having allowed us -to speak Russian, and asked him how soon he thought -I should be released. I think he told her that he believed -the case would be concluded in a few days, mentioning -the date. In any case, he added, if I were set free I -should be handed over to the police to be conducted over -whatever frontier was convenient—the Swiss, he supposed, -being the nearest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I held fast to the hope that it really would be so, and -tried to stifle the doubts that persisted in rising. It was -certainly pleasanter to dream of prospective freedom, than -to brood over the consequences of extradition to Russia, -or even of being set over the Russian border. The sight -of Frau Bulìgin had aroused keen longings for liberty; -fancy painted joyful pictures, my thoughts dwelt on my -friends and my work. Mentally I lived through many -scenes of welcome, and saw our circle setting to work with -redoubled energy at our “League for the Emancipation -of Labour.” I planned out to the smallest detail how I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>would make up for my enforced idleness. I lived only in -the future, and looked on the dreary present as if it were -a long-vanished past, a disagreeable episode that I and -mine could talk over as far behind us.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>“To-day the order for my release will be made out.” -I remember how I awoke on a certain May morning -with this thought in my mind, and instantly began to -conjecture in what manner the announcement would be -made to me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are to go to the Public Prosecutor,” said the -warder, breaking in on my visions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is for my formal discharge,” was my first thought; -“the man is keeping his word. Strange that the judge has -been so quick in pronouncing his decision; it is still quite -early,” I meditated, as I went along the corridor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the office sat Herr von Berg at a table; beside him -was a young clerk, and the table was covered with bundles -of documents.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To-day, as you are aware,” said the Public Prosecutor, -turning to me, “judgment was to be given on your case. -Before I inform you of the verdict, I must again have -your assurance that your name is Bulìgin, and your home -Moscow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly. I am Bulìgin, of Moscow,” I answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Read the document relating to that point,” said the -Public Prosecutor to the clerk. The latter read aloud -in dry, business-like tones a communication, apparently -emanating from some Moscow official, stating curtly that -there was no person of the name of Bulìgin answering -to the description given.<a id='r17' /><a href='#f17' class='c010'><sup>[17]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>“What have you to say to this?” asked Herr von Berg -coldly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I felt that the blood had left my cheeks, and that my -knees were trembling; but I pulled myself together at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>once, and began to defend myself, speaking rapidly, warmly, -and earnestly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I saw my critical situation, and felt the ground slipping -from under my feet. My fear of communications with -the Russian Government was justified, and it was now -a fight for life. I had so often dreaded this eventuality, -that my plan of defence was prepared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Listen!” I cried. “I declare to you that I am Bulìgin; -but I confess that I do not come from Moscow, and that -the other particulars I gave you about myself were false. -This amount of deception was forced upon me, foreseeing -as I did the course that might be taken by the authorities -here, and knowing too well what Russian methods are. -<em>You</em> do not know those methods, and I must explain. -It often happens that people are denounced to the gendarmerie -for having a prohibited book in their possession. -Not only are they themselves arrested, but everyone who -has consorted with them is liable to arrest, and anyone -whose address is found in their rooms. Their houses are -watched, and everyone who visits them is seized. Whole -families are persecuted in this way, and think themselves -lucky if they get off at last after untold annoyance. -Quite innocent people are often in prison for months. -When I came from democratic Switzerland to constitutional -Germany, with no intention of contravening -German law, little did I expect to meet with an experience -which shows me that, at any rate as regards -foreigners, there is not much to choose between Germany -and Russia in some of their dealings. I find to my cost -that without any legal formalities the police may arrest -and imprison whom they choose; that they can make -a domiciliary search without a warrant, and may treat -a harmless traveller as if he were a criminal. I was kept -in gaol for two days without being brought before a -magistrate; I saw a young lady seized in the street and -brought to the prison, just as if in Russia. What ground -had I for trusting the magistrate’s assurance that there -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>would only be an ordinary judicial inquiry? I took it for -granted that the police, as with us in Russia, could override -the administrators of the law, and that the police -would be in correspondence with the Russian authorities. -This document proves that I was right.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, then, if I had given the true facts about myself, -the police, as is evident, would have handed them on to -their Russian <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>confrères</em></span>, who, of course, when they heard -I had been arrested here because I had two boxes of -books forbidden in Russia, (though not in Germany,) -would have started their usual game in the town whence -I really come. My people would have been subjected -to annoyance; my brothers and sisters, who share my -views, would perhaps have been found possessed of -forbidden literature, and clapped into gaol along with -many others. Russia is not a constitutional country, and -therefore I was obliged to guard myself by suppressing -particulars here that might have been used against my -friends there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You assert, then,” said the Public Prosecutor scornfully, -“that you are Bulìgin, but that you do not come from -Moscow; and you refuse to give the name of your native -place?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I refuse for the reasons I have stated.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Read the next report,” said Herr von Berg, and the -clerk read aloud:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The prisoner now in the State prison of Freiburg, -calling himself Bulìgin, is in reality Leo Deutsch, who in -May, 1876, attempted—in conjunction with Jakob -Stefanòvitch—to murder Nicholas Gorinòvitch. Therefore -the Government of His Majesty the Emperor of -Russia, through their representative in the dominions -of His Highness the Grand Duke of Baden, demand the -extradition of both the aforesaid persons. And at the -same time His Majesty’s Government consider themselves -bound to draw the attention of the German authorities to -the fact that the aforesaid Leo Deutsch has several times -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>already broken out of prison, and should therefore be -most jealously watched, both during his incarceration and -while being transported to Russia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I have transcribed this document almost literally, for -though nearly two decades have passed since that -moment, it seems present to me this day. “It’s all up -with me,“ I thought, and torturing visions rose before me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What reply have you to make?” I heard the dry -question of the Public Prosecutor, and saw his malicious -smile of triumph.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a tremendous effort I collected myself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What I have just heard read,” I said as calmly as I -could, “scarcely surprises me. It bears out all I have -been told as to the methods of the Russian Government. -Their game is clear. When they want to get hold of a -harmless Russian Socialist who has been arrested in a -constitutional country they will not allow that he is the -person he claims to be, but give him the name of someone -implicated in a serious crime. This is nothing new. For -example, Rumania was induced in this way to deliver up -a certain Katz, who was then immediately exiled to -Siberia by ‘administrative methods,’ as is said in Russia, -that is, without any judicial process. Evidently they are -doing just the same in my case. The best proof of this -lies in this document itself. You see there that the -Government not only demands the extradition of Deutsch, -but also of Stefanòvitch, although the latter was long ago -arrested in Russia and sent to penal servitude in the -Siberian mines, and although his complicity in the attempt -against Gorinòvitch never came into question at his trial. -It is plain that the extradition of Stefanòvitch is asked -for in order that on the next opportunity some peaceful -Socialist may be claimed as being he. What I am telling -you would be confirmed by Professor Thun, who not only -is acquainted with Russian ways, but has particularly -studied our revolutionary movement.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This ended the interview. When I was back in my cell, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>and could collect my thoughts, I felt completely crushed. -My extradition seemed certain, and escape my only hope. -But that this hope was futile I quickly discovered. -Following the Russian Government’s warning as to my -having often broken out of prison before (as a matter -of fact I had done so twice),<a id='r18' /><a href='#f18' class='c010'><sup>[18]</sup></a> a special warder was now -posted at my door, with instructions not to stir from the -spot, and to watch my every movement. The other -warders also were told to keep an eye on me, and—what -had never happened before—the chief inspector, Roth, -had been present at the interview described above.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon after midday I was again taken before the Public -Prosecutor. This time he seemed more graciously inclined, -and treated me with as near an approach to -geniality as could be expected from such an arid man -of law. He informed me that Professor Thun had endorsed -my description of Russian judicial proceedings; -and he then continued, “It is possible that an injustice is -being done you in ascribing to you the crime spoken of in -the communication of the Russian Government, and I am -prepared to assist you in defending yourself. You must -understand that in Germany it is no part of a Public -Prosecutor’s duties to pass sentence, but he has to get at -the truth, and to discharge persons who are unjustly -accused. Give me any particulars that would tend to -exonerate you, and I will do what I can for you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This change in the behaviour of the Public Prosecutor -was evidently owing to Professor Thun’s influence. I -knew quite well that there was not much left to hope for -now, but I saw I should try to make use of Herr von -Berg’s more favourable attitude to gain a little time. If -my extradition could be delayed I might yet find some -opportunity of escape. So I gratefully accepted the -Public Prosecutor’s offer, and begged him to let me have -an opportunity of consultation with my lawyer and the -official translator, as I myself had no acquaintance with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>the forms of German law. Meanwhile, I said, I could -tell him at once how I hoped to prove I was not Deutsch; -I had reason to believe that he was in London, and if my -friends there could find him, he would no doubt be quite -willing to give his testimony in my behalf. (I was hoping, -with the help of Professor Thun, to arrange that one of -the Russian refugees in London should play the part -of Deutsch, <i>i.e.</i> of myself.)</p> - -<p class='c001'>Herr von Berg informed me that the granting of this -request lay with the Minister of Justice, to whom he -would apply; and with this our interview terminated.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Events now took on a lively pace. Before this I had -sometimes had weeks to wait between the acts of my -drama, and had often longed for the next hearing, that I -might at least know what was going on. Now, however, -things went faster than I cared for. The next day I was -again called before the Public Prosecutor. This time, with -Herr von Berg, his clerk, and inspector Roth, who stood -sentinel at the door, I found a man, strange to me, -dressed in the uniform of a Russian officer of justice, with -a glittering order in his buttonhole.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good morning, Deutsch! Don’t you know me?” asked -the unknown in Russian, with an agreeable smile. “I am -the Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Petersburg Court of -Appeal. My name is Bogdanòvitch, and you must remember -me, for I was Deputy Public Prosecutor in Kiëv -when you were a prisoner there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have never been in prison at Kiëv; and I have not -the pleasure of knowing you,” I answered quietly. And -indeed I had never set eyes on the gentleman before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no doubt about it, he is Deutsch,” said -Bogdanòvitch, turning to his German colleagues.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I declare that I am not,” said I.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We prefer to believe Herr von Bogdanòvitch,” said -Herr von Berg. “You shall go back to Russia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then this is what you are doing,” cried I, “you are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>giving the Russian Government another opportunity of -banishing an innocent man to Siberia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We never send innocent people to Siberia,” said -Bogdanòvitch promptly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You not only send them to Siberia, but to the scaffold,” -I cried. “You say that you belonged to the staff of the -Kiëv law courts; then you must have heard of the judicial -murder of an innocent boy, the student Rozòvsky, which -took place there. Perhaps you were concerned in the case. -He was hanged, in spite of the fact that the judge himself -allowed his only offence to lie in the possession of a -proclamation, the authors of which he refused to name.”<a id='r19' /><a href='#f19' class='c010'><sup>[19]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rozòvsky was not executed solely on that account,” -said Bogdanòvitch, smiling at the Public Prosecutor, -“but because he belonged to the Socialist party.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see!” I cried, turning to Herr von Berg, “in -Germany members of the Socialist party sit in the -Reichstag, and take part in your legislation; but according -to the views of a Russian law-officer, and of the Russian -Government, mere suspicion of being a Socialist, let alone -proof, is enough to send one to the gallows!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two gentlemen could not easily answer this, and -on the German lawyer it seemed to make a distinct impression. -I saw, however, that the self-important Herr -von Berg found the presence of the Deputy Public -Prosecutor from the Petersburg Appeal Courts rather -imposing. From time to time his glance rested on the -glittering order worn by the official; in addressing the -Russian his voice took on an affability hitherto strange to -it; and his painful efforts to pronounce the difficult name -correctly were really comic. Apparently in order to show -off his own importance and zeal to the stranger, he -remarked to me severely—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I see that you are not backward in finding excuses, -and for this reason are trying to paint the Government -of your country in the most lurid colours. But whatever -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>you may think of it, it is to that Government you must be -surrendered, and I am convinced you will be treated in -Russia with all legal equity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, certainly, certainly!” Bogdanòvitch hastened to -assure him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was led back to my cell, and what I suffered in mind -during the next few days I need not describe; the reader -can well imagine it. It was clear to me that all hope of -release was gone; yet I could not resign myself to the -thought, and my brain was always busy with plans of -rescue. I counted on the time that must necessarily be -absorbed in making out the terms of my extradition, and -concocted a long letter of conspiracy to my friends, hoping -to forward it through Professor Thun. Two or three days -went by before I could get it finished; and meanwhile I -was again called before the Public Prosecutor, although -the day was Sunday. Evidently things were being -hurried on.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Government have decided to deliver you up to -Russia,” he began, “but on this condition: that you shall -be brought before a regular tribunal, and only prosecuted -on the count of the Gorinòvitch case.<a id='r20' /><a href='#f20' class='c010'><sup>[20]</sup></a> Your request -for an interview with your lawyer and the interpreter is -refused.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After he had read me the decision of the Baden Government, -Herr von Berg informed me that I was to start for -Russia that very day. As I left him I remarked that -I should certainly be sent before a special court and -judged by martial law.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is quite impossible,” was his rejoinder; “it would -be a contravention of the treaty and contrary to international -law.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once alone in my cell, I began preparations for my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>journey. These were not so simple as might be supposed. -Notwithstanding the excessive care with which everything -sent me by my friends was inspected, I had become -possessed of an English file for cutting through iron -gratings, a pair of scissors to cut my hair and beard in -case of need, and also money in German and Russian -banknotes. I had to dispose of these things somehow. -The file I decided to part with, as it was now hardly likely -to be of any use, and would be hard to conceal; so I broke -it in two and threw it down the waste-pipe of the closet. -The other things I managed to secrete in such a manner -that I should be able to avail myself of them if I had -occasion on the journey. The warder at the cell-door -never let me out of his sight; yet I managed to hide them -in my clothes so that there was a chance of their escaping -the searchers. All this was like the drowning man’s clutch -at a straw. I did not deceive myself as to the strict -watch to which I should be subjected, and the futility -of any hope of speedy rescue. But in such circumstances -even useless precautions serve at least to distract one’s -thoughts, and my thoughts were not of the pleasantest. -I knew what was before me, and pictured my future. -Long, long years of prison! It was almost more bearable -to think of death than of that living grave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of what use would my life be?” I asked myself; and -the answer was devoid of consolation.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER V <br /> <span class='small'>THE JOURNEY TO RUSSIA—IN THE CATTLE-TRUCK—THE FRANKFORT AND BERLIN PRISONS—THE FRONTIER-STATION—THROUGH WARSAW TO PETERSBURG</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>When evening came I was sent off in a closed -carriage, accompanied by two policemen in plain -clothes, who had been enjoined to use all possible vigilance. -The carriage was stopped at a branch of the railway line -some distance from the station, and here my companions -and I were put into an ordinary cattle-truck. As this -truck was brought into the station, where it was attached -to a passenger train, I observed an unusual commotion on -the platform, and my guards, who noticed it too, whispered -together excitedly. From chance words that I caught -I gathered that an arrest was being made, and wondered -if it could have anything to do with me. Years afterwards -I learned that it was indeed two of my comrades who were -seized on the platform at Freiburg, they having hoped -to travel by my train and be at hand to assist me if I could -attempt an escape. But this was another fiasco. My two -friends were kept some days in prison in Freiburg, and -then sent back to Switzerland.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Towards morning we arrived at Frankfurt-am-Main, -where for some reason or other I was again put in prison. -The governor of this gaol made a great show of kindness -and consideration towards me, but had his own reasons -for such tactics, as will subsequently appear. When I asked -if I might write a post card to my friends in Switzerland, -he assured me most obligingly that it should be forwarded -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>at once, and furnished me with writing materials. (Later -I found that he had handed over the card to my guards, -who sent it to the Russian authorities; but, of course, it -only contained a few words of greeting.)</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cell to which he conducted me was very comfortable, -and looked out on a lively street; but he posted two -policemen in the room to keep watch over me. He then -provided me with an excellent luncheon—or at least it -seemed very good to me, as during the last day or two excitement -had kept me from eating. Seeing that the journey -threatened to be tedious, I wanted to get some books, and -the obliging governor offered to buy them for me at a -second-hand shop, where they would be cheap. I remember -choosing a few German and French classics, which he -procured for me at what I thought a reasonable price. -Finally, he invited me to go for a walk in the yard -with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As soon as we were alone he began giving me a very -prolix account of all his experiences, and then suddenly -asked me point-blank if I were not really the famous -Degàiev.<a id='r21' /><a href='#f21' class='c010'><sup>[21]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>I could not help laughing heartily: the assiduous friendliness -of this worthy, who, as a matter of fact, was always -looking out for his own advancement, appeared now in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>quite a new light. Apart from the fact that (as I heard -afterwards from the policemen in my cell) he drew a -considerable profit, not only from my food, but even on -the books he got me, he also had his eye on the reward -he would receive if he could induce me to confess to -being Degàiev. The Russian Government had put a price -of 10,000 roubles on that man’s head, and his name was in -every European newspaper.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I stayed in this prison until nightfall, when I was -fetched away by three policemen in plain clothes. Every -time that my guards were changed I was searched, but -nothing was found. Before starting on our journey, the -Frankfort police put chains on me, not heavy or thick, -and quite inconspicuous, as they were attached under my -clothes; but they hindered any quick movement, and of -course made running impossible. I protested vehemently -against this indignity; but they declared they had received -special instructions, and had no choice in the -matter, so I had to submit. Even this was not their final -precaution. When we passed on to the railway platform, -one man, a giant in stature, took me by the arm in a -friendly way; another went a few steps in front, and the -third came a little behind, so that we must have appeared -to the uninitiated like a trio of boon companions. We -installed ourselves in a carriage among the ordinary -travellers, and it probably never dawned on any of them -that they were sitting cheek by jowl with a fettered -prisoner. I could not help thinking of the proverb used -by our Russian peasants to describe German ingenuity:—“The -Germans are too clever for anything; they’ve even -invented apes!” I must say that my guardians behaved -very civilly to me, although with formal strictness. So far -as their orders permitted, they showed me many little -kindnesses. In the <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><em>Begleitschein</em></span> with which I was given -into their custody I was entered as “the so-called Bulìgin,” -and by this name I went until I was handed over to the -Russians.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>There was no thinking of escape on this journey. My -escort never let me out of their sight for a second, never -stirred from my side, and watched my slightest movements. -They did not enter into conversation with me, nor had I -any inclination to gossip with them. I felt heavy at heart, -enervated, and exhausted. My mind seemed dormant, -nothing attracted my attention during the whole journey; -I seemed to hear and see nothing that went on around -me, but to lie wrapped in a dreary apathy. “What must -be must be,” I said to myself, if a thought of the future -arose. Reaction had set in after the painful excitement of -the last days in Freiburg.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The following day we arrived in Berlin, where I was -at once taken to prison. Which prison it was I do not -know, but I remember what a gloomy impression it produced -upon me. The dark cell, (into which no direct light -could penetrate owing to the high wall opposite the -window,) and the sour-faced warders, who never seemed to -look one straight in the eyes, forced on me the thought that -people who were compelled to inhabit this place for long -were much to be pitied. I have made acquaintance with -many prisons, both in Russia and Western Europe, but -never felt so thoroughly despondent as in this Berlin gaol. -Everything seemed intended to make one feel: “You are -in Berlin, the capital of military Prussia, where inflexible -rule and iron discipline are the watchwords applying to the -smallest detail.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The policemen who had brought me from Frankfort -never left me alone even in my prison cell, keeping watch -over me by turns. And I must say that I was glad of -this. Their company was not exactly enlivening, but -the presence of another human being mitigated the -dreariness of the prison atmosphere. Fortunately I was -not detained here long, and I was truly thankful when -evening came, and I was once more on my travels, -attended by the same escort. Next morning we were -in Russia.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>The frontier station where I was to be delivered over to -the Russian authorities is called Granitza, a place where -three empires meet—Germany, Austria, and Russia. As -I was to be taken straight on to Petersburg, this was a very -roundabout way to have come, and I suppose it must have -been chosen from fear of a rescue being attempted at the -frontier. This is the more likely, as shortly before the -Polish Socialist, Stanislas Mendelssohn, had—aided by his -friends—escaped from the Prussian police at another -frontier station (Alexandrovo, I think), just as his surrender -to the Russians was to be effected. He got safe -through to Switzerland.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I remember my sensations well. It was a lovely May -morning, and the sunshine gave me renewed strength. -I had scarcely descended from the train with my German -guards, when I was surrounded by a crowd of Russian -gendarmes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good morning, Deutsch! good morning, sir! Here -you are at last! We have been expecting you for ever so -long!” were their greetings. I saw round me the fresh, -smiling faces of young Russian peasant lads, surmounting -the hated dark blue uniform. Their free, familiar bearing -made me smile back at them as if old friends were welcoming -me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know me?” I asked them, as we went -towards the gendarmes’ quarters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, of course we know you; we’ve heard such a lot -about you!” cried several. “Will you come and have -some tea at once, or brush the dust off first?” they asked, -and vied with each other in doing the agreeable and -making me at home. It was a curious contrast to the -manners of my German guards. The Russians were frank -and simple; there was something of even friendly confidence -in their behaviour. To the German police I was -a dangerous criminal, who went about under false names. -They had their orders, and followed them rigidly, not -troubling themselves with anything beyond that, hoping -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>thereby to gain a reward (as I gathered from their whispered -talk when they supposed me asleep). To the -Russian gendarmes,<a id='r22' /><a href='#f22' class='c010'><sup>[22]</sup></a> who never have anything to do with -common criminals, I was a “political offender,” a “State -prisoner” (as we call it), whose name they had heard so -often that they looked on me quite as an old <a id='corr47.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='acquaintance'>acquaintance.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_47.6'>acquaintance.</a></span> -I had not been in Russia for four years, and the first -persons I met from whom I heard my mother tongue were -gendarmes. The reader will be able to understand my -mingled feelings. Any uninitiated person glancing into -the room where I sat before the steaming samovar, refreshing -myself with tea, and gossiping with the gendarmes -standing round, might have thought we were a party -of old friends enjoying a cosy chat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what’s it like in foreign parts?—not so nice as -here, eh?” asked the lads; and I related how in “foreign -parts” it was ever so much nicer than at home, in many -ways. But that they would not allow to be possible, and -we disputed about it, till at last everyone present, ten -or twelve men, were all talking at once. When this topic -was exhausted I asked what was the news at home, what -was happening? They then described excitedly how all -Russia had just been celebrating the majority of the heir-apparent, -the present Tsar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The German police having fulfilled their commission -and handed me over with bag and baggage, had departed, -probably somewhat disappointed, for no reward had been -given them—in Granitza, at least. After some hours an -officer of the gendarmerie appeared, and commanded -some of the men to be ready to escort me, as I was to -go on by the next train. I saw that he gave over to one -of them the money that had been taken from me by the -German police. Unobserved, I immediately drew out the -Russian money I had concealed about me, and then -handed it to the officer, for I feared it might be discovered -if I were carefully searched. He was greatly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>surprised, and asked if I had never been searched in -Germany. He then ordered me to be searched again, -which was done with every care; but all the same, the -rest of my German money and the scissors were not -found.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Three gendarmes accompanied me on the journey to -Petersburg. In Warsaw, where we arrived during the -night, a colonel of gendarmerie was awaiting me. Like -most of his kind, he was very polite and ready to -converse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You were concerned in the Tchigirìn case?” he began; -and when I assented, he continued confidentially, “Ah, -that was a long while ago. Wasn’t it at the time of the -Polish rising? Well, then, you will have the benefit of -the coronation amnesty; they won’t have much against -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the time of the Polish insurrection, in 1863, I was -only eight years old. This is an illustration of how much -many of the officers of gendarmerie know about the -political trials which are supposed to be their own special -business. This friendly sympathy did not prevent him, -of course, from giving my escort the strictest orders about -my treatment, as I could hear when seated in the carriage. -“Be sure you don’t fall asleep!” he whispered. The -gendarmes, however, did not allow this to trouble their -minds much, but continued to treat me in a very easy-going -fashion, and did not manifest any fear of my -running away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we arrived in Petersburg a captain of gendarmerie -met us, and took me at once in a closed carriage to the -Fortress of Peter and Paul.</p> - -<div id='i048' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_048_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>FORTRESS OF PETER AND PAUL, ST. PETERSBURG</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 48</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER VI <br /> <span class='small'>THE FORTRESS OF PETER AND PAUL—THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR AS COMPATRIOT—A HARD-HEARTED DOCTOR—A FLEETING ACQUAINTANCE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A strange feeling came over me when I saw that -I was being conveyed to this prison, used by the -Government of the Tsars for political offenders only; a -place never spoken of in Russia without a shudder. -I approached it with dark forebodings, but these gave -place to interest. I knew well that a cruel severity ruled -in this place, but I could not help being curious to experience -it personally. The reality fully answered to my -expectations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was taken at once to a room where the governor -of the prison, Colonel Lesnik of the gendarmerie, ordered -me to strip to the skin. A couple of gendarmes examined -me carefully, and then gave me, instead of my own clothes, -prison under-linen, a striped cotton gown, such as is worn -in hospitals, and a pair of slippers. My own clothes and -other things were taken away. I was then shut up in -a cell on the ground floor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Everything goes on here in utter silence; not a word -is heard, the stillness is intense. No one could imagine -that men lived here year after year; it felt like a house -of the dead. Only the chimes of the clock broke upon -the ear, sounding out every quarter of an hour the national -hymn, “How glorious is our Lord in Zion!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cell was large, but dark, as the window was high -up in the wall. It was cold, despite the May weather, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>for the sunshine never entered here, and the walls were -damp. Besides the iron bedstead with its straw mattress, -pillow, and thin woollen covering, there were an iron table -and a stool, both chained to the wall, and the customary -evil-smelling tub. Even at three o’clock in the afternoon -darkness reigned, although at this season Petersburg -enjoys its “bright nights,” when it never gets really dark. -Reading was not to be thought of. Above everything -I was sensible of the extreme cold, partly due to the -situation of the cell, but chiefly to the insufficiency of -my clothing. To warm myself I marched up and down -from one corner to the other till I was tired; but hardly -had I sat down a minute than I began to freeze again -all over. Even in bed I felt the same penetrating cold, for -the blanket was very thin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My rations consisted of about two pounds of black -bread, and for dinner at midday two dishes, which were -not bad, but insufficient in quantity—always half cold, -moreover, as all the food had to be brought a long way. -As an unconvicted prisoner I could have provided myself -with better accommodation at my own expense; but -that was impossible at first, because the gendarmes who -brought me had given over my luggage and my money -to the officer of gendarmerie, and he had delivered it to -the Central Department of the State Police. The worst -of this was that it meant the loss of my spectacles, and -therefore I could not read, another privilege to which -I had a right, as an unconvicted prisoner. This made -the days, and the nights too, seem interminable. I did -everything I could think of to occupy myself. I tried -arithmetical problems, of course in my head, for writing -materials were not allowed; I related my own history -as an exercise of memory; and at last I hit on the plan -of “publishing” a newspaper. When I had got through -washing and dressing in the morning, I ate a piece of -bread, and then “read my paper.” First came a leading -article on some question of the day, then the summary -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>of news, gossip of the town, notes, etc. After some -days, of course, my “copy” began to run short, and the -contents of my journal became very uninteresting. The -reading of it could not occupy the whole day, and I was -often, too, kept awake at night by the cold; so I filled -in my time by running up and down, up and down, like -a beast in its cage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Outdoor exercise brought little relief from the eternal -solitude; it was only taken every other day, and lasted -a very short while. The time allowed was but a quarter -of an hour, including dressing and undressing, my own -clothes being brought to me for these occasions. My -walks took place in a yard enclosed with high walls, where -no one was to be seen but gendarmes and sentries. The -slightest attempt to converse with them was forbidden, or -even that they should answer the simplest question. If -one asked anything they stared straight in one’s face and -were dumb.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After some days, however, an occupation provided -itself; I became aware of a gentle knocking, perceptible -at a slight distance from the wall. When I was in prison -before I had learned to use this means of communication -with my fellow-captives, and the alphabetical code at once -came back to me.<a id='r23' /><a href='#f23' class='c010'><sup>[23]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>It is difficult to describe my joy when I heard the -familiar sounds, and supposed they must be addressed to -myself, but I was soon undeceived. I began to knock back, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>but found out at once that the signals were not meant for -me; two friends were having conversation, and they -would not answer my attempts to introduce myself. This -knocking was strictly forbidden, and they hesitated to -admit an unknown person to their company, fearing to be -entrapped, and deprived of further intercourse. I was -obliged to content myself with making out what these two -said to each other in their short conversations, but it was -only stereotyped, often-recurring phrases: “Good morning,” -“How have you slept?” “What are you doing?” -and the answers: “Well,” “Drinking tea,” etc. I envied -them the exchange of such insignificant speeches. I never -discovered whether they were two men or two women, or -a man and a woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I do not know how long it was before I underwent my -first examination, it must have been about eight or ten -days. Until then, from the first moment I arrived in Russia, -I had not officially been even asked my name. Like a box -or parcel coming from abroad, I had been passed on from -hand to hand with my official form of consignment, no -one caring to learn who I was. The gendarmes appeared -to know that I had taken the name of Bulìgin, being -in reality Deutsch; but they had no idea with what I was -charged, and did not seem interested to find out. Besides, -in the Fortress of Peter and Paul names were not necessary—were -even useless—for one was never spoken to, intercourse -was carried on by gestures only.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One morning my clothes were brought me, as I supposed -for the customary walk, but I was led into a room where -at a table covered with a blue cloth sat three men dressed -like functionaries of the law. I was given a chair, and -one of them informed me he was the examining magistrate -“in specially grave cases” at the Petersburg law -courts. His own name was Olshàninov, and he introduced -one of his companions as the Public Prosecutor, Mouraviev;<a id='r24' /><a href='#f24' class='c010'><sup>[24]</sup></a> -the name of the third he did not tell me.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>Then began the hearing of the case. To the usual -questions concerning name, etc., I answered the truth. I -knew I had nothing now either to lose or to gain. I told -the whole story of the assault on Gorinòvitch, of course -not giving the name of any other person concerned, and -not attempting to excuse myself in the least. I knew -I could injure no one now by telling the whole affair, for -all who were in any way connected with it had been -sentenced five years back; and as to myself, it could -make no difference, for by the terms of the extradition -treaty between Russia and Baden the conditions of my -prosecution were strictly laid down. In the interests of -historical accuracy I considered it right that this episode -in our movement should be correctly described.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the hearing, which was conducted by the magistrate, -the official whose name had not been mentioned -addressed several questions to me. I did not recognise -him at first, but later it appeared that I had known him at -Kiëv, where—in 1877—he took part in my trial. His -name was Kotliarèvsky; he was then Deputy Public -Prosecutor in Kiëv, and now filled the same post at the -Petersburg Appeal Courts, where he had to conduct the -political cases in particular. It will thus be seen that this -was the real owner of the position which Bogdanòvitch -had falsely claimed when pretending to identify me at -Freiburg. Although Kotliarèvsky was in very bad odour -with the revolutionists, and had been shot at by Ossìnsky -in 1878, I was in a way glad to meet him in this gloomy -place, for, at any rate, his face was a familiar one. And -he behaved in a very friendly way to me. We were soon -deep in conversation, recounting our respective experiences -since we had last met. That we might not disturb the -magistrate, who was making out the protocol, we sat a -little apart, and chatted quite comfortably. Kotliarèvsky -remarked that I had altered very much; “and not only -in outward appearance, I mean,” he said, “your whole -character seems to me changed.” That might well be. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>Kotliarèvsky was noted for keen observation, and this -faculty was very useful to him in his peculiar sphere.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you remember what a hot-headed young fellow -you were? How you once nearly threw an ink-bottle at -my head?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I remembered the incident perfectly, and saw why he -referred to it. When I was at Kiëv I was in a high state -of nervous excitability, and in consequence was often -hasty and irritable. Partly because of this, and partly -because I was a member of the “Buntari,” in whose programme -was included a continual warfare against all -recognised authorities, Kotliarèvsky and I once came to -loggerheads. The point of dispute was the signing of a -protocol, which I absolutely refused to do. In a towering -passion I seized the ink-bottle, and was quite ready to -hurl it at him had he persisted in trying to force me; but -he saw my intention, and keeping quite composed, called -the warder and whispered something to him. Seeing the -man hasten away, I thought he had gone for the guard to -put me in confinement. Great was my surprise and joy, -therefore, when after a few minutes the door opened, and -my friend Stefanòvitch<a id='r25' /><a href='#f25' class='c010'><sup>[25]</sup></a> appeared on the threshold. It -was a delight to us both, for although in the same prison, -we had not hitherto been allowed to meet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you kindly pacify your comrade?” said Kotliarèvsky, -turning to Stefanòvitch. “His nerves seem a -little overstrained.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I learned thus to appreciate the adroitness of this man, -and thanked him now for his considerate treatment of me -on that occasion, which seemed to gratify him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the course of our conversation I expressed my -surprise that although I had been surrendered by Germany -as an ordinary criminal, only to be proceeded against as -such, they had brought me to the Fortress of Peter and -Paul, which everyone knows is reserved for “politicals.” -“Neither do I understand,” I added, “why I have been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>brought to Petersburg, when the deed for which I am to -answer was committed in Odessa, and according to law -the trial should take place there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kotliarèvsky gave me no answer on this point, but he -promised to see about my being allowed to provide myself -with more comforts from my own purse, and said he would -speak to Plehve,<a id='r26' /><a href='#f26' class='c010'><sup>[26]</sup></a> the chief of the Central Department of -the State Police.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Shortly after this Colonel Lesnik gave me a more -comfortable cell on the first floor, and henceforward he -treated me somewhat better. Two days later he told me -that my money and luggage had arrived from the police -department, so I could now purchase food and tobacco. -I congratulated myself even more on getting my spectacles -again; but it seemed that for this I must have an order -from the prison doctor, and he was sent to see me. He -was an elderly man of between sixty and seventy, and had -the rank of a general officer. He was well known to be -of a very harsh and unpleasant disposition, and soon gave -me a proof of his quality. He turned up my eyelids, -fixed me with a forbidding glare, and declared off-hand -that my eyes were perfectly normal and that I did not -need glasses. In reality qualified oculists have diagnosed -a rather unusual abnormality in my vision, and since my -eighteenth year I have been obliged to use spectacles for -reading.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This dictum of the prison doctor upset me cruelly; I -felt so desperate that I could scarcely control myself, but -was ready to weep and to curse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg you to consider again,” I cried. “You are quite -mistaken; I really cannot read without glasses. Think -what you are doing; you are condemning me to a hideous -torture, in robbing me of the only distraction allowed -here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nothing was of any avail; the man remained immovable, -repeating obstinately, “You do not need glasses,” and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>therewith took his departure. I clenched my fists, a prey -to impotent wrath, and nearly broke down altogether. -But what was I to do? I had to bear it; and it is hard -to say what a man cannot put up with. But to this -moment I cannot think of that doctor without my blood -boiling. The only consolation left me was my cigarette, -and it became a friend and comforter in my loneliness. -To a captive smoking not merely gives pleasure, but takes -from him the sense of utter desolation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The days passed on in miserable inactivity. Then one -morning a sound fell upon my ears, someone was knocking -again, and in my immediate neighbourhood, as it seemed. -Was it for me? I replied at once with the familiar signal. -It was for me; what joy! Now I should know what -comrades lay here, and should be able to exchange -thoughts with a human being.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who are you?” “In what case are you concerned?” -were the questions I deciphered. I seized my comb, the -only hard movable object to be found in my prison cell, -and tapped the answer. My interlocutor expressed his -surprise and asked, “How did you come here?” To my -question, “Who are you?” the answer was “Kobiliànsky.” -I was no less surprised to “meet” him here (if so one may -express it). We had not previously known one another -personally, but I knew that in 1880 he had been condemned -to penal servitude for life, on account of his -participation in various terrorist affairs, and had long ago -been deported to the Siberian mines on the Kara. How -came he, then, to be in the Fortress of Peter and Paul? I -burned with impatience to learn his adventures, but he was -just as anxious to hear mine, and I had to give way to him. -Scarcely, however, had I told him as shortly as possible -how I had been arrested in Germany and given up to -Russia, when I was interrupted by a voice, “So you are -knocking?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I sprang up and looked round. Before me stood -Colonel Lesnik, accompanied by some gendarmes. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>door had been noiselessly opened; I had been observed, -and caught in the act; there was no getting out of it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I give you fair warning, if you attempt such a thing -again, you will be put back on the ground-floor, and -deprived of tobacco and of exercise.” Thereupon he -departed, and I felt like a naughty schoolboy, found out -and disgraced. Moreover, I had to give up hope of -learning why Kobiliànsky had been brought back from -Siberia.<a id='r27' /><a href='#f27' class='c010'><sup>[27]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>Shortly after this event, one day my clothes were -brought to me at an unusual hour. I supposed there was -going to be another hearing of my case; but no, apparently -I was to be taken right away. My luggage was -brought, and the captain of the gendarmerie appeared, -the same who had escorted me hither from the station.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where are we going—to Odessa?” The officer gave -me no answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Evidently we are going to the station,” I thought, -when the captain and I were seated in a droschky. It -was just the transition hour on a “bright night,” when one -hardly knows whether it is evening twilight or dawn. The -weather was perfect, and I felt my spirits rise at the prospect -of the journey to Odessa. But alas! the carriage -took another turning, it was not going to the station, and -we were soon in the courtyard of a huge stone prison. It -was the House of Detention for prisoners under examination.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER VII <br /> <span class='small'>CHANGED CONDITIONS—A FRUSTRATED PLAN—THE MINISTER’S VISIT—A SECRET OF STATE—MY LITERARY NEIGHBOUR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>When the officer of gendarmerie handed me over -to the governor of the gaol, he pointed with his -finger to a sentence in my charge-sheet, whereupon the -governor looked at me sharply. It was clear his attention -was being drawn to the warning of my former escapes, -and the need for strict surveillance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I saw from the first that prison rules were less strict here. -My belongings, after examination, were brought into my -cell. As soon as I could look them over, I sought for the -hidden money and scissors, and behold, there they were! -The careful scrutiny, both at the fortress and here, had -been no more successful in detecting them than had previous -examinations. The scissors I again concealed; but -I wanted to change the German notes, so as to have at any -rate part of my money available, and that was not a very -simple matter. I began to observe the warders carefully; -there were three of them on my corridor. The man who -had searched my luggage seemed to me the most promising, -and I determined to bribe him. When he came on -duty I took the money out of its hiding-place, and called -him into my cell.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you want?” he asked, coming in and shutting -the door behind him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you search my luggage properly when I arrived -here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>“Yes, of course; is anything wrong?” he asked, quite -alarmed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, nothing much!” I said soothingly. “Only, I had -better tell you that you don’t know how to search. Look -here! you never found these!” and I held the bank-notes -under his nose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Impossible!” he cried; “where were they hidden?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that is my secret,” said I. “But listen! It is -German money, and if changed would come to about fifty -roubles.<a id='r28' /><a href='#f28' class='c010'><sup>[28]</sup></a> Take it, and when you are off duty go to a -money-changer—there are several on the Nevsky Prospekt—and -get it changed for Russian money. Half shall be -yours, and half mine. Is that agreed?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right. I’ll see to it,” he said, and went off with -the money.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He bites,” I thought to myself; and at once began -building castles in the air. I knew from experience that -the great thing was to establish communication with the -outer world, and this we revolutionists had often effected -by bribing warders to take letters into and out of prison. -In Kiëv and the south we called such warders “carrier-pigeons.” -When I saw how easily this one fell in with my -proposal, I immediately began to plan out further steps.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“After a few days,” I said to myself, “we will try him -with a letter for the post; and next I shall send him -to someone I know with a commission. When once -things are in train, who knows? something may come -of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was in the morning that I had given the warder my -money, and I was in great excitement all day. Several -times he looked through the peephole in my door, smiled -and nodded at me, and of course I replied in similar -fashion. Towards evening he came into my cell again, -and laid my notes down on the table. “Take them back,” -he said; “I am afraid of getting into trouble. See here; -a little while ago one of the others had two watches given -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>him, and they were found on him, and he was dismissed. -You see, I’ve a good place here, and get twenty-five roubles<a id='r29' /><a href='#f29' class='c010'><sup>[29]</sup></a> -a month. I shouldn’t get so much again in a hurry. No, -I’m afraid; take it back!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course I did not press him, for I knew that without -courage he would never make a “carrier-pigeon.” I saw -no chance now of changing the notes secretly, so I told him -to take them to the governor, that they might be added to -the rest of my money.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tell him you found them in searching my luggage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no, that won’t do. There would be no end of a -fuss because I hadn’t given them up directly. I’d rather -tell the truth, and say you had just given them to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus did my visions end in smoke. The money was -taken charge of, and no further inquiry made.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon after this my books were brought to me, and I -could also use the prison library. After being for so long -prevented from reading, this was a great boon; and as -writing materials were also allowed me, I was altogether -far better off here than in the Fortress of Peter and Paul. -Still, the little cell with its stone floor became a perfect -oven in the heat of summer, most unpleasantly stuffy and -dusty; and the food was inferior both in quantity and -quality. But the walks were what was most disagreeable. -Imagine a huge circle, divided into sections by partitions -running from centre to circumference. In these cattle-pens -we were allowed to disport ourselves singly, carefully -watched all the while by warders stationed on a raised -platform at the centre of the circle, commanding all the -“cattle-pens”; so that the prisoners had no chance of -communicating with each other. One could see nothing -but the wooden partitions, the back of the prison buildings, -and a narrow strip of sky; but every day we had to -breathe the air here for three-quarters of an hour, which -seemed an endless time for such “recreation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In comparison with the uncanny stillness of the fortress, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>things here seemed full of life and bustle. The windows -of the corridor looked into the street, and its noises could -be heard in the cells—the rumbling of carriages, the cries -of street-hawkers, or the dulcet music of an organ-grinder. -One felt so near freedom that the burden of prison life was -the heavier.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day I heard unusually lively sounds in the corridor—scrubbing, -sweeping, and a general tidying-up. Some -important visit seemed to be expected, and I soon learned -that the Minister of Justice, Nabòkov, was coming to -inspect the prison. Shortly after, he appeared in my cell, -accompanied by a numerous suite; and when my name -was pronounced, he greeted me and said—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have read your deposition, and was much pleased -with its frankness. I hope you will speak out in the same -way before the court.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I replied that, as I have already said, it was my object -to state the exact historical truth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He went, but came back again, and put one or two -unimportant questions to me, looking, however, as though -there were something else he would have liked to say. He -bent forward a little in speaking, and held his hand to his -ear. His whole bearing was simple and unaffected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kotliarèvsky was among the suite. He remained behind -a moment, and told me he wanted to speak to me when -the minister had gone. Some time after I was taken to -him in a room that served as the prison schoolroom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not here on business,” said he, “but I should like -to have a chat with you about old times.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So we sat down on a school-form and talked. Following -a remark of mine, Kotliarèvsky touched on the question -I had raised before as to the reason for my confinement in -the Fortress of Peter and Paul.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, you see, there were very important interests -of State to consider,” he said. “It was like this: if you -were brought before an ordinary tribunal and only prosecuted -on the Gorinòvitch count, you might be merely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>condemned to seven or eight years in Siberia; and that -would not be agreeable in <em>high quarters</em>.” He accented -the last words.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But they cannot try me otherwise,” I cried. “Germany -only extradited me on that stipulation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that remains to be seen,” said he. “We are -at present on very good terms with Bismarck, and he -would not mind at all giving us this little proof of his -friendship. Or, if necessary, it could easily be made out -that you had committed some offence <em>after</em> your extradition. -Which reminds me—the Germans have sent us on -all the notes that you made in Freiburg gaol.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was utterly astonished. I remembered that from sheer -ennui I had now and then written down odds and ends -of notes, plans, etc., while I was at Freiburg, but I could -not conceive how those scraps could have come into the -hands of the Russian Government, for I had destroyed all -my manuscripts before leaving. I could only suppose that -when I was out of my cell for exercise some single sheets -might have been abstracted. Even then it seemed impossible -that they could afford any foundation for a fresh -accusation sufficient to set aside the extradition treaty with -Germany. But Kotliarèvsky reassured me on that head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, never fear! they would soon manage that. Nothing -would be easier than to get Germany’s consent, and then -they would sentence you according to your deserts. -People who have had far less against them than you—Malìnka, -Drebyàsgin, Maidànsky—have long ago been -executed. And you—you broke out of prison just when -you were at last to be brought up for judgment in the -Gorinòvitch case. Then for quite eight years you were -engaged in conspiracies; and then you were the instigator, -along with Stefanòvitch, of the Tchigirìn affair, and so on, -and so on. That all this should only let you in for a few -years’ hard labour did not at all suit the views of Government. -So when you were extradited a special council was -held in <em>high circles</em>. Of course, I was not there. I am -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>not numbered among the elect; but this is what I have -been told. At first they were all unanimous in declaring -that a modification of the extradition treaty must be -arranged, so that you might be brought before a special -tribunal. Then, as you can easily imagine, they would -have made short work with you! But one of these great -personages had a qualm, and he urged, ‘Germany might -fall in with our views. Well and good! But is that really -a good precedent? They have caught Deutsch for us -now. To-morrow a still more important capture might be -made in some other country, and then it might be hard for -us to get an extradition. The Press would make a -hubbub; they would say, Russia never respects treaties, -and would point to the case of Deutsch as an example.’ -This consideration influenced the majority, and it was -consequently resolved to proceed against you in the -Gorinòvitch case only. This is why you were put into -the Fortress of Peter and Paul until a decision was -arrived at.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is quite possible that Kotliarèvsky betrayed this secret -of state to me with the object of loosening my tongue; but -perhaps he really had no afterthought, and told tales out -of school just for the joke of it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the further course of our conversation he touched -on many subjects, among others on political prosecutions -in Russia. I remarked to him how often perfectly harmless -persons were condemned to fearful punishments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What would you have?” he replied. “When trees are -felled there must be chips. As the ancient Romans said: -‘<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>Summum jus, summa injuria</em></span>.’ Personally I do not -approve of capital punishment at all. I say to myself -that in a great state political offences are inevitable. With -a population of many millions there must always be a few -thousand malcontents, and, of course, examples must be -made of any disturbers of the peace. But a strong -Government ought to be able to render them innocuous -without resorting to the death penalty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>In pursuance of this theme, he then asked me, to all -appearance casually, how many Terrorists in my opinion -there might be in Russia. I answered that I knew nothing -at all about it, for I myself did not now belong to the -Terrorists, but to the Social-Democratic party.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes,” he said, “but as a ‘friendly power’ you -must be able to judge as to the strength of the terrorist -organisation. I think myself their numbers must be very -small now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In point of fact there were indeed very few active -Terrorists left in Russia. I did not, however, wish to -strengthen Kotliarèvsky’s opinion about the “friendly -powers,” so told him that according to my estimate -there could be only a few thousand, not more.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How can you make that out?” he asked. “It is quite -impossible; I reckon at most some hundreds. They have -been imprisoned in crowds just lately.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I persisted in my opinion, and therewith we separated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this time, <i>i.e.</i> in the summer of 1881, there were in -this House of Detention a number of prisoners accused -of different political offences. One of these so-called -offences, on account of which numberless persons had -been sent to prison in Petersburg, Moscow, and many -smaller towns, or even in Siberia, was what Kotliarèvsky -called “the old clothes case.” He gave me the following -account of this highly important affair of state. In some -domiciliary visit the police had found a note containing -the names of persons who were assisting the political -prisoners by providing them with clothes and other -necessaries. Thereupon a number of these persons were -arrested; and he told me that an imposing case was -being trumped up against this “secret society,” under the -name of the “Red Cross League of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>.” -(Of course, Kotliarèvsky did not mind giving a sly hit -at the gendarmerie, with whom the police officials have -many little tiffs, each often putting a spoke in the other’s -wheel.)</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>A pretty conspiracy indeed—for providing prisoners -with old clothes! I shall hereafter always allude to this -case as the “old clothes affair,” and hope to show by it -some of the little peculiarities of “administrative methods” -in Russia. These “administrative methods” are sometimes -extremely unpleasant for those treated by them. -The gendarmerie can imprison people, and exile them -to Siberia or the outlying provinces without trial, all by -“administrative methods.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Besides those implicated in the “old clothes affair,” -there were at this time in the gaol many prisoners involved -in other cases, among them several well-known literary -men—Protopòpov, Krivènko, Stanyukòvitch, and Erthel. -The first-named was my neighbour, and we were soon -knocking to one another, though not without some misunderstanding -at the outset. Directly I told him my -name he left off replying to my taps, I could not imagine -why. Several days passed. I could hear him going up -and down in his cell, could catch his voice when he spoke -to the warder, but he left all my signals unanswered; -so concluding that he was afraid of being caught (though -the officials of this prison did not seem to make much -fuss over the knocking), I left off in despair. After -a little, however, he began again. “Why do you hide -your name from me?” he asked. I replied that I had -told him my name at the very beginning, and repeated it; -upon which he hastened to apologise: “I took you for -a spy; for I could not make out what you said, and -thought you seemed to be knocking confusedly on purpose, -so that I might not decipher the name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>We now conversed together freely. Our names were -well known to each other, and we had many common -friends. Of course, we were very anxious to know one -another by sight, and we accomplished this in the following -manner. From the windows of our cells, which were -on the fifth floor, we could see into the “cattle-pens”; -and though we were all supposed to take our exercise -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>at the same time, we arranged together that each should -manage to get out of it on different days, and that he -who remained in his cell should recognise the other by -a preconcerted signal. The next thing was to know one -another’s voice, and this also we succeeded in effecting. -We knew that in this prison, “politicals,” in the “Case -of the 193,” not only spoke together, but even conveyed -small objects to one another, by means of the water-closet -pipes. The sanitary system here was so arranged that -on all the six storeys each pair of cells was in communication, -not only with one another, but also with those -immediately above and below. Thus twelve prisoners -could arrange together that they should simultaneously -let the water run, so making a space in the pipes that -acted as a speaking-tube; and if one spoke into the -opening the voice could be heard perfectly in the connected -cells, while the running water prevented any -inconvenient odour. In this fashion we instituted a club -of twelve members.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER VIII <br /> <span class='small'>FRESH FEARS—THE COLONEL OF GENDARMERIE—INQUIRY INTO THE CASE OF GENERAL MEZENTZEV’S MURDER—MEETING WITH BOGDANOVITCH—DEPARTURE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>During my imprisonment in the Petersburg House -of Detention my spirits were altogether more cheerful -than they had been since my first arrest. At Freiburg -I had been in a chronic state of excitement and unrest, -longing for the freedom that seemed so near. In the -Fortress of Peter and Paul I had been downcast and -despairing. Now I had reached a condition of equanimity -and indifference.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hard labour in the Siberian mines,” I thought to myself. -“What does it matter whether it be for ten years or -fifteen? It is much the same to me.” My future was done -for, my life gone. It is hard for a man to reconcile himself -to such a thought, particularly when he feels physically -sound and healthy, but one does somehow get accustomed -to it. At times there will arise sudden hopes, dreams of -unexpected luck, of happiness in a distant future; and -then wild visions chase one another in dazzling pictures -through one’s brain. But I had lived through too many -bitter self-deceptions of the kind when I was at Freiburg; -and I was only annoyed with myself when I found my -fancy dallying with them, and tried to extinguish them at -once. “Nonsense!” I cried to myself; “if anything, the -only unexpected turn Fate will do you will be some bad -trick.” And I steadfastly made up my mind to the worst.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>Weeks had gone by since my change of prisons, and -during that time I had not been once up for examination. -I did not know in the least how my affair was going. -“Perhaps in ‘high circles’ they’ve taken a new departure, -and invented some other means of treating me as a -political criminal. Why am I not brought before the -court? Why do they not send me to Odessa? Something -must be happening.” I had begun to fidget in -this way occasionally, when one July morning, as I came -back from my walk feeling rather cheerful, the warder said -to me, “Make yourself ready; they have come to fetch -you!” A hired droschky awaited me at the door, and -I and a gendarme got into it. From him I could learn -nothing as to our destination, and although this uncertainty -did not last long, it made me feel uncomfortably nervous. -After about half an hour the carriage stopped in the courtyard -of a large building. I was taken into a small cell -with a tiny window, whose panes were of thick ribbed -glass. As I was pacing up and down here I noticed an -officer at the peephole in the door observing me closely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May I come in?” he asked, hesitatingly opening the -peephole window.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A strange question! I am at your disposal, not you -at mine,” said I. The door opened, and smiling apologetically, -a young man in the uniform of a colonel of -gendarmerie stepped in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Allow me to introduce myself”—he bowed and clicked -his spurs together—“Colonel Ivànov.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not understand,” said I. “Will you please tell -me where I am, and why I have been brought here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is the office of the gendarmerie headquarters; you -have been brought here for examination, and will soon be -taken before the Public Prosecutor. I only wanted to -have a chat with you, and revive some old memories. -We have many common acquaintances.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But how do you know me?” I asked, surprised.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, excuse me,” he cried, smiling, “there is hardly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>an intelligent person in all Russia who does not know you -by name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young gentleman appeared to class himself among -the “intellectuals”—that set in Russian Society which -just at this time was protesting against the reactionary -tendency and making its influence felt in some of the best -Russian journals. In the language of that section of -the Press it was customary to designate the revolutionists -by the harmless title of “intellectuals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, we have many common acquaintances,” the colonel -resumed. “I knew all your comrades—Malinka, Drebyàsghin, -Maidànsky. I was formerly adjutant of gendarmerie -at Odessa, and made acquaintance with them there. -They were really delightful people.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now I understood why this man was a colonel already, -notwithstanding his youth. The big political cases during -the end of the seventies and beginning of the eighties -had given many officers of gendarmerie and of the law -grand opportunities for self-advancement. The lives and -freedom of the “politicals” were the merchandise by -which they founded their fortunes. This gentleman had -no doubt played no insignificant part in condemning to -penal servitude or to death those comrades of mine on -whom he was now lavishing his compliments. Perhaps he -had been the originator of the happy thought by which -the traitor Kùritzin was induced to sacrifice so many -victims.<a id='r30' /><a href='#f30' class='c010'><sup>[30]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>My interview with this engaging young man was not -exactly to my mind, and I was glad to be called away. I -was taken to a comfortably furnished apartment, where -Kotliarèvsky was seated in an armchair before a large -table, looking over some papers.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>“I have some documents here that concern you,” he -said, and began to read aloud:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In the beginning of August, 1878, the widow of the -murdered Baron Gèhkin, adjutant in the gendarmerie, -observed in the neighbourhood of General Mèzentzev’s -house two young men who were apparently watching for -the General.” The document went on to state that the -Baroness had recognised one of these young men to be -myself; and on the following day she had seen them -again on the watch, her cousin Baron Berg being with -her at the time. Then followed a paper in which Baron -Berg corroborated the lady’s evidence. There was a time, -1878-9, when a good many people delighted in romancing -about me, and persisted in ascribing to me a prominent -rôle in events taking place in the most widely separated -parts of Russia. These imaginings even found their way -into the press, and I was often surprised to read in the -papers accounts of my varied exploits; I seemed to be a -perfect Stenka Rasìn!<a id='r31' /><a href='#f31' class='c010'><sup>[31]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>I remember, for example, that on May 25th, 1878, when -I was still in prison at Kiëv, a rich lady of that place was -murdered, evidently by thieves. Baron Gèhkin was shot -on the following night, May 26th; and on the night <em>after</em> -that, May 27th, I and two comrades escaped from prison. -I soon saw in the newspapers that, according to the -opinion of many astute persons, the author of both these -murders could be none other than myself!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The evidence as to my being concerned in the death of -General Mèzentzev was in the same way complete nonsense. -When Kotliarèvsky had read me the documents, -he asked me what I had to say about them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It appears that the Government has not given up the -attempt to implicate me in affairs not specified in the -extradition treaty,” I said; “I shall therefore refuse to -answer questions relating to any outside matter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>“Well, if you refuse to give evidence, we will leave it -alone,” said Kotliarèvsky, with perfect composure, and he -clapped the papers together again. “Besides, I may as -well tell you that I attach no importance to the testimony -of these good people. So far as I can make out, you had -already gone abroad when Mèzentzev was murdered?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I assented. He seemed, nevertheless, to want to draw -me out on this subject; but as I did not assist his -endeavours in that direction he began to chat about indifferent -matters, asking me questions as to our Socialist -propaganda and our views. When, however, I quoted -from some of our writings, he confessed that they were -quite unknown to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While we were talking, Bogdanòvitch came in from a -neighbouring room. My readers will remember him as the -gentleman who had been by way of identifying me at -Freiburg. He greeted me, and sat down at the table. -We met without any sign of ill-feeling or recollection of -the sharp passage-at-arms we had had together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish you would tell me,” I said to him, “as it is -now a thing of the past, when did you see me in Kiëv? -I have no remembrance of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He replied, laughing, that he had seen me once in -prison; but I saw at once that he was bluffing. Evidently -he had recognised me at Freiburg merely from Kotliarèvsky’s -description. I was curious to know when exactly -the Baden authorities had found out with whom they -were dealing; and when I asked him this, Bogdanòvitch -replied, “They knew some weeks before the extradition -that you could not be Bulìgin, and then you were put -under stricter supervision, with a guard before the prison. -About ten days before my arrival they were informed -that you were Deutsch.”<a id='r32' /><a href='#f32' class='c010'><sup>[32]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>It was now clear to me why I had been moved into -a different cell, and also why Herr von Berg had forbidden -me to speak Russian with my visitors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I was going away, to be taken back to the House of -Detention, I asked Kotliarèvsky whether I should soon be -brought before a fully qualified tribunal. He could give -me no decided answer, and himself seemed surprised at -my being kept in Petersburg so long.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was the last time I saw Kotliarèvsky. I learned -afterwards in Siberia, from comrades arriving there, that -though he had dealt fairly by me, his conduct of some -political trials had been considered altogether too mean; -it not only drew down on him the bitter hatred of the -accused, but was too much even for his superiors, and he -was withdrawn from the cases. About three years ago -he was President of the Courts at Vilna; where he is now -(1902) I do not know.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This interview convinced me still further that the -Government would not be content to restrict themselves -to prosecuting me in the Gorinòvitch case. Every morning -I awoke wondering what would happen next; but -day after day went by without anything fresh. July came, -then August, and I was still waiting in my cell. One day -towards the end of August gendarmes again came for me, -and I was ordered to prepare for a journey; it had at last -been decided to send me to Odessa. While the carriage -conveyed me through the streets I sadly took leave of -my beloved Petersburg, which I could never hope to see -again.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER IX <br /> <span class='small'>A RAY OF HOPE—AN UNHEARD-OF RÉGIME—THE HUNGER-STRIKE—OUR CLUB—A SECRET ALLY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>My removal to Odessa went off without any noteworthy -incident. The change of scene, the railway -journey, the sight of people, their doings, their speech, all -had a reviving effect on me; but the company of three -gendarmes did not allow me to forget for an instant that -I was a prisoner on my way to judgment. The idea of -escape, however, never left me, and once at least circumstances -seemed favourable. It was night; we were already -nearing Odessa. I had been dozing, and when I awoke -I saw that all three gendarmes were fast asleep. My heart -began to thump wildly, and my plan was made in an -instant: to get my scissors out of their hiding-place, cut -off my beard, stride over the sleeping gendarmes, step out -on to the footboard of the train, and jump off. But as this -flashed through my mind, one gendarme opened his eyes, -waked the others by shaking them violently, and scolded -them with a most self-righteous air for not keeping guard. -I feigned sleep, and the scene was over.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In Odessa a prison van with barred windows awaited -me. I was taken at first to a prison for political offenders, -under the rule of the gendarmerie. While my belongings -were being searched, the scissors suddenly fell on the floor, -to the no small astonishment of the warder, a former -gendarme.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nice order they keep in Petersburg! Prisoners are -allowed to have scissors there!” he exclaimed. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>imagined I had brought them openly in my luggage, and -of course I left him in his pride at being cleverer than his -colleagues in the capital.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In this prison conditions were very much like those in -the Fortress of Peter and Paul: rather large, dark cells, -tolerably good food, the same strict, formal bearing of the -gendarmes, and the same all-pervading silence. In order -at once to draw attention to the stipulations of the extradition -treaty, I expressed my astonishment at being again -put into a prison for “politicals.” Whether on account of -this protest or because of an order from Petersburg I do -not know, but after a few days I was removed to the -prison for ordinary criminals.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was evening, an evening that I shall never forget. -They put me into a cell, and when the door closed behind -me I could at first see nothing, the cell was so dark, and -only the feeble rays of a lamp shone through a little window -in the door. When my eyes had begun to accustom themselves -to the dimness I set to work to take stock of my -quarters. The cell was circular, and contained no bed, -chair, nor table; only the customary wooden tub, a water-bucket, -also of wood, and some straw on the floor—nothing -else. I was much surprised, and thought there must have -been some mistake. I went to the door, and saw through -the peephole that two armed soldiers were on guard, while -on a bench close by sat a gendarme and a policeman. I -had been in many prisons, but this state of things was new -to me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look here! What is all this? Where are the bedstead -and mattress?” I asked, sticking my head through the -little window.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t know,” said the gendarme briefly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then call the governor!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He did not stir, but after a while the deputy-governor -appeared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you tell me what this means?” I said, indicating -the state of the cell.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>“I know nothing about it,” replied he. “We have -simply followed instructions. You must apply to the -Deputy Public Prosecutor, who will be here to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I felt horribly cast down. “What shall I do if they -refuse to improve things?” I thought, sitting down in the -straw with my head in my hands. Soon fatigue overpowered -me, and I lay down; but hardly had I gone to -sleep when I sprang up broad awake—mice were scratching -and burrowing in the straw! I paced up and down the -tiny cell, feeling how stifling the atmosphere was. The -tub stank vilely; the space outside where the four watchers -were was small, and only used-up air penetrated thence -into the cell. I wished I could effect some ventilation, but -the window was high up and could not be opened. I -awaited the day with impatience, hoping I should at least -be able to breathe some fresh air. Wearily the hours -dragged along; sometimes I had to lie down for a -moment’s rest, but only to spring up again because of the -mice. At last day dawned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take me to the air!” I cried to the gendarme, who -seemed here to act as warder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have no orders to do so,” was his reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Towards midday the Deputy Public Prosecutor arrived. -I explained to him the horrible conditions to which I had -been subjected, and demanded redress.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He listened to me, but assured me he could do nothing -whatever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But tell me what hinders you from giving me a -bedstead?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You could climb up to the window and try to escape.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Excuse me,” said I, “do consider what you say. Four -men are watching me; even if I stood on the bed I could -not reach the window without their seeing me. This is the -fifth floor, and a sentry goes backwards and forwards -below the window; if I could pass him I should next -have to climb over a wall as high as a house, on the -further side of which another sentry is posted! Surely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>you must see,” I urged, “that under these circumstances -any attempt at flight is out of the question.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who can tell? You have often got away before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only twice,” I corrected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that’s quite enough,” said he. “I can’t do anything -for you.” And he went away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had already made up my mind what to do now. On -no account would I put up with this treatment, but would -maintain a passive resistance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The gendarme brought my food in a wooden vessel -and placed it on the floor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take it away! I shall not eat anything,” I said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He took it up again and withdrew in silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was repeated every day at meal-times. The hours -dragged on. I could get no fresh air, could not read, as -they would give me no books, could not even sleep for -the mice. I did not feel any great craving for food, but -drank water continually. In mind I suffered frightfully, -not that I felt any anger against these people, but I was -irritated beyond measure at the utter senselessness of such -treatment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will have time enough,” I apostrophised the staff, -“to poison life for me after I am once sentenced; but for -the present I am only on trial.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For three days I went without food, and nobody -seemed to trouble themselves about it, though, of course, -the attendants knew what was going on. On the afternoon -of the fourth day I was taken to the office. Unwashed -(I had purposely abstained from washing ever -since my arrival), my clothes covered with dust and bits -of straw, I appeared before the Public Prosecutor of -Odessa and the examining magistrate. They informed -me they were there for the preliminary inquiry into my -case, and would take my evidence. I told them I was -in no condition to answer questions, and set forth my -grievances, saying that I intended to starve myself as a -protest.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>“Oh, you refuse to take your food? Well, then, we -shall have to feed you by artificial means.”<a id='r33' /><a href='#f33' class='c010'><sup>[33]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>As I knew what he meant, I replied promptly, “Try it, -then! But I warn you that if you do, I know of a way -to bring on sickness and diarrhœa, and it will simply -hasten my end.” Of course, I did not know anything -of the kind, but thought this piece of bluff might ward -off the fulfilment of the Prosecutor’s threat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He looked sharply at me, and threw a meaning glance -at the magistrate, as if to say, “The devil only knows -what this fellow mayn’t be up to! He’s an old hand, and -knows all the tricks of the trade.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a moment they were both silent. I saw that my -words had taken effect, and began to dilate on their folly -in treating me as they were doing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must allow,” I said, “that all this is scarcely -reasonable. The Government treats with Germany for -my extradition, an important official travels to Baden on -that account, you make no end of a fuss before the eyes -of all Europe; and when, after setting all this machinery -of the State to work, you have at last got hold of me, you -can’t bring the accused to justice, because you have driven -him to commit suicide! And all on account of such mere -trifles to you as a bed and a few other necessaries! You -must see how out of proportion the whole thing is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I’ll go and see for myself how they have provided -for you,” said the Public Prosecutor, and went off.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he returned he seemed in some excitement: -“Well, it’s perfectly true,” he exclaimed, “they have used -you shamefully! I assure you it is no fault of mine. -Three persons have united against you—the colonel of -the gendarmerie, the governor of the town, who controls -the police, and the commandant of the military garrison. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>Before your transference to this prison they all three -came here, settled all the arrangements, gave their orders, -and sent subordinates from their own departments to keep -guard over you. Unfortunately I cannot overrule these -arrangements on my own responsibility, but I will apply -personally to the authorities concerned; and all I can -do in the meantime is privately to advise the governor -of the gaol to consult your wishes as far as possible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thereupon the governor was called in, and the Public -Prosecutor repeated this to him in my presence. We -then concluded a sort of compromise. A proper bed was -brought into my cell for the night, my books were given -to me, and a table and writing-things for the daytime. -All these things had to be taken away again if any officials -were coming round who might report the matter. That -I might get a little fresh air the governor arranged for -me to take exercise in an outer courtyard where the -other prisoners could not see me. Upon these conditions -I consented not to prolong my “hunger-strike,” and that -evening I partook of some food. It was only when I -began to eat that I realised how fearfully hungry I was. -I could have devoured an ox; but knowing that in such -cases care is advisable, I put a curb on my appetite. -During the two following days I felt very seedy, as though -I had had a bad illness, and my attendants treated me -rather like a convalescent; the governor and the deputy-governor -inquired frequently after my health; even the -gruff gendarme made himself agreeable, and went to the -kitchen to buy me food and simple dainties.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The morning after this I went for exercise, accompanied -by my four guardians. The yard set apart for me was -a space between the prison building and the surrounding -wall. The soldiers posted themselves at a little distance -from each other, standing at attention, while I strolled -up and down the space between them, closely attended -by the gendarme and the policeman. It was heavenly -weather, the clear, mild autumn of the South. As my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>guardians seemed equally to appreciate the spell of -freedom after the narrow, close corridor, our walks lasted -longer and longer. I attempted on these occasions to -get into more friendly relations with the gendarme, who, -besides being stiffened by severe discipline, was naturally -of a gloomy, morose turn of mind. When we were walking -up and down, especially if the policeman were temporarily -absent, I tried to engage him in conversation, and asked -him questions on indifferent subjects. This man had been -selected from among many others as the most trusty, -zealous, and incorruptible. I must explain that as he -had no substitute during his watch over me (which lasted -two or three months), he was supposed to be never off -duty, but to spend his entire time in the corridor outside -my door, to eat there, and to sleep there as well as -he could. To my knowledge he never once changed -his clothes! The policeman, on the other hand, only -remained twenty-four hours at a time on duty, being -then relieved by another member of his force; and the -two soldiers were changed every two hours, from the -regular military guard which is attached to every Russian -prison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I was saying, I tried to get the gendarme to talk to -me during my exercise, and after a while I found out his -weak side, and that even he had not a heart of stone. He -had an enormous family; and it was very grievous to him -that as he had received strict orders not to take his eyes -off me for a second, he could never get away to visit his -home. He at last contrived to move the governor to stand -by him, and let him off for an hour now and then, without -his superiors knowing of it. These secret visits of the -gendarme to his wife and children led to a tacit understanding -between him and me, and brought us more -together. He could not help letting out complaints now -and then about the severe discipline that kept him away -from his family; and as I listened with much sympathy, -he presently began to talk about the service, and his hard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>work. He related to me how he had helped to get hold of -Socialists in various ways.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My chief once ordered me,” he said, “to keep an eye -privately on one of the <em>specialist</em> ladies” (unfamiliar words -were rather a stumbling-block to him, and <em>socialist</em> was -always <em>specialist</em> in his vocabulary). “Oh, she was a oner! -Clever and cute, and could lead us all by the nose. Vera -Figner<a id='r34' /><a href='#f34' class='c010'><sup>[34]</sup></a> was her name. A real beauty she was, and must -have been well brought up, and associated generally with -the officers’ families. Well, I dressed up in private clothes -and followed her secretly wherever she went. If she took a -carriage, I got into a droschky and went after her. If she -went into a house, I took down the address, and asked the -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>concierge</em></span> who it was the fair lady had visited; so I got to -know pretty well who her friends were. I followed her -like this for three days. Suddenly she disappeared; I -couldn’t find her anywhere; she might have sunk into -the ground. I tell you I did feel a fool! They say she -went to Khàrkov, and that in the end she was caught.”<a id='r35' /><a href='#f35' class='c010'><sup>[35]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>This zealous gendarme, who had dogged the footsteps -of the “specialists” with such zest, became in the end -quite confidential with me, especially when I told him I -would give him this and that little thing as souvenirs -when my fate was finally decided. From him I learned -the details about the watch that was being kept over me. -He confided to me, among other things, that the governor -of the town, the commandant of the garrison, and the -colonel of the gendarmerie had come to look at me during -the first days of my imprisonment here; had spied at me -through the peephole without my being aware of it, and -had strictly ordered that I was not to be told.</p> - -<p class='c001'>By degrees the days grew shorter, and I did not know -how to pass the time during the long evenings, for I had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>no light. Often I ran up and down in my cell for hours -together, till I was tired out. Sometimes I would station -myself at the door, and listen to the conversation of my -attendants. The policemen were the most entertaining; -they relieved one another every twenty-four hours, and as -it was only a few of the most trustworthy men in the force -who took turns in this watch over me, I soon got to know -them all. It was from them that the gendarme and I—almost -equally prisoners—heard all the news, the gossip -of the town, and so forth. Occasionally one of them would -smuggle in a newspaper, which would then be read aloud -in the select little club we formed. I would stick my hand -with the paper in it through the peephole, so as to get -some light, press my face against the opening, and read -aloud to the others. The two soldiers would stand at ease -beside the door, listening eagerly, while a few steps further -off the policeman and the gendarme sat on their bench. -If we had no newspaper, nor any special subject for talk, -the policemen would tell tales of witches, demons, or the -devil, to which the honourable members of the “club” -listened with perhaps almost greater interest than to my -political readings and disquisitions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In this way I learned from time to time what was -going on in the world, despite the attempts of three -high functionaries to prevent (as the governor of the -gaol phrased it) even a fly getting into my cell. Moreover, -I managed besides to get news that is not to be -found in Russian journals, namely, accounts of events -in revolutionary Russia. A man filling a rather high -official position, a well-wisher to our cause, helped me -to this. I owe much to him; but as I do not know -whether he be still living or not, I dare not give his name, -nor particulars of my relations with him, for fear of harm -ensuing to himself. It is our rule never to speak fully -about noble deeds done on behalf of revolutionists or the -revolutionary movement unless the doers are either dead -or in exile. I can only say that through this friend I was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>able to send letters to my comrades, and that he kept me -informed of all that might interest me in external events. -I learned, among other things, that the well-known revolutionists -then living in exile in Paris—Peter Lavrov, Lopàtin, -and Tihomìrov—had held a council upon the conduct of -Degàiev<a id='r36' /><a href='#f36' class='c010'><sup>[36]</sup></a>—then also in Paris—and had come to the conclusion -that though certainly, in assisting to “remove” -Soudyèhkin, Degàiev had rendered a service to the revolutionary -cause, yet that he must refrain unconditionally -from any further participation in our movement, and from -associating in any way with revolutionists. I learned also -that a young girl of twenty, Maria Kalyùshnaya,<a id='r37' /><a href='#f37' class='c010'><sup>[37]</sup></a> had -attempted to shoot Colonel Katànsky of the gendarmerie -in his own house, but had not been successful. About -a fortnight before my removal to Odessa she had been -tried before a court-martial; and as she was not of age, -had “only” been sentenced to twenty years’ penal servitude -in Siberia.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER X <br /> A BRAVE OFFICER—MY MILITARY SERVICE—THE TRIAL—FURTHER EXAMINATIONS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>On one of the first days of my imprisonment in -Odessa I had a small passage-at-arms. I was -pacing my cell, when I suddenly heard voices raised -outside the door. I went and looked through the peephole. -It was the officer of the day on his rounds of -inspection, and he seemed to be questioning one of the -soldiers about his duties. I was going to draw back again, -when the words, “Get away from there, you scoundrel!” -struck my ears; and only after a moment did I realise -they were addressed to me. I was extremely surprised, -for the officers generally behaved quite politely to the -“politicals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I instantly withdrew from the door without a word, but -I resolved to teach this gentleman a lesson in manners. -So that evening, when the deputy-governor paid his usual -visit to my cell, accompanied by the officer, without -appearing to notice the latter I asked if prisoners were -forbidden to look through the peephole.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, of course not,” said the deputy-governor. “How -could anyone prevent you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then, will you please tell me if a prisoner should be -abused by an officer for doing so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I then related what had occurred, and requested the -official to give me particulars in writing next morning -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>as to this officer’s name and position, so that I should -know how to state my complaint about him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next day my gendarme told me this promising young -lieutenant had been round more than once during the -night, telling him and the policeman what they were to -say if there were any inquiry. Evidently the young -fellow was in some trepidation, as he had thus humbled -himself before his inferiors. I felt rather sorry for him, -and thinking he had a sufficient warning, I took no further -steps in the matter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My case, meanwhile, was running its course. About -the middle of September the examining magistrate read -me the document that was the outcome of his labours. -According to paragraph so-and-so of the statute-book, it -set forth, he must hand me over to the Prosecutor of the -Military Court. I at once entered a protest, calling -attention to the extradition treaty, which enjoined my -being tried by the ordinary civil law, not by any special -tribunal. Whereupon the magistrate showed me a paper, -in which the Minister of Justice informed him that after -the conclusion of the examination he must act according -to such and such a paragraph, which enacted that crimes -committed by any person belonging to the army must be -dealt with by a court-martial.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When the crime of which you are accused was committed,” -said the magistrate, “you were serving in the -army.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This makes another retrospective digression necessary, -that I may tell the reader something about my youth and -my brief military career.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Led by the spirit of the times and my own convictions, -I had donned peasant’s dress and gone “among the -people,” to return home in the autumn of 1875 disenchanted -and discouraged after my propagandist efforts. -Like many youths of those days, I was filled with impetuous -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>longings. I wanted to use my young strength, and -yearned after great deeds; but what I should begin upon -I hardly knew.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When I returned from my campaign I found very few -of my old companions in Kiëv. Some were in prison, -others were scattered to the four winds. It was just at -this time that insurrections had broken out in Bosnia and -Herzegovina. Numbers of young men, among whom were -many Socialists, had joined the volunteer corps, and I -found a very warlike spirit abroad. The fight for freedom -on the heights of the Balkans was the topic of the day. -A youth of twenty was naturally carried away by this -tide; and I was preparing to go off to the war and fight -in the struggle to release an oppressed people from the -Turkish yoke, but I was too late, the waves were -retreating. Volunteers wrote from the scene of action -letters that were only disheartening. The situation was -of such a nature that young people—for the most part -not inured to the hardships of guerrilla warfare—were not -only useless, but an encumbrance to the fighters; and our -friends advised that no more such should be sent out. So -I had to give up my project.</p> - -<p class='c001'>However, I had got the war fever, and was altogether -at a loose end; so I resolved to serve my time in the -Russian Army as a volunteer, although it was a year -sooner than was necessary. Doubtless I was moved to -this partly by the consideration that as a soldier I should -have opportunities of continuing my propagandist work, -and also by the thought that military training might be -of use to me hereafter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>According to the then existing regulations I had only -six months to serve as a volunteer of the second class. -Thus it came about that in the end of October, 1875, -I became a private soldier in the 130th regiment of -infantry at Kiëv. But it also happened that only four -months later I had to leave the service, as I will now -explain. One of my friends, a student named Semen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>Luryè, implicated in the “Case of the 193,”<a id='r38' /><a href='#f38' class='c010'><sup>[38]</sup></a> was at this -time imprisoned at Kiëv. The all-powerful adjutant of -gendarmerie, Baron Gèhkin, had borrowed large sums -of money from the parents of Luryè, and thanks to this -circumstance the prisoner was allowed opportunities for -escaping. I rendered him some assistance in his flight, -and suspicion falling upon me, my dwelling was searched -by the gendarmes. My arrest seemed imminent; and -being a soldier, I should have been brought before a court-martial, -which in those days of heavy sentences would -have sealed my fate, so I went into hiding until the -intentions of the gendarmerie should become clear. In -a few days it was evident that Baron Gèhkin (who might -come in for a good deal of blame, as he had allowed the -fugitive many favours) would be sure to hush the thing -up, so far as possible. It therefore seemed my simplest -plan to report myself again on duty, when I should be -punished for five days’ absence without leave, but at worst -not very severely. Things, however, turned out differently. -My regiment belonged to the 33rd division, at the head -of which was Vannòvsky, later Minister of War, and subsequently -of Education. He hated the volunteers; and -I, who by no means took kindly to subordination and -discipline, was not in his good books. As ill-luck would -have it, just at the time of my absence the General had -ordered up my battalion of volunteers; so when I now -reported myself I was taken straight to him, and he sent -me off at once to headquarters for trial. I was accused -of desertion; and over and above that I had brought -upon myself a charge of insulting an officer on duty, -because I had objected to being called “thou” and roughly -handled by the officer on guard. The affair looked rather -bad for me, and flight seemed the only remedy. I succeeded -in making good my escape with the help of two -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>of my comrades, who brought me civilian’s clothes into -the bath-house. I dressed myself in them, and passed the -sentry at the door unrecognised. This was in February, -1876, from which time until the autumn of 1877 I was -free, but an “illegal,” as I have already said. In the -autumn of 1877 I was again arrested, as related in -chapter i., and in the following spring I once more -escaped.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>To return to my present narrative. I made two protests -against the magistrate’s decision to send me before a court-martial: -one directed to the president of the Military -Court in Odessa, and one to Nabòkov, the Minister of -Justice. I called Bogdanòvitch to witness that the -Government of Baden had only surrendered me on condition -that I should be brought before an ordinary court, -and tried by civil, not martial law. If a military court -were to try me for desertion and insulting an officer, that -would be against the conditions of the treaty, which laid -down that I should only be answerable on the Gorinòvitch -count.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As was to be foreseen, my petitions were set aside -without further parley; and soon after, my indictment, -signed by the Public Prosecutor of the Courts-martial, -was put before me. This indictment left me in no doubt -as to what kind of trial I was to have. Certainly the -facts relating to the assault on Gorinòvitch were given; -but nothing whatever was said as to the motives, nor as -to the circumstances that led to it. Of course, the prosecutor -had not failed to make use of the most stringent -articles in the Russian Criminal Code. The heaviest -punishment authorised therein (for parricide and such-like -crimes) is penal servitude for life, and it was the very -article dealing with that sentence which was cited in my -case. According to the law this penalty is capable of -various degrees of mitigation under certain extenuating -circumstances: <i>e.g.</i> it may be reduced to twenty years’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>penal servitude when the victim of the assault survives, -even though against the intention of his assailant; and -further, the term of years is to be shortened by a third -if the perpetrator be under age at the date of the crime. -In accordance with this, the Public Prosecutor asked for -thirteen years and four months as my sentence, that being -the maximum penalty to which I could be liable under -the terms of the extradition treaty. Even then, the proclamation -made at the time of Alexander III.’s accession -might come into consideration; by it judges were authorised -to remit the punishments for any crime committed before -the date of the proclamation. In my case there was no -hope of this permission being used; and I looked upon -this whole travesty of justice as a formality which had -to be gone through, but otherwise of no significance. I -therefore declined the assistance of the advocate assigned -to me (some candidate for a military post), and prepared -to endure the unpleasant ordeal as best I could.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The day of the trial came. A great van with barred -windows rumbled into the prison yard. I was put into it, -a sergeant of police took his seat beside me, and the door -was fastened outside with a mighty padlock. The gendarme -who had been so long my companion in captivity -mounted the box; a company of infantry escorted us, and -the cortège was finally surrounded by Cossacks on horseback. -The Chief of Police led the van, and a commissary -of police formed the rearguard. It might have been -supposed that at least a dozen robber chiefs, each with his -horde of banditti, were being transported through the -town. As we passed along the streets this unusual procession -aroused the attention of the public, and I saw -people crowding to the windows. Meanwhile I chatted -quietly with the police-sergeant. It seemed that he had -been on duty in Kiëv twenty years before, and knew my -family.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who would have thought that little Deutsch I often -used to see would ever come to this!” said he, and began -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>following up old recollections, talking of my father and -our house. My thoughts flew back over the years, and -scenes of my childhood rose before me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The court was filled with a carefully selected “public,” -consisting of officers and their womenfolk, people connected -with the law, and other representatives of the -official world. The examination of the witnesses produced -nothing of any interest. Most of those originally called -were either dead or had disappeared, and those few who -did attend made inconclusive statements, their memories -being vague after the lapse of eight years—some, indeed, -refused to answer on that account. The principal witness, -Gorinòvitch himself, for some reason did not appear, but -his deposition was read. I on my side took little part in -the proceedings, and had renounced my right to call -witnesses for the defence. But I was moved and excited; -the large audience, mostly hostile, that gazed on me -worked on my feelings. I sought for a familiar face, but -saw nobody I knew except the Public Prosecutor of the -Civil Courts, who had conducted my examination in -prison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the hearing of witnesses the Military Prosecutor -took up his parable. His speech was a verbal reiteration -of the formal indictment which I had already seen. All -my interest was to hear what motives he would assign. -As he could impute to me neither “selfish ends” nor -“personal hatred,” he gave “revenge” as the reason of -the assault; but of course he had to abstain carefully from -suggesting any motive for this “revenge,” as he dared not -mention the word “political.” The order to keep dark at -all costs the political character of the case led to perfectly -irreconcilable accounts of what happened. The Public -Prosecutor informed the court that I had been arrested in -1877, and had made such and such admissions in the -course of examination, but that I had subsequently “withdrawn” -from justice. He dared not say that I had escaped -from prison at Kiëv; and it was still funnier when he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>to explain that I had “withdrawn” from my military -service.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I began my defence by the declaration that I had no -desire to plead for any mitigation of sentence, as was -proved by my not denying that I had fully intended to -kill Gorinòvitch, though there was no proof of this save -my own avowal.<a id='r39' /><a href='#f39' class='c010'><sup>[39]</sup></a> I was ready to face the consequences, -and my only wish was that the story should be truthfully -told, that things might appear in their true light. With -that in view I would put clearly before the court the -reasons why my comrades and I had come to the resolution -of putting Gorinòvitch to death. Scarcely, however, -had I uttered the words, “We had formed a ‘circle’ in -Elisavetgrad,” than the presiding general, Grodèkov, interrupted -me with the observation that under the conditions -of the trial I must refrain from any allusion to -political offences.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course, under such terms a true exposition of the -real character of the affair could not possibly be made, the -events could not even be narrated with any coherence. -For instance, when I began again, “While Gorinòvitch -was in prison in Kiëv,” the president stopped me instantly, -and said that was out of order; and though I then carefully -avoided mentioning names of persons or places, or -any political occurrence, I was continually interrupted by -the president, and threatened with being silenced altogether -or removed from court. I really did not see how to put -things so as to make out the simplest statement; and I -soon concluded this so-called speech of defence, in which -I was not allowed to defend myself, and scarcely to speak. -Even then the Military Prosecutor carried the comedy so -far as to wax indignant over my “contradictory statements.” -I answered him briefly, and declined to make -any concluding remarks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The deliberation of the court was very short, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>sentence was of course in accordance with the Public -Prosecutor’s demand—thirteen years and four months’ -penal servitude.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was then escorted back to prison; and although I had -always expected this sentence, I felt in a certain sense -relieved as if a weight had fallen from my shoulders. -Everything was now settled once for all. Uncertainty, as -I have said, is a prisoner’s hardest trial; and I had only -now to wonder whither I should be sent. As I had been -tried as an ordinary criminal, I might be despatched to -Kara, in Siberia, where were old friends and acquaintances -of mine, and where the prison life was comparatively -bearable. Or they could send me to the island of -Saghalien, where—as all Russia knows—the conditions are -horrible. But what frightened me most of all was the -thought that the Government (who by having to stick -more or less to the extradition treaty had been prevented -from sentencing me to such a severe punishment as they -would have liked) might still find some excuse for -aggravating my penalty, and send me to be buried alive in -the Schlüsselburg fortress. The building of that prison -had just been finished, and everyone was saying that as it -was intended for the most dangerous of the “politicals,” a -murderously cruel régime was to be enforced there.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A week after the trial the president of the court-martial -came to inform me officially of the sentence. I was taken -into the office, where General Grodèkov had entrenched -himself behind a wide table, so that he was well separated -from me; but even so he commanded the sentries to stand -between us with fixed bayonets, and seemed terribly -apprehensive of what I might do to him. I was much -amused, and my guards were very contemptuous, as I -gathered from their subsequent comments while I was -being taken back to my cell. Indeed, I have never seen -any civilian take so many precautions when speaking with -a convict as this seasoned warrior thought necessary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Although the proceedings against me were concluded, I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>still had to undergo further examinations, but in the -character of a witness. First there appeared one day a -captain of gendarmerie, accompanied by the Public -Prosecutor. He addressed the following question to me:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A letter was found in your cell at Freiburg; it contained -an address. You were to arrange for the despatch -of books from this address. Can you tell me what the -books were, and who was the writer of the letter? And -remember,” he continued, “that through our possession of -this address a number of persons in Vilna have been -arrested. If you will tell us who was the actual writer, the -others will be set at liberty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I knew this trick well enough, and replied calmly—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You seem to think it not dishonourable to reveal the -names of one’s correspondents. I cannot agree with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man looked embarrassed, and hastily brought -our interview to an end.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was true that the authorities in Baden had consented -to give up all my papers to the Russian Government; an -excess of zeal they might well have spared, for in consequence -many absolutely innocent people were molested -by the secret police. I myself was to blame, having unfortunately -omitted to destroy this address when I was -sorting my papers with Professor Thun.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another time I was called up by an examining magistrate, -who showed me a letter from the Ministry of Justice, -instructing him to examine me concerning some events -connected with the murder of General Mezentzev. He -read me the deposition of a certain Goldenberg; according -to which I had met Goldenberg one day in the horse-market -of Kharkov, and had mentioned to him that it -was S. Kravtchìnsky<a id='r40' /><a href='#f40' class='c010'><sup>[40]</sup></a> who had stabbed the chief of -gendarmerie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I did indeed recollect walking in the horse-market with -Goldenberg, and that he had told me how he himself had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>in that very place killed the governor of Kharkov, Prince -Kropotkin. Whether I had said anything about the part -played by Kravtchìnsky in the assault on Mezentzev I -could not remember. The thought shot through my mind -that Kravtchìnsky had perhaps been captured abroad like -myself, and that the Russian Government were wanting -to get him extradited too. The statement of Goldenberg, -which only repeated the words of another, was not sufficient -evidence for that, and they desired my testimony in -addition. I therefore did not refuse to speak on this occasion, -but made a statement tending to counteract that of -Goldenberg. I told them I had certainly talked to -Goldenberg about the assassination; but that I had merely -mentioned rumours which ascribed the deed sometimes to -me, sometimes to Kravtchìnsky. Fortunately my alarm -was unnecessary: Kravtchìnsky was already in London -and out of danger.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XI <br /> <span class='small'>THE VISIT OF THE MINISTER—I AM TURNED INTO A CONVICT—THE PRISON AT KIËV</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Shortly after my trial a feverish anxiety set in at -the Odessa prison: the Minister of Justice was -expected. Of course, everything except the straw and the -tub was taken out of my cell; and one day the great man -appeared, attended by an imposing suite—the governor of -the town among the rest. As soon as Nabòkov saw me -he greeted me by name, which seemed to excite the -governor’s interest in no small degree.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your Excellency is pleased to recognise Deutsch?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes; we have met in Petersburg,” answered -Nabòkov in an agreeable tone, as if recalling a meeting in -some elegant drawing-room instead of in a prison. He -then turned to me, to tell me that he had received my -petition, and had “reported to His Majesty”; but the -Tsar had pronounced that as a former member of the -army I must go before a court-martial, and therefore that -had been the only course. The manner in which I was -lodged seemed to strike the minister unpleasantly, for he -looked round my cell, and asked if I were properly treated -and had no complaints to make. I now learned that my -transference to Moscow was decided on; that I was to -winter there, and remain until the journey to Siberia was -possible.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The way in which the minister had spoken to me seemed -to have made a powerful impression on the prison authorities; -for scarcely had “His Excellency” left the place -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>than the governor hastened to my cell, and took me to -one much more comfortable, where were a good bed, a -table, and a chair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A report has been made to His Majesty himself about -you!” I was therefore a person of consequence, and -the governor’s official soul was troubled. I was offered -books from a lending library, and was henceforth treated -with marked civility. Of course, I knew that this alteration -really proceeded from orders given by the three functionaries -spoken of in a previous chapter, who had been the -cause of my former ill-treatment. This is a striking -example of the arbitrary way in which prisoners are used.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had not much longer to enjoy these marks of favour. -A fortnight later I was informed that a party of convicts -would start for Moscow that evening. I was to accompany -them, and accordingly must assume the convict -garb. After eighteen years I think of that day with a -shudder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>First of all, I was taken into a room where was stored -everything necessary to the equipment of a convict under -sentence. On the floor lay piles of chains; and clothes, -boots, etc., were heaped on shelves. From among them -some were selected that were supposed to fit me; and -I was then conducted to a second room. Here the right -side of my head was shaved, and the hair on the left side -cut short. I had seen people in the prison who had been -treated in this fashion, and the sight had always made -a painful impression on me, as indeed it does on everyone. -But when I saw my own face in the glass a cold shudder -ran down my spine, and I experienced a sensation of -personal degradation to something less than human. -I thought of the days—in Russia not so long ago—when -criminals were branded with hot irons.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A convict was waiting ready to fasten on my fetters. -I was placed on a stool, and had to put my foot on an -anvil. The blacksmith fitted an iron ring round each -ankle, and welded it together. Every stroke of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>hammer made my heart sink, as I realised that a new -existence was beginning for me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mental depression into which I now fell was soon -accompanied by physical discomfort. The fetters at first -caused me intolerable pain in walking, and even disturbed -my sleep. It also requires considerable practice before -one can easily manage to dress and undress. The heavy -chains—about 13 lbs. in weight—are not only an encumbrance, -but are very painful, as they chafe the skin round -the ankles; and the leather lining is but little protection -to those unaccustomed to these adornments. Another -great torment is the continual clinking of the chains. It -is indescribably irritating to the nervous, and reminds the -prisoner at every turn that he is a pariah among his kind, -“deprived of all rights.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The transformation is completed by the peculiar convict -dress, consisting—besides the coarse linen underclothing—of -a grey gown made of special material, and a pair -of trousers. Prisoners condemned to hard labour wear -a square piece of yellow cloth sewn on their gowns. The -feet are clad in leathern slippers nicknamed “cats.” All -these articles of clothing are inconvenient, heavy, and -ill-fitting.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I hardly knew myself when I looked in the glass and -beheld a fully attired convict. The thought possessed me—“For -long years you will have to go about in that -hideous disguise.” Even the gendarme regarded me with -compassion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What won’t they do to a man?” he said. And I could -only try to comfort myself by thinking how many unpleasant -things one gets used to, and that time might -perhaps accustom one even to this.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My own clothes I gave away to the warders, and any -possessions of value—watch, ring, cigarette-case—I sent -by post to relations. I kept only my books. I had been -given a bag in which to keep a change of linen; and into -it I also put a few volumes of Shakespeare, Goethe, Heine, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>Molière, and Rousseau, thus completing my preparations -for travelling.</p> - -<div id='i096' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_096_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>PRISONERS MARCHING THROUGH THE STREETS OF ODESSA</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 96</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Evening came. The officer in command of the convoy -appeared in the prison courtyard with his men and took -the party in charge. I was conducted to the office. A -<em>statyehny spìsok</em><a id='r41' /><a href='#f41' class='c010'><sup>[41]</sup></a> is prepared for each individual convict, in -which his name and place of exile are entered, and also -a list of the exciseable things he takes with him. In the -<em>statyehny spìsok</em> of each political prisoner his photograph -is pasted, and in mine there were two.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The officer carefully went through all these <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>dossiers</em></span>. -We were then arranged in processional order. The soldiers -surrounded us; the officer lifted his cap and crossed himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A pleasant journey! Good-bye!” called out the prison -officials.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thanks. Good-bye!” cried the officer. He then gave -the signal to start, and off we marched at a slow pace -to the station.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On account of the conditions attached by the Grand -Duke of Baden to my extradition, I had till now been -treated sometimes as an ordinary criminal, sometimes as -a “political”; but from the moment I joined this convoy -I was treated frankly as a “political.”<a id='r42' /><a href='#f42' class='c010'><sup>[42]</sup></a> This being so, I -was not placed among the ordinary criminals when we -reached the train, but was put in the compartment reserved -for the escort. Here there was a fair amount of room, and -one could be pretty comfortable, while the others were -packed like herrings in a barrel; but, on the other hand, -the society of the soldiers was not very enlivening, as -they dared not exchange a word with me in presence -of the officer.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>After four-and-twenty hours we arrived at Kiëv, where -we were to have a day’s rest. We got out of the train, -were formed up in procession, encircled by the soldiers, and -marched by a roundabout way through the suburbs to the -prison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A strange emotion possessed me, when, after years of -wandering both in Russia and abroad, I once again passed -through the streets of my native town. I had not been -here since I had fled from prison in 1878, six years before; -and now I returned in chains, with the ominous yellow -diamond on my back, a convict doomed to years of exile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Get on, get on! Mind what you’re about!” I heard a -rough voice say, and felt a poke in my back from the butt-end -of a rifle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is the beginning,” I thought, and pictured all the -humiliation and suffering that lay before me. However, -the officer had remarked the incident, and coming up, -reprimanded the soldier who had hustled me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we came to the prison gate the convicts were told -off one by one like sheep, and let through the door in -turn. I was taken straight to the office. Here everything -was altered, and everywhere faces were strange to me. -Fat old Captain Kovàlsky was gone, and the rest of the -staff had been changed too.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was from this prison you escaped?” asked a haughty-looking -man in uniform, the new governor, Simàshko. I -assented.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you managed that very cunningly!” said he, -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In reality the thing had been very simple. One of my -comrades, named Frolènko, had provided himself with -a false passport, and had got employment in the prison; -one night he took Stefanòvitch, Bohanòvsky and me away -disguised as warders.<a id='r43' /><a href='#f43' class='c010'><sup>[43]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>After the usual formalities I was led away to my cell, -and as I passed along the corridors I noticed that structural -alterations had been made everywhere. The cell in which -I was installed was unusually large, and was almost filled -up by the wooden bedshelves; apparently it was generally -used for a large number of prisoners temporarily confined -there, and had now been assigned for my sole occupation, -so that I might not be left among the other convicts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The prison of Kiëv has an interesting history in connexion -with the “politicals.” Many episodes—not always -entirely tragic—in the revolutionary movement have taken -place there; indeed, in that respect scarcely any other -Russian prison except the Fortress of Peter and Paul can -equal it. Above all, it has been the scene of frequent -escapes. Besides us Tchigirìners, in the same year the -student Isbìtsky and an Englishman named Beverley -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>attempted an escape. They had scooped out a tunnel -under the wall, and were actually already free, when a -sentinel espied them and fired. The Englishman fell dead, -and Isbìtsky was caught. Four years later another student, -named Basil Ivànov, escaped with the help of the officer in -command of the guard, a certain Tìhonov, a member of -the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>. Shortly before my arrival, Vladìmir -Bìtshkov also disappeared from Kiëv prison in a -very mysterious way, and so far as I know a certain -much-esteemed authority has to this day not solved the -riddle of that, and is probably still racking his brains -over it. Finally, in August, 1902, eleven “very important” -prisoners escaped from Kiëv, nine of them having -been arrested early in the year, and two the year before. -These prisoners were allowed to take exercise every -evening in the prison courtyard, in presence of only one -warder. They and their friends knew that one of the -surrounding outer walls, beyond which were fields, was -unguarded on the outside. They were provided secretly -with an iron anchor weighing twenty pounds, and with an -improvised ladder made of strips of sheets. At a given -moment some of the prisoners muffled and gagged the -guard, and tied him up before he could give the alarm. In -the meantime others formed themselves into a living -pyramid, and thus managed to fix their anchor to the top -of the prison wall, so that they could fasten to it their -ladder for ascending and a rope for descending on the -other side. That after they were actually free they could -manage to hide in the town, and afterwards all get away -safely, was due to the sympathy of the general public, -many members of which not only helped the fugitives by -deed, but also subscribed together a considerable sum to -assist the escape. It is noteworthy that from first to last -in this affair no one was killed or hurt, nor a drop of blood -shed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But these prison walls have also witnessed sadder scenes. -Many revolutionists have passed their last hours within -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>them, waiting to be led to the scaffold. Still greater is -the number of those who have left this place to tread the -path to exile and the Siberian prisons. Only the Fortress -of Peter and Paul, the gaol at Odessa, and perhaps the -Warsaw citadel, can for memories like these compare with -the prison of Kiëv. Here too, more than anywhere else, -have conflicts taken place between the imprisoned revolutionists -and the authorities. The tradition as to these -occurrences remains unbroken; every “political” cherishes -the memory of the “old times”—<i>i.e.</i> the exceptionally -stormy years 1877-9. The young generation speaks of -them as the “heroic ages”; and not only the prison staff, -but even the ordinary criminals (who are employed here -in the domestic labour of the place), relate stories of them. -The authorities have never succeeded in uprooting the -independent spirit that flourishes within these precincts, -and the door had hardly closed behind me when I had -a proof of it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The ‘politicals’ beg that you will be so kind as to -write down your name, in what case you are implicated, -and where you were sentenced,” I heard a voice at the -door say. I stepped nearer, and saw it proceeded from -one of the ordinary criminals, who was speaking through -the peephole. When I answered that I had nothing on -which to write, he instantly produced a pencil and a bit of -paper, and poked them through to me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I stated shortly who I was, and begged my comrades to -let me know in return who and how many they were, and -concerned in what cases. The same man came back -almost immediately with a reply, which ended with the -words: “You will soon hear particulars verbally from our -ladies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And sure enough I soon heard a woman’s voice bidding -me climb up to the window. I did so; but as I then -found that there was no way of opening it, I wasted -no time, simply proceeding to smash two panes of the -double windows. Outside stood two ladies, wives of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>political prisoners, by name Paraskovya Shebalina<a id='r44' /><a href='#f44' class='c010'><sup>[44]</sup></a> and -Vitolda Rechnyèvskaia. They were taking exercise in the -courtyard of the women’s quarters, and my window being -close to the wall separating the two yards, we could easily -communicate. I thus heard full details about the imprisoned -“politicals,” who were not few in number, as a -trial had just taken place in the Kiëv courts, at which -twelve persons had been sentenced: four of them, including -Shebalìn, to penal servitude, and his wife to exile, on the -sole ground that in their house type had been discovered -with which a pamphlet was to be secretly printed. We -were, however, suddenly interrupted in our talk by the -appearance of the assistant governor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s all this? You’ve broken the window?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said I; “why haven’t you proper fastenings, so -that they could be opened?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you will suffer for it; you will be frozen with -cold to-night.” And in fact there was a sharp November -frost. He then turned to the two ladies, and bade them -go away, as it was entirely against rules to wait about at -the door. Here, however, he met his match; for the two -turned on him, requesting him to be off himself, and not -disturb us. Paraskovya Shebalina especially was most -energetic in her treatment of him. She was a lively and -charming young lady, whom the atmosphere of a prison -had rendered so nervously excitable that the mere sight of -an official would send her into a passion, which led to -endless contests.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Vitolda Rechnyèvskaia shared the captivity of her -husband. They were a very young couple, married only a -few days before their arrest. Thaddeus Rechnyèvsky<a id='r45' /><a href='#f45' class='c010'><sup>[45]</sup></a> was -twenty-one years of age; he had just left the school of -jurisprudence in Petersburg University when he was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>arrested, and was now (1884) under examination as to his -association with the Polish Socialist “proletarian” party, -whose members were prosecuted at Warsaw in 1885.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Besides the above mentioned, who were either condemned -to banishment or still under examination, there -were in the prison a number of people who were to be -exiled by “administrative methods.” There had been -riots in Kiëv University shortly before this, in consequence -of which the University was closed, and many of the -students were imprisoned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>New facts and impressions crowded upon me, and it was -late before I lay down. I threw over the plank-bed the -sheepskin that had been given me, and covered myself -with my great-coat. The night was frightfully cold, and -the wind whistled through the broken window. I put my -bag under my head, but the French and German classics -it contained did not make a very comfortable pillow, and -it was long ere I slept. Suddenly I was awakened by a -terrific hullabaloo. I ran to the door, and called to the -warder to know what was happening. After some time -he turned up, and I learned that the criminals in the next -room had been having a tussle; one of them had hidden -away a few roubles, and the others having seen it, had tried -to murder and rob him. He had succeeded in keeping -them at bay and calling for help.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s the way that lot always go on!” remarked the -warder composedly, and returned to his post and his nap. -There were no further consequences of the scrimmage; -with an “I’ll teach you!” the warder had separated the -combatants, and the thing was at an end. He never even -reported the occurrence, it was such an everyday event.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next morning the governor came hurrying to me, and -said that the colonel of gendarmerie was coming to visit -me. This was Novìtsky; I did not know him personally, -but many amusing stories were told about him in our -circles. He arrived, accompanied by his adjutant, put the -usual question—“Have you any complaint to make?”—and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>then began to chat. It was pure curiosity that had -brought him. I remember he wanted to know if, when -abroad, I had come across Debagòrio-Makriyèvitch, who -had been imprisoned at Kiëv in 1879 and condemned to -penal servitude; but on his way to Siberia had “swopped” -with one of the ordinary criminals, and so escaped. When -I said I had seen him in Switzerland, Novìtsky overwhelmed -me with questions: “Now tell me, how is -Vladimir Kàrpovitch? What is he doing over there?” -One would have thought Makriyèvitch was at least one -of his relations; he spoke of him familiarly by his Christian -name and his father’s name.<a id='r46' /><a href='#f46' class='c010'><sup>[46]</sup></a> Like Colonel Ivànov in -Petersburg, who had known my old companions, he too -went off into praises of them; though all the while he -was doing what he could to bring two of Makriyèvitch’s -comrades to the scaffold.<a id='r47' /><a href='#f47' class='c010'><sup>[47]</sup></a> They are easy-going people, -these ornaments of officialdom!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XII <br /> <span class='small'>NEW ACQUAINTANCES—THE GIRL—CONSPIRATORS OF ROMNY—ARRIVAL IN MOSCOW—COMPANIONS IN DESTINY—A LIBERAL-MINDED GOVERNOR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning I was taken to the office, where -arrangements were being made for the continuation -of our journey. When formalities were over the governor -said to me that I had better go into the next room: “You -will find company there—comrades of yours who are to -travel to Moscow with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In my conversation with the two ladies they had told -me that two exiles, banished by “administrative methods,” -Vladimir Malyòvany and Anna Ptshèlkina, were to travel -with me; and I was very glad to make acquaintance with -my future companions. I had known Malyòvany by name -for some time past. He had once been secretary to the -Town Council of Odessa, had been exiled to Siberia by -“administrative methods” in the end of the seventies, -after some years had made his escape, and was now being -sent back to Siberia again for five years.<a id='r48' /><a href='#f48' class='c010'><sup>[48]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>When I entered the room I found there two well-dressed -young ladies, a middle-aged gentleman with a black beard, -and an officer in full uniform. One of the ladies stood -close by the door, and I held out my hand to greet her; -but she drew back and stared at me, looking surprised and -rather alarmed. Evidently she took me for some bold -criminal! Smiling, I gave my name; and the girl instantly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>grasped my hand, and shook it warmly with -many apologies. She was Anna Ptshèlkina’s sister, come -to say farewell to the exile. “I really am afraid of you!” -she said, with a friendly glance, smiling rather shamefacedly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The black-bearded man was Malyòvany. The other -lady, with a delicate-looking but sympathetic and expressive -face, was Anna Ptshèlkina, who was being sent -to Western Siberia for three years. The officer was -Captain Vòlkov, commanding our convoy. We exiles -were naturally friends directly, and at once engaged in -eager conversation. With my shaven head, clattering -fetters, and convict’s dress, I contrasted oddly with the -others, who looked civilised and respectable. In the faces -of the two sisters, especially in that of the younger, -I plainly read the most romantic interest in my fate. -Probably she now for the first time beheld a Socialist, -stamped outwardly as a criminal and deprived of all civil -rights, going forth to a gloomy future. She begged me, -if there were any special thing I would like to have, to -write it down; and handed me a pencil and paper that -she might keep my note as a reminder. I wrote down -the titles of some mathematical text-books, and she -promised to send them; but she either forgot all about -it, or lost my elegant autograph—at all events, the books -never arrived.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Malyòvany and Anna Ptshèlkina were then taken in a -carriage to the station, while I—though also invited to -drive—preferred to go on foot. So I marched with the -rest of the party, rattling my chains, along the streets of -my native town. When, and under what circumstances, -should I see it again?</p> - -<p class='c001'>We were taken straight to the railway carriage engaged -for us by the organisers of the convoy, while a compartment -was reserved for the officer. We settled ourselves -comfortably, and the train started. I now asked my companions -the reason of their banishment, and learned from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>them that—as in many other instances described to me -by people who had similarly been exiled to Siberia by -“administrative methods”—they had simply been accused -by the police of being <em>neblàgonadyèshny</em>, <i>i.e.</i> untrustworthy. -This word has become classical in Russian police affairs, -and has a conveniently vague signification. Literally it -means “of whom nothing good can be expected.” A -young man or a girl associates with So-and-so, reads such -and such books; this is enough to awaken suspicion that -the said young man or girl is “untrustworthy.” The police -or the gendarmerie pay a domiciliary visit, find a suspicious -letter or a prohibited book, and then the course -of events is certain: arrest, imprisonment, Siberia. It -may be scarcely credible that people languish for years in -prison, without any pretence of legal procedure against -them, simply by decree of an officer of gendarmerie; and -that at the good pleasure of these officers—most of them -fabulously ignorant men—people are banished to the wilds -of Siberia. Even those familiar with Russian affairs are -often shocked and staggered by some fresh case of this -kind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As we were nearing a large station the officer informed -us that we should be joined here by some more political -exiles; and when the train came to a standstill, two quite -young girls—at the most eighteen to twenty years of age—and -two youths were brought into our carriage. We -three who came from Kiëv were by no means aged; but -we might almost have been called old folks by these -children. We received the new-comers cordially, and of -course begged for their story, which was as follows.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the district of Poltava the chief town is a small place -called Romny, and in this little town there is a girls’ school. -Two or three of the scholars hit upon the idea of lending -one another books, and making notes on them—not books -that were in any way forbidden, but that were accessible -to all. Soon a few young men joined them; and thus a -small reading society was formed, such as might help to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>pass away the long winter evenings in the dull little provincial -town. As these young people had no idea that -they were committing any offence, they naturally never -dreamt of keeping their proceedings secret. But the eye -of the law is sleepless! The officer commanding the -gendarmerie in that place saw and triumphed. For years -he had been vegetating in this obscure corner of the empire, -and had never unearthed the least little conspiracy, nor -brought to light a secret society; now was his chance. -He could at last make manifest his burning zeal, his devotion -to his country and his Tsar; and recognition by his -superiors, perhaps an order or promotion, shone before -him. One night the gendarmerie paid domiciliary visits to -the dwellings of the young ladies of the school. Certainly -nothing suspicious was found, but the frightened girls -“confessed” that they had “held meetings,” and that they -read books in a “society.” This was enough for the brave -sergeant; here were grounds for the State to take action -against the “secret society of Romny.” The girls and -their friends were arrested and imprisoned; a report was -sent to Petersburg about the discovery of a secret society, -in which such and such persons had taken part, and discussed -“social questions” together; the officer was of -opinion that these evildoers should be sent to Siberia;—and -the thing was done.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When these boys and girls told me their simple tale and -explained the nature of their “crimes,” unflattering as was -my opinion of legal proceedings in Russia, I could hardly -believe that there was nothing more behind this. Only -when I became more closely acquainted with these “conspirators -of Romny” and other “criminals” of their class, -was I convinced that no suggestion of fancy is too slight -and unsubstantial to be formulated as a ground for prosecution -and banishment of the most harmless people by -the gendarmerie, the secret police, and the other guardians -of public safety in Russia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After having been imprisoned for a considerable time, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>these young people were now being exiled to Siberia for -three years; but as travelling on the Siberian rivers can -only begin in the month of May, they were to pass the -winter with us in the Moscow Central Prison for exiles; -in other words, they must remain for another six or eight -months under lock and key.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Doesn’t this sound like the Inquisition of the Middle -Ages?” we said to one another, talking over this specimen -of “administrative exile.” The officer of the convoy heard -us, and there arose a lively discussion, in which, of course, -he combated our views on Russian politics. A witness for -the crown was soon forthcoming. During our halt at some -big station (probably Tula or Oriel) Anna Ptshèlkina -opened the barred window to get some air; and a young -peasant of about twenty-two or twenty-three who was -passing, stopped and stared at the young lady, and cried -jeeringly, with a mischievous grimace, “Aha! so you’re -caught, are you? <em>Now</em> you’ve really got something to -grumble at!” We all burst out laughing. How simple -was this peasant lad’s view of political difficulties! -“Caught,” “grumble”—the situation was as clear as daylight -to his philosophy, and left nothing to be explained. -But indeed millions of people, from peasants to the highest -dignitaries, make use of the same logic; witness the choice -expression of the Public Prosecutor Kotliarèvsky—“Where -trees are felled there must be chips.” Everything can be -summed up and accounted for in this classically simple -way; and our officer could add nothing more.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When a few Russians get together, however, their -gloomy disquisitions on the terrible state of things -prevailing in our country are always varied by enlivening -interludes of jokes and harmless chatter, funny stories and -witticisms. Malyòvany was in this respect inexhaustible. -Like most natives of Little Russia, he had a rich vein of -humour, and was a born <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>raconteur</em></span>. No wonder, then, that -from the corner in which the soldiers had established us, -there frequently issued sounds of irrepressible mirth.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>The journey from Kiëv to Moscow took forty-eight -hours, but at last we arrived at our goal. I again chose to -walk to the prison; Anna Ptshèlkina, Malyòvany, and -the Romny youths followed my example, while the girl-conspirators -elected to drive. One of them, named -Serbinova, was rather delicate; and the other, Melnikova, -clung to her friend with such tender affection that she -would not be separated from her for a moment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a lovely winter morning; there was a sharp frost, -and the houses and streets of Moscow were white with -newly fallen snow. Our fetters rang clearly in the frosty -air, and under our feet the snow crackled, as in a long line -we marched away to the gaol. We passed by many of -those churches and chapels in which “White Moscow” is -so rich; and here most of the convicts uncovered their -heads and crossed themselves. On the other hand, there -were many streets and market-squares which reminded us -“politicals” of historic events that had taken place there, -which had much in common with our own experiences. -Here the Tsars had brought their enemies to execution. -There the suspects had been publicly flogged. And -now appears “Butirki,” as the populace nicknamed the -Central Prison for exiles about to be deported. It is a -mighty stone building, and looks like a gigantic well; a -great wall, with a tower at each of the four corners, encloses -it. The main building is reserved for ordinary criminals, -who are to be transported to Siberia, and contains accommodation -for many thousands. In the high towers are -lodged the various classes of “politicals.” Those condemned -to penal servitude are confined in the Pugatchev -tower, which takes its name from the celebrated adversary -of Catherine II.; that Pugatchev who wanted to “shake -Moscow to its foundations,” and was made a show of in an -iron cage, till the Tsaritsa sent him to the scaffold. In the -north tower were the “administrative” exiles; in the third, -or chapel tower, those still under examination; in the -fourth the women belonging to all the different categories.</p> -<div id='i110' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_110_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>“BUTIRKI,” THE CENTRAL PRISON AT MOSCOW</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 110</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>I was well informed as to the conditions prevailing in -this giant prison, from which thousands—if not tens of -thousands—of persons of all sorts and conditions are -despatched yearly into exile. The reports were not -exactly unfavourable, but when we arrived at the door -and entered the gloomy edifice, a painful feeling seized -on me. Since my arrest in Freiburg—that is, during at -least eight months—I had come to know three German -and six Russian prisons, and in each there was a different -régime. However careless one may be of one’s material -comfort, one cannot help experiencing an uncomfortable -sensation when entering a new place of confinement; -knowing that one may be denied the most elementary -necessaries, and may perhaps have once more to begin -a bitter fight about one’s right to exercise, books, a table, -or a bedstead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the spacious office there awaited us a man of about -sixty, with a long white beard, and spectacles on his nose, -dressed in a well-worn military coat with officer’s epaulettes. -This was Captain Maltchèvsky, one of the prison -governors, specially charged with the supervision of the -political prisoners. After we ourselves and our luggage -had been searched in the usual way, we were led off to our -respective quarters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was first taken through a long, narrow court terminating -in a doorway. Here the warder rang a bell; -another warder appeared, and conducted us through -another narrow court, and up an iron spiral staircase till -we reached the third floor. We came to a halt on a -dimly lighted landing scarcely a yard and a half wide, -with five doors round it. One of these was opened, and -I found myself in my cell. A rapid glance showed me -that it was not exactly luxurious; it was an irregular -triangle in shape, so tiny that one could scarcely take -three steps across it, and very little light came through -the narrow window. However, it contained a bed and -other usual furniture.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>“And here I shall have to live for six long months,” -I thought sadly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good day! Who are you?” said a voice close at -hand. It turned out that two prisoners were my neighbours, -condemned like me to penal servitude in Siberia. -They were concerned in the “trial of the fourteen,” or -“Vera Figner Case,” as we usually called it, and had -been sentenced at the same time as myself. We introduced -ourselves to one another, and talked through the -peepholes in our doors, which did not seem at all to -disturb the warder, who was on the landing. He soon -after took us out for an airing in the little court I had -passed through, which was enclosed within high walls; -and as he left us alone here, we could talk as much as we -liked to the tune of our clanking fetters while we walked -up and down.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I now for the first time saw other political convicts like -myself, “deprived of all civil rights” and condemned to -penal servitude. It was a strange sight. I noted their -youthful but worn faces; both of them wore spectacles, -and on their heads were round caps with no brims. With -their yellow sheepskins and rattling chains my comrades -gave one the impression that they could not be real -convicts, but were just dressed up for the part—so great -was the contrast between their refined faces and behaviour -and this uncouth disguise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were about my own age—twenty-nine or thirty. -The elder, Athanasius Spandoni-Bosmàndshi, was sentenced -to fifteen years’ penal servitude; the younger, Vladimir -Tchuikòv, to twenty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Neither of them looked as if he had ever been strong, -and both seemed to have suffered much in health during -their long imprisonment in the Fortress of Peter and -Paul. With their pale, thin faces they looked as if they -had just come through a severe illness. But this obvious -lack of health had been an advantage to them, as on -account of it they had escaped incarceration at Schlüsselburg,C -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>to which place their comrades sentenced in the same -case had all been sent.</p> - -<div class='plate65'> - -<p class='c001'><a id='i112'></a></p> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_112a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>TCHUIKOV</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_112b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SPANDONI</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div id='i112c' class='figcenter id005'> -<img src='images/i_112c.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>VERA FIGNER</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i112d' class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_112d.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>STEFANOVITCH</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i112e' class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_112e.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>MIRSKY</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='icrj'> - -<p class='c001'>To face page 112</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>We had not known one another while free; but as we -had belonged to the same society, and had worked for the -same ends, we met in prison like old comrades. During -the first few days our subjects of conversation seemed -inexhaustible. We talked during our walks, and also in -our cells, where only a small space separated us, so that -by speaking through the peepholes we could hear one -another perfectly well. My apprehensions on entering -this prison were soon quieted; for though the cells were -certainly uncomfortable, we gladly put up with that in -view of the other ameliorating circumstances.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On one of the first evenings I was sent for to the office, -where the old captain awaited me. My comrades had -described him to me as very good-natured and obliging, -always ready to forward the wishes of the “politicals” -whenever possible. He invited me to sit down, and said -he wanted to talk quite frankly with me, to which I replied -that I should be very glad if he would do so.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You want to get away,” he said; “don’t deny it. -I know it very well. But I think it right to warn you -plainly that any such attempt can only harm yourself and -your comrades. We don’t want anyone to suffer needlessly -here; we do our best to lighten the fate of the -prisoners. If there is anything you want, you have only -to set it down in black and white” (this I found later -was a pet expression of the old man’s); “we will send -your request to the Governor of Moscow, and he always -does what he can to please the prisoners, as far as the law -allows him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Neither before nor since have I ever met an official who -spoke so candidly, and his manner inspired confidence. -The old man seemed to understand the people with whom -he had to deal. He had evidently heard of my two former -escapes, and in his diplomatic way hoped to deter me from -similar attempts by speaking to me straightforwardly and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>convincing me of his own goodwill. This pleased me, and -I said to him forthwith that of course every prisoner condemned -to penal servitude in Siberia must have a very -distinct wish to escape; but that so far as I could see such -an idea was quite hopeless in this prison, and I had no -intention of making any attempt of the kind. This answer -seemed to satisfy the old captain, and we separated with -the conviction that we should get on rather well together.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span> - <h2 id='chap13' class='c008'>CHAPTER XIII <br /> <span class='small'>THE TRIAL OF THE FOURTEEN—RECOLLECTIONS OF VERA FIGNER—NUMEROUS IMPRISONMENTS—“AGENTS PROVOCATEURS”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>When I told the old governor that I was engaged -on no plan of escape, I spoke the simple truth. -After my establishment in this prison I felt too much -wearied out to think of any such matter. Beyond everything -else I wanted rest, to recover myself after the frightful -tension of the last months. Naturally the desire for -freedom did not leave me; no human being in my circumstances -could entirely abandon the thought of it. But it -remained for the time being in the background of my -consciousness; I felt I had not the energy to strive -seriously for its fulfilment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Time at first passed peacefully and quietly; I read a -good deal, and talked with my new friends. What they -had to tell was in part new to me, and very interesting. -I had known nothing at all about the particulars of their -trial. It remains to this day an isolated case, in which -nearly all the accused were military or naval officers. Two -of them, the naval lieutenant Baron von Stromberg and -Lieutenant Rogachev, were executed.<a id='r49' /><a href='#f49' class='c010'><sup>[49]</sup></a> What most interested -me, however, and will most interest others, was to -hear about the heroine of this case, the celebrated Vera -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>Figner.<a id='r50' /><a href='#f50' class='c010'><sup>[50]</sup></a> At that time her name was in everyone’s mouth, -and for long she was the most popular personage in revolutionary -circles. All the young people worshipped her; -and the stories that were told of her talent for organisation, -her astonishing powers of invention, her wonderful -perseverance, untiring energy, and boundless readiness for -self-sacrifice, testified fully to the part she had played in -our movement. The dignified and unselfish conduct of -this exceptional woman impressed even the members of -the court-martial that tried her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had come to know Vera Figner personally in Petersburg, -during the year 1877, at a time when she had already -adopted the idea of going “among the people.” Twenty-two -years of age, slender and of striking beauty, she was -even then a noteworthy figure among the other prominent -women Socialists. Like so many other girls, she had thrown -heart and soul into the cause of the Russian peasants, and -was ready and willing to sacrifice everything to serve the -people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the summer of 1879 I again came repeatedly in contact -with her. While two years before she had impressed -me as a very young propagandist, ready to accept without -question the views of her comrades, she had now formed -her own independent and keenly logical powers of judgment. -As I have previously said, this was a time of hot -discussion as to our future programme. Some held the -opinion that the whole strength of our party should be -concentrated on the terrorist struggle to overthrow the -existing machinery of State by attempting the lives of the -Tsar and the lesser representatives of despotism. Others -contended that revolutionary propaganda ought still to be -tried and carried further than hitherto; that revolutionists -should work among the people, colonise the villages, and -instruct the peasants in the manner of the organisation -<em>Zemlyà i Vòlya</em> (Land and Freedom). Vera Figner was -one of the most strenuous supporters of the former view.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>I remember well, how once, when our whole circle had -met together at Lesnoye, a summer resort near Petersburg, -we were arguing hotly with her as to how propaganda -among the peasantry might be made to yield the most -fruitful results. She had just returned from a small village -on the Volga, where she had been living as a peasant, for -purposes of propaganda. The impressions she had received -there had stirred her deeply, and she described in graphic -language the fathomless misery and poverty, the hopeless -ignorance of the provincial working classes. The conclusion -she drew from it all was that under existing -conditions there was no way of helping these people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Show me any such way; show me how under present -circumstances I can serve the peasants, and I am ready -to go back to the villages at once,” she said. And her -whole manner left no doubt of her absolute sincerity and -readiness to keep her word. But her experience had been -that of many others who had idealised “the people,” and -also their own power of stirring them; and we were none of -us prepared with any definite counsel that could deter her -from the new path she had determined to tread—simply -because she could see no other leading to the desired end.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When I went to Odessa in the late autumn of the same -year I found Vera Figner there. In conjunction with -Kibàltchitch, Frolènko,<a id='r51' /><a href='#f51' class='c010'><sup>[51]</sup></a> Kolotkèvitch, and Zlatopòlsky -she was busy with preparations for an attempt on the life -of Alexander II., who was about to return to Petersburg -from Livadia. The dynamite was stored in her house; -she had now put aside all doubt, and devoted herself with -her whole soul to terrorist activity.<a id='r52' /><a href='#f52' class='c010'><sup>[52]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>She belonged to the Russian aristocracy; her grandfather -had won a name for himself in the <a id='corr117.32'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='guerilla'>guerrilla</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_117.32'>guerrilla</a></span> warfare -against Napoleon’s invasion. Inflexible determination -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>and tireless perseverance were her most prominent qualities; -she was never contented with a single task, even -the most enthralling, but would carry on work in all sorts -of different directions simultaneously. While engaged in -making ready for this attempt on the Tsar’s life she was at -the same time organising revolutionary societies among -the youth of the country, doing propaganda work in the -higher ranks of society, and helping us in Odessa with a -secret newspaper that we were starting for South Russia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Vera Figner was still only in the developing stage -of her strength and capacities. She was already highly esteemed -by all who came near her, winning their sympathy -and confidence; yet even her greatest friends could hardly -suspect the depth of character possessed by this radiantly -beautiful girl. It was fully shown in 1882, when nearly -all her comrades of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> were in prison, -and the few who had escaped capture had fled into foreign -countries; she resolutely declined to entertain the idea -of flight, though the danger of arrest menaced her at -every turn. In 1883 she fell a victim to the treachery of -Degàiev,<a id='r53' /><a href='#f53' class='c010'><sup>[53]</sup></a> and was sentenced to death; but “by favour” -this was altered to lifelong penal servitude, and she was -immured in the living grave of the Schlüsselburg fortress, -where she still is (1902).</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>To return to my comrades in the Moscow prison, -Spandoni and Tchuikòv; besides their own narratives of -their past experiences I could also avail myself of their -formal indictments, which they had with them. The chief -characteristic of these documents was their entire failure to -show any grounds for the exceptionally heavy sentences -inflicted. I will set down here what the Public Prosecutor -had to say against these two companions of my captivity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Athanasius Spandoni was connected with a secret -printing press discovered in Odessa in the house of the -married couple Degàiev.” Thus began the indictment, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>and it went on to state that he had refused to make any -confession, but that his membership of the secret society -<em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> was sworn to by Mme. Degàiev, who -also stated that he had twice visited her house. That was -absolutely all. Two visits to a secret printing office were -punished with fifteen years’ penal servitude!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The “crime” of Tchuikòv was scarcely more serious. -His indictment ran as follows:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When Vera Figner was arrested in Kharkov, the -authorities in that place advised us that Vladimir Tchuikòv, -among others, had been in correspondence with her. -His house being searched, there were found (1) implements -for setting up type, (2) implements for making false passports, -(3) prussic acid and morphia, (4) various seditious -writings (some printed, some in manuscript), (5) a list giving -the names of different political criminals, (6) lists for the -collection of subscriptions to the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>. Tchuikòv -has acknowledged that he agrees with the principles -of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>.” And on these grounds he was -condemned to twenty years’ penal servitude.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The charge brought against the rest of the accused -in this case, the naval and military officers, were of a -similar description; and for these “crimes” they were all -condemned to death, the sentence being actually carried -out as regards two of their number.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>For a time we three were the only inmates of the -Pugatchev tower, but we were expecting other companions. -In about a fortnight after my advent the condemned -in the already mentioned Shebalìn case were -to arrive from Kiëv—four sentenced to penal servitude -and four to exile, among the latter two women. We -awaited their coming with the greatest interest, but when -the party arrived only two were brought to our tower, the -exiles Makàr Vasìliev and Peter Dashkièvitch. Paraskovya -Shebalina and a young girl, Barbara Shtchulèpnikòva, -also condemned to exile, were of course taken to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>women’s quarters; but the four other men had quite unexpectedly -been sent off to Schlüsselburg, as the outcome -of a conflict with the prison authorities, of which I will -give some particulars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I have already tried to give some idea of what all -convicts must suffer when their fetters are first put on and -their heads shaved. Until the time of which I write it had -been customary (and still is, in the case of anyone belonging -to the “privileged classes”) to defer the performance -of this barbarous ceremony until arrival in Siberia at -the town of Tiumen. But it occurred to the officials that -the condemned in the Shebalìn case (<i>i.e.</i> Shebalìn, Pankràtov, -Karanlov, and Borisòvitch) should be fettered and -shaved before their transfer to Moscow. This was hotly -resented by the victims themselves, and all the other -“politicals” in the Kiëv prison joined in their protest. -The authorities then employed force to carry out their -intention, and thereupon the prisoners “demonstrated” in -the usual fashion, that is, by breaking windows, destroying -furniture, etc. The occurrence was reported to Petersburg, -and thence the order was at once received to send our four -comrades to Schlüsselburg. What that meant I have -already indicated: burial alive in a state of perpetual -martyrdom. Most of the unhappy victims die in a few -years, others lose their reason, and many purposely offer -violence to the officials in order to win for themselves -a speedy execution. It is easy, then, to imagine our -feelings on receiving this news about our comrades, -especially as there were some among them at whose door -no accusation of any consequence could be laid. Karanlov, -for instance, had only been sentenced to four years’ penal -servitude, the court-martial having found it impossible -to inflict a heavier punishment. He had thereupon married, -as his wife would by law be permitted to follow him to -Siberia; and his imprisonment in Schlüsselburg meant -utter separation for them, as he would not even be allowed -to write to her.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>The case of the Shebalìns was even more sad. The -young wife had scarcely parted from her husband when -her child—an unweaned infant, whom she had with her in -prison—fell ill and died. She herself succumbed to her -grief, and late in the autumn died in the Moscow prison.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Soon after these arrivals there came fresh batches of -“politicals,” until the great prison was full to overflowing. -The Lopàtin case contributed many. Hermann Lopàtin -is one of the best-known figures in our Russian revolutionary -movement. In 1884 he had returned from abroad (whither -he had earlier been obliged to flee), in order to resuscitate -the organisation of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, all the active members -of which were in prison in consequence of Degàiev’s -treachery. Lopàtin had almost to begin at the beginning -again in reorganising that terrorist society, and travelled -for this purpose all over Russia, establishing fresh connections -everywhere. As he could not depend on his -memory he had to write down the names of members, -with notes as to their capacity for usefulness, and he kept -the bit of paper with this list on it always about his person, -meaning to destroy it if in any danger. Unfortunately, -this proved impossible, for one day he was seized in the -street by the secret police and overpowered before he -could manage to swallow the compromising document, -though he had actually got it into his mouth. All whose -names were on his list were, of course, arrested, and imprisonments -were made all over Russia. The numerous -persons who were sent to the central prison in Moscow in -consequence of Lopàtin’s capture were for the most part -scarcely out of boyhood, and their guilt entirely consisted -in their being named in Lopàtin’s list.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One case that especially moved me was that of Rubìnok, -a young student from Moscow University, aged only -nineteen, highly gifted, and developed intellectually far -beyond his years. He was condemned to three years’ -exile in Eastern Siberia, and was eventually sent to one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>of the most forsaken corners of the earth—in the province -of Yakutsk, beyond the arctic circle. While there he was -somehow or other set upon by the half-savage natives and -nearly killed, in consequence of which violent treatment he -lost his reason and became permanently insane.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was much said in our prison (and throughout -Moscow, too) about the fate of another young student of -the Peter Rasoumòvsky Academy. His name was Kovalièv; -he had been arrested on some trifling count, and -confined in the police prison. A certain officer of the -guard, Belino-Bshezòvsky, was also there, under examination -for some criminal offence. This representative of our -gilded youth entered into league with the gendarmerie to -take advantage of the young student’s inexperience; and -they planned no less than the concoction of a false attempt -at assassination. The officer pretended to Kovalièv that -he himself belonged to the revolutionists, and tempted the -boy with the suggestion of killing the Public Prosecutor -of the Moscow Courts (the present Minister of Justice, -Mouravièv). The unwary youth fell into the trap, and the -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>agent provocateur</em></span> furnished him with a loaded revolver; -then, when Kovalièv was to be examined by the Public -Prosecutor, he was suddenly seized on his way to the -office by the gendarmes (instructed, of course, by Belino-Bshezòvsky), -searched, and the weapon found on him. -He was at once charged with being caught in an attempt -to murder the Public Prosecutor. In his despair he tried -to commit suicide, but was prevented. The provocative -rôle played by the gendarmerie was here too flagrant to be -concealed, and the representations of the victim’s father -were successful in rescuing him from their clutches. An -order was sent from Petersburg to hush up the affair. -Rumours were current everywhere that Mouravièv had -been privy to the action of the gendarmerie, his attempted -assassination being designed to fix public notice upon him -and bring him to the front. But I have no means of -knowing how far there was any foundation for this report.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XIV <br /> <span class='small'>A NOT INCORRUPTIBLE INSPECTOR—BROKEN FETTERS—RESISTANCE TO THE SHAVING PROCESS—VISITORS IN THE PRISON</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>In this Moscow prison we “politicals” had frequent -opportunities of intercourse, and we soon managed to -get news of the outer world. This was partly through our -discovery that one of the inspectors was accessible to -bribes. This man—we will call him Smirnòv—was about -five-and-twenty, his family an impoverished branch of the -smaller rural nobility. His sister was the mistress of a -personage of some importance, and he owed his situation -as prison inspector to her influence. Reckless, daring, and -up to all sorts of dodges, he was ready for any adventure, -and would not even have recoiled from committing a crime -if it had seemed likely to be profitable to him. Scarcely -able to read and write, he had an almost superstitious -reverence for anything like education, and that made him -anxious to ingratiate himself with us “politicals.” He was -doubly delighted at being useful to us: first, because it -flattered his vanity, and secondly, because we were very -willing to reward his services with coin of the realm. He -had a special affection for me, and often came to my cell -for a gossip about all sorts of things. Of his own accord -he suggested that he might help me to escape; but I -turned every plan over and over, and could see none -likely of success.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Just listen, though,” he said once; “we can work it out -like this: I can disguise you as a lamplighter or a stove-cleaner, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>and take you out of the prison with me, and then -we can go abroad together.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This might indeed have been managed, but there was -much to be said against it; above all, the feeling of -solidarity with my comrades prevented me from wishing -to escape alone. The other two, my neighbours, had -severer sentences than mine to undergo, and I could not -have borne to leave them behind. We should have needed -a considerable sum of money, which I had not at command; -and then, besides, I should have had this man on -my hands for the rest of our lives. All this led me to -decline his offer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, my companions had a plan of their own for -breaking through the wall and so getting free, and although -they had kept their preparations carefully secret, Smirnòv -got an inkling of them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think I don’t know your comrades want to -get out?” he said to me one day. “Only tell them to -manage so that I don’t get into trouble. I shan’t betray -them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I promised him he should not be let in for anything, -and told my comrades; but they very soon saw their plan -was not feasible, and gave it up. We had no reason to fear -that this man would tell tales of us, he was too much in -our hands; but on one occasion I forced him to give -information to the authorities, as I will now relate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It had come to our knowledge that the ordinary -criminals in this prison managed to disembarrass themselves -of their fetters, not only at night, but through the -day, and that this was winked at by the officials. I -therefore resolved to follow their example, and get rid of -my chains, but openly, not in secret.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Smirnòv,” I said, “bring me a hammer and a nail.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you want them for?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You shall see directly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He did as I told him; I stepped on to the iron landing, -and in his presence broke the rivets of my fetters.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>“What are you doing?” cried Smirnòv. “I shall have to -pay for that!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not a bit. Go at once and tell the governor I have -broken my fetters.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But I can’t go and denounce you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t be silly,” said I; “do as I say.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He went, protesting and shaking his head, and soon -after called me to go before the governor. I fastened up -my chains with twine in place of the rivets, and followed -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s all this?” cried the old man in great excitement. -“You’ve broken your fetters? You are trying to -make your escape?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And he raised his hands in horror at this shocking -discovery.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“On the contrary,” replied I. “If I were in your place -I should feel reassured about that, if a prisoner broke his -chains openly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know what you mean,” said the governor; -“this is a serious business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I were contemplating flight,” continued I, “I should -not break my fetters in the presence of the inspector, but -should carefully keep quiet about it. I merely wanted to -get rid of a perfectly unnecessary inconvenience, that -worries me day and night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s all very well,” observed the governor, “but you -can’t expect me to give you permission to take them off -as you please in this fashion!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You needn’t give me permission,” I returned. “You -need only behave as if you know nothing about the -matter, and consider everything to be ‘in good order,’ as -you say in your reports.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s a nice suggestion!” said the old governor, -amused and half relenting. “But what do you suppose -my superiors would think of it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unless you tell them, I don’t see that they will ever -have cause to think about it,” I replied. “It will never -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>occur to the Governor of Moscow to examine whether my -chains are fastened with rivets or with string.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then if an inspection is made you will be wearing -your fetters?” he asked, laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course! You see, I’ve come to you in full dress,” -and I pointed to my tied-up chains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We parted quite amicably; and I took it that informal -permission not to wear our fetters had been conceded. -It was not so easy to get dispensation from having our -heads shaved; yet that we also achieved. According to -rule, half the head should have been shaved every month; -and there was no getting out of this save by a downright -refusal to submit. This we accordingly made; and the -barber reported it to the governor, who sent for us to come -to him singly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you want me to do now?” said the good-humoured -old man to me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Simply to report to the Governor of Moscow that such -and such prisoners refuse to let their heads be shaved, and -declare that they will offer determined resistance if forced. -We have nothing against you,” I continued, “but this is -our only way of appealing publicly against barbarous -and humiliating usage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whether he transmitted our protest I do not know; but -anyhow, we were not again asked to undergo this degrading -process until the end of our stay in this prison.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Russian prison regulations provide that prisoners belonging -to the different categories shall be treated -differently: the “administrative exiles” less severely than -those banished to Siberia after a regular trial; and the -latter again somewhat better than those condemned to -penal servitude. But by the end of a month or two we -had so contrived that this gradation was no longer -apparent. We hard-labour prisoners only differed from -the other “politicals” in having to wear the convict dress, -and in not being allowed—as they were—to see our ladies, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>who were imprisoned in their own special tower. These -interviews were only permitted to them when those who -wished to meet were related, married, or betrothed to each -other. But this was soon arranged. Various couples had -an understanding on the subject, and addressed simultaneous -petitions to the Governor of Moscow, asking to be -allowed interviews with each other, as they were betrothed. -In most cases this was a purely fictitious engagement, as -the staff very well knew, and was only designed to vary -the monotony of prison life; but not seldom the pretence -led to a veritable attachment, as may easily be imagined. -These were mostly young people of from eighteen to -eight-and-twenty, and the nature of their surroundings -shed a romantic glamour over their intercourse. The -young pair met in the office of the prison, a dreary -apartment with grated windows; and every word was -listened to by an official. Prison life lent a poetical -and spiritualised expression to their features, and there -was much to awaken mutual interest and compassion. -Sometimes this affection remained purely platonic; but in -some cases an actual wedding was the upshot. Of course, -in the latter event the young couple received the hearty -sympathy of all their comrades, who also had personal -reasons for rejoicing. The ceremony always took place -in the prison chapel, and was a great occasion which -pleasantly varied our dull existence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Prisoners were allowed at intervals to receive visitors -from outside. These also must be near relations, and often -other friends and acquaintances gave themselves out as -betrothed to such and such a prisoner in order to be -allowed entry. It occasionally happened in this way that -an awkward situation came about, if a young man or a -girl appeared to be betrothed to two or more different -people; but the solution was generally a satisfactory one -in the end.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These visits were received in the office to which we had -first been introduced, but the room on these occasions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>took on a very different appearance. The old captain sat -in his place busy with his ledgers. By the door stood the -inspector in full uniform, with revolver and cartridge-bag -at his waist and his long sabre at his side; and round the -walls would be grouped the prisoners with their visitors. -The dim light falling through the grated windows shone -on many a characteristic scene. All classes and ages -were represented—young and old, men, women, and even -children. Here would be a doctor or lawyer accompanied -by his wife talking to their brother, a banished student. -There an old peasant-woman, who had made the long -journey by the Volga from some distant province to bid -good-bye to her favourite son, would tell him the village -news or bitterly lament her difficulty in living now he had -been taken from her. Close by, the scions of a noble race—Prince -Volhònsky and his princess—would be chatting -with Malyòvany, his uncle; or Senator Shtshulèpnikov -would sermonise his young daughter for having allowed -herself to be drawn into the revolutionary movement, -whereby she had now to suffer the penalty of exile to -Siberia. All around would be the babble of voices—condolences, -arguments, gossip, even jokes. One woman -would furtively wipe away a tear as she bowed a grief-stricken -head; while another would break into uncontrollable -sobbing, because the sight of some beloved face now -pale and haggard from long confinement and anxiety had -robbed her of self-command. As everywhere else throughout -the world, laughter and weeping, hope and despair, -went side by side; only here in prison emotion is more -openly avowed, ceremony more easily dispensed with, and -franker expression given to the feelings. Those who here -sought out their friends or relatives speedily got acquainted -with one another and with all the prisoners whom they -were accustomed to see. Among the “politicals,” as -Socialists, there are no distinctions of rank or privilege; and -the prison atmosphere soon exercised its levelling influence -on all, and bound together members of every class with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>the common tie of sorrow and sympathy. Once only was -the rule broken, and the announcement of a visitor’s name -and position fixed all eyes upon him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A grey-headed man in the garb of the Russian lower -middle-class—a long kaftan and broad girdle—had entered -the room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whom do you want?” asked the captain, looking up -from his books.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I should like to speak to a person whom you have -here in the prison. Làzarev is his name,” replied the -stranger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you a permit?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly, certainly; here it is,” said the man in the -kaftan, and held out the paper.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The captain settled his glasses and read. Suddenly up -he jumped as if he had had a blow, and began to stammer -out a thousand apologies. “Pray sit down, Count! I -really did not recognise you!” And then to the inspector, -“Hi, Ivànov!” he cried, “ tell them to send Làzarev. The -Count wants to see him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The whole prison seemed waked up. Bells were rung, -and people ran about calling out: “ Làzarev! Send -Làzarev! Count Leo Tolstoi has come to see him!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yegor Làzarev, a peasant by birth, a very intelligent -and well-educated man, was from Count Tolstoi’s district. -He was to be sent to Eastern Siberia by administrative -order for a term of three years, simply because he, being -a lawyer, had defended his poorer neighbours of the village -in various cases of exaction by officials.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XV <br /> <span class='small'>POLITICAL CONDITION OF RUSSIA AND THE REVOLUTIONARY PARTY—OUR LITTLE SOCIETY—FÊTE DAYS—PROHIBITED VISITS-A LECTURE ON MANNERS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>At the time of which I am writing the reactionary -policy of the new Tsar was already clearly indicated. -Four years had passed since the accession of Alexander III., -and signs of his domestic policy were visible in frequent -death-sentences, favouring of Anti-Semitism (which had -sprung up in various towns in south-west Russia), the -appointment of the universally detested Count Dmitri -Tolstoi as Minister of the Interior, the institution of new -regulations at the Universities, not only for students, but -for professors, and so on. In spite of all this there were -still some incurable optimists who hoped this might prove -but a brief transition period, soon to be followed by radical -reforms; they even anticipated the granting of a Constitution -to the country. I remember well how various -educated people-lawyers, physicians, etc.—would, when -conversing with us, make hopeful prophecies: “You’ll see, -in five years we shall have the Constitution.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Undoubtedly many of the younger revolutionists shared -these hopes; if not all, at any rate the majority believed -that sooner or later the Terrorists would “remove” -Alexander III., as they had his father, and that then, -as a matter of course, “the Constitution <em>must</em> come.” -Some were so firmly convinced of this that when I -ventured to express a doubt, bets were often offered me -as to how few years would elapse before the great event -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>came to pass. “Before we have reached our place of -exile Alexander III. will be gone,” declared many young -people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This self-deception had one advantage in helping them -to bear their fate and keep up their courage; but these -castles in the air were doomed to a speedy destruction. -As I have said already, the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> was nearing -its collapse, and the Terrorists were now scarcely any real -menace to the Government. The original trusted leaders -of the society were either dead or languishing in prison, -and their successors showed none of the capacity needed -to carry on a conspiracy of that sort; while, on the other -hand, the police had learnt much, knew better how to -spread their nets, and left the young conspirators no time -to develop their powers. The untried and unskilfully -managed societies were run to earth before they could -undertake anything definite, and the unity and interdependence -that characterised the original band of members -disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In 1884 various fractions of the society came to life -again. There was the <em>Young Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, whose -members carried on a sort of minor terrorism; that is to -say, they directed their daggers and bombs against the -lesser officials, governors of gaols, agrarian and industrial -employers, etc., holding that there should be an immediate -forcible answer made to every act of tyranny by constituted -authorities against the workers. There were the -“Bombists,” who swore by dynamite as the sole and -only remedy; the “Militarists,” who thought a conspiracy -within the army the best hope. Finally a group entirely -new to Russia made its appearance—the Social Democrats, -among whom I was numbered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In our prison at Moscow all these different views had -their adherents, and naturally the liveliest discussions took -place, though their course was always fairly peaceful. -Notwithstanding all our differences of opinion, we formed -together a sort of big family, in which there was absolutely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>no distinction of high or low, rich or poor. All were -equal, all shared alike.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The prison food was beneath criticism; even the most -robust at their hungriest could scarcely swallow a spoonful -of the repulsive malodorous broth in wooden bowls -brought to our cells at midday. This is explained by -the fact that the sum originally provided by Government -for our maintenance was extremely small; and on -its way through to us a great part of it found its -way into the bottomless pockets of officials great and -small, among whom there is an organised system of -general peculation. The big cauldrons used for cooking -the food of several thousand prisoners were filled up -with the worst materials that were procurable; and we -“politicals,” after a very few specimens of it, decided -to feed at our own expense. So we founded a commissariat -union, and elected as chief, to whose care -our domestic economy should be entrusted, Làzarev, the -peasant-lawyer, whom Tolstoi had visited. All the money -that we had at command—either what had been given in -keeping to the prison authorities on our arrival or what -was sent us by friends and relations—was handed over -to our chief of commissariat, and he had to arrange our -dietary so that all should share alike. In the morning -we had tea, milk, and bread <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>ad libitum</em></span>. For dinner at -midday we had a meal—generally of two courses—prepared -from the provisions in our larder by one of the -ordinary criminals hired by us as cook. In the evening -there was tea and bread again. Nobody could say that -our table was exactly luxurious; but then our means -were extremely limited. Our poor housekeeper had often -to rack his brains over the problem of making both ends -meet; and he at last hit on the expedient of buying -horse-flesh for us. Beef was cheap enough—ten kopecks -(about 2½<i>d.</i>) a pound, if I remember rightly; but horseflesh -came to only about half that price, and we agreed -to try it. It proved quite eatable, if somewhat tough and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>tasteless; but two or three among us were dainty, and -declared that the meat gave them indigestion, and they -could not stand it. As the rest of us believed this to be -pure imagination, and simply the result of prejudice, our -“chief” determined to use a little art. He suggested that -he might buy beef for these “invalids”; but he really just -had some of the horse-flesh cooked up a little differently -from the rest, and set it before them. The result was -excellent; our epicures much relished their “beefsteak,” -and declared it made them feel sick to see us eating horse; -while we had some trouble in keeping our faces straight! -This lasted the whole time of our stay in Moscow, and not -one of our gourmands ever once complained of indigestion -again! When afterwards we let out that for months they -had eaten and enjoyed horse-flesh, of course they were -furious, and asserted—to the common amusement of the -others—that they had always thought the meat had a -queer taste.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Besides our own friends there were many people personally -unknown to us who cared for our material needs, I -mean the members of the “Red Cross of the Revolution,” -of which mention has been made in an earlier chapter -as the “old clothes society.” These were chiefly women, -who undertook with much zeal the small but very -charitable and indispensable task of providing for the -political prisoners and exiles. Many a one, left deserted -in the world, had reason to value the unselfish activity of -these good Samaritans. Often enough have I seen the -grateful emotion of some lonely soul, when the strange -hand of a kind woman—one of the society’s members—bestowed -on him cheerfully some useful and hardly spared -article. Our little company in the prison of Moscow -seems to have come off particularly well in this way. -Long before the commencement of the journey to Siberia -our benefactresses warned us to let them have a list of -what we should be needing for our travels. When it is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>remembered that we were over fifty persons, and that -before many of us lay a journey of more than half a year, -it is evident how much opportunity there was for the -thoughtful and minute care of these noble women. There -were hundreds of little things wanted that gave them not -only time and trouble, but personal inconvenience to -procure; and their self-sacrificing exertions to lighten the -lot of the captives were infinitely touching.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Easter and Christmas are special feast days in Russia. -The Russian revolutionists have definitely renounced all -religious creeds, and there are many among them who in -any case would have nothing to do with the Orthodox -Russian Church—Jews, Germans, Poles, etc. Nevertheless, -those in prison or in places of banishment always take -part whenever possible in the common festivals of the -people; and these days of rejoicing are doubly welcomed -when they come to break the dreary routine of prison-life. -Relations, friends, and the Red Cross ladies send food -and even dainties to the prisons, and the inmates hold -high revel. In the Moscow prison we had a specially -merry time on Easter Eve. We had petitioned the -Governor of Moscow for leave to pass the night before -Easter together, according to Russian custom. This was -conceded; and we all, including the women, assembled in -the quarters of the “administratives,” where the rooms are -large, because the prisoners are there grouped together, -not confined in single cells. All manner of good things -had been sent us—Easter cakes, eggs, hams, poultry, and -all that is customary, including some bottles of light wine -and beer—so that our Easter table was a magnificent -sight.<a id='r54' /><a href='#f54' class='c010'><sup>[54]</sup></a> Under the superintendence of the old governor -and his staff we spent the evening and half the night in a -merry fashion not often witnessed in a prison. Songs -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>were sung, there were jokes and laughter; finally a -harmonica appeared, and the young people began to -dance. Yet, despite so much hearty and unfeigned cheerfulness, -not one of us could forget our real condition; -indeed, the very sight of gaiety brought to the minds of -many of us remembrance of home, where our dear ones -were at this moment celebrating the feast-day, though -with many sad thoughts of the absent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For us hard-labour men this was the first chance we had -had of getting to know our women fellow-prisoners. The -“administratives” met them not only in visiting hours, but -in the courtyard, although the latter was supposed to be -against rules. Those condemned to hard labour, on the -contrary, were not admitted to the visitors’ room. After -this Easter festival, however, even we “deprived of all -rights” managed to break through the regulations. Under -the pretext that we had some business in the office we -had ourselves conducted across the big yard, and the -warder left us at the door, supposing we should go straight -on down the corridor. Instead of that we raced across the -courtyard to the door of the women’s quarters. The -flustered warder came tearing after us, calling us back; -but we had reached our goal, our ladies were at their door, -and we could exchange a few friendly words with them. -Of course, this was only a defiant frolic; we took pleasure -in trampling on the hated prison rules, and the authorities -saw nothing very wicked in it. The prohibition of -meeting had no sense in it whatever, as in a few weeks’ -time all the “politicals” were to travel in company together -to Siberia. In this, as in many other cases, we -were unnecessarily thwarted, simply because in paragraph -so-and-so of the regulations this or that is forbidden.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These regulations are not nearly so strictly kept as -regards the ordinary criminals, who are often allowed to -wander all about a Russian prison without supervision, and -manage to get admitted even to the women’s quarters. -Moreover, it not infrequently happens that a criminal who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>has money at his disposal is allowed by the warders and -overseers to be out all night in the town, where he amuses -himself or goes about his own business. So far as the -treatment of prisoners goes, we “politicals” are only too -glad to be put on the footing of “common criminals”; -which but seldom happens to us, however. Yet in one -respect the “politicals” have an advantage—I mean in the -demeanour of the prison staff towards them. Every -official, high or low, knows well that he cannot go beyond -a certain point with them, and that he must behave with -courtesy. This unwritten law arose from the fact that for -generations the “politicals” belonged exclusively to the -educated and privileged classes, and also from their proud -conviction that they have only acted according to the -dictates of reason and conscience, which upholds them in -the firm feeling of innocence, and makes them fiercely -jealous for the preservation of both their own self-respect -and their dignity in the eyes of others. If any official -ventures to ignore this sentiment he may count on energetic -protest, and in such cases the prison is often the -scene of a bitter conflict that may lead to tragic results. -As a slight example I may relate the following incident.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A certain great personage had come from Petersburg—Galkin -Vrassky, the head of the controlling department -for all Russian prisons. His position demanded the -deepest awe and subservience from all minor officials, and -he himself was fully conscious of his power and bore himself -accordingly. He was a Privy Counsellor and extremely -pompous. Before his promised visit to our prison -we had heard that it was this gentleman’s custom not -to uncover his head when entering the cells, but to keep -his hat on all the time. We instantly agreed together that -if he behaved so here, the first of us whose cell he visited -should teach him a lesson in manners.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Galkin Vrassky came, attended by an imposing suite, -and accompanied by—among others—Prince Galitzin, the -Vice-Governor of Moscow. He began his rounds with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>our Pugatchev Tower, and went first to the cell of Peter -Dashkièvitch. Dashkièvitch had been a theological -student; he was a man of very calm but unyielding -temperament, and permeated to an uncommon degree -with the instinct of justice and fairness. It was now -incumbent on him to beard this haughty official, who had -scarcely begun the stereotyped question—“Have you any -complaints to make?”—when Dashkièvitch interrupted -him, saying quietly: “It is very impolite of you, sir, to -enter my apartment without removing your hat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Galkin Vrassky reddened to the roots of his hair, -turned on his heel and left the cell, the whole company -following him in silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In what case was he condemned?” we heard him ask, -as he stood on the landing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In the Kiëv trial,” someone answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Aha, one of those fellows who made trouble in the -prison over there!” he said in a satisfied tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He visited the rest of us, holding his hat in his hand -most politely, but he did not forget to revenge himself -on Dashkièvitch after his own fashion.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Dashkièvitch’s sentence had been “banishment to the -less distant provinces of Siberia,” a fairly mild punishment; -but Vrassky now ordered his transportation to the -furthest wilds of the country, and he was sent to Tunka, -on the borders of Mongolia.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XVI <br /> <span class='small'>PREPARATIONS FOR OUR TRAVELS—THE BOAT JOURNEY BY THE VOLGA AND THE KAMA—EKATERINBURG—ON THE TROIKA—“TO EUROPE, TO ASIA”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The spring of 1885 came, and we began to make -ready for our long journey. At the outset arose the -very important question, what luggage could we take? -The rules prescribed that those “deprived of all rights” -should not have more than 25 lbs. in weight. The -equipment provided by Government weighed that by itself; -so that all our own belongings would have to be abandoned, -including books, of course. This would have been -a severe loss, for in Moscow our private library had grown -considerably. Count Tolstoi had given us an edition of -his collected works in twelve volumes, and also a <cite>History -of Russia</cite> in twenty-nine volumes. Happily, however, the -authorities decided that only the gross weight of the -luggage should be counted for the whole detachment of -exiles; so that as the “administratives” were allowed -5 pood (about 180 lbs.) apiece, and many of them had but -few possessions, we managed to get our books in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As everything we possessed had been through the hands -of the officials, of course there was no forbidden literature -in our library; nevertheless we were told to submit it -all anew to inspection, and in the course of this the appointed -censor had opportunities for exhibiting to our -delighted gaze his special qualifications for the post. He -was a high official, and had graduated in jurisprudence at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>Petersburg. Our friend Rubìnok turned to him with the -question whether he might take Karl Marx’s <cite>Capital</cite> with -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, how can you take somebody else’s capital with -you?” asked our censor in a surprised tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is my own,” said Rubìnok, not comprehending.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, if it is your own, of course you can take it,” was -the reply, “only you must hand it over to the officer -commanding the convoy, who takes charge of all money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>We, who saw the joke, had great difficulty in repressing -our mirth at the idea of Rubìnok’s running off with the -apparently unknown Karl Marx’s property!</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>When the time of departure drew nigh the idea was -mooted of giving some substantial testimonial to the -worthy old Captain Maltchèvsky, our governor. He -learned with pleasure of the project, but begged us not to -spend on him any of the little money we possessed, as -we should need it on our long journey. I forget whether -in the end any present was actually bought or not. At -all events, the old gentleman was a great exception among -his kind. I have only known one other instance of -“politicals” desiring to testify their gratitude to a prison -governor in such a manner. Yet an event happened at -the last moment which changed our hitherto friendly -feeling for Captain Maltchèvsky into resentment and dislike.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the whole eight months of our sojourn in -Moscow we had been on a perfectly amicable footing with -the prison staff. Our independent proceeding in discarding -our fetters and our revolt against head-shaving had been -silently condoned at the time; but it was just these two -points that led to a rupture of relations on the day of our -departure. We were informed that we must now submit -to the head-shaving and chain-riveting processes, because -the officer who was to command our convoy insisted on it. -We roundly refused to comply; and the “administratives,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>who were themselves exempt from the proceeding, declared -their intention of supporting us in our resolve.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The hour for mustering the party arrived. We determined -to keep together, and on no account to go singly -into the office for our enrolment. The staff saw at once -that any attempt to use force would lead to a row; so -they resolved to outwit us. We were given to understand -that the idea of subjecting us to the barbarous proceeding -had been thought better of, and we were committed to the -charge of the convoy officer. The party was almost ready -to start, when we three “hard-labour men” were suddenly -told that if we liked we could get a medical certificate -from the doctor to excuse us from travelling on foot when -we reached Siberia, as those condemned to penal servitude -were supposed to do. We said we were quite willing to be -examined for this purpose; but scarcely were we separated -from our companions than a party of warders hidden -behind the door surrounded us. We saw immediately that -we had fallen into a trap, and determined to resist to our -utmost. We kept close together, and struck out with feet -and fists when the warders advanced on us; but, of course, -we were ultimately overpowered by their superior numbers. -We were dragged away and each held forcibly down on -a bench while the barber shaved the half of our heads and -the blacksmith riveted on our fetters. Captain Maltchèvsky -stood by the while and gave the orders. This -performance of his was enough to alter our sentiments -towards him, and our parting was distinctly cool.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Our journey began on a beautiful morning in the middle -of May when spring had just made its appearance in -Moscow. The sunshine was bright and warm, and the -scent of spring was in the air. Our mood was by no -means in consonance with this aspect of outward things; -but most of us elected to go on foot to the station. -Our procession must have been an odd sight. Convicts -with fettered feet and grey prison garb marched along -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>beside other men and women in ordinary clothes. Most -of us were quite young; few had reached middle-age. -Of the twelve women in our party three were voluntarily -accompanying their husbands to Siberia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The last violent scene had depressed us all, and we -traversed in silence the quieter streets of Moscow, where -the few passers-by paused to look at us, and here and -there faces stared from the windows. The station, which -we reached after a short tramp, had been cleared of people; -only some gendarmes, prison officials, and porters were on -the platform. Police were keeping guard all round, and -nobody who had not a special order was allowed through -to the train reserved for us. When we “politicals” were -established in the places assigned to us, a few persons—relations -of the prisoners—arrived to say good-bye. The -gendarmes would not let them come near to the carriages, -and we had to shout our farewell greetings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-bye! Good luck! Don’t forget us!” sounded -from the barred windows.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Keep up your courage! We’ll meet again soon!” -came back the response.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us sing something together,” called out somebody. -We had formed a choral society in prison, and now started -a song of Little Russia—“The Ferryman.” Slowly the -train was set in motion, and as we glided away the affecting -strains of the beautiful melody accompanied us. Many -could not restrain their tears, and sobs were heard which -the rattle of the train soon drowned. With faces pressed -against the bars of the windows we gazed back at Moscow -as long as it could be seen. Then came the outskirts, -and then our eyes were refreshed by the sight of broad -meadows.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we halted at the next station there were a good -many people on the platform—peasants and workmen. -Many of them came up to the carriage windows unhindered, -and seemed to be offering things to us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here, take it, in the Virgin’s name!” said a voice close -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>by me. I looked out, and was aware of an old peasant -woman who held out a kopeck<a id='r55' /><a href='#f55' class='c010'><sup>[55]</sup></a> to me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t need it, mother; give it to someone who does,” -I said; and felt my heart warm towards this kindly old -woman of the people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take it, take it, my dear!” she insisted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, as a remembrance, then.” I agreed; and I kept -the little copper coin for a long time before I eventually -lost it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A whole chain of recollections was started in my mind -by this occurrence, and I sank deep in thought. The -further we went from Moscow, the sadder became my -spirits; I felt as if I were leaving behind me there a host -of friends I should never see again. I did not want to -talk to anyone, but gazed silently out of the window. The -line ran through a factory district; the stations were -crowded, and along the railway banks we saw many -groups of workpeople. Men and women in brightly -coloured cotton garments stopped and called out after -the train, making expressive gestures. Whether they -knew us for exiles on our way to Siberia and meant to -send us a message of sympathy I cannot tell. Perhaps it -is the custom in that countryside, whence many prisoners -are transported, to express in this way that feeling of compassion -towards the “children of misfortune”<a id='r56' /><a href='#f56' class='c010'><sup>[56]</sup></a> so common -among the Russian people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the following morning we arrived at Nijni Novgorod, -whence we were to journey by boat to Perm, by the Volga -and its tributary the Kama. Our party attracted much -attention both at the station and on the way to the quay. -The married and betrothed couples walked in front, arm -in arm, and the rest of us followed, the escort surrounding -us all. Two large cabins, one for the men and one for the -women, were assigned to us on the big barge, which was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>taken in tow by a river steamer. Here we were rather -comfortably lodged, and we were all in common allowed -free access to the roomy deck, which was enclosed by iron -netting at the sides and overhead. Food we provided for -ourselves, and on that head had nothing to complain of, -thanks to the kindness of our friends and to the provident -care of Làzarev, our elected chief or <em>stàrosta</em>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The voyage lasted some days; the weather was uninterruptedly -fine; and we sat on deck from early morning till -late evening, revelling in the charming scenes which passed -before our eyes, on this giant among European rivers and -on its tributary stream. Especially lovely was it towards -sunset, when our choir, which boasted some exceptionally -fine voices, would sing our favourite songs. As one sat, -with head supported against the iron netting, and eyes -following the shining ripples lit by exquisite fairy-like tints, -the impression made on one by those beautiful sad songs -was never to be forgotten. Gradually the colour would -fade from the sky, and the stars shine down from a cloudless -heaven, to be mirrored in the glassy surface of the -great river; and everything around me—the river, the -stars, the songs—would recall to my mind another royal -stream, the mighty Dnieper, by whose banks my childhood -had been spent.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you thinking of? Why are you so sad?” -on one such evening a young “administrative” asked me. -She was a girl of about twenty, with whom I had become -acquainted during the journey. We were soon engaged in -intimate and friendly talk. She could understand my mood, -and sympathised heartily. She was an unusually interesting -creature of peculiar and, some might say, eccentric character, -but of keen intelligence. She told me how she had -come to adopt the principles of Socialism, and what kind -of life she had quitted to join the revolutionary movement. -Like so many others at that time, she had been possessed -by the longing to do something for the people—the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>peasants. Where and how to begin she did not know, and -she could find no one to advise her. She tried to discover -some way for herself, and read everything she could get -hold of that bore on the subject. At last, against her -parents’ wishes, she left her home in South Russia for -Petersburg, where she hoped to find someone who could -help her. In the course of her quest, and before she had -arrived at any definite solution of the problems that perplexed -her, she was arrested, and was now being sent to -Siberia for three years’ banishment. Like hundreds of -others, this noble-hearted girl had expended her strength -and sacrificed her happiness to no purpose, without benefit -to others, without attaining her own peace of mind; a -victim to the cramping and illiberal political conditions -that reign in our native land. She died by her own hand -in Siberia some time after this.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From Perm we were taken by rail to Ekaterinburg, -where we arrived after a wearisome day’s journey. Here -we spent the night; and next day our party, consisting -entirely of “politicals” with their escort, was to drive to -Tiumen, the first town within the borders of Siberia. The -construction of the Siberian railway was only just being -begun, and the journey—now very simple—was then -attended by all manner of difficulties.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the outset we had a disagreement with the authorities -that might have had serious consequences. A number of -<em>troïkas</em><a id='r57' /><a href='#f57' class='c010'><sup>[57]</sup></a> had been provided for the transportation of ourselves, -our escort, and the luggage; in each of them four -prisoners and two soldiers were to go, which, with the -driver, made seven persons. The younger members of our -party thought this too many, and appealed to the officer, -Captain Volkov, who had accompanied us from Moscow -(and with whom I had previously travelled from Kiëv), to -arrange that only three of us and two soldiers should go in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>each carriage, or, if he preferred, four of us and only one -soldier. As there were not enough carriages for this -arrangement the captain refused the request; and our -young Hotspurs flatly swore that they would not get in. -In other words, they would oblige the soldiers to use force -with them, and that would naturally lead to a battle, the -results of which might be very unpleasant. The <em>ispravnik</em><a id='r58' /><a href='#f58' class='c010'><sup>[58]</sup></a> -appeared, and declared that he could not hire any more -carriages, as this number had been specially ordered by his -chief. There was much arguing up and down, during -which several of the young men and two of the women -got very angry. We elders, on the contrary, thought the -matter not sufficiently important to warrant a conflict -which might well result in the despatch of the “administratives” -to distant stations for increased periods of exile, -and of ourselves perhaps to Schlüsselburg.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg you to get into the carriages,” urged Volkov; -and the <em>ispravnik</em> joined in his persuasions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, we will not. Use force if you like!” cried voices -from our midst.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We shall have to report you as refusing to obey -orders.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do as you please!” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is absolutely against the rules of our societies not to -stand by each other in all dealings with the authorities, -whatever the occasion. Despite the fact that the majority -among us saw no ground for persisting in this revolt, we -were at the mercy of the hot-headed youngsters, and the -situation was becoming strained. A struggle seemed -inevitable; but some of us had the happy idea of trying -the practical experiment of fitting ourselves into one of -the vehicles, to see whether the official arrangement were -feasible or not. The trial was made, and it turned out -that with a little goodwill it was quite possible to find -room for seven persons in each <em>troïka</em>. In face of this -simple fact, the malcontents could hardly maintain their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>attitude; so with a little further grumbling and delay they -gave in. We had not gone far before each carriage was -lightened of one passenger; the soldiers preferred to ride -on the baggage-waggons, and only one was left to guard -each four prisoners; so we were more comfortable, and -everything was peaceably settled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the voyage on the Volga and Kama we had -fallen into various groups of friends, who now naturally -wished to keep together during the land journey. The -idea suggested itself of giving our ladies the right to -choose their cavaliers, and this plan found favour with the -majority; but there were one or two who objected to any -sort of “woman’s privileges,” and even some others who -disliked travelling in female society, and declared themselves -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>hors de concours</em></span>. These latter incorrigible mysogynists -were, as may be supposed, the youngest among us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This travelling by <em>troïka</em> has, as is well known, a special -charm of its own. It can scarcely be called driving; one -flies and rushes along at a most exhilarating pace. On -that side of the Ural Mountains spring was only just -beginning; everything was budding and sprouting, and -the air was full of song and other happy sounds of -young life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We flew along great stretches of the highway, raising -enormous clouds of whirling dust. Our drivers cheered -on their horses with cries and whistling, continually urging -them to yet greater speed. At first we sat by fours in the -carriages, generally two men and two women; but soon -we changed places at every halt, and then five or six -people might be seen in one carriage, while only two -would be left in another. Here there would be chatter, -joking, and songs; there, earnest quiet talk not to be -overheard by the guards—words of far-reaching import -being perhaps spoken in those whispered conferences. -The intimate life in prison had brought many into close -relations that had been strengthened during the long -journey by rail and boat; and the drive together now -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>gave fresh opportunities for bringing the fellow-sufferers -nearer to one another.</p> - -<div id='i146' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_146_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SIBERIAN HALTING-STATION (ÉTAPE)</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 146</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Every day we left two stages behind us, each from fifty -to sixty versts (about thirty-three to forty English miles), -on which the horses were often only changed once, the -change being made with lightning rapidity, as the fresh -steeds were generally waiting ready harnessed for our -hurrying procession. While the drivers were occupied -over this business we usually made a hasty meal, buying -provisions from the market-women waiting in the yard -of the posting-station—hard-boiled eggs, milk, bread, etc. -The halting-station (<em>étape</em>) for the night we generally -reached early, long before twilight set in. Here the first -thing was to prepare our meal—dinner and supper in one; -that was the task of the <em>stàrosta</em> and some volunteer -assistants. Afterwards we stayed out in the open air as -long as possible. Songs were sung in chorus; groups and -couples wandered about in confidential talk; or sometimes -we held formal debates, of a very animated description.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On one of the earliest days of our journey we made our -first halt in the open, far from any posting-station. We -all got out and stood before a boundary post; it was that -one so often described, of such sad renown, which bears -in engraved letters the two words, “Europe,” “Asia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was now the beginning of June. A year and three -months had gone by since my arrest in Freiburg, and -I had now crossed the border between two continents. -The sight of this landmark, passed by thousands driven -into exile, brought thronging many gloomy thoughts. I -had passed fifteen months in German and Russian gaols. -“How many years have I now to linger in a Siberian -prison?” I asked myself. “Shall I ever see this signpost -again on a return journey? or shall I find my grave -over yonder in Siberia?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span> - <h2 id='chap17' class='c008'>CHAPTER XVII <br /> <span class='small'>IN TIUMEN—PARTING—ON THE SIBERIAN RIVERS—A STARTLING PROPOSAL</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The town of Tiumen was at that time noted for the -disputes that were continually arising between the -political exiles and the authorities. We dreaded lest our -party might be obliged to sustain a battle of this sort, -the causes of which were known to us of old from the -letters of various comrades; so we had intended to -arrange together betimes how we should behave under -given circumstances, what we must insist on, and in what -manner we should conduct our dealings with the powers -above us. But it was so difficult to get any orderly discussion -during the journey, that after all we reached -Tiumen without having made any definite plan of action.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tiumen was then the place whence exiles took their -several ways according to their ultimate destination. Our -party was to separate here, some going south-west, others -north-east. Among the latter were the hard-labour -prisoners, the judicially banished exiles, and some of the -“administratives.” Except us convicts none knew to what -town or village they were bound; they did not even know -whether they were to go north or south from Tiumen. -Now, the difference in climate which this might mean, -even if between places in the same province of Siberia -could be greater than between Norway and Italy. The -anxiety of the “administratives” in awaiting a decision -can be imagined, as so much depended for them on the -direction in which they were to be taken.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>At the very gates of the prison we were within an ace of -a squabble with the officials; they wanted to take our -ladies to a female prison far away from ours. We opposed -this, because such a separation would have upset all our -feeding arrangements, besides being otherwise very unwelcome -to us all, and the officials finally yielded to our -representations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We were only to remain for a few days in Tiumen, so -our chief subject for anxiety was soon settled; most of the -“administratives” were bound for the Steppes Government, -and would be sent to the southern part of the -province of Tobolsk—a relatively pleasant neighbourhood. -But we were informed at the same time that they would -travel by way of the <em>etàppuy</em>, or convoy-stations, which -would be by no means pleasant. To be taken by that -route, <em>i.e.</em> by land, means a journey of some weeks under -most uncomfortable conditions, and with all manner of -hardships that can perfectly well be avoided by the adoption -of the route by water, on either barge or steamboat. -The choice of this wearisome route has been a frequent -source of trouble with the parties of “politicals.” The -officials, therefore, were quite accustomed to protests on -the subject; but either on grounds of convenience, or for -some other reason not vouchsafed to us, they stuck to -their proposed arrangement. Our friends who were to go -southward resolved to keep up all possible opposition, and -we all agreed to support what we considered their perfectly -reasonable attitude. We held heated consultations, -and ultimately it was decided to send a telegram to the -governor of the province, petitioning him that the journey -of the “administratives” should be made by boat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The appointed day of departure arrived, and the “administratives” -were sent for to go singly into the office, -but we others would not allow them to leave the prison. -If the staff had resorted to force there would undoubtedly -have been a serious struggle, but all passed off quietly, as -they gave in for the time being; only, however, to lay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>a trap for us later. Instead of answering our telegram by -another, the governor appeared in person (of course, he -may merely have come over by chance from Tobolsk) and -examined into the affair. He then declared himself quite -willing that our comrades should travel by boat, according -to our request; and this promise, given by the highest -available authority, was sufficient for us, our minds were -forthwith at rest. But unfortunately, as will appear hereafter, -the highest authority had simply lied to us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon after this the parting came; those of us going -northward from Tobolsk and those bound for Eastern -Siberia received orders to make ready for the start. There -was a good deal to do, as a journey of some months was -in question; also our common housekeeping had to be -wound up, the money and provisions divided among the -different parties according to their respective needs and -the distance they had to travel. Besides this, small sums -were set apart for any “administratives” or other exiles -who were unprovided with means, for use in emergency -on their first arrival at their destinations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The parting was no light matter to us. During the next -few days small groups and isolated couples would be seen -wandering up and down the prison yard, deep in endless -and engrossing talk. Most of us had first become acquainted -in the Moscow prison or during the journey; but -apart from the more intimate friendships that had been -formed among us, we had all been drawn very near to -each other in the course of our half-year’s sojourn under -the same roof. Of course, in view of the separation many -resolutions were made of keeping up friendships, and of -never forgetting one another, whatever happened. Sad, -sad, that external circumstances should too often prove -stronger than the firmest resolutions, and even than the -heart’s desire! After two or three years, with thousands -of miles between, and every possible hindrance put in the -way of correspondence, friends are gradually lost sight of, -and the thought of them even passes from the mind. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>With how many of those comrades did I share the hope of -one day meeting again! Eighteen years have passed -since then, and I have only seen one of them again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As to the subsequent lot of our “administratives,” we -learned later that, the party being a large one, the officials -had declared themselves unable to carry out the arrangement -expressly promised by the governor; and as our -comrades refused to go voluntarily by the land route, they -were dragged forcibly by soldiers from the prison and -packed into the carriages. Much rough usage ensued, but -without any really serious result. We had been quieted -by lies, because so long as we were all together the -authorities had not dared to try conclusions with us by -force.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The detachment to which I belonged, which was to -travel north-eastwards, consisted of five-and-twenty persons: -four condemned to penal servitude—Tchuikòv, -Spandoni, Maria Kalyùshnaya, and myself; four judicially -exiled—Vasìliev, Dashkièvitch, and two ladies (Tchemodànova -and Shtchulèpnikòva); the rest all banished by -administrative order—some to the north of Tobolsk -Government, some to Eastern Siberia—among these latter -being Malyòvany, Rubìnok, and our chief of commissariat, -Làzarev, who still fulfilled his old functions, our “housekeeping” -arrangements continuing as before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From Tiumen we had to go by boat to Tomsk, our -route being as follows: down the Tura, on whose banks -Tiumen is situated, to its junction with the Tobol; by the -latter as far as the Irtisch, by which to the Obi; and then -up stream to the Tomi, on which Tomsk stands. This -made a voyage of about 3,000 versts (about 2,000 miles), -lasting at least fifteen days. As on the Volga, we were -installed in the two cabins of a prisoners’ barge, and a -steamboat took our floating gaol in tow. This journey -afforded little of interest. Although we were in mid-June -there were as yet no signs of spring. Sometimes we passed -masses of drifting ice; the nights were extremely cold, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>and the sunshine gave no great heat by day. The rivers -were in flood, and everything looked dead and deserted; -for miles round we could often discover no trace of human -existence. The deathly stillness, the absence of any sign -of growth at this awakening season of the year, the piercing -cold, ever increasing as we got further north—all this had -an uncanny and depressing effect. “Men and women live -in these primeval forests and swamps (<em>tundra</em>),” I thought, -with a shiver, and I pictured to myself how, after many -years of prison had robbed me of strength and vitality, -I should be given the “right” of residing in a similar, or -perhaps a drearier locality; even then not enjoying the -liberty possessed by the unfortunate natives—Samoyedes -and Ostiaks—who wander about these eternal woods and -steppes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our boat occasionally came to anchor, either to get wood -for fuel, or at the two or three halting-stations provided. -The Ostiaks would then come on board, paddling up in -their wretched boats (<em>yaliks</em>) made of bark, and would -offer fish for barter. They hardly seemed to understand -the use of money, for when asked the price of a fish, they -would only answer with the one word “roup,” meaning -“rouble,” and would then gratefully accept a copper coin -though a piece of bread or a little tobacco would elicit -much more joy. These people had a most pitiable appearance, -and were treated with the utmost contempt by our -boatmen and the soldiers, who usually addressed them all -as “Vanka” (Johnny), which they accepted quite calmly. -Sometimes we saw their huts in the distance, cone-shaped -structures, the framework made of branches, the walls of -birch-bark or reindeer skins.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Except the capital town of Tobolsk, situated at the -junction of the Tobol with the great Irtisch, throughout -the length of some thousand versts we only passed two -inhabited places dignified with the name of towns—Surgut -and Narim. Here, and at Berèsov, on the northern coast -of the continent, some of our “administratives” were to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>take up their abode. We parted from them at Tobolsk. -The conditions of life in some of these places of exile may -be guessed at from our glimpses of them. A “town” of -this sort consists of some dozen wooden huts, the inhabitants -of which are usually a mixed race, Russian and native. -These people make out a livelihood with difficulty, subsisting -almost exclusively on fish. An educated man must -find existence in such a place unspeakably miserable; yet -the Russian Government sends even minors here. I know -a young girl who at the age of seventeen was exiled to -Berèsov, and had to languish there for twelve years. -Fortunately, none of the women in our company were -destined for these waste places of the earth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we began to go up the Obi there was scarcely -any change of scene, but ever the same hopeless wastes. -Our little company had much diminished; our choir was -disbanded; and life on the barge was quiet and monotonous -as we slowly glided on to Tomsk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This town, which counts as one of the liveliest in -Siberia, only harboured at this time a very small number -of political exiles. When we arrived, two of them came -at once on to our barge, burning with curiosity to see who -we were, and to have news from home; and they unexpectedly -found acquaintances among our party. One -young lady I had known six years before; she stared at -me now, and would scarcely believe that the shorn convict -was the same man she had known under such different -circumstances. “You are so changed, so changed!” she -kept saying thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The local prison authorities took us into their custody -on the barge, when our identity had been established by a -careful comparison of our appearance with the photographs -in our record-books. We were then marched through the -town to the prison. On the way two young girls, scarcely -over school-age, suddenly broke through our escort of -soldiers, and rushed upon us. The surprised soldiers tried -to catch hold of the intruders and send them off, but that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>was not so easy. The girls ran like squirrels through our -midst, announced themselves as the two sisters P., gave -each of us a hasty kiss, and paid no attention to the calls of -the officers and soldiers. Not till they had attained their -end did they quit our ranks, and then they walked beside -the procession, keeping us company to the prison gates.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We stayed a week in Tomsk, and during that time made -acquaintance with all the exiles there, as they were allowed -to visit us in the prison. This prison in which we were -lodged was composed of a few wooden buildings and some -barracks. Every room was filled to overflowing, for there -were about a thousand prisoners of all classes, but mostly -criminals—young and old together. Like ourselves (for -we were left fairly free here), they spent the whole day -in the spacious yard. Until now we “politicals” had been -entirely separate from the ordinary criminals, but henceforward -the convoy was composed of both classes, and -I now learned to know the criminal world from personal -observation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day as I strolled about the yard one of these men -spoke to me. He was a powerful-looking fellow of about -thirty, red-haired, and with well-marked features. He was -evidently a dandy among the convicts. Beneath the long -grey coat, which he wore thrown loosely over his shoulders, -could be seen a white linen shirt adorned at the throat -with a gay tie; round his waist was wound a brightly -coloured scarf, and to this his chains were cunningly -attached, so that they made no noise whatever in walking. -The leather protections beneath the ankle-rings were -artistically fastened to look like the tops of his boots. -A round cap pushed carelessly back on the side of his -head was the crowning touch to his elegance, which the -moustache, curling upward, finally completed. Everything -denoted an aristocrat of criminal society.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How many years have you got?” he asked after a -polite greeting. And on my reply he continued, “And -you mean to stay it out?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>“I can hardly do otherwise,” I said.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That depends. If you like, we can arrange a ‘swop.’”<a id='r59' /><a href='#f59' class='c010'><sup>[59]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>I understood what he meant. In 1879 some political -exiles—Vladimir Debagòrio-Makrièvitch, Paul Orlov, and -V. Isbitsky—exchanged identities with three ordinary -criminals, and got away. When this had become known, -however, the authorities had at once taken stringent -precautions against a repetition of the affair. The papers -of political prisoners were most carefully made out and -photographs attached; they were sent by special convoy -if moved from one place to another; and besides this, -each one was confided to the personal charge of one of -the soldiers. But when I set all this before the man he -was not in the least abashed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense! We can do it in spite of all their paraphernalia!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I knew already from books and from the tales of comrades -that a peculiar organisation exists among the -convicted criminals in Siberia, the principle of which is in -a manner oligarchic. A small band of the more strong-willed -and energetic gaol-birds governs the rest. They -are called the “Ivans”; they decide all matters relating to -their “party,” both in prison and <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>en route</em></span>, and institute -their own rules quite independently of the recognised -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>authorities. The rank and file yield them slavish obedience, -however unjust and terrible their orders may be. I saw at -once that I had one of these tyrants before me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t see how it could be done,” said I; and indeed, -the difficulties appeared to me quite insurmountable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you see that brook?” said the “Ivan.” “Well, in -the course of every year one or two corpses are found -in that brook. We arrange a ‘swop’; one of us changes -with you, and the chief person concerned disappears down -there. Do you understand?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I could not quite see what he meant, and was horror-struck -when he explained his plan, which was as follows:—I -was to make the exchange before the warders got to -know us “politicals” individually, and the man with whom -I exchanged must be as like me as possible. Of course, -when the “politicals” were to be sent on, their identity -would first be inquired into; but then it would only appear -that Deutsch was missing. To accomplish this the “Ivan” -would simply murder his companion who had taken my -place, and throw his corpse into the stream. I should -not be found; or if my unfortunate substitute’s body -eventually came to light, it would be taken for granted -that it was mine, and that I had committed suicide or -been murdered. I myself, in the meantime, should be -sent to the dead man’s destination as an ordinary criminal, -and could afterwards escape thence—not a difficult matter -for that class of prisoner. For perpetrating this villainy -the man only asked a mere trifle—twenty or thirty roubles—which -blood-money he would have had to share with -quite a number of accomplices. He assured me that -such enterprises were by no means uncommon, and always -succeeded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I listened to him with the fascination of horror and -astonishment. He treated the subject with perfect calm -and indifference, as if discussing the simplest piece of -business in the world, and seemed to find my rejection -of his proposal most incomprehensible. Afterwards, when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>I had come to know the country better, I realised that -this was a typical example of the manners and customs -of the ordinary criminals, and nothing out of the common. -As I have said, henceforward we were to have these gentry -for travelling companions, and it may be imagined what -that meant.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Another batch of our comrades took leave of us at -Tomsk, and we were now only fourteen in number, including -Maria Kalyùshnaya, Barbara Shtchulèpnikòva, and -Liubov Tchemodànova. We learned that the authorities -proposed to separate these ladies from us here, and send -them on for the remainder of their journey with a party -of married convicts of the ordinary class. As, however, -we heard from those who knew that in such a party, -surrounded by the unruly band of criminals, they would -have endless disagreeables and hardships to put up with, -we sent a petition to Petersburg, with the consent of the -governor, and obtained permission for our women comrades -to remain in our detachment.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XVIII <br /> <span class='small'>BY WAY OF THE CONVOY-STATIONS—A CLUMSY OFFICER—THE VAGABOND—A MAN-HUNT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The real hardships of the journey now began for the -“politicals.” From Moscow to Tomsk, over three -thousand miles, the conditions of travelling had been more -or less European; but henceforward we were to go entirely -by road, crawling from one halting-station to another by -short stages. In the terrible Siberian cold, in the glowing -heat of summer, in all weathers, without regard to the -fitness or unfitness of the road, parties of a hundred -prisoners are despatched from Tomsk regularly on fixed -days of the week, parties which consist alternately of -men only, and of families—men, women, and children. -The day’s march is a stage of from sixteen to twenty -miles, and every third day is a rest. At this tortoise-like -pace—on an average about thirteen miles a day—the long -wandering lasts for many weeks and months, under the -most wretched conditions of life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the damp rooms of the convoy-stations, the air of -which is loaded with every evil odour imaginable, the -convicts lie squeezed together on the bare boards of the -two sloping wooden shelves, one above the other, which do -duty for bed-places. These invariably swarm with myriads -of parasites; sleep is probably impossible for half the -night, and early in the morning the prisoners are driven -forth to begin afresh the weary march. Long before sunrise -the criminal contingent will be standing drawn up in -the yard, to wait there in the cold until the roll is called, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>and at last the signal to start is given. At the head of -the procession march the older criminals, seasoned rascals -most of them, the “Ivans.” The majority of them have -trodden this path more than once already, and know -every brook and copse on the way. They go at a quick -pace, in serried ranks, and easily do their four miles an -hour, or even more. Behind them the other criminals -straggle painfully along in irregular groups separated by -long stretches of road. Then come carts with the sick and -exhausted and the baggage; and lastly, the “politicals” -in the rear, two or three together in each one-horse cart, -under the charge of their special escort.</p> - -<div id='i158' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_158_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>IN A SIBERIAN PRISON</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 158</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>This strange procession extends itself along the road for -about three-quarters of a mile, and raises clouds of dust, -from which we in the rearguard have most to suffer. To -add to our woes there is the special scourge of those -regions, the Siberian midge. Swarms of those terrible -little creatures kept us company, not only attacking our -hands and faces, and getting into mouth, nose, ears, and -eyes, but inserting themselves beneath our clothing, and -inflicting tortures of irritation. The only—and even these -inefficient—means of protection are nets of horsehair, -with which we had taken care to provide ourselves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the first ten miles or so there is a halt in some -woodland clearing, or by a spring or stream. The criminals -here break their fast, usually only on dry bread, and -perhaps some of them have not even that. Their feeding -is managed in this way: each man receives daily five to -twelve kopecks,<a id='r60' /><a href='#f60' class='c010'><sup>[60]</sup></a> according to the locality through which -they are passing (where prices depend on the result of the -last harvest), and also according to the “rank” of the -prisoner, for even here there are class distinctions and -privileges. This allowance is only under the most favourable -circumstances sufficient to satisfy hunger; it covers, at -a pinch, the cost of bread, tea, and a few vegetables. But -gambling is so deeply rooted a passion among the criminal -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>prisoners that they will stake their last coin, and he who -loses everything has to go hungry. His only resource then -is to beg; and whenever we passed through a village some -of the most destitute always went begging, under the -soldiers’ supervision. They would station themselves -before a hut and start a pitiful song, when the Siberian -women would throw out pieces of bread to them. Travellers, -too, whom we met would give them alms, and these gifts -were shared among the whole party, for the criminals too -had their <em>artèl</em>, or union.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the short rest the party would set out again in the -same marching order, and try to reach the halting-station -before the noonday heat began. As soon as they arrived -at the station the advance party would crowd round the -door, ready to rush in directly it was opened; and then -would begin the battle for the best sleeping-places, the -weaker being thrust aside or trampled down by the -stronger. At our first sight of this mad fighting and -struggling among some hundred men in a narrow space -we thought they would kill each other, but generally the -wild tumult of blows, kicks, and curses did not result in -anything serious. Of course the “Ivans” came off triumphant, -having secured the best places for themselves, while -the old and weak had to be content with the worst -corners. The crowding, dirt, stench, and noise made these -prisons veritable hells on earth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The halting-stations were usually tumbledown, one-storied -buildings made of rough-hewn tree-trunks, and -were divided inside by passages into two, three, or four -rooms. Near this prison building would be a house for -the officer in command and another for the soldiers, the -whole enclosed by a stockade of posts about fifteen feet -high, closely fitted together, and pointed at their upper -ends. There are two classes of halting-stations:—larger -ones, where the days of rest are spent, and where an officer -is always in residence, and smaller ones, which are only -used as lodging for one night.</p> - -<div id='i160' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_160_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ROLL-CALL OF PRISONERS AT A HALTING-STATION</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 160</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>When the question of places had been settled the -prisoners would all come out into the yard. Here there -were generally market-women with their wares outspread, -and a regular bargaining would ensue. Of course, the -convicts were always ready to cheat the women and steal -from them, and the latter would then raise loud cries -of lamentation; as, however, in such cases the convicts all -stuck together like one man, no inquiry could ever elicit -any evidence in favour of the complainants.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Washing and cooking also went on in the yard, a big -fire being kindled in the middle of it; and no one ever -thought of danger to the wooden buildings and stockade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The “politicals” were given a separate room; and our -first task on arrival was always to screen off a part with -sheets and rugs to make a place for our ladies. The -position of these poor women, obliged to camp out in -such close proximity to us men, was in many ways very -uncomfortable, especially as soldiers were often quartered -with us; but we did our best to spare them any unpleasantness -that could be avoided.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For some of our party the greatest hardship of our long -journey was the early rising; they needed sleep beyond -everything, and from force of habit could not get it early -in the night. As the ordinary criminals liked early hours—and -the earlier the better—there were often disputes -between us on the subject. We usually arranged the -evening before with the officer of the convoy, and also -with the headman of the ordinary convicts, and appointed -six a.m. as the hour for starting; but once we had a -regular battle on this point. We “politicals” seldom -made use of the courtyard until the criminals were shut -up for the night; there was no room for us till then, and -it was therefore only toward nightfall that we could get -out into the open air. One evening, however, some of us -were in the yard, when the officer came up and ordered us -to go inside. We were exceedingly surprised at this piece -of gratuitous interference, and asked what it meant.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>“Make haste, and be off, or I shall order the start to be -made at four o’clock to-morrow morning,” said the officer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you have just agreed that we shall start at six,” -said we.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, and now I say that we shall start at four.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We shall stick to the original arrangement, and won’t -stir before six,” we returned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We shall see about that!” was the rejoinder; and off -he went.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Evidently we should have a tussle, but we were -unanimous in our resolve not to give in to any such -arbitrary proceeding.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next morning the watch awakened us while it was still -dark, and said the officer had given orders that we must -be moving. We paid no attention to this. The ordinary -convicts had been already called out, and were in the yard -ready for the start, when at four o’clock the sergeant came -and repeated the order. Some of us then dressed, but the -others remained lying on the plank beds. Meanwhile the -convicts began to grumble at being kept freezing in the -cold; they cursed and threatened, and made a great to-do -outside our windows. The officer himself now appeared, -accompanied by one of the soldiers, and again repeated -his order to start. We did not stir, and he called to his -people—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Drive them out with the butt-ends of your rifles!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This would now most certainly have become a serious -affair if the soldiers had obeyed at once, for we were -prepared to defend ourselves. Fortunately they hesitated -a moment, and that saved us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you doing?” cried some of us. “Do you -want to have bloodshed? That would not be pleasant for -you. You have broken your promise, and in no case are -we obliged to begin the march so early; the instructions -only say that a party must reach its destination before -sunset.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment the sergeant came up in haste.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>“Captain,” said he, “the convicts are in rebellion; they -want to break in here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us get at them!” we heard them shouting outside; -“we’ll soon make them show their legs!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There you are!” we cried to the officer. “You have -brought this on yourself. It is your fault for having -inflamed those men against us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The man lost his presence of mind in face of this -danger; and, scared out of his wits, instead of giving -orders, appealed to us for counsel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In God’s name, what’s to be done?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>We advised him to let the fellows start off at once, -under command of the sergeant, so as to get them out of -the way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At six o’clock we will be ready, and will go after -them; but we won’t start a minute sooner.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He went off somewhat humbled, and gave the order as -we had suggested. We drank our tea very peacefully, and -got ready at our leisure. From time to time the orderly -appeared, and asked if we would start; but we always -looked at the time and said it was only so many minutes to -six. Punctually on the stroke of the hour we got up and -set off after the rest of the convoy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This occurrence had the effect of winning us the respect -and sympathy of most of the convicts. Our firmness and -decision pleased them and impressed them. They were -surprised that such a handful of us—fourteen men and -women—should have successfully resisted the domineering -of an officer, who had at his command a hundred soldiers -and their own contingent into the bargain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Friendly relations were established between our two -divisions, and throughout our journey we never came into -collision. One only of the convicts had a grudge against -us, and took every opportunity of evincing his dislike. He -was an old hand, had repeatedly escaped from prison, and -was now being transported as a criminal of “unknown -antecedents.” He was evidently from the working-classes, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>but was distinguished by keen reasoning powers, and had -read an astonishing amount. Reading seemed to be his -master passion, but the works of reactionary authors exclusively -had fallen into his hands—Katkov, Meshtchèrsky, -etc.—and his views were according. He had formed really -remarkable opinions on politics in general, and Socialism -in particular. He was genuinely convinced that the -revolutionists had killed Alexander II. solely because he -had emancipated the serfs! He accused us before all the -other convicts of being either discontented aristocrats or -their paid agents. After this, several of us entered into -discussion with him, and tried to convert him. By degrees -our arguments began to take effect; he begged us to -lend him books, and sought our society whenever possible. -I had many talks with him, and tried to get him to tell me -about his past and his wandering life; but I never succeeded -in learning who and what he really was. He -remained to the end the “Ivan of unknown antecedents,” -as he was called in his record-book. Yet he would readily -tell us tales of his vagabondage. I asked him on one -occasion how he managed to get through to European -Russia when he escaped from Siberia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, where’s the difficulty?” he replied. “The chief -thing is to have the Urals behind your back; then you get -a train or a steamboat, and stop wherever you like. I -would go in that way to Kharkov, or Kiëv, or Odessa, -or Rostov, hire a room, and live quite comfortably. I was -always respectably dressed; my passport was all right -(that we see to ourselves), and so nobody bothered about -me. The one thing I cared about was to subscribe to -a library and get books. I’ve read all sorts of good -things—Gaboriau, Paul de Kock, Ponson du Terrail, and -lots more beside. At midday I would dine at a restaurant, -and go to the theatre in the evening sometimes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That sounds very nice. But where did you get the -money for all that?” I inquired, with interest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of earning a living in the ordinary sense there was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>evidently no question here. One would suppose the -gentleman to have been living on private means.</p> - -<div id='i164' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_164_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ESCAPED CONVICT-TRAMP (BRODYAGA)</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 164</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“Money? Oh, I took whatever there was to take!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, tell me just what that means,” I asked him. -And he thereupon explained his theory of life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Above everything, it’s my motto that ‘Self’s the man.’ -I don’t hold with joint-stock business in our way of life. -Thieves make bad partners, you know. You run the -chance of being murdered or split on at every turn; so -I always work on my own hook.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He then related how he “worked” at burglary, pocket-picking, -or petty thefts, each as occasion served.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course,” he observed, “sometimes you have a bit -of bad luck and get caught. Then off you go to Siberia, -and have to begin all over again. I expect I shall go -on all my life ringing the changes on Europe and Asia,” -he concluded, with perfect composure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I realised from the narrations of this man and other -criminals the astonishing numbers belonging to this vagabond -class. It is generally recruited from the ranks of -those condemned to transportation for the less serious -offences; but some among its members have been sentenced -to penal servitude, and have then “swopped.” As -soon as the sun of spring shines out, not one of them -remains at his place of exile; they all manage to get away -and make for European Russia. They usually choose -byways and tracks known only to themselves through the -<em>taigà</em> or primeval forest, but occasionally they wander -quite calmly along the great Moscow high road—until the -completion of the railway the only regular way of transit -between Eastern Siberia and Europe. We ourselves often -met these tramps on the road, travelling in couples or in -quite considerable bands. They came along in their -prison clothes, a bundle and a small kettle on their backs; -always skirting the edge of the forest, so as to vanish -within its recesses if need be. At sight of our party they -would stop for a chat with the convicts, among whom they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>often found old acquaintances. The officers and soldiers -seemed not to trouble their heads about them in the -slightest degree.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where are you off to?” the officer of our convoy once -asked, when some tramps saluted him, cap in hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your Excellency knows; we’re going to the Government’s -lodgings,” the rogues replied, grinning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, get along with you, then, in God’s name!” the -officer laughed; and then told us that he had escorted this -very lot into exile a few months back.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Government lodgings” was the recognised euphemism -for prison, and it was perfectly true that most of these -vagabonds would find their way back there soon enough; -by autumn hardly a man of them would be still at large. -Meanwhile they begged their way along. The Siberian -natives were liberal in almsgiving; partly from obedience -to their religion, which enjoins charitable deeds, but not a -little from fear, as, if refused, these tramps are not slow in -revenging themselves. In many places there was a regular -custom of putting out food on the window-sill at night—a -bowl of thickened milk, a piece of bread, or some curd-cheese. -The peasants would even leave open the door of -the bath-house (generally placed at a little distance from -the other houses), that the wanderers might find shelter. -They were admitted very unwillingly to the dwelling-houses, -from a not unjustifiable mistrust of their conduct; -and that reminds me of the following episode.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day as we were on the march a criminal told -me that he had known Tchernishevsky.<a id='r61' /><a href='#f61' class='c010'><sup>[61]</sup></a> This naturally -excited my interest, and I asked him how and where he -had met that great martyr to our cause. He told me that -he had once before been exiled, and sent to Viluisk, in -Yakutsk. Tchernishevsky was there at the same time; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>they were let out of prison together, and interned in the -same town. The man could tell me nothing except some -details of the way in which Tchernishevsky had passed his -time in exile; but that was enough to make my heart -warm towards him. It seemed to me that a criminal who -had known personally one of the noblest men in Russia -must have something in him a little different from the rest. -When he had told me all he could of Tchernishevsky, -I asked him how he himself came to be going back into -exile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I got sick of that cursed hole, Viluisk,” he said, “and -got away with some other tramps. We’d been a few days -on the road when one stormy night we came to a village. -It was pouring in torrents, and we could find nobody who -would let us in, till at last an old man opened the door of -his hut. We begged him in God’s name to give us shelter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Well,’ he said, ‘will you promise to leave us old folks -in peace?’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘What do you take us for, grandfather?’ said we. -‘Have pity on us!’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So he let us in, and the old woman gave us something -to eat, and they allowed us to lie on the stove by turns. -Well, they went to sleep, and we just <em>did for them</em>, and -went off with everything that could be of any use to us. -We didn’t get far: the peasants came after us and caught -us; and then there was the usual game—trial and sentence -to penal servitude. But on the way here I made a ‘swop,’ -and now I’m going into exile as ‘of unknown antecedents.’”</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>On their side, however, the people of Siberia are often -guilty of great brutality towards the convict-tramps, -sometimes shooting them down like beasts of the chase -simply in order to steal their clothes, boots, and the products -of their begging. I have been told, for instance, -by people whose evidence is to be trusted, that the following -is a typical instance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A tramp had hired himself out to a peasant for the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>winter. When spring laid the road open, he received the -whole sum due to him, and took his departure. His wages -amounted to the veriest trifle, for the peasants drive hard -bargains with the poor rascals; but his master grudged -parting with even this miserable pittance, and after his -departure took his gun and went on the chase. Siberians -are keen huntsmen and dead shots; they are as much at -home in the forest as the wild animals. This man soon -got on the convict’s trail, caught him up, shot him down -ruthlessly, and left the body to the beasts of prey, while -he went home with the spoils.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Throughout our journey we constantly heard tales of -unrecognised corpses found, and shocking crimes never -unravelled. Siberia was then a wild, forsaken land, untraversed -by roads save for the one great Moscow highway. -The government of the country districts, entirely in the -hands of the police, was corrupt from top to bottom. -What wonder if events that chill one’s blood with horror -take place there without exciting more than a passing -comment? The life of a human being is not valued -highly in itself anywhere throughout the Tsar’s dominions; -but in Siberia it counts for absolutely nothing, as my own -eyes often testified. Even now, when distinct progress has -been made in many respects, and the administration of -justice greatly reformed (since 1897), this state of things -is little changed.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span> - <h2 id='chap19' class='c008'>CHAPTER XIX <br /> <span class='small'>THE FOREST—UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS AT ESCAPE—THE PEOPLE WE MET—THE CRIMINAL WORLD—THE CONVOY OFFICERS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Our journey was for the most part accomplished -during the Siberian summer. The forest, through -which the highway runs for thousands of versts, is then in -fullest beauty; and from the many different species of -trees is wafted an indescribably delicious perfume. Countless -birds flit among the branches, and fill the air with -song. Life seems everywhere the more ebullient for its -long winter sleep, and throughout all nature the tide of -energy is at its highest. A riot of joy was visible everywhere, -and we alone seemed to strike a discordant note, -as we wandered on towards the prison that awaited us. -Yet even we felt born anew; our open-air life worked -wonders, following on our long imprisonment. Many who -had left Moscow weak and ill became robust in health -during the journey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Moscow high-road is, as I have said, the only means -of transit, nevertheless it is kept in an incredibly bad condition. -It has never been properly made, and during the -damp weather of early spring, or after a downpour in -summer, vehicles are often axle-deep in mud. Along the -road, at intervals of fifteen to twenty versts, there are -villages, or sometimes small towns. To the north and -south no traces of human dwellings are to be found; the -eternal forest extends for thousands of versts, and only a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>few nomad tribes of half-savage hunters or herdsmen -roam through its depths. Whilst our party rested, or even -during the march, we “politicals” would often leave the -road, and accompanied by a guard would dive into the -woods to gather flowers and berries. A strange feeling -would steal over one. A dozen steps into the thicket, and -one is absolutely alone, not a soul to be seen. One dreams -of being free and one’s own master; but the rattle of -fetters, or the glitter of a bayonet brings back grim reality, -and soon we are recalled by the soldiers, for the party must -not be kept waiting.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The officers make no difficulty about these little excursions, -although they are forbidden by the regulations. At -first this surprised me; but I soon saw it was simply -because everyone was convinced that escape was quite -impracticable. For although at first sight it may appear -an easy thing to hide in the undergrowth and get away, -as a matter of fact very few “politicals” have ever even -attempted it, and only one—Dzvonkyèvitch—when actually -on the march. He had been condemned to penal servitude -for life, and ran away from his escort into the forest; but -the soldiers caught and frightfully maltreated him. If the -officers had not come up he would have been murdered -out of hand. He was taken half dead to the hospital in -Krasnoyarsk, where—thanks to his strong constitution—he -recovered from his severe wounds, though he will bear -traces of them for the rest of his life. This had taken -place just a year before our arrival at Krasnoyarsk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Several attempts have also been made to escape from -the halting-stations, but with no greater success. It must -be remembered that Siberia is so sparsely populated that -every traveller on the road is an object of universal -attention, and the authorities are therefore soon made -aware of the whereabouts of a runaway, if he be a -“political” whom they are anxious to capture. Besides, -the fugitives are often forced to come in of themselves. -They do not know the paths through the forest, so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>familiar to the ordinary criminals, but wander helplessly -about, and are thankful at last if they chance to hit the -high-road once more, and—half famished—seek the -nearest village. In such cases the peasants are eager to -assist the authorities and thereby earn a reward; and as -soon as they discover a political runaway they unfailingly -deliver him up to the police.</p> - -<div id='i170' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_170_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AN ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 170</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Up to the present time the Russian Government has -been amply justified in regarding Siberia as one vast -prison, whose natural conditions offer more insuperable -obstacles to escape than do iron bars, high walls, or any -number of guards. But this is only to the “politicals,” to -whom the forest ways are strange. The criminals, as I -have said, are quite at home in the wild woods; and it is -easily conceivable that to many of us the thought has -occurred of making common cause with these people, and -escaping in their company. Such attempts, however, have -more than once had a fatal ending. The rascals are -always ready to murder for the sake of gain; a -“political’s” money, and even his clothes, are quite -sufficient bait. In this manner it is supposed that -Ladislas Isbitsky came by his death in the year 1880. -He had successfully negotiated a “swop,” had escaped as -an ordinary criminal—and then disappeared for ever, -probably murdered by the tramps to whose guidance he -had entrusted himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another instance of this kind was related to me by a -political exile, who, when himself a fugitive in company -with some convict-tramps, chanced to overhear them -planning to murder him in his sleep. For weeks he was -obliged to feign sleep at night while really remaining -awake—a terrible task, as may readily be imagined.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These criminals do not, indeed, even trust one another -when on the road; and it is said that when two of them -have to enter a narrow path, there will be a sharp dispute -as to who is to go first, the one in front never feeling safe -from an attack in the rear by the companion of his march.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>Other dangers also lie in wait for the wanderer. Our -comrade Vlastòpoulo, sentenced to penal servitude for life, -narrowly escaped being devoured by a bear, during his -flight in company with Kòziriov (another revolutionist -condemned to penal servitude). He described to me how -the bear came so suddenly upon them that they had no -time to fly, and could only back against a tree, supposing -their last hour had come. Bruin, however, must have had -a full meal, for he trotted quietly by, apparently without -noticing them! These two fugitives suffered terribly from -hunger and thirst during their wanderings through the -woods.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Although we had had no personal experience of these -various dangers, most of us were so well aware of them -that no plan of escape during the journey entered into our -calculations; but two of our comrades could not resist the -temptation to weave schemes of the kind. These were -Maria Kalyùshnaya and the student Yordan—the former -condemned to twenty years’ penal servitude, and the latter -“administratively” exiled to Eastern Siberia for five years. -They were both young, barely twenty, and their longing -for freedom was overpowering. None of their projects of -flight were practicable, however, and they did not attempt -to carry them into execution. Both these young creatures -died in prison; Maria Kalyùshnaya’s story, which I shall -have to relate further on, being a specially sad one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We had many opportunities, during our long march, -of becoming acquainted with the people whose dwellings -are beside the great highway. A certain air of comfort -and well-being was often visible about them, and some -of the larger settlements had the pleasant appearance of -a Russian provincial town. Roomy, well-built houses, -occasionally of more than one story, decorated with -carving and provided with tidy hedges and gates, lined -the road sometimes for several versts. Curtains and -flower-pots showed in the windows; the rooms were often -carpeted and furnished comfortably, sometimes even exhibiting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>the luxury of Austrian bentwood furniture. The -cattle, so far as we could see, were finer and better kept -than is usual among the Russian peasantry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This well-to-do appearance was only in part to be -ascribed to the productiveness of the husbandry in these -regions. Trade and the conduct of traffic were the principal -resources of the inhabitants; for this road was the -only means of communication by land between Europe -and the northern parts of Asia. Caravans in lengthy -processions, sometimes in such numbers that the road was -practically blocked, travelled along the great highway; and -the country people found employment in the transport of -both goods and passengers. The regular posting-stations -were often unequal to the demands made upon them, -and travellers—merchants especially—were obliged to hire -private vehicles and pay dearly for them. Besides these -legitimate industries, the inhabitants had another extremely -lucrative source of gain. Many villages had won for themselves -an evil name in this connection, and were known as -“thieves’ towns,” because no caravan ever passed through -them without paying toll of its wares; sometimes a chest -of tea would be stolen, sometimes a horse, and so on. It -was asserted that in some of these places the inhabitants -made raids on travellers by night, and lived by highway -robbery. It is characteristic of the country that this -reputation lowered no man in public estimation. Anyone -was received in “good society” if he were rich, no matter -whether he were well known to have robberies by the score -upon his conscience; he might, indeed, even be asked to -fill the most honourable offices—such as churchwarden, -mayor, or head of the commune. Later, when I was -living in a Siberian town as an exile released from prison -under police surveillance, I was frequently told by trustworthy -persons, with every detail, how such and such -a citizen, universally respected and esteemed, had made -his fortune by cheating and robbery, or even by downright -murder. There were numbers of people whose past -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>could not bear inspection; and many of them, even after -becoming possessed of wealth in superfluity, could not -quite give up their old practices. It so fell out, for -example, at the end of the eighties, that General Barabash -the military governor of Tchita (the capital of the Transbaikalian -Government), gave a banquet, to which all the -notabilities of the place were invited, and that the highly -respectable merchant and mayor Alexèiev broke off in -the middle of the feasting and went straight from table -to waylay the passing night-mail. This worthy citizen, -with one of his friends, galloped after the mail-coach, -murdered the driver, seriously wounded the guard, seized -the bag containing the registered letters, and made off. -The guard, however, whom they had left for dead, was -rescued; and as an unusually energetic magistrate took -the matter in hand, the whole story came out, and could -not be hushed up in the customary manner. The case was -brought before a court-martial, and the highway robbers -were condemned to death.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These colonies by the great road had had very diverse -origins, and were sharply differentiated from each other -in character. There were more or less pure Russian -villages, neighboured by barbaric Buriat settlements; and -there were also villages inhabited exclusively by members -of various sects, exiled from Russia and forcibly established -there as a punishment for their daring to fall away -from the Orthodox State religion. Those that I found -specially interesting were the villages of the so-called -Subòtniki (Sabbatarians). The members of this sect are -Russian by nationality, yet their religion is the Mosaic -in its strictest form.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was curious in the extreme to find these typical -representatives of the Slav race considering themselves -Jews by virtue of their religion, and still stranger to -hear them boasting of the prerogatives of their Israelitish -faith. In their manner of life and occupations they differ -in no way from ordinary Russian peasants; although in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>decency and prosperity their villages are far above those -of their Christian neighbours.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Those of our criminal contingent who had travelled this -way more than once already were well acquainted with -the manners and customs of the Siberian people; many -of them were veritable mines of information, and could -relate tales of uncommon interest. In their narrations -the Siberians usually figured in an unfavourable light; -for the criminals hate them from the bottom of their -hearts, and ascribe all kinds of evil qualities to them, -being, one and all, firmly persuaded that although their -own standard of conduct is by no means exalted, they -are infinitely higher in the moral scale than the Siberians.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Heaven knows we are rascals through and through, -good-for-nothings, and all that; but <em>that</em> lot are far and -away worse,” was their dictum. They showered on the -Siberians all sorts of contemptuous names, which were -quite incomprehensible to us, but seemed to provoke -their recipients terribly. This mutual antipathy probably -arose from the fact of the parties knowing one another -only too well, and from the injuries inflicted by each on -the other during past generations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We came into such close contact with the world of crime -during our travels that we could soon recognise what -Lombroso calls “the criminal type.” On the whole, the -criminals made a more favourable impression on me than -I had expected. Certainly there was much about them -unpleasant, and even repulsive; but this was, I think, -less due to their character as a class than to the special -influence of the “Ivans”—a quite peculiar type, who -imparted their tone more or less to all the others. With -the exception of these leaders, and of a small number of -the worst criminals, who had not succeeded in “swopping,” -the majority consisted of very average men of the working -class, with the good and bad qualities of their order. Their -leading characteristics were dumb acquiescence in their lot -and a shy dread of anyone who would attempt to better it.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>They were for the most part just as good-natured and -ready to help one another as is commonly the case with -workers of the lower classes. Among the ordinary prisoners, -too, were to be found many individuals who could in no -sense be ranked as criminals. Russian village communes -have the power of rejecting from their midst members -whom they consider undesirable; and these outcasts can -then be sent to settle in Siberia, without any judicial -sentence, but simply by the desire of a majority in their -commune. Moreover, this verdict of the commune is often -delivered without any real majority being convinced as to -the unfitness of the offending member; the clerk to the -commune and two or three of the richer peasants and -usurers (<em>Kulaki</em>) can easily manage to get rid of a poor -wretch who does not happen to please them. It would be -impossible to calculate how many crying injustices are -thus perpetrated on the destitute and helpless among the -peasantry. The victims of such barbarous and arbitrary -proceedings who were among our party, had many sad -stories to tell, which only corroborated what I myself had -seen going on in country districts. With one or two -exceptions, the exiles belonging to this category were quite -average specimens of the Russian peasant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were also included among these ordinary prisoners -members of various religious sects, exiled on that account, -and they were very far removed from the criminal type. -These sectarians are admitted, by all who know Siberia -best, to form the steadiest and the most industrious -element of the population. The sectarians in our party of -ordinary prisoners always avoided any participation in the -fights, quarrels, and rowdyism of the others, and tried not -to fall out either with the leaders of the convict band, on -the one hand, nor with the authorities on the other. It -was their custom to accept humbly all insults and injuries -inflicted on them as trials sent them by God.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Those prisoners who had minor punishments to undergo, -and who had least on their conscience, were for the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>most part timid, submissive, even broken-spirited. Among -them were the unfortunate wretches whom I have described -as gambling away their food-money for whole -weeks together. They then literally starved, or sold -themselves into the hands of the “swop” organisation for -a beggarly sum. They were treated with utter contempt -by the other criminals, and among them went by the name -of “biscuits,” a rather descriptive title for these pale, dried-up, -emaciated creatures. These “biscuits” were the -pariahs of their society, and all the dirtiest and most -disagreeable work—cleaning out of privies, etc.—fell to -their share as a matter of course. They seemed to have -lost all power of will; and gambling—the source of all -their sufferings—was the only thing they cared for. They -were always ready to steal anything that came in their -way, except from the “Ivans,” which would have had dire -results for themselves if discovered, probably a murderous -thrashing. I only knew one case of that kind, when a -poor young fellow stole a piece of bread from one of the -“Ivans,” and the <em>artèl</em> at once decided that he should -be punished exemplarily, “because he had stolen from -his own people.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I have spoken before of this <em>artèl</em>, an extremely interesting -institution which has existed among criminals from -time immemorial. It is based on stringent and unalterable -rules, the chief of which is that each individual must yield -implicit obedience to the will of the whole <em>artèl</em>. All -members are supposed to have, <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>de jure</em></span>, equal rights in the -organisation; but, <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>de facto</em></span>, the confirmed criminals, the -old experienced rogues and vagabonds, are the preponderating -element, and it is the “Ivans” that govern the rest -ruthlessly in their own proper interest. It is <em>their</em> will that -passes for the will of the whole body. Without the sanction -of the <em>artèl</em> no agreement between individuals has any -force; only with its consent can any “swop” be carried -out, and thus a portion of the price always goes into the -common exchequer. Once the sanction of the <em>artèl</em> is given -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>there is no holding back; a criminal who refused to fulfil -his “swop” when he had agreed to it and received his pay -would have the whole combined <em>artèl</em> against him. But -such a case never occurs; and fear of the <i>artèl’s</i> vengeance -is too great for any treachery by its members. The lawful -authorities would have no power to shield such a traitor, -and could not get him out of the clutches of the organisation; -for if he were moved to another prison the <em>artèl</em> -there would take on the feud and mete out vengeance to -him, the leaders invariably finding means to communicate -with each other. In one respect the solidarity of the <em>artèl</em> -is especially strong: it is represented in all dealings with -the authorities by its <em>stàrosta</em> or head-man, elected by the -prisoners themselves from among their own ranks. This -is a post of honour, and is naturally always obtained by an -experienced and crafty rogue. He makes all arrangements -concerning his constituents, receives their food-money, -and sees to its distribution. His authority over the common -herd is limitless; but he is directly dependent on -the leaders—the “Ivans”—who have carried through his -election, and would be powerless without their support, so -that he has to keep on good terms with them. The office -of <em>stàrosta</em> has its pecuniary advantages, and it often -happens that candidates for the post pay a considerable -sum for the votes of the powerful “Ivans.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A less important, but equally profitable post is that of -the storekeeper, who trades with the other prisoners in tea, -sugar, tobacco, and other things of the kind, and—secretly—in -spirits and playing-cards. This privilege is granted -by the <em>artèl</em> for a fixed time to one of the candidates for -the office, who pays for it a certain sum into the common -chest. The chief profits accrue from the illicit sale of spirits -and hiring out of playing-cards. At night, as soon as the -ordinary prisoners were shut in, and often even by day, they -might be seen squatting together in groups to indulge in -a game of chance. They would gamble away not only -their meagre food-allowance, but clothes, linen, boots, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>property of the State; for which they were of course -accountable, and for the loss of which—if discovered—they -were liable to severe punishment. Half naked, save -for some miserable rags, the condition of the wretched -“biscuits” in bad weather was pitiable indeed; and when -the cold days of autumn came on they could be seen -shivering from head to foot, running instead of walking -when on the march, to try and keep warm. It was hard -to understand how these men could endure the hunger and -cold they brought on themselves. We attempted to relieve -them, but could do very little; as, firstly, our own means -were very limited; and, secondly, they staked everything -we gave them, at the first opportunity, despite the most -solemn promises. There was always an eager crowd -around any players, following the game with as much -excitement as the principals themselves could manifest; -and occasionally a lucky winner would share some of his -gains with his starving comrades. It was the custom, too, -for the storekeeper to treat the whole company when his -term of office expired; that was a feast-day for the -hungry, and you might hear them say: “To-day we’ll eat -our fill; the storekeeper pays”!</p> - -<p class='c001'>The officers of the escort on principle never interfered -with the affairs of the <em>artèl</em>, the prisoners themselves -managing to keep order so as to avoid any occasion for -such interference or coercion. It was certainly remarkable -that this crowd of people, many of whom were hardened -robbers and murderers, should have been so easy to rule; -for the numbers of the escort were relatively small. No -prisoner attempted to escape, that being strictly forbidden -by their rules during the journey for fear of reprisals by -the authorities against the <em>artèl</em>. There were squabbles -and scuffles, but never anything that necessitated the interference -of the soldiery; and though doubtless there was an -inordinate amount of drinking (for spirits were always to -be had), no drunkard was allowed to carry on any brawling -under the eye of the officer. The others saw to that. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>There was a tacit understanding between the <em>artèl</em> and the -officer; the latter knew that if the prisoners were allowed -a free hand in certain matters he could count on them to -keep order among themselves, and never to cause him any -trouble. He therefore looked the other way when regulations -were disregarded, as, for instance, in the matter -of fetters, which were always merely tied together, not -riveted; so that though worn on the march they could be -taken off at night—which was of course against rules. -Among all the different convoy officers (and there were -forty stationed on the route between Tomsk and Kara—men -of very varied types), not one made any exception to -this rule. I have never observed any abuse of their power -in regard to the prisoners, nor that they were particularly -rude and rough in dealing with them; still less that they -ever attempted to mulct them of their food-money or other -allowances. On the other hand, it often happens that these -officers are prosecuted for shortcomings of this kind in -connection with their subordinates, and even for direct -peculation. It must be remembered that the halting-stations -are established in the wilderness, far removed from -the reach of the central authorities, military and civil. It -is easy, therefore, for a commanding officer to abuse his -position. Most of them get but a scanty education in the -lower military schools, and are then sent out into the -Siberian wilds, where many are naturally led to give -the rein to their worst qualities. The majority of them -know no pleasure but debauchery, and when drunk commit -all kinds of excesses, gamble away the excise-money, -maltreat their inferiors, and so on.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were a few officers with a taste for economy, and -they were less inclined to excess, but the soldiers were -scarcely better off under their rule—perhaps worse—than -under that of the rakes and drunkards; for these able -financiers established such a thorough control of ways and -means in their department that their unfortunate men -were not only mercilessly fleeced, but made to do all sorts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>of work in house and field in order to save paying for -labour. However, this class was not a large one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To us “politicals” most of the officers behaved with -formal correctness, and tried to avoid any conflicts. But -apart from their general attitude, there were numerous -petty details—slight enough in themselves, but of great -importance to us on such a long journey—that were sometimes -subjects of dispute; for instance, the hour of starting -in the early morning, as I have already mentioned; and -we had discussions with various officers about other things, -such as keeping the wooden tub in our room all night, -which we declined to do, as it poisoned the air, and also -on account of the ladies who had to share the room with -us. If the officer were ill-tempered or obstinate, trifles -like these might be the occasion of insults and bullying on -his side that would lead to revolt and violence on ours; -and then a court-martial with its cruel verdict loomed -before us. Fortunately, things never went so far as that,—thanks -partly to our having in our midst a few older -and wiser heads, who exercised a calming influence over -the rest, besides three men who had had considerable -experience of intercourse with the authorities, as they were -going to Siberia for the second time, having previously -been “administratively” exiled—Malyòvany, Spandoni, -and Tchuikòv. We owed much also to the exertions and -tactful counsel of our head-man, Làzarev.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It happened sometimes that we came across officers who -were ready to show us many small kindnesses—lending us -newspapers and paying attention to our comfort in any -way possible to them. On one or two occasions we had -unexpected bits of good fortune. An officer, recognising -a school-friend in one of our comrades—Snigiriòv, a -veterinary surgeon—was much moved at the meeting, and -during the two days of his accompanying us did all he -could to help us. Another officer announced himself as -a sympathiser with Socialism. He had mixed in revolutionary -circles, and made no secret of his views, being -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>in entire agreement with us. He told us he read a good -deal of forbidden literature, and we discussed many -political problems with him. Naturally it was a pleasant -surprise to find a man of kindred opinions among the -instruments of despotism.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The polite behaviour of most officers towards us may -possibly have been due to an amusingly mistaken notion, -of which by chance we discovered symptoms. On entering -one of the halting-stations we found in the room to -which we were shown a plainly dressed man with handcuffs -on his wrists. He turned out to be a political exile -named Stephen Agàpov,<a id='r62' /><a href='#f62' class='c010'><sup>[62]</sup></a> a factory hand, who was now -being removed from Eastern to Western Siberia as a -mitigation of his punishment, in accordance with the -coronation manifesto of 1883. His wife, a Siberian -peasant, accompanied him. Agàpov explained to us that -when our party was expected the officer had ordered him -to quit that room, because a party of “politicals” was -coming, composed entirely of counts and princes, and that -these noble personages would never put up with having -a common workman in the room with them. Agàpov and -his wife thought this no reason why they should be turned -out of the room intended for political prisoners like themselves, -and they refused to obey, which led to a violent -scene, and Agàpov was put in irons. Worse still, the -irate officer had another punishment in store for him. -The pair had with them all their belongings—the fruits -of hard work in Eastern Siberia—making a weight of -luggage beyond what was permitted by the regulations. -The officer immediately ordered everything above the -prescribed weight to be sold by auction to the people -of the place—a pure piece of malice, as even the ordinary -exiles were always allowed excess luggage, and still more -those who were benefiting by the act of grace.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>This tyrannical performance incensed us highly, and our -good head-man went at once to the officer with an appeal -for the release of our comrade from his fetters, which was -granted without much ado. The comic part of the affair -was that we ourselves should figure as princes and counts! -In reality there was not one among us of such rank, but -the legend had probably arisen from the addresses of -letters sent by members of our party to Prince Volhònsky, -Count Leo Tolstoi, and other well-known people of title. -The affair had further consequences for the poor Agàpovs, -as the officer reported them for disobedience, violence, etc., -and they were sent to one of those “towns” to the north of -Tobolsk that I have previously described—a far worse -locality than that from which they were being brought as -an act of clemency.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XX <br /> <span class='small'>FROM KRASNOYARSK TO IRKUTSK—MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND DISPUTES—THE WOMEN IN IRKUTSK PRISON</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The distance from Tomsk to Krasnoyarsk is about -five hundred versts, and took us a full month to -accomplish—twenty days on the march and ten days of -rest between the stages. In Krasnoyarsk we were to wait -a week, the ordinary prisoners being taken to the deportation -prison and we ourselves lodged in the town gaol. On -arriving there we were struck by the orderliness of the -arrangements. The spacious new building was freshly -whitewashed, and the whole place spotlessly clean; there -was light and air in abundance, and there were no bars to -the windows. We might have imagined that we had been -brought to a decent hotel; I have certainly never seen -another prison like it in either Siberia or Russia. When we -entered the corridor, however, the air of comfort was somewhat -lessened by inscriptions on the cell doors—“For -murder”; “For robbery”; “For theft,” etc. The governor, -a pleasant-looking man, came up and ordered briefly and -decisively that we should be placed in separate cells, and -each according to his special class—convicts, exiles, and -“administratives”—as that was the rule of the place. This -did not suit us at all, and we explained to him the upset it -would mean to our feeding arrangements; besides which, -as during our two months’ journey we had clubbed all our -luggage together, it would be very awkward to change all -that at a moment’s notice. Moreover, we told him, we did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>not wish to be treated in any different way from that -prescribed by the regulations; that we were on transport, -and therefore not supposed to conform to the rules of the -place, which only applied to prisoners on remand or under -sentence there. It had nothing to do with us, we said, -that we had not been taken to the deportation prison -where we belonged; and—to sum the matter up—we -intended to do here as everywhere else, <i>i.e.</i> we should -divide into groups convenient to ourselves in the different -rooms, and might be locked up by night, but not by day, -as set forth in our instructions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The governor was much put about at receiving this -answer, and declared he could on no account permit such -an infringement of his regulations; but we refused to be -lodged separately, and remained firmly planted in the -corridor, bag and baggage. The chief of police was now -sent for: a perfect Falstaff, and—as it turned out—a very -ignorant fellow. He likewise pronounced that we must -conform to the regulations; to which we made our former -reply, claiming our rights. As we were reasoning with -him, one of the ladies happened to mention the word -“<em>goumànnost</em>” (humanity), and—like the postmaster in -Gogol’s immortal comedy, who did not know whether -“<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>mauvais ton</em></span>” might not mean something worse than -“rascal”—so this good man became uneasy as to whether -the unfamiliar word might not contain some offence, and -demanded an explanation, with which—repressing our -amusement—we furnished him. In the end this functionary -decided that a still higher power must be referred -to—the governor of the district; meanwhile there next -successively appeared the colonel of the gendarmerie and -the public prosecutor, to whom we again explained our -position. They could find nothing to say against our -representations, and after the discussion had lasted a long -time—we camping out in the passage all the while, unable -to unpack or prepare a meal (although we had eaten -nothing since early morning and were fearfully hungry)—at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>last the good people agreed that, pending the arrival of -the governor’s decision, we should make our own arrangements.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next day as we sat at dinner the chief of police appeared -in full parade uniform, with his helmet on.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Gentlemen, I am to inform you of the governor’s -decision,” he began ceremoniously, when our head-man -interrupted him with the request that he would uncover -his head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Gentlemen, you see I am in parade uniform, and the -helmet is part of it; I cannot take it off,” he stammered, -doubtful if this were not some new form of insult.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We do not care what sort of uniform it is,” answered -Làzarev, with imperturbable calm, “when you come into -our room you will have the kindness to remove your head-covering.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now this is too much. I cannot, I really cannot take -off my helmet,” he declared, growing warm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do as you please; but in that case we will not listen -to the decision of the governor,” said Làzarev.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The poor man looked from one to another, hesitated, -and finally bared his worthy head and imparted to us the -formal decision: the governor granted our desire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I wonder how many officials have had to learn this -elementary lesson in politeness from us.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>In Krasnoyarsk our party was diminished to eleven in -number. The veterinary surgeon Snigiriòv and the student -Korniènko were to remain in the government of Yenisei, -and we had to leave Spandoni behind in the prison, as he -was ill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We were two months on the journey from Krasnoyarsk -to Irkutsk, a thousand versts. In that whole distance -there is only one town, Nijni-Udînsk; and even this -scarcely deserves the title. Here we met comrades—a -married couple named Novakòvsky—also on their way to -Eastern Siberia. I had known Novakòvsky in Kiëv; he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>had taken part in the 1876 demonstration in the Kazan -Square in Petersburg, and had been banished to Siberia. -After the coronation manifesto in 1883, he was moved -from Balagansk, in the government of Irkutsk, to -Minuisinsk, in the government of Yenisei; but now he -and his wife were being sent out to the East, on the -following account. For some reason or other Novakòvsky -had fallen out with the <em>ispravnik</em><a id='r63' /><a href='#f63' class='c010'><sup>[63]</sup></a> of Minuisinsk. Another -of the political exiles had occasion to apply to the -<em>ispravnik</em> for something; the latter, mistaking him for -Novakòvsky, received him with the grossest incivility, and -when he discovered his error, apologised by explaining the -mistake he had made. The thing was talked about, and -came to the ears of Novakòvsky and of his wife, who had -voluntarily followed him into banishment. For some days -the exiles consulted together what should be done, but -before they had decided to take any steps, Novakòvsky’s -wife took the matter into her own hands; she went into -the office and gave the <em>ispravnik</em> a box on the ear, with -the words—“That’s for my husband!” She was had up -for trial, and sentenced by the court to deportation into -Eastern Siberia, whither her husband was now accompanying -her by his own desire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Later I learned to know and esteem Novakòvsky’s wife. -She was a clever, courageous woman, of lively and resolute -disposition. I believe that both she and her husband died -in Siberia.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Our journey now proceeded much as heretofore, only in -course of time the regulations were less and less strictly -observed. We left off our fetters altogether, without any -comment being made, and were never bothered about -head-shaving.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I looked forward with impatience to arriving at Irkutsk -prison, where I hoped to meet a friend of early days—Maria -Kovalèvskaya. We had become acquainted in 1875, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>belonged to the same section of the Buntari, and—as was -then customary among all the revolutionists—said “thee” -and “thou” to one another. Maria Kovalèvskaya<a id='r64' /><a href='#f64' class='c010'><sup>[64]</sup></a> was -one of the most remarkable women in the movement; she -was the daughter of a man of property named Vorontsov, -and had married Kovalèvsky, a tutor in a military gymnasium. -In the early sixties she joined the revolutionary -movement, left her husband and little daughter, and -devoted herself to the work of the party. She was small -of stature and had something of the gipsy in her looks; -was lively and energetic in manner, keen of wit, ready and -logical in speech. She distinguished herself at all -theoretical discussions, always penetrating to the kernel of -the question in hand, and bringing life and point into the -debate, without ever becoming personal or hurting anyone’s -feelings. She was esteemed very highly; and people who -were quite opposed to the Socialists fully appreciated her -exceptional gifts. In any other country she would have -played a distinguished part; in Russia she was condemned -to fourteen years and ten months’ penal servitude, because -she was found in a house where some revolutionists made -armed resistance to the gendarmerie.<a id='r65' /><a href='#f65' class='c010'><sup>[65]</sup></a> By her courageous -bearing during trial and in prison, as also later in Kara, -Maria Kovalèvskaya became one of the best-known -characters in revolutionary circles. In the prison, where -she was witness of the shameless unfairness and bad faith -of officials at every turn, her irrepressible energy found -vent in upholding and defending the prisoners. Whether -the matter were really serious, or a comparative trifle, -whether the offence was committed by a functionary of -high position or by the meanest underling, her determination -knew no compromise; she made her protest -regardless of consequence to herself, would not rest till she -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>had gained her end, and would rather have died than have -given in. She always stood firmly for the tactics of the -Buntari, <i>i.e.</i> to use the strongest and most radical measures -for enforcing a protest against official oppression. If there -were any discussion on this head her advice was always to -annoy the staff actively, to break windows, furniture, etc. -It was only her strong sense of comradeship that could -induce her to bow to the will of the majority and adopt -more passive means, such as hunger-strikes or boycotting -officials. She had fought out a whole series of such -conflicts, and one of them—a dispute at Kara—had led to -her being removed, with three female comrades, to Irkutsk. -No sooner, however, were they there than a contest arose -with the head of the police; and the four women in consequence -refused food, fasting so long (ten or eleven days, I -believe,) that the prison doctor became apprehensive of the -result, and the pressure of public opinion being brought -to bear on the governor of the district, he granted the -requests of the women “politicals.”</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>At last, towards the middle of September, we arrived at -Irkutsk, the capital of Siberia, and were taken to the local -prison—celebrated like that of Kiëv for many escapes of -political prisoners.<a id='r66' /><a href='#f66' class='c010'><sup>[66]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>We men were given a room in common, and the ladies -were shown to another. The moment we were shut in -I flew to the window, climbed up, and called the name -of Maria Kovalèvskaya, for we had soon found out that -her cell was over ours. She answered at once, and we -talked together far into the night. In our walks we had -subsequently many opportunities of meeting during our -eight days’ stay here. The long years of separation had -in no way impaired our intimacy. On the contrary, from -the first moment of meeting, our mutual sympathy found -expression without the need of many words, and we -understood each other as old friends do. The sufferings -she had undergone moved me to the deepest compassion. -The hunger-strike of which I have spoken had taken place -only a short time before our advent, and she bore terrible -traces of its effect, looking as if but newly risen from the -grave, though her spirit was unbroken. It was still the -same enthusiastic, untameable, combative nature I had -known so well. Even the officials could not withstand the -fascination of her personality, but yielded respect to her -strong sense of right and her inflexibility of purpose, -as I soon observed. We had each, naturally, much to -relate; and I marvelled that she could have retained such -elasticity of mind, that the range of her quick intellect -should have in no wise contracted, that despite all she had -gone through she could laugh and jest as ever. Everything -that was going on in the distant lands of freedom -interested her keenly; she never wearied of questioning -me about the state of public life in Western Europe and in -Russia, and she soon managed to find out in what each of -us could best instruct her. I, for instance, spent two or -three evenings in describing to her the working-men’s -organisations in Western Europe, and giving her my own -impressions of life abroad. It was characteristic of her -that she was able to appreciate the peculiar social conditions -of other countries, although there was so much -that was unsympathetic to her as a Russian. She was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>especially indignant about my treatment in German -prisons.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In her own views she still adhered to the policy of the -Buntari, and this could hardly have been otherwise. Her -past life entirely belonged to the period when their views -and those of the Naròdniki governed the whole revolutionary -movement, and there could be no question of -criticism. The simple programme of “stirring up the -people to uprisings and rebellions against the existing -régime, in accordance with varying local circumstances,” -was in consonance with her fiery temperament, impatient -of all restraint.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her three friends were also interesting characters, and -I soon had opportunities of talking to them and hearing -the story of their connection with the movement. First -came the young Sophia Bogomòletz;<a id='r67' /><a href='#f67' class='c010'><sup>[67]</sup></a> her maiden name -had been Prìsyetskaya, and she was the daughter of a rich -landed proprietor in the government of Poltava. She had -attended a higher grade school for girls, and later the -medical course in Petersburg; had married a physician, -and then—like Maria Kovalèvskaya—had left her husband -and child to devote herself entirely to revolutionary work. -In 1880 she was arrested as a member of the South -Russian Workmen’s Union and sentenced to ten years’ -penal servitude. She attempted to escape,<a id='r68' /><a href='#f68' class='c010'><sup>[68]</sup></a> but was recaptured, -and was then given five years more, which was -again increased by a year in consequence of a dispute with -an official. Besides this she was placed in the category of -“on probation” prisoners, which means, as I shall explain -later,<a id='r69' /><a href='#f69' class='c010'><sup>[69]</sup></a> that the term of actual confinement in prison is -lengthened. She, too, was by nature an advocate of -revolt, and throughout her imprisonment kept up a -constant feud with the officials. She went even farther -than her friend Kovalèvskaya, for while the latter only -fought against injustice and tyranny, Sophia Bogomòletz -looked on all prison officials as her natural enemies, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>held even the smallest compromises, such as most prisoners -are obliged more or less to give in to, as unprincipled and -inadmissible; for example, she looked upon the medical -examination of prisoners as a personal insult. She was -influenced by no considerations of health, and was always -prepared to risk her own life, if she judged there was any -reason for doing so. The staff simply trembled before -her, for they knew that their only means of extorting -submission—the fear of punishment—was here of no -avail.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The story of the third member of this little band was as -follows. In the spring of 1879 the sum of 1,500,000 roubles -was stolen from the offices of the Finance Department in -Kherson, the depredators having broken in through the -wall of the adjoining house. On the same day the police -arrested a woman driving through the town in a country -cart with some suspicious-looking sacks. The woman was -identified as Elena Ròssikova, wife of a landed proprietor -in the neighbourhood, and the sacks contained a million -roubles. With her another lady was also arrested; and in -consequence of the latter’s confession the rest of the money -was found, with the exception of some 10,000 roubles. It -turned out that this wild undertaking had been organised -by Elena Ròssikova, who had planned to rob the imperial -purse, with the intention of applying the money to revolutionary -purposes. She and some other persons implicated -were tried before a court-martial, and she, as the ringleader, -was sentenced to penal servitude for life. She, too, waged -unceasing war against the whole staff of the prison, and -was daunted by nothing when a “protest” was in question.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fourth of these women “politicals” was Maria -Kutitònskaya. She had been a pupil in a girls’ school in -Odessa, and while still very young had joined the revolutionists. -In 1879 she was arrested as a comrade of -Lisogùb<a id='r70' /><a href='#f70' class='c010'><sup>[70]</sup></a> and Tchubàrov, was condemned to four years’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>penal servitude, and sent to Kara. At the expiration of -her sentence she was interned in the town of Aksha in -Transbaikalia; but she was soon back in prison. The -authorities had ill-treated the male prisoners in Kara (as to -which I shall speak later); and Kutitònskaya resolved to -take vengeance on the chief offender in the matter, the -governor of the province, Ilyashèvitch by name. She -fired a pistol at him, but missed. The court-martial condemned -her to death, but this was altered to lifelong -penal servitude.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Beautiful and distinguished-looking, with fair hair, and -gentle, winning manners, Maria Kutitònskaya won hearts -by the score. While she was under trial for the attempted -assassination of the Siberian potentate she was subjected -to the most cruel and inhuman treatment; thrown into a -damp, gloomy dungeon, and allowed only bread and -water. Help came to her from the ordinary convicts, who -had seen her in the prison, and worshipped her; they -brought her food at great risk to themselves, and did her -various other services. These criminals had changed her -name a little to suit themselves, and always called her -“Cupidonskaya”; having thus unconsciously hit on a -charming pet-name for the beautiful woman. But for -their assistance she might not have survived her treatment -at that time; as it was, her long imprisonment undermined -her health, and she became a victim of lung trouble, to -which she succumbed in 1887.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span> - <h2 id='chap21' class='c008'>CHAPTER XXI <br /> <span class='small'>THE CHIEF OF POLICE AT IRKUTSK—MEETING WITH EXILED COMRADES—FROM IRKUTSK TO KARA—STOLEN FETTERS—A DUBIOUS KIND OF DECABRIST—ANOTHER CONTEST—ARRIVAL AT OUR JOURNEY’S END</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The detailed narrative of all that these women had -gone through impressed us greatly; for their sufferings -had been severe, and often caused by the most paltry -tyranny. The wonder was that they had ever been able -to hold out. Our indignation against the chief of police, -under whose auspices this sort of thing had gone on, was -naturally roused to such a pitch that we longed for an -opportunity to testify our abhorrence of his conduct. This -opportunity was soon forthcoming. A higher official from -Petersburg, who was inspecting Siberian prisons, came one -day with his suite into our cells, and the chief of police -was in attendance. The moment he entered, Làzarev, -our head-man, went up to him, (in accordance with a predetermined -agreement of our party,) and said in loud and -distinct tones—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We are astonished at your impudence in daring to -appear before our eyes, after having by your treatment -forced our women comrades into a terrible hunger-strike.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The whole company of our visitors hastily took their -departure, to the tune of our comments and ejaculations, -which contained nothing flattering to the evildoer! No -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>untoward results followed our action, and the ladies -heartily rejoiced at this humiliation of their torturer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From these four we heard much about the conditions -of life in Kara, our appointed destination; as also from -another comrade now in Irkutsk, who could give us his -personal experience of the prison there. This was Ferdinand -Lustig—formerly an artillery officer, and afterwards -a student at the Petersburg Technological Institute—who -had been sentenced in 1882, in the case of Suhanov -and Mihaïlov, to four years’ penal servitude. He had now -ended his term in Kara, and was going to be interned -elsewhere, under police supervision. What he told us was -not comforting: the régime was severe, and the governor -of the political prison—a captain of gendarmerie, named -Nikolin—of the worst repute.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Four of us only were to travel eastward together: Maria -Kalyùshnaya, Tchuikòv, Làzarev, and myself. The other -seven were to be sent to various places in the government -of Irkutsk; and the nineteen-year-old Rubinok, whose -sad case I have already described, was to go northward to -the deserts of Yakutsk.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>At the end of September we started, in company with -a party of ordinary prisoners. We had now before us -a journey of some twelve hundred versts (eight hundred -miles), which would take at least two months. Winter -in Siberia begins much earlier than in other places of the -same latitude, even in European Russia, and therefore we -had to expect many hardships. In two days the last -steamboat was to start for Listvinitchnaya, across Lake -Baikal, and if we missed that we should have to winter -in Irkutsk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tempestuous Baikal treated us kindly on the whole, -though usually the autumnal storms are a real danger to -voyagers on its waters. It is often asserted that the -scenery of its shores rivals that of the Swiss mountain -lakes; and without myself instituting any comparison, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>I can vouch for it that the impression those magnificent -hills made on me was unforgettable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We had to pass a night at the landing-station on the -opposite shore—Mysovaya; and we had been already -shut into our prison, when the grating of the lock again -sounded, and the warder brought in a young lady, who -came straight towards me.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sonia!” I cried, in joyful surprise, as I recognised in -her Sophia Ivànova, a dear friend whom I had not seen -for six years. Like Sophia Perovskaya, Vera Figner, and -other prominent women of the terrorist organisation, she -had joined the new party of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> in the -autumn of 1879, when the society of <em>Zemlyà i Vòlya</em> -(Land and Liberty) was dissolved. It was just during -that transition period that I became acquainted with her -and with other Terrorists; and shortly after, in January, -1880, she was arrested in Petersburg, where she had been -assisting at the secret printing-press whence issued the -organ of the party, named like it, <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> (The -People’s Will). At the time of the arrest an armed -resistance was made, in which Sophia Ivànova took an -active part, for which she was condemned to four years’ -“katorga.”<a id='r71' /><a href='#f71' class='c010'><sup>[71]</sup></a> This sentence having been fulfilled, she was -now being sent for internment into the government of -Irkutsk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We were both heartily rejoiced at seeing one another -again, but our meeting could be only a brief one; the -steamboat was to start almost directly on its return -journey, and Sonia could not miss it. We hurriedly exchanged -news of ourselves and of our common friends; -then came our parting, and I have never seen her since. -To the best of my knowledge she is still living in Siberia.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Soon after this we arrived at Verkhny-Udinsk, where—as -in most Siberian towns—the prison was filled to overflowing, -and no room could be found for us “politicals.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>The sergeant (in Transbaikalia the convoys of prisoners -are always commanded by a sergeant, instead of by a -commissioned officer, as on the previous part of the -journey) took us on to the police-station. As, however, -it was late the place was all deserted, and no official -could be found, which disturbed the sergeant no whit; -he simply left us there by ourselves in the office, with -unbolted windows and doors, and went his way. We also -were free to go or stay as we pleased, and were rather -surprised at his calm way of solving the difficulty. But -the man knew what he was about. It was true enough -that we could walk off without anyone being the wiser; -but what then? It was, indeed, always easy to escape -from prison here; but it was well-nigh impossible to get -any further. Elizabeth Kovàlskaya had twice escaped -from prison in Irkutsk (once disguised as a warder), but -on both occasions she was caught before she had left the -town; and if she had found concealment impossible in -a relatively big place like Irkutsk, with all the allies and -money she had at command, the case must certainly -have been hopeless for us, strangers, in a little hole like -Verkhny-Udinsk. Still, it was a curious feeling at the -time, as I well remember, to know oneself free and under -no kind of observation, and yet to be so helpless. We -finished by waxing restive and miserable over the trap -we were in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In this place we met another comrade on his way from -Kara, going off to be interned elsewhere. This was -Steblin-Kamensky,<a id='r72' /><a href='#f72' class='c010'><sup>[72]</sup></a> whom his wife voluntarily accompanied. -They had been too late for the steamer, and were -now obliged to wait in Verkhny-Udinsk till the way again -became open—three or four months probably. During -that time he was at liberty to go about in the place as he -pleased, and naturally we spent together the two days of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>our sojourn here, Kamensky telling us all he could of life -in Kara. He was a brilliant talker, and described with an -inexhaustible flow of humour the doings of our comrades -in every particular. True, our laughter over his stories -was mingled with much sorrow and indignation, for what -he related was often sad enough. He told us of the bitter -hardships inflicted on our comrades by an inhuman gaoler, -and he described Captain Nikolin, in command over the -penal settlement for “politicals” at Kara, as a malicious, -ill-natured man, continually devising petty humiliations for -the prisoners.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These various comrades, from whose personal knowledges -we had information about Kara, all made the same -impression upon us. They bore the stamp of their long -imprisonment; their voices were muffled in tone; anxiety, -deep and constant, was painted on their faces; the hair of -nearly all, despite their youth—hardly any had reached -thirty—was prematurely grey. But discouraged and -broken-spirited they were <em>not</em>; or at least with one or two -exceptions only. Very few of them could regard the -future with any hopeful feelings for themselves personally. -Long years of exile lay before them, doomed as they were -to vegetate in some forsaken corner of Siberia, victims to -all sorts of hardships, far from friends and civilisation. -To many it seemed questionable whether their future lot -might not be more dreary than prison life itself. Yet even -the semblance of freedom attracted them—a doubtful -freedom certainly, for the exiles, or “colonists” as they -are called, are subject to a thousand and one restrictions -at every turn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I met one only who looked forward with a steadfast -confidence in the bright side of things, and this notwithstanding -the fact that he was bound for the worst part of -Siberia—the government of Yakutsk. Ivan Kashintsev<a id='r73' /><a href='#f73' class='c010'><sup>[73]</sup></a> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>was then only twenty-five, and full of youth and high -spirits; he declared to me, on the occasion of our meeting -at one of the halting-stations (we already knew each other), -that he meant to escape at all hazards. This, in fact, he -accomplished later, and he is now living abroad.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Before those who were released from prison, to live in -exile under police supervision, reached their appointed -destinations, they had at that time many difficulties and -delays to encounter. We ourselves went at a snail’s pace -on our way to Kara, but prisoners coming thence progressed -far more slowly. They had to wait at nearly -every halting-station until some convoy on the homeward -journey could pick them up and take them on for a certain -part of the way, and sometimes they were kept in this -manner nearly a week at a station. On an average they -barely made five versts a day, and when the distance they -had to travel was some hundreds or even thousands of -versts, the journey might take months to perform.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At each meeting with comrades on the return journey -from Kara, I could not help thinking of my own future, -and saying to myself, “What will you feel like when after -long years you tread this path again? Or, indeed, will -you ever tread it?”</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>One day I found I had sustained an odd loss: someone -had made off with a bag in which I kept some of my -belongings, the chief item among them being my fetters! -I had to make the somewhat curious confession to the -commanding officer that, instead of wearing my chains, -I had allowed them to be stolen; and I was rather surprised -that, while commiserating me on account of my -personal losses, he did not seem at all agitated about the -loss of the Government’s property.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What am I to do without my fetters?” I asked him, -when I saw that the absence of this important detail in the -attire of a convict left him unmoved.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>“Well, of course we must get some for you somehow,” -opined the officer. “Just wait a moment; there ought to -be things of the kind lying about somewhere.” And he -gave the sergeant orders to look in the lumber-room, where -a new pair of fetters was discovered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take care you don’t lose these!” said the officer, as I -packed them among my luggage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This is a specimen of the indulgent, almost fatherly -demeanour which our guardians more and more assumed -towards us as we got further east.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We were by this time in the thick of the Siberian winter -and its severities. We had passed the Yablonovoi mountain -ridges, and were nearing Tchita, the capital of Transbaikalia. -At the last station before our arrival there we -observed a great bustle going on among the ordinary -prisoners; the sergeant and the soldiers were occupied -with them all night, continually going in and out in a -quite unusual manner. We racked our brains to imagine -what could be on foot; but the riddle was only solved next -day, as will be seen further.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Although the distance from Tchita was considerable for -one day’s march,—about forty versts (twenty-six miles), I -think,—we started very late on the following morning; but -after about twenty versts’ march we came to a lonely farmhouse, -standing all by itself on the high-road. We had -heard from our comrades who had been in Kara that an -old man lived here who gave himself out as a Decabrist.<a id='r74' /><a href='#f74' class='c010'><sup>[74]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>Our party halted in the courtyard, we “politicals” were -shown into a room, and the master of the house presently -paid us a visit. He introduced himself by the name of -Karovàiev; and was a vivacious old gentleman, of eminently -respectable appearance. According to his account -of himself he had been an ensign in the Guards, had taken -part in the revolt of the Decabrists, and had been exiled to -Siberia; he claimed to be eighty years of age, but did not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>look more than sixty-five. He made himself very agreeable, -and was most anxious to show us hospitality, declining -to take any money from us. Meanwhile in the next room -and the corridor things were very lively; there seemed to -be a sort of combined market and feast going on, soldiers -and convicts eating, drinking, and hobnobbing together like -boon companions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was already dark when we arrived at the gates of the -prison in Tchita, where we had at once to engage in a -struggle with the governor: first, because he received the -ordinary prisoners first, leaving us to wait; and next, -because he gave us a room which was absolutely unfit for -us to spend the night in. Only after we had made a great -fuss, and threatened him with complaints, did he give us -proper accommodation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next day, when the party was mustered for departure, -it became apparent that the ordinary prisoners had hardly -any clothes! Their things had vanished, and they were -literally half naked. A light was now cast on the events -of the preceding night, when there had been such a -carousal at the house of the Decabrist. That respectable -and hospitable old gentleman was evidently in league -with the escort, and had provided the convicts with vodka -and other delicacies, in exchange for their clothing, which -no doubt he had obtained at a bargain. That the transaction -might not be discovered before our arrival in Tchita, -the soldiers saw to it that it should be as late as possible -before we got in, so that the inspection should be gone -through hurriedly, and the absence of the clothes not -perceived.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In short, the respectable Karovàiev had not established -himself in that lonely spot for nothing. The jollification -of the unlucky criminals had evil consequences for themselves. -In proportion as their clothing and other State -property were deficient they were treated to the soundest -of thrashings; and only when that had been administered -did they receive a fresh outfit.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>In Tchita we had to part from our good <em>stàrosta</em> Làzarev, -who was to be interned here. We three others determined -to secure for ourselves a thorough rest in this place; for -we had been six weeks on the march from Irkutsk, and -were thoroughly tired out. We felt in no hurry to go on; -a prison awaited us, while on the journey we had at least -a certain amount of freedom and variety. Moreover, we -knew that there were a number of our comrades interned -at Tchita, and we should be able to see something of them; -while apparently all intercourse with the outer world would -cease for us after this stage, where we must make our last -adieux before the prison doors closed on us. We therefore -reported ourselves sick, and easily got the prison -doctor’s consent to our breaking the journey here; which -meant that we should be picked up by the next convoy in -about a fortnight’s time. Our comrades paid us frequent -visits; that is, they came to the prison gate when we were -in the courtyard. The most interesting news they gave -us concerned the travels of the American writer, George -Kennan, who had just arrived in Tchita on his return -journey from Kara; and our friends were full of praise for -that excellent man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the last days of November we started again, this -time in company with a so-called “family party” of -ordinary prisoners—women and children as well as men -going forward to prison and exile. There had not been -much snow that winter, and instead of sledges two-wheeled -carts were our means of transport, travelling in which was -a positive martyrdom. The cold became more intense -every day, and tried us severely, although we wore every -warm garment we possessed, so that we moved with the -greatest difficulty. The only way to keep warm was to -march beside the carts, and one can imagine the sufferings -of the unfortunate children who were accompanying their -parents into this inhospitable desert. One longed for the -next halting-station and for possibilities of warming oneself, -which even there were not always all that could be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>desired. The halting-stations had sometimes not been -heated for a good while, and the ordinary prisoners had -first to chop wood with their numb and frozen hands; even -then there was not always sufficient fuel. The stoves, too, -were often out of order, and smoked so badly that to stay -in the room was a misery. It happened repeatedly that -we three “politicals” were accommodated in a peasant’s -hut, and sometimes the whole party had to be quartered -in like manner. We were always glad when this happened, -for the wretchedest cabin seemed comfortable in comparison -with even the best <em>étape</em>. How often we wished -we could be by ourselves in a hut of this kind during the -rest of our imprisonment!</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>I have said that relations between prisoners and escort -were now very easy-going; strict discipline was no longer -the watchword on either side. This had its disadvantages, -the soldiers being often very rough with the ordinary -prisoners. One day, as we were marching to Nertchinsk, -I saw a soldier behaving very brutally to a poor feeble -old convict, knocking him about with his rifle-butt for -climbing on to one of the carts, and apparently only because -the soldier had meant to ride on it himself. I intervened, -and called to the sergeant in command that I -should report him for not keeping his men in order. Next -day, as we went through the town on our way to the prison, -I stepped into a sausage shop to buy some provisions, -when the soldier whose party I had left called after me, -“Where are you going? What do you want?” I let -him shout, and concluded my purchases. I then saw -that the sergeant had driven on and disappeared, but -I only thought that he had taken some short cut to the -prison and would meet us there, and I was much surprised -when the governor of the gaol received me -with the information that the sergeant had reported me -for insulting the guard and leaving the ranks without -permission. I suppose he wished to forestall the complaint -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>I had threatened him with, about which I had quite -forgotten, and I now turned the tables on him by making -it in due form. The upshot was that the sergeant apologised -to me in the presence of witnesses, and we were -respectively pleased to withdraw our complaints!</p> - -<p class='c001'>At Nertchinsk, Tchuikòv and I were taken to the men’s -prison, and Maria Kalyùshnaya was given a separate cell. -I shall never in my life forget the picture that prison -presented. From the dimly-lighted corridor one could see -into the various rooms, where the prisoners were already -lying down, as it was late. Packed closely side by side -they lay not only on the wooden bed-places (which were -two wide shelves running along the walls one above -the other), but all about the floor; there was literally not -an inch of vacant space. Most of the men were clad in -shirt and trousers, but many had only trousers on, and lay -uncovered on the filthy floor. The throng was so dense, -that in order to get to the “privileged” room we had -actually to step on the bodies of the sleepers. The stench -was pestilential, the wooden tubs filled with excrement -were everywhere about, and as they were leaky their -contents had been trodden over the whole floor. Although -most of the men were asleep, here and there groups of -excited card-players squatted on the floor or the bed-places, -and throughout the whole place there was a -deafening babel of sounds. The general effect was most -gruesome, a circle of the Dantean Inferno was the only -possible comparison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The “privileged” room was also full of people, and we -found there some comrades from Kara—Tchekondze and -Zuckermann. They were lying close together on the -crowded floor, and we with difficulty found a vacant spot, -so that we could lie down near our friends. Zuckermann -was known to me: he was a compositor, who in the middle -of the sixties had trudged on foot from Berlin into -Switzerland, where I subsequently had made his acquaintance. -He had gone to Russia later, and had worked at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>the secret printing-press of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, where -he was arrested at the same time as Sophia Ivànova. -I had been told by comrades how heroically he had -behaved during the trial. In order to shield the others he -had taken all blame on his own shoulders, declared that it -was he who had fired the first shot in resistance to the -gendarmerie, and so on. He had been condemned to -eight years’ “katorga” and sent to Kara, where he had -become the darling of the whole prison. Always sunny-tempered, -full of wit and fun, he spread good humour -everywhere; moreover, he was unselfishness personified, -ever ready to help others at his own expense, one of those -people who are called “too good for this world.” Even as -we lay on the floor in that horrible place he told stories -and jested, drawing the most glowing imaginary pictures -of his future life in Yakutsk, whither he was being sent -for internment. The reality, unhappily, turned out widely -different from his sanguine prophecies. Poor merry -Zuckermann could not hold out against the hardships -and loneliness of his place of exile, and he put an end -to his own life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tchekondze I had not met before, but we had many -common friends. He came from Gruzia, and had graduated -in the Petersburg college for artillery officers. With other -Caucasians he had then participated in the Propagandist -movement, had been arrested in 1875, and sentenced -in the “Trial of the fifty” to banishment; but he had -escaped from Siberia, and had been recaptured and condemned -to three years’ penal servitude. He was now -going into exile in Yakutsk. He impressed one as a strong-willed, -careful, practical man, who would never be at a loss, -but would find a sphere of usefulness under any circumstances; -and so indeed he proved in his after life. The -privations he suffered during long years of exile undermined -his health, however. When sent to Western Siberia -in the early nineties he fell seriously ill and died in Kurgan, -on the threshold of Europe, in 1897.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>At last, on the morning of December 24th, 1885, we -arrived at Ust-Kara, a little village wherein is situated the -prison for ordinary convicts and the prison for women -“politicals.” Here we had to part from Maria Kalyùshnaya, -and I saw her that morning for the last time. -Tchuikòv and I had fifteen versts more to travel to Nizhnaya -Kara, where was the prison for male “politicals”; and we -had to wait till next day for the commandant, who received -in charge both ourselves and the ordinary criminals. Our -luggage was put into a cart; and accompanied by a guard, -we marched off, having previously donned our fetters in -due form.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a frightfully cold day, and despite the chains and -our heavy clothing, we stepped out briskly as though we -were in a hurry to get under lock and key. We knew -that this was our last tramp in the open, that for many -long years there would be only a trot round the prison-yard -for us, and our thoughts dwelt dismally on the -prospect.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is your prison,” said one of the soldiers, and -pointed out, a little way ahead, a stockade made of tall -posts set side by side.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Suddenly there appeared coming towards us a group of -people—two women, a Cossack, and a man in civilian -dress. “Victor!” I cried, recognising the latter as we -approached nearer. It was my old friend Victor Kostyùrin, -whom I had not seen for nine years.<a id='r75' /><a href='#f75' class='c010'><sup>[75]</sup></a> He was -now being removed from prison to his place of internment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After hasty greetings he introduced me to the two ladies -who accompanied him—Natalia Armfeld and Raissa -Prybylyèva, both “colonists” in Kara. Kennan has given -Natalia Armfeld’s story in his book,<a id='r76' /><a href='#f76' class='c010'><sup>[76]</sup></a> and I will only -mention here that in 1879 she (with Maria Kovalèvskaya) -was implicated in armed resistance to the gendarmerie, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>and sentenced to fourteen years and ten months’ penal -servitude. Raissa Prybylyèva had been a member of the -<em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, and had been sentenced in 1883 to four -years’ “katorga.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Victor and I had, of course, much to say to each other, -but our time was short, for our guards naturally did not -see the fun of remaining longer than necessary in the -freezing cold of the open field, and a few brief sentences -were all we could exchange.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A Frenchman would have had a lot to say about this,” -I said: “we two friends meeting on the threshold of a -prison, one going in, the other coming out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another pressure of the hand, and we parted.<a id='r77' /><a href='#f77' class='c010'><sup>[77]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>“Shall we ever meet again?” I asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah yes!” cried one of the ladies. “We shall all meet -in Petersburg at the triumph of the Russian revolution.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For her, at least, that hope was vain. Natalia Armfeld -died at Kara in 1887, and Raissa Prybylyèva (who married -afterwards the exile Tiutchev) is also no longer among -the living. Kostyùrin still lives in Tobolsk; but since -that day our paths have never again crossed.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Tchuikòv and I were now taken to the guard-room, -which was close to the prison. Our arrival was notified; -and soon there appeared, accompanied by some of the -gendarmes, the governor of the prison, an officer of -Cossacks named Bolshakov, a man who had been described -to us by our comrades as respectable and humane.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We and our luggage were carefully searched. Of our -clothes only our warm under-garments were left in our -possession; everything else was to be taken to the wardrobe-room, -except certain articles which were reserved that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>Commandant Nikolin might decide whether we should be -permitted to retain possession of them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You need not put the fetters on again,” said the -captain of the guard, Golubtsòv. “They are not necessary -here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was evening before we were ready to be taken on by -the gendarmes to the prison—the goal of my long wanderings. -Since my arrest in Freiburg twenty-two months had -elapsed; I had travelled about 12,000 versts (nearly 8,000 -miles), and I had visited more than a hundred different -prisons.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Guard, there!” cried our escort. A bolt flew back with -a crash, and we stepped across the threshold.</p> -<div class='plate65'> - -<p class='c001'><a id='i208'></a></p> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_208a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>MARTINOVSKY</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_208b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>STARINKYEVITCH</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_208c.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SUNDELEVITCH</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i208d' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_208d.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ZLATOPOLSKY</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i208e' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_208e.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>PRYBYLYEV</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i208f' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_208f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>YEMELYANOV</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='icrj'> - -<p class='c001'>To face page 208</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXII <br /> <span class='small'>FIRST DAYS AT KARA—FRIENDS OLD AND NEW</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>We entered a long, dimly-lighted corridor. Close to -the door stood a man in convict dress beside a -mighty chest. “Good day, Martinòvsky!” said I; for -although I had never seen him before, I knew from our -comrades’ descriptions that he, being <em>stàrosta</em>, remained -on duty from early morning till late evening by this big -chest, which was the prisoners’ larder. He looked a little -surprised at the greeting, but on our announcing our -names a pleasant smile lighted up his grave features, and -he shook hands with us warmly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Deutsch goes to No. 2 and Tchuikòv to No. 4!” The -gendarme’s announcement interrupted us. A door was -opened, and I stepped into my room. It was a large -apartment; a long table and benches stood in the middle; -round three walls ran the bed-shelves; there was a huge -stove, and three great windows admitted plenty of light.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My new companions welcomed me warmly. There -were fifteen men in the room, two of them—Sundelèvitch -and Paul Orlov—being already known to me from of old. -The first question to be settled was where my sleeping-place -should be, and it was decided that I should lie next -to Sundelèvitch, which meant that Starinkyèvitch, whose -place this had been, must find room elsewhere. I found -later that it was a great sacrifice this comrade had made -for me, for Starinkyèvitch was thereby separated from his -friend Martinòvsky. In a room where so many men lived -constantly crowded together, the only possibility of close -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>intercourse and the sharing of intimate thoughts between -two friends was when they lay side by side on the bed-shelf, -and it was only subsequently that I found out what -significance this had in our situation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we arrived, supper was already over, but we were -given each a glass of tea with a tiny scrap of sugar, and a -piece of black bread. I was overwhelmed with questions, -and was made to tell all about my arrest, my adventures, -and what was going on in Russia. We chattered, joked, and -laughed as only the young can, for except Berezniàk and -Dzvonkyèvitch, who were forty and forty-five respectively, -we were all between the ages of twenty-four and -thirty. I had an odd feeling, as if after a long absence -I found myself once more in an intimate family circle. -Time flew, and it was late at night before I lay down -to sleep, spreading on the wooden boards of the bed-shelf -a little mattress that I had brought with me. My journey -from Moscow had lasted seven months; I was sick of -moving about, and now experienced a real feeling of comfort -at the idea of having come to anchor for years.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>I had been rejoicing much beforehand at the prospect -of meeting in Kara my old friend Jacob Stefanòvitch,<a id='r78' /><a href='#f78' class='c010'><sup>[78]</sup></a> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>from whom I had last parted four years ago, in Switzerland. -He had then returned to Russia, had been arrested -in February, 1882, convicted in the “Case of the Seventeen,” -and sentenced to eight years’ “katorga.” He had -been two years in Kara before my arrival. As he was -lodged in another room I could only pay him a flying -visit that evening, for soon after our entrance the rounds -were made and the doors all locked for the night. Next -morning, as soon as the rounds had been made and the -roll-call got over, I called to the gendarmes through the -peephole in our door, and made them take me to No. 1 -room, where Stefanòvitch was. During the daytime we -were permitted to go from one room to another—a -privilege obtained by the “politicals” only after a long, -hard fight, although in the criminals’ prison the doors of -the rooms had never been kept locked by day.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In No. 1 there were also sixteen men, that being the -complete number; and now that we had arrived every -room was full. After greeting the comrades here and -chatting with my friend, I visited all the other rooms. -Of course, the advent of a new-comer is a great event in -the prison, and is generally expected beforehand, for notwithstanding -all official precaution, a good deal of intelligence -from without finds its way through the walls. The -arrival is awaited with the greatest impatience, as may be -imagined; and for a few days the monotony of the life is -enlivened by the new-comer’s tidings of the world in -general and of the revolutionary movement in particular.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Not only had I much to tell, but I was much interested -in learning the views of my comrades, though all that I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>heard was not entirely to my liking. I recollect a conversation -I had with an old acquaintance, Volòshenko,<a id='r79' /><a href='#f79' class='c010'><sup>[79]</sup></a> who -passed for a very intelligent man. He had been arrested -at Kiëv in 1879, and sentenced to ten years’ penal servitude, -afterwards increased by eleven years more in consequence -of an attempted escape. When I spoke of the new tendencies -in the Russian revolutionary movement, and mentioned -that a Socialist group had been formed calling itself -the “League for the Emancipation of Labour,” and professing -the Marxian views held by the German Social -Democrats, Volòshenko seemed highly amused.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Social Democrats in Russia! That’s a comical idea! -Who are these people?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see one of them before you,” I replied.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Volòshenko and many others in the room stared in -blank astonishment. Had I announced myself a follower -of the prophet Mahomet they could scarcely have been -more surprised. The ideas of Karl Marx were at that time -but little known in Russia. It was indeed thought one’s -duty to read the first volume of <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Das Kapital</cite></span>, which had -appeared in a Russian translation, and it was usual to find -educated people in European Russia recognising Marx’s -services to the science of political economy; but in Kara -they had not progressed even so far. As to the philosophical -basis of Marx’s theory of Socialism practically -nothing was known; nevertheless it was rejected, partly -owing to the influence of Eugene Dühring, partly to -that of the Russian author N. Mihailovsky, and finally on -account of a <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>dictum</em></span> of so-called “sane common sense” -that Marx’s ideas were quite inapplicable to Russia. This -last was Volòshenko’s contention, fortified, however, by no -personal knowledge of Marx’s writings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was in a position to give more than verbal tidings of -the new tendency. We had succeeded, despite all official -scrutiny, in smuggling various prohibited writings into the -prison, and among them the first publication of our group, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>Plehànov’s <cite>Socialism and the Political Struggle</cite>. For a -long time no forbidden literature had penetrated to Kara; -the excitement was great, and the new material for -thought was seized on with avidity. I was very anxious -to discover Sundelèvitch’s attitude towards this problem, -for in the old days, when we were nearly all Terrorists, he -was considered as more or less of a Social Democrat—at -any rate, he had been known to approve of the German -development on those lines, so far as that country was -concerned. We had been acquainted in 1878, when he -had in charge the transport of forbidden literature for the -<em>Zemlyà i Vòlya</em> (Land and Liberty) group; and he had -made use of his special experience in such illegal traffic -to get Stefanòvitch and myself safely across the frontier -after our flight from Kiëv prison. At that time we had -had many hot discussions with Sundelèvitch over the -methods of conducting our struggle in Russia; for I was -then a decided opponent of the Social Democrats, and as a -Terrorist and “Naròdnik” (<i>i.e.</i> member of the party whose -object it was to organise revolts among the peasants) held -the peaceful tactics of German Socialists to be utterly -ineffectual—naturally, therefore, I would have all the more -scouted the idea of introducing them into Russia. Sundelèvitch, -on the contrary, did not believe in “the People,” -and thought agitation among the Russian working-classes -quite futile. In his opinion the first thing to do was to -fight for political freedom; and then, as soon as that was -obtained, to resort to the constitutional methods of the -German Social-Democratic party. Consequently, he did -not join the terrorist party till it began its political activity -in 1878; and he was one of the first to enunciate the idea -that its methods were only temporarily adopted because -they offered the sole possible means in Russia of overthrowing -the existing political order. He was one of the -most energetic in organising terrorist conspiracies, and the -party owed much to his help in carrying through their -active work; he was invaluable in striking out the most -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>effective and practical suggestions. He was arrested quite -by chance in a public library in Petersburg during the -autumn of 1879, and was prosecuted in the “Case of the -Sixteen,” when Kviatkòvsky and Pressnyàkov were sentenced -to death, and he himself to lifelong penal -servitude.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had been thinking much about our former arguments, -for I had since been converted to the views Sundelèvitch -then advocated, and I now hoped to find a kindred spirit -in him. Even on purely personal grounds I desired it; -for when a man is convinced of the rightness of his own -plan of action, it must be irksome to live for years with -others who, while sharing his principles, differ entirely as -to the best means of carrying them out; and this is -especially so when what one holds most sacred is in -question, no matter how tolerant one may be. I earnestly -hoped I should not be alone in my views, and I could have -asked for no better friend than Sundelèvitch, who was -incomparable as a comrade—one of the finest natures I -have ever known, unselfish, trustworthy, judicious.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I now lay beside him during the long evenings we -talked of our common friends still in freedom and fighting -for the cause, of the victims of that fight who had died the -death of heroes or were languishing in Schlüsselburg; but -instinctively I shrank at first from touching on theoretical -subjects, dreading that we might be out of sympathy, for -I soon heard that he was no longer of his old way of -thinking. Like many others during their first years of -imprisonment, Sundelèvitch experienced a reaction; he -absolutely threw over the Marxian doctrine, and would -not admit the economic teaching of <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Das Kapital</cite></span> to be -sound. In time we fought many a tough battle on this -head, my friend declaring that for Germans Social Democracy -might do, but that such ideas would never effect -anything in Russia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With my other friend, Stefanòvitch, I had less opportunity -for conversation, as we inhabited different rooms; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>but to him also my opinions came unexpectedly, and -seemed strange and incomprehensible. When we had -parted four years back we had been quite at one, and he -had remained, as he was then, half Naròdnik, half Terrorist; -while I, having thoroughly assimilated the new ideas, had, -with some other companions, founded the Social Democratic -organisation, <em>Tchòrny Peredyèl</em> (Redivision of the -Land). He learned this now for the first time, and could -not tell off-hand how he should regard it; but being unusually -thoughtful and far-seeing, he appreciated the importance -of the change that had come over the opinions -of his comrades in the struggle. He grasped the trend of -the new doctrine, and tried to comprehend it fully. It was -clear to him that through our organisation a way was -being laid in Russia for a perfectly new outlook on the -world; he doubted whether it would find favour in our -country, but was far from meeting the idea with enmity or -contempt, as the shallower minds among the revolutionists -did both then and later.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This common life of so many young people in the -prison had led to the development of a peculiar jargon. -Each room had its nickname: the first was “the Sanhedrin,” -the second “the nobles’ room,” the third “Yakutsk,” and -the fourth “Volost,” <i>i.e.</i> “the commune.” These names -had their origin in the dim and distant past, and I never -discovered what had given rise to them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The inmates of the “nobles’ room,” in which I was -located, were all clever, well-educated young men, full -of life and vigour; each in a way represented a different -type, and some had a really remarkable force of character. -Among these latter I would especially class Nicholas -Yatzèvitch, who was the son of a priest in Poltava. -When a seventeen-year-old student in the Veterinary -College at Kharkov he was arrested for attempting to -rescue Alexei Medvediev<a id='r80' /><a href='#f80' class='c010'><sup>[80]</sup></a> from prison, was tried, and -sentenced to fifteen years’ “katorga.” He had escaped -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>(as I have said before) from the Irkutsk prison, had been -recaptured, and condemned to another fourteen years’ penal -servitude. He was barely nineteen when brought to Kara, -where he gained the goodwill of everyone by his admirable -qualities. Modest even to bashfulness, silent and -reserved, he yet exercised over his companions a quite -wonderful influence. His thirst for knowledge was without -limit; he studied various subjects with unflagging industry -while in prison, especially natural science, philosophy, and -literature, besides learning several languages. He found -time, too, for manual work, at which he proved himself -very quick and adroit. He was on friendly terms with -every one of his comrades in prison without exception, -always affectionate and ready to help. No wonder he -gained the esteem of all, and was willingly looked up -to as an authority, despite his youth (he was but five-and-twenty -when I first went to Kara); whether the question -were one of household affairs or an abstruse theoretical -problem, his opinion was sure to find favour with the -majority. The bent of his mind was towards metaphysics, -and in philosophy as well as social science he gave himself -out as an eclectic; he shared the opinions of Dühring -and the Neo-Kantians, and in political economy was a -follower of Carey, Bastian, and similar bourgeois theorists. -Of course, therefore, he counted among the opponents of -Marxism.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of very different character were the two bosom friends -Martinòvsky and Starinkyèvitch, usually called “the two -Vanitchki,” though really only one of them answered to -the name of Ivan. Starinkyèvitch was another favourite -of our little society, invariably good-tempered and full -of fun. His jokes, <i>bon-mots</i>, and nonsense would often -send us all into fits of laughter, when his own hearty -ringing laugh was sure to dominate all the others. He -too was talented, but not steady and persevering like -Yatzèvitch. He was one of those fortunate beings who -are able to get the gist of a passage with one rapid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>glance; but he squandered his gifts, attempting everything, -and doing nothing thoroughly. He was almost -girlishly tender, clinging, and confiding by nature; but -could on occasion become passionate and violent. Moscow -was his birthplace, and he was sent straight from the -University in 1881, when a mere boyish student, to twenty -years’ imprisonment, simply because he refused to say -from whom he had received a manifesto that was found -in his possession. He was an enthusiastic member of the -<em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They say that two friends are generally of opposite -temperaments, and the two Vanitchki certainly bore out -that theory. While Starinkyèvitch was gay and lighthearted, -Martinòvsky was grave, sedate, almost morose. -He seldom smiled, and I can never remember hearing him -laugh. He was a man of iron will, commanding and even -despotic in character. I cannot imagine his ever being -brought to yield a hair’s-breadth on any subject; on the -contrary, he seemed always to contrive to bring others -round to the fulfilment of his wishes. He was without -doubt an extremely gifted and capable man, who might -have made his mark as a leader in public affairs if he had -had the chance. He was above all things practical; yet -could immerse himself on occasion in theoretical problems, -and was one of the first in the prison to take up the study -of Marxism. He too came from Moscow, and like his -friend Starinkyèvitch, had been condemned to twenty years’ -imprisonment. Martinòvsky had been sentenced, in the -same case as Sundelèvitch, Kviatkòvsky, and others, to -fourteen years’ “katorga,” and an attempted escape -brought him an addition of another six years. His having -been chosen <em>stàrosta</em> (head-man) by his comrades proves -the complete trust they placed in him, and he was in every -way a model representative of our interests.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The following story concerns another of my fellow-prisoners -at Kara. On the 25th December, 1879, General -Drenteln was driving in his carriage through the streets -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>of Petersburg. He had just been appointed chief of -gendarmerie, in succession to General Mezentzev, (killed -by the revolutionists; see pp. <a href='#Page_92'>92</a> and <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>,) and was also -the head of the notorious “third section.”<a id='r81' /><a href='#f81' class='c010'><sup>[81]</sup></a> Suddenly a -man riding a beautiful thorough-bred stopped the carriage -and fired several shots at the General through the window, -none of the bullets hitting their mark. The rider made -off, the General cried to the coachman to follow him, and -a wild chase began. The people in the streets understood -nothing about what had occurred, and saw with amazement -this strange race between the General’s carriage and -a magnificently mounted horseman. More than once the -latter seemed on the point of being brought to bay, but -always escaped down some side street, closely followed by the -General’s fast trotters. At last the rider made a dash, left -his pursuers behind, and was in hot flight, when his horse -stumbled and fell. The fugitive did not lose his presence -of mind, however; beckoning to a policeman, he said: -“My good man, this horse is hurt; just look after it for -me while I go and fetch the groom.” The policeman -obediently took the bridle, and the horseman vanished -round the corner, cut through a passage, called a droschky, -and was seen no more. General Drenteln foamed with -rage when he found the horse in such safe keeping, but the -rider gone. The police were set to work, and easily discovered -the steed to be a racehorse named “Lady,” which -had been hired from a riding-school by a student named -Mirsky,<a id='r82' /><a href='#f82' class='c010'><sup>[82]</sup></a> already under police observation. Mirsky was by -this time no longer to be found in Petersburg; he had -escaped to South Russia. Several months later, however, -he met his fate at Taganrock, while under the roof of a -friend and comrade named Tarhov, a lieutenant in the -artillery. Another officer, having suspicions about Tarhov’s -guest, put the police on the scent, and the house was surrounded. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>Mirsky, unwilling to surrender without a struggle, -fired several revolver-shots at the police, and tried to break -through their cordon. He was overpowered, however; was -made prisoner, and in 1880 was brought before a court-martial, -together with Tarhov, the poet A. Olchin, and -some others. That was a time when even people not -actually implicated in terrorist attempts were condemned -to death off-hand by the courts-martial, and no one doubted -that Mirsky—whose assault upon the chief of gendarmerie -was undisputed—would be executed. Only he himself -seemed to think otherwise. I remember how, shortly -before the trial, somebody who had visited him in prison -came to us and said that Mirsky wanted us to send him -black clothes and a white tie, to wear when he went before -the court. We were all very much surprised, and laughed -rather mournfully over his odd whim. It was the first -time it had occurred to any revolutionist to trouble himself -about what sort of coat he should put on to face his judges. -But of course we provided him with the means of shining -for the last time in public; the papers remarked that “the -chief defendant presented a very gentlemanly appearance,” -and his speech of defence was reported with approval in -various foreign journals. He was condemned to death; -and although this sentence was commuted to one of penal -servitude for life, he very narrowly escaped suffering the -full rigour of the law. Had the attempt—planned for -that very day—to kill Alexander II. at the station in -Alexandrovskaia been successful, or had the trial taken -place two days later, after the 19th November, when the -Tsar’s train was blown up at Moscow,—all would have -been over for Mirsky. As it was, however, he escaped -with his life, and was confined in the famous Alexei-Ravelin -tower of the Fortress of Peter and Paul, where at -that time the most important “politicals” were imprisoned. -Four years later he was brought to Kara, and he was one -of my companions in the “nobles’ room.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Instead of a slender, aristocratic youth, as Mirsky was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>described at the time of his trial, I knew him as a robust, -somewhat undersized but well-built man, of about twenty-seven. -And he had changed in more than outward appearance; -he was no longer the hot-headed boy, ready for any -rash deed, but a serious man who had been through much -and had thought deeply. Keen-witted and well educated, -he had formed his own conclusions as to social conditions -in Russia and their development in the future. The teaching -of Marx was unknown to him, but he had attained -a similar standpoint by following out his own reasoning. -He was particularly sceptical concerning the views then -prevalent among Russian revolutionists, according to -which a purely Russian programme should be based on -the organisation of the <em>artèls</em> (workmen’s unions), and on -the already existing system of the joint ownership of land -by the village communes; a programme which must differ -essentially from that of Socialists in all other civilised -countries. He did not believe that anything further could -be built on these remnants of patriarchal institutions. He -was of opinion that the complete overthrow of the existing -political régime was the first thing to be aimed at in -Russia, but he was convinced that terrorist tactics would -never entirely bring this about; and he expected equally -little from any uprising of the working classes, since the -mass of the people were sunk in apathetic resignation and -hopelessness. Yet still the question tortured him—how -should this task be approached?—and he was of all the -prisoners in Kara the best prepared for the philosophical -arguments of a Marxist.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mirsky had been a medical student; but during his -imprisonment he took up the study of jurisprudence, and -was credited with such a thorough knowledge of legal -affairs that his judgments were more trusted than those of -some graduate lawyers who were among us. Mirsky was -of Polish extraction; but having been brought up in -Russia he was in every respect a thoroughly Russian -Socialist.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXIII <br /> <span class='small'>THE ORGANISATION OF OUR COMMON LIFE—THE “SIRIUSES”—WAGERS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>On my arrival at the Kara prison I found in existence -there an extremely elaborate organisation regulating -the prisoners’ daily life, a system that the course of time -had evolved and tested. The fundamental principle of the -arrangement was equality of rights and duties; the inmates -of the prison forming for all domestic purposes a -commune or <em>artèl</em>, although the needs and wishes of -individuals were taken into account as far as possible. -It was free to anyone to enter this <em>artèl</em> or to remain -outside, and whichever they did, material conditions—in -the way of food, etc.—were the same for all.<a id='r83' /><a href='#f83' class='c010'><sup>[83]</sup></a> The Government -provided a certain quantity of food per day for each -prisoner—about 3¼ lbs. of bread, nearly 6 oz. of meat, a -few ounces of meal, and some salt. Friends of prisoners -were permitted to furnish them with the means of obtaining -extra provisions, and some of us, though, indeed, only -a few, received such contributions regularly, this money as -well as the governmental allowances becoming the common -property of the <em>artèl</em>. The money was distributed as -follows: part was set aside to supplement the food-rations, -especially for buying more meat (this was called in our -lingo “provisioning the stock-pot”); another portion was -reserved for what was called common expenses—assistance -to those who were leaving the prison and going to their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>appointed place of exile, subscriptions to such newspapers -as we were allowed, postage, etc.; and a third part was -divided equally among all for pocket-money. This last -was spent according to the fancy of each individual, -usually on tea, tobacco, fish, butter, and such things as -were considered “secondary necessaries,” though sometimes -these were sacrificed and the money saved up for -months, or even for a year or more, in order to buy a book -or some special luxury. Our funds were very scanty; -during my whole time in Kara there was never more than -three or four kopecks<a id='r84' /><a href='#f84' class='c010'><sup>[84]</sup></a> per man per day for the “stock-pot,” -and the pocket-money for each never amounted to -more than a rouble<a id='r85' /><a href='#f85' class='c010'><sup>[85]</sup></a> a month, often much less. In consequence -of the primitive means of transport everything -imported into Siberia cost three times as much as in -Europe—a pound of sugar, for instance, cost thirty-five -to forty kopecks—and the prisoners had to deny themselves -many of the smallest comforts of material existence. -Most of us used only brick-tea, <i>i.e.</i> tea of the -commonest kind, and drank it without sugar; others -thought even that a luxury, and drank hot water; while -those who used sugar had to make one lump do for the -whole day—that is, for three meals.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Actual money was never given us, everything was on -paper only. All remittances were received by the commandant, -who kept us informed of the amount he had -in hand. Then we would order various articles, which -would be given to our <i>stàrosta</i> to keep in the common -chest, and whenever he gave anything out he made an -entry in his account-book. At the end of each month the -accounts were made up, each man being told whether -he had overdrawn his pocket-money and so must start -the next month with a <em>minus</em> of so many kopecks, or -whether he had saved and was credited with a <em>plus</em>. The -former would try to make good their deficit during the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>following month; but there were some who—with the -best will in the world—could never make their expenditure -and income balance, and were always in default, thus -acquiring the nickname of “minuses,” while the thrifty -were called “pluses.” No shame was attached to the -being a “minus,” though it was scarcely a title of honour, -and no one cared for the position. The “minuses” -always aspired to get straight at any rate at Christmas -or Easter, when pocket-money was generally increased by -an influx of gifts, but it sometimes occurred that someone -found it impossible to get his head above water, and it -was then the custom that at one of our festivals—at -Christmas, or on the commemoration of some revolutionary -red-letter day—the <em>stàrosta</em> or someone should -suggest the “whitewashing” of the bankrupt by wiping -off his debt to the <em>artèl</em>. This proposal was always accepted -by the majority, only the “minus” himself protesting, -or refusing to consent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Every morning the <em>stàrosta</em> presented himself with his -order-book at the doors of the different rooms, and asked -what was wanted. One would order a “sou’s” worth<a id='r86' /><a href='#f86' class='c010'><sup>[86]</sup></a> -of sugar, another a “brick” of tea, and so on. These -orders were entered, to be later transferred to the account-book, -and soon afterwards the <em>stàrosta</em> would bring the -articles and give them to us through the peephole. The -<em>stàrosta</em> also received from the steward for distribution -all things that were due to us in the way of clothing, -linen, and so forth, and he was our representative in all -our dealings with the commandant. The election of the -<em>stàrosta</em> was by ballot, and for a term of six months. -The person elected was, of course, free to decline the post, -and this occasionally happened, as, though an honourable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>office, it was one which entailed trouble and responsibility, -and sometimes even a degree of unpleasantness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Not only the <em>stàrosta</em>, but any member of the <em>artèl</em> -might make proposals for changes in our arrangements, -such proposals being written down, considered by the -inmates of the different rooms, and then voted for or -against in writing. It was the <em>stàrosta’s</em> business to collect -the votes and to announce the results through the peepholes. -Proposals of this kind were often most excitedly -discussed, parties being formed to support or oppose -them; and occasionally a subject would develop into a -“cabinet crisis,” though the moving or rejecting of votes -of confidence in the “government” (for we had a whole -ministry, other officers being necessary besides the <em>stàrosta</em>) -was not customary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All work within the prison precincts we shared among -us; but such services as made it necessary to go outside the -yard (carrying wood and water, sanitary cleansing, etc.) -were performed by ordinary criminals, whom we tipped, -although not in any way obliged to do so. Our own -duties were of two kinds: work for the community—such -as cooking, cleaning the rooms, attending to the steam -baths; and private work—washing clothes, mending, etc. -Everyone except the weak or ill had to take his share -in the former. The cooking was undertaken by groups -of five men, each group serving for a week at a time. -There were eight or nine such groups in all, the choice -of belonging to any particular group being left free without -regard to rooms. Each group had its head cook, his -assistant, a cook for the invalids, and two helpers. The -work was not light, and was in no way attractive; it began -between six and seven in the morning, and was not usually -over before five in the evening, by which hour one would -be thoroughly tired out; and when the end of the week -came it was delightful to think of idling for a time. On -the other hand, the labour was a welcome relief to the -monotony of our lives, and the kitchen was a meeting-place -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>for the inhabitants of different rooms, forming a sort -of clubhouse for those engaged in the cooking. Even -when the work was hardest we had merry times there, -discussing news, gossiping, and joking, the work itself often -serving as a basis for fun and all sorts of nonsense. The -head cook would give a raw hand some ridiculous job; -one, for instance, would be set to pick potatoes out of -the pot with a fork; another ordered to stand by a hole -in the wall with a big stick and to knock on the head any -blackbeetles that might make their appearance. I myself -was given the task of chopping up millet-seed with a large -knife, and other such absurdities would be invented.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our cooks had to manage with very scanty materials. -Vegetables frequently ran short, thus making it most -difficult to vary the bill of fare. At the time of my -arrival there were no potatoes to be had, and at midday, -from motives of economy, only broth was provided, from -which the meat had been taken to be served up separately -for supper. When I sat down to dinner on my first day in -Kara I was prepared for a frugal meal, having heard -beforehand how poor the dietary was in this prison; but -when I had spooned up the meagre soup without any -accompaniment but bread and realised that this was my -whole dinner, I felt somewhat downcast. I rose from table -as hungry as I had sat down; and it was a long while -before I could accustom myself to this sort of nourishment. -Our culinary skill was chiefly displayed in the way of -serving up the soup-meat at a subsequent meal. It was -generally minced and heated up with some vegetables. -The dish most favoured by the majority was meat cut into -small pieces and mixed with groats; this was called -“Everyone-likes-it,” and it was the pride of the cooks -to decorate our <em>menu</em> with this original name at least twice -a week. The greedy ones among us used to spy around -the kitchen, and never failed to spread the joyful tidings: -“They’re making ‘Everyone-likes-it’ to-day!” The cooks -generally put their best foot forward on Saturday, when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>their week of office expired. For years it had been the -custom to have an extra dish on that day, a <em>piròg</em> or sort -of pie made of flour, rice, and mince. The cooks used to -save up scraps of meat for it all through the week, and -sometimes the <em>piròg</em> would attain such dimensions that -we could not dispose of it at one sitting, and a remainder -would be left over for Sunday’s breakfast. On the whole -our food was insufficient, not very nutritious, and still less -appetising. Bread only had we at discretion, as the -rations given out by the steward were so large that some -was always left over. Only those who had no stomach for -a quantity of dry bread need go hungry. But we hardly -ever had our fill except on great feast days, when not only -was our pocket-money augmented, but an extra allowance -of food was given. The cooks would then indulge us -with various dainties and luxuries; roast meat would come -to table, or cutlets, and white bread. Praise must not be -denied to our cooks; there were among them <em>virtuosi</em>, -whose handiwork was quite artistic—worthy, as we expressed -it, “of better houses.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Invalid diet was not provided specially; the cooks had -to arrange for that as best they could, and make it as -varied as was compatible with economy. During my time -there was no severe illness, and special diet was only -needed for those who were delicate or who suffered from -some chronic ailment. The question who was to be given -invalid fare was decided by Prybylyev<a id='r87' /><a href='#f87' class='c010'><sup>[87]</sup></a>—one of our number -who acted as our medical adviser, and who showed much -skill in that capacity, though at home he had only been -a veterinary surgeon. His fame in the art of healing -became widespread, and afterwards when he was living -out of prison he was consulted by many people, though -there were three qualified physicians in the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The helpers in the kitchen generally either knew nothing -whatever of the culinary art or else preferred rough work. -I fulfilled both conditions, and never made anything of -actual cooking; my duties consisted in carrying water, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>chopping wood, taking water and charcoal for the samovar -to the different rooms, apportioning the food in the wooden -bowls out of which we ate, washing up, attending to the -stoves, and cleaning the kitchen. Everybody working in -the kitchen got rather larger portions of food than the -others: that was an ancient custom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Besides the head-man, who had charge of our larder, a -special “bread-dispenser” was appointed, whose office it -was to cut up the loaves and divide them among the -different rooms; he had also to collect all scraps and -crumbs that were left, and send them on to our comrades -in the penal settlement,<a id='r88' /><a href='#f88' class='c010'><sup>[88]</sup></a> where they were used to feed a -horse and a couple of cows which belonged to the <em>artèl</em>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The “poultry-keeper” was another of our officials. We -kept in the yard a number of fowls which we cherished -most carefully, and they were a great amusement to us, -especially when a brood of chickens appeared or when the -young cockerels showed fight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Two other comrades were “bath-keepers”; had to see -to the cleaning of the steam-bath, etc., and—like all our -“officials”—were excused from kitchen work.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Finally, there was the very important post of librarian, -which ranked next to that of <em>stàrosta</em>, and, like it, was -decided by ballot, while the other dignitaries generally -chose their own offices. In the course of years our library -had attained quite imposing dimensions; it was composed -partly of books brought by the inmates, partly of those -sent to us as gifts. Nearly all branches of knowledge were -represented in it, but particularly history, mathematics, and -natural science; there were also books in almost every -European language, including the classics. Two enormous -cupboards in the corridor contained this treasure, but the -greater part of it was usually in the hands of eager readers. -The custodian had to look after the binding and mending -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>of the books, in which he found many willing helpers. The -tools and materials used were of the most primitive description; -we had no pasteboard, for instance, and had to -contrive some by pasting paper together. My travelling -companion, Tchuikov, proved a first-rate librarian, not -only invariably remembering what books each person had -borrowed, but being always able to tell the whereabouts of -any particular article or treatise in our files of newspapers. -He was to the last always re-elected librarian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Housework in the rooms was likewise done by strict -rule; according to our turns we had to be on duty twice a -day, seeing to the stoves, carrying the unsavoury wooden -tubs in and out at night and in the morning, and so on. -Our rooms were kept scrupulously clean and neat, and -every fortnight there was a tremendous thorough cleaning; -the boards were scrubbed with hot water, beds aired, tables -and benches washed in the yard. We were very particular -about proper ventilation, and observed all hygienic precautions -most carefully; each man used the steam-bath -once a week, and each washed his own clothes—not one of -our easiest jobs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Remembering that most of us were students fresh from -the universities, or at any rate had hitherto had little practical -acquaintance with domestic labour, and taking into -account external circumstances generally and the scanty -supply of materials, I think we might fairly pride ourselves -on the practical and efficient organisation of our household -affairs. Of course our system was liable to modification -in details if necessary, but the principles on which it was -based were fixed and unchangeable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That our life must have had much in it irksome in the -extreme and hard to bear is only too evident; living in -such constant and close intimacy for years with the same -set of people must necessarily lead to all kinds of petty -rubs and differences; all the more because the forced -inactivity was such a strain to the nerves of many. These -were evils not in our power entirely to avert.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>In the middle of each room hung a lamp with a dark -shade—lamps that we had ourselves provided. Our table -was narrow and long, so that a number of persons necessarily -sat where the light was very poor, insufficient for -work of any kind; and this, of course, was a misfortune -for everyone, as those condemned to idleness disturbed -the more advantageously placed who wanted to study. -Even had there not been this drawback, serious concentration -of mind would have been difficult in a small room -wherein were congregated sixteen men of very different -temperaments and inclinations. The needful quiet could -rarely be obtained, for it would have been impossible to -enforce silence during the long winter evenings; on the -contrary, when one sat down to work at night tongues -were loosened, and there began a constant hubbub of -chatter and laughter. Anyone who was really bent on -earnest study had to devise a special plan: he became -what we called a “Sirius.” This meant that as soon as it -became dusk he went to bed till midnight, and then, while -the rest were asleep, got up and worked till dawn, when -Sirius rises above the horizon; after which he lay down -for another two hours’ rest. It needed an overwhelming -desire for learning and considerable powers of endurance -to become a “Sirius”; it was difficult to rest when the -comrades were chattering and making a noise all around -one, and when one had at last managed to get off to sleep, -it seemed immediately time to wake up again. The dividing -of the night’s rest is not an easy thing to stand; in -spite of my efforts I could never accustom myself to it; -yet there were some among us—though not many—who -were numbered among the “Siriuses” all the time I was at -Kara. Yatzèvitch, and two others of whom I shall have -more to say, Kalyushny and Adrian Mihailov, kept to this -mode of life during that whole period.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>I must mention one custom that had taken root in the -prison, into which I was very soon initiated. We were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>in the middle of a lively conversation one morning, just -after my arrival, when M., one of the comrades, turned -to me with the question—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you say, Deutsch; will the Tsar soon be -made an end of?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh no,” I replied, “I don’t think he’ll be killed. The -man will probably end his days peacefully in his bed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>My answer met with violent opposition, everyone assuring -me that Alexander III. must meet his father’s fate. -At that time nearly all revolutionists had still a firm -belief in the indestructible power of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, -and saw in terrorism the only practicable means of fighting -Russian absolutism. To me, on the contrary, things showed -themselves in quite a different light. I had taken part in -the revolutionary organisation when the terrorist idea was -in its infancy, had witnessed its development until finally -it reigned alone and absorbed all the fighting energy -of the party, had known personally Terrorists both great -and small, and I had now come to the conclusion that -the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> had outlived its time. The tide of -feeling that had fostered the growth of this party had -reached its height in 1881; while after, and in consequence -of, the assassination of Alexander II. it had ebbed rapidly -away. As I have explained before, all the leading Terrorists -were then removed from the sphere of action, and the -younger ones who tried to replace them had no chance -of proving and tempering their own powers. Both in -Russia and abroad I had seen how the earlier enthusiasm -had given way to a fatal scepticism; men had lost faith, -even though many would not have allowed that it was -so. It was clear to me that a reaction had set in, to last -for many years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When I now gave expression to these views, M. asked -suddenly—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you back that opinion?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does that mean?” I asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, we simply mean by that, will you take a bet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>on it? I declare that the Tsar will be killed; you maintain -the contrary. I offer you a wager that the Tsar will -be killed by the revolutionists within a certain time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well, I accept.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Shall we say five years—till December 15th, 1890?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right; what is the stake?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was not so easy to settle. Bets of this sort, I then -learned, were quite the fashion, and were made on every -kind of occasion—sometimes as the result of a serious -argument, sometimes about a mere trifle; but there was -rarely a controversy that did not terminate with the -question, “Will you back that opinion?” If the other -party tried to make excuses, there would be a chorus from -the bystanders of “He shirks it!” and the reputation -of a “shirker” was not a flattering one. The stake was -usually some small matter, perhaps a little tea or tobacco, -varying according to the importance of the subject in -dispute. A “sou’s worth” of sugar was a common offer; -but if the loser undertook to brew tea for the whole room -that was considered a high stake, and the result was -awaited with interest. Although these bets were more or -less of a joke, they had also a more serious side. There -are people who will dispute about every imaginable thing, -and make the wildest assertions simply for the sake of -arguing; and it must be confessed that after such heedless -talkers had lost a few wagers they were more inclined -to hold their tongues occasionally, though neither the -chance of losses nor of earning the nickname of “shirker” -could quite restrain some of our number from arguing -in the air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My wager with M. was duly recorded, and it was agreed -that the loser should provide cakes for all the inhabitants -of the “nobles’ room.” This was a very high stake, -costing several roubles, and the loser risked being without -pocket-money for “secondary necessaries” during several -months; but the question being one that might not be -decided for a long while, the stake had to be considerable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>to sustain interest. Time proved me right. At the end -of 1890 M. had lost his bet, and wished to pay his debt -of honour; but I refused to allow him to do so, on the -ground that circumstances had changed, and the former -inmates of the “nobles’ room” would no longer be able -to partake of the feast, many having by that time left the -prison. M. would not hear of it at first, but ended by -giving in.</p> - -<div id='i232' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_232_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>PRISONERS GOLD-WASHING AT KARA</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 232</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXIV <br /> <span class='small'>SOME DETAILS OF THE PRISON’S HISTORY—THE “TOM-CAT”—THE “SANHEDRIN’S ROOM”—MY FIRST SIBERIAN SPRING</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>In conversation with those who had been imprisoned at -Kara for some time one often heard the expressions: -“That was before the May days,” or, “That happened -after the 11th of May.” This mode of reckoning time -had become current among us; everybody knew the story -of the “May days,” which had been an epoch in the -prison life of Kara, just as the “February days” had been -a turning-point in French history. All that lay behind -the “May days” was a sort of golden age, and after -them came a time of storm and stress, years of gloom -and misery. I will briefly narrate the story of these -events.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Kara prison for political offenders dates from the -year 1880. Before that time “politicals” were not confined -in a special gaol, but in one among a great number -of such prisons in this penal district, where along the -River Kara are many gold-washing settlements, the private -property of the Tsar—or “property of His Majesty’s -Cabinet,” as it is officially termed. The “politicals,” like -the ordinary prisoners, had to wash gold for the Lord of -All the Russias; but the work was not hard, and they -rather enjoyed it. It was at any rate pleasanter and more -wholesome to work for a few hours in the fresh air than to -vegetate in prison. At that time the “politicals” enjoyed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>the same privileges as the ordinary convicts; <i>e.g.</i> they had -better rations than were subsequently given them, they -might correspond with their relations, and at the expiration -of their appointed sentences they were allowed -to settle in the “free colony” outside the prison. The -“politicals” were not dissatisfied with this state of things; -but in December, 1880, the then Minister of the Interior, -Count Loris Melikov, ordered that they should no longer -be allowed in the penal colony. Shortly after this was -made known one of the prisoners, a graduate of the -Petersburg University, named Semyanovsky, took his own -life, leaving a letter to his father, in which he declared that -the idea of being permanently shut up in prison had driven -him to commit suicide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This cruel decree came at a time when the political -movement was particularly strong, and we were believed -to be on the eve of a great upheaval; news of revolutionary -doings, though much delayed, reached the ears of the -prisoners in distant Kara, and naturally made the yearning -for liberty more fervent than ever. Some of those who -still had a long term of punishment to suffer resolved on -flight; but not till May, 1882, was it found possible to -execute their plans, and the work at the mines to which -they were daily led furnished them with the opportunity. -It was arranged that two men were to escape each night; -and by common consent the first to go was Myshkin,<a id='r89' /><a href='#f89' class='c010'><sup>[89]</sup></a> a -well-known revolutionist, who chose as his companion one -of the most able of his comrades, a working-man named -Nicholas Hrùstchov.<a id='r90' /><a href='#f90' class='c010'><sup>[90]</sup></a> These two got away successfully, -and to conceal their disappearance their comrades made -dummies which they laid in their places on the bed-shelves -when the roll was called. Galkin-Vrassky, the head of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>Prisons Department, was just at that time visiting the -prisons of Kara, accompanied by the Governor, Iliashèvitch; -but nothing was discovered, though the fugitives were -already well on their eastern journey, nearing the shore of -the Pacific. After a few days a second couple escaped in -the same manner, and as successfully, and then a third pair. -But as the last man of a fourth pair was making off, the -sentry fired and alarmed the watch; the shot missed, but -the absence of eight prisoners was discovered. That was -on May 11th, 1882; Galkin-Vrassky and Iliashèvitch were -still in Kara, and the presence of their chiefs fired the local -authorities to special exertions in following up the fugitives; -six were soon captured,<a id='r91' /><a href='#f91' class='c010'><sup>[91]</sup></a> only the first two remaining at -large.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Reprisals were at once taken against the other political -prisoners; some were conveyed in small parties to different -prisons, and treated with terrible severity on the way; the -Kara prison was rebuilt, the large common rooms being -each converted into three cells so small that one could -scarcely turn round in them; while within a special enclosure -a building was erected with narrow cells for solitary -confinement, wherein some of the revolutionists were incarcerated. -All books and other possessions were taken from -the “politicals”; they were allowed no food except that -provided by the State; and were subjected to so many -hardships and privations that they unanimously resolved -to put an end to their lives by refusing to eat; and only -when they were at death’s door were some concessions -made by the authorities.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Myshkin and Hrùstchov were for some time lucky in -evading detection. They got as far as Vladivostock, and -were in the act of seeking safety on board a foreign vessel -when they were recognised as the long-sought fugitives, -and captured. All sacrifices had been vain, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>prisoners of the mighty Tsar were once more secured in -the Kara prison, which had meanwhile undergone further -changes. The “politicals” were separated from the -ordinary convicts, and the male and female divisions of -the political prison placed under the control of the -gendarmerie. Koros, a staff officer of gendarmes, was -sent from Petersburg and installed as commandant; and -a number of inferior officers of gendarmerie were made -warders. The whole system was at the same time -completely altered; the workshops were removed, and the -prisoners forced to remain idle; they were not allowed to -leave the precincts of the gaol, and correspondence with -their friends was forbidden. Moreover, as has been said -elsewhere, thirteen of their number were despatched to the -Fortress of Peter and Paul and thence to Schlüsselburg, -where now (1902) only one of them survives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the four years that had elapsed since the “May -days” there had been four changes of commandant. -One of these gentlemen had been superseded and sent to -Yakutsk for appropriating to his own private uses one -thousand roubles of money sent to the prisoners. Each -change of commandant meant some modification of -arrangements, and thus by degrees various small improvements -were made, among others the breaking down of the -partition walls in the rooms; while, in consequence of an -appeal made by a prisoner’s influential relations, the Loris -Melikov order was finally annulled, and “politicals” were -once more allowed to reside in the penal colony when -their proportion of years in prison was past. The legal -regulations concerning the latter privilege were as follows: -in the fulfilment of all hard-labour (or “katorga”) sentences -the first one or two years—according to the length -of the sentence—are called “probation time”; the remaining -years are called “time of alleviation,” and in them -every ten months count as a year. In this way, for -example, my thirteen years and four months became -eleven years and five months; and being sentenced on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>October 12th, 1884, I should finish my term in February, -1896. The entire “probation time” and two or three -years of the “time of alleviation” must be spent in prison; -but after that the law provided that the prisoner should be -allowed to reside in the “colony,” under police supervision, -instead of within the prison walls. Such partially freed -prisoners might take up their abode in some house assigned -to them, or built by themselves; but they were subject to -the rules and regulations laid down for the convicts residing -there, ordinary and political alike. It was a great matter -to be no longer cooped up day and night in a common -room of the prison; the “politicals”—people of culture -and refinement—appreciated this particularly, and the -withdrawal of the privilege had been a terrible deprivation. -The greater, therefore, was the rejoicing when, two -years after the “May days,” the new commandant, Captain -Burlei, who had succeeded the thief Manayev, informed -the captives in the political prison of Kara that some time -previously a resolution of the senate had rescinded the -adverse decree. The dishonest Manayev had suppressed -the document proclaiming this, that he might the more -easily continue to conceal his malpractices. Captain Burlei -immediately proposed to the governor of the district that -steps should be taken forthwith for the release from prison -and internment in the “colony” of all those who had -become entitled to that right. Before this could be -arranged, however, the humane commandant was replaced -by Nikolin, who would only allow the new rules to come -into force under certain restrictions. The senate had made -their decision; the law was there, and must be complied -with; but by “administrative methods” he continued to -limit its operations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Captain Nikolin was a malicious, small-minded man, -always on the look-out for ways of annoying the prisoners; -and now, on the pretence that he had not a strong enough -force of gendarmes to supervise the “colony,” he asked -that instead of releasing all who were entitled to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>privilege, only fifteen persons at a time should be set free. -His excuse was groundless, for under the circumstances -the same force of gendarmes could have equally well controlled -the greater or smaller number of “colonists”; but of -course the wish of the commandant was acceded to, and it -thus came about that those who should have obtained the -right of living outside the prison had often to wait years -until there was a vacancy, and even then there might be a -dozen candidates for it, from among whom Nikolin arbitrarily -selected a recipient of the favour. Of course this curtailment -of their rights earned Nikolin the ardent dislike of -the prisoners; and his conduct was such as continually to -aggravate that sentiment anew.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had an opportunity of seeing this man soon after -being placed under his charge. He often came into the -prison—into the corridor, that is, for he never entered the -rooms. He might have been nearly fifty-five, rather big, with -an imposing “corporation”; his broad round face, cunning -little eyes, and bristling moustache, gave him the look of a -fat, spiteful old tom-cat, and he was always designated -by that nickname. The expression of his eyes was -particularly catlike; he looked as if just ready to pounce -on a victim and stick his claws into it. He always spoke -in a low voice, this “tom-cat”; but he chattered unceasingly, -and kept smacking his lips all the time, his -expression being always peevish and discontented. When -he visited the prison he generally remained for some time -standing by our <em>stàrosta</em>, who would be busy beside his -big chest; and Nikolin would talk away, quite regardless -whether his conversation were agreeable to the listener -or not. During these endless monologues he would brag -and boast in the most inflated way. Could we have -accepted his own account of his exploits, he would by -this time have been at least a general. He had begun his -career during the sixties under Mouravièv, the oppressor -of Vilna, and he would recount the inestimable services -he had rendered at that epoch. Yet he was still only a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>captain! Possibly an excess of zeal had spoiled his -prospects; at any rate, he used to relate the following -story of what had happened to him in Kara. He had -once addressed a communication to the governor of the -province, asking this highly important question: “When -the floor of a room was being scrubbed, and the prisoners -were consequently turned out into the corridor, should the -warder take them into another room or not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Imagine!” the “tom-cat” would cry. “The answer -I received was this: ‘Arrange the matter for yourself according -to Paragraph 13 of the instructions.’” Now the -instructions only contained twelve paragraphs, but the -irony of the rejoinder never struck Nikolin, and he continued -to fuss on every occasion over any sort of trifle. -He seemed, too, to think that his position as commandant -of the political prisoners did not give him enough scope -for grumbling, but poked his nose into everything that -went on in the district of Kara. Once, indeed, he did -actually succeed in discovering a series of thefts from the -coffers of the State. There was a certain Major Pohùlov, -governor of the ordinary convicts’ prison (with whom -Mr. Kennan stayed during his visit to Kara). One fine -day a storehouse under his charge, supposed to contain -some thousands of poods of grain for the prisoners’ use, -was burnt down. Now grain stored in great heaps does -not burn away, but simply gets roasted; yet on this -occasion there was no trace of it to be found, the gallant -major having had a little deal with the purveyor, and then, -with the help of his subordinates, having arranged that -the warehouse should be burnt down in the nick of time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Probably this transaction would have remained in the -dark, like many others of the kind, had not our “tom-cat” -taken the matter up and by his denunciations forced the -Government to appoint a commission of inquiry on which -he himself served.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He then revealed the full range of his talents, and -brought to the light of day a whole system of robbery and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>fraud. The “hospitable gentleman,” as Kennan described -Major Pohùlov (and indeed so he was), had had more than -one device for enriching himself at the State’s expense. -For instance, hundreds of prisoners figured on his list who -had long since either been released or had escaped, and for -these “ghosts” he had regularly charged his books with -clothing and food allowances, whilst he and the purveyor -had fraternally shared the money between them. This man -was dismissed from his office, but was never brought to -justice, as he had influential friends who shielded him.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Although my comrades in the “nobles’ room” were -most sympathetic companions to me, I had a great wish -to be transferred to the room inhabited by my friend -Stefanòvitch, and permission for this had to be asked -of the “tom-cat.” He at first refused it, on the excuse -that he must get the governor’s sanction; but I heard -in a roundabout way that he pretended to fear lest if -Stefanòvitch and I got together we might manage to -escape. This was arrant nonsense, as since the gendarmes -had had charge of the prison there had been no faintest -possibility of escaping from it; but the “tom-cat” had to -find some pretext or other for tormenting us. A few -weeks later he finally gave his consent, and I became my -friend’s “chum” in the “Sanhedrin room.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The whole aspect of life in this apartment differed -materially from that in the “nobles’ room.” A good many -of the inmates were artisans, and some of the others had -a turn for manual work, in consequence of which the room -had quite the look of a workshop. The possession of tools -was forbidden, but they had them notwithstanding, though -nothing of the kind was ever to be seen when an inspection -took place. These inspections, though minute, were “superficial,” -as the gendarmerie expressed it; that is, we were -never personally searched, so we simply put our tools in -our pockets when the inspection began.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some of our workmen were past masters in their craft. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>Hrùstchov, a hero of the “May days,” was one of these, -and another proficient was the locksmith Bubnovsky. -With scraps of iron, old nails, and such-like he made a tiny -lathe that could go into his pocket. With this little lathe -he fashioned all the parts of a clock, and, though he had -never been a watchmaker, produced a most artistic timepiece, -that later found place in a Siberian museum. Almost -all kinds of handiwork were carried on in our workshop, -many of them having been learned entirely from books. -Patience and endurance—lessons taught by prison life—had -fruitful results when applied to such ends; and the -theoretical studies that were undertaken, one comrade -learning from another, also profited by those qualities. -Knowledge was eagerly sought after in this room, and the -<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>quondam</em></span> students helped the working-men. Yatzèvitch -and Zlatopòlsky came there every day to give instruction -in mathematics and natural science; Fomitchov occupied -the chair of Russian languages, and so on. On this account -our room was sometimes called “the Academy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Among the workmen a certain Karl Ivanein interested -me much. By birth a Finn, but thoroughly Russified, his -passion was for the finer branches of literature, and in -these he was very well read. He was an enthusiastic -adherent of Tolstoi’s teaching, and any hostile criticism -of that sage stung his proselyte to eager defence. His -was a highly gifted but eccentric character: soon after I -became acquainted with him he was released from prison -and sent to live in the penal settlement, where in a very -little while he committed suicide.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fomin and Fomitchov were noted among the other -students in our room for their determined industry. Fomin -I had known in Switzerland, where he had lived for some -time as a refugee. He had been an officer of infantry; -was arrested for making propaganda among the soldiers, -and imprisoned in Vilna, but escaped by the help of a -comrade. He could not long endure to remain abroad, -and returned to Russia, where he managed to conceal himself -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>for a time, but was arrested in 1882 in Petersburg and -condemned to twenty years’ penal servitude. While in -Kara he occupied himself with the study of natural -science, particularly mineralogy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of Fomitchov I had heard much, as a very active revolutionist, -but had never met him before. The son of a poor -sacristan, he had studied in Odessa, where in 1877 he was -arrested, and charged before a court-martial with making -propaganda among soldiers; but even under martial law -it was found impossible to convict him, and he was set free -amid the applause of the onlookers, who gave both him -and his counsel a perfect ovation. Soon afterwards, however, -he was again imprisoned, and was condemned together -with Lisogùb, Tchubàrov, and others, his sentence -being penal servitude for life. In consequence of his -attempted escape while on the journey, which I have -already mentioned,<a id='r92' /><a href='#f92' class='c010'><sup>[92]</sup></a> he was chained to the wheelbarrow<a id='r93' /><a href='#f93' class='c010'><sup>[93]</sup></a> -for a year. He busied himself with historical studies, -more especially in Russian history, and had read a great -deal on that subject; but unfortunately our library was -one-sided in this branch, and only provided him with -voluminous and rather out-of-date works, such as those -of Schlosser, Weber, Mommsen, Soloviev, and Kostomarov. -It may have been partly owing to the bias of -these guides, partly to some odd twist in his own mind, -but anyhow our friend Fomitchov—a clever and extremely -painstaking student, an excellent comrade, and a man of -strong character generally—came to adopt most extraordinary -views for a political prisoner. He was not only -an ardent patriot and Russsophil; but also—which seemed -especially incomprehensible—an extreme monarchist, and -a passionate upholder of the Romanov dynasty! A -political offender, a convict for life, yet a fanatic for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>Russian absolutism: a strange combination, truly! If a -man holding such opinions had petitioned for pardon it -would have seemed only logical; not one of us would -have seen anything dishonourable in his taking such a step, -but Fomitchov abstained from doing so. He persisted in the -curious view that it was his duty to abide his fate and wear -out his life in a Siberian prison, as expiation of his rebellion -against the Tsar, of whose wise policy for the government -of his subjects Fomitchov had now not the slightest doubt. -It might have been confidently asserted that among all the -courtiers and dignitaries surrounding him, Alexander III. -had no more loyal and devoted adherent than this political -convict in Kara prison. The most unjust and cruel ukase -of the Tsar’s Government found in Fomitchov a defender -who could always discover therein some salutary principle -intended to promote the welfare of the people. That -people he loved beyond everything, even to the sacrificing -of his own life, if need were; and therefore was he compelled -to be for ever attempting the theoretical reconciliation -of governmental Tsarism with the people’s good. Any -attack on the Tsar incensed him to such a degree that he -would often break off all intercourse with anyone who -made His Majesty the object of hostile comment. Many -of us seriously doubted if the man could rightly be considered -sane.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Naturally Fomitchov stood alone in this exaggeration of -royalist enthusiasm, but as a Russophil he found many -sympathisers. A certain number among us were firmly -persuaded that Russian social and domestic conditions -were far superior to those of Western Europe, and disputes -about this supposed Russian perfection were endless; they -were the occasion of many a wager, and not infrequently -caused serious estrangements between friends, or—as our -double-Dutch expressed it—“climatic disturbances.” This -strange belief in the superiority of backward Russia was -a ruling craze of the time in our country. The entire -progressive press was Russophil in that sense; and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>tendency had manifested itself even in Socialist literature, -in the passionate insistence that, Russian conditions being -perfectly different from those of any other country, the -revolutionary struggle must proceed on essentially distinct -lines. I must confess that I was often pained to hear men -suffering for their convictions giving vent to opinions so -strongly resembling the arguments of hardened reactionaries.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of the most strenuous advocates of these views in -our room was a man who—strange to say—bore the reputation -of being among the ablest in the prison. Nicholas -Posen had been a village school-teacher who had taken no -specially active part in the revolutionary movement, but -had chanced to participate in armed resistance to the -gendarmerie at Kiëv, and had been brought to trial in -consequence, together with Maria Kovalèvskaya and others. -He had been condemned to fourteen years and ten months’ -“katorga,” subsequently increased by another fourteen -years, for an attempt to escape from prison in Irkutsk. -He was well educated and intelligent, but he had no political -convictions worth mentioning. He had a passion for -argument, and would discuss anything and everything by -the hour, always ready to prove any given proposition, and -seizing any pretext for a debate—a philosophical problem, -or any everyday trifle. Serious study was not his forte, -and his everlasting chatter disturbed others at their work; -hardly had his eyes opened in the morning before his -tongue was set in motion, and it never rested all day -long.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A favourite theme with him was speculation about the -day’s food: “What do you think we shall have for supper -to-night?” he would ask, buttonholing somebody; “I am -sure they are making ‘everyone-likes-it.’” “Perhaps; -but perhaps it is mince and groats,” his interlocutor might -say, just to please him by falling in with his humour. -Then Posen’s tongue would be loosened, and he would -prove his important point beyond question, giving all his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>reasons; he would dilate on it for half an hour, and would -wind up with, “Will you back your opinion?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right, we’ll have something on it; what shall it be?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Three matches!” cries Posen; everyone laughs; and -he himself seems thoroughly pleased with his joke. He -had at bottom a vain and petty spirit, and showed later -that he could come to any compromise with the authorities -in order to satisfy his own small desires.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Deficiency and poverty of nourishment soon affected -my health, although I had all my life hitherto been -thoroughly robust. After a few months I felt a weakness -in the legs, and could no longer hold myself upright; then -black and blue patches made their appearance on the skin -of my legs, my gums began to suppurate, and my teeth -became loose. I betook myself to our medical adviser, -Prybylyev.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hullo, my friend, you have got a beautiful attack of -scurvy!” said he; “you’ve been quick about it.” He -ordered me invalid diet, and I was given a daily cutlet -with plenty of garlic. I was not the only one to suffer in -this way from the insufficient feeding; next spring a -number of us were victims to the same disease, and, -strangely enough, it was always the strongest and -healthiest who succumbed. Improved diet and the <a id='corr245.24'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='skil'>skill</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_245.24'>skill</a></span> -of our good Prybylyev soon tided me over the worst; -after a while I could walk once more without crutches, my -gums healed, and soon I could dispense with invalid food. -For a long time, however, I felt the after-effects of my -illness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I have a keen recollection of my first spring in Kara. I -was overcome by an indescribable yearning and longing -that made the burden of the aimless, senseless life within -prison walls lie like a leaden weight on my spirits, in face -of the new life of nature springing up so freely all around. -Even reading, almost the sole occupation I could invent -for myself outside the daily work, was impossible. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>letters danced before my eyes; no sense of what I had -read remained in my mind; memory failed me; and my -fancy alone worked untiringly. In any case mental exertion -under the conditions of prison life has but little result -in proportion to the time and energy expended; the -physical state of the prisoner reacts on his mind, dulling -his faculties and weakening his resolution. But in the -spring-time, when every living thing revives and asserts -itself in action, it is hardly possible to resist distraction -from merely mental labour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our prison lay in the trough of a valley between ranges -of hills, and from the yard these hills could be seen by -us. There was very scanty vegetation on those Siberian -heights; yet in spring they appeared to us like a distant -Paradise that beckoned irresistibly. Close by we had only -the well-trodden courtyard, where not even a blade of -grass peeped forth, the black weather-stained wooden walls -of the prison buildings, and the tall posts of the stockade; -our eyes dwelt on the farther prospect, and we pictured to -ourselves the delight of treading on soft turf under the -shade of trees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We petitioned our “tom-cat” for leave to plant a garden -in the yard; there was space enough, the work would have -been beneficial, and then we might have had vegetables -for our table, the deficiency in which particular had been -so detrimental to our health. The “tom-cat” roundly -refused. “We should need spades,” he said, “and they -might be used to dig a hole whereby to get away.” So, -again, when one of us was sent some flower-seeds and -sowed them in a wooden box, the box was taken away -by Nikolin’s orders: the earth in it might have served to -conceal some contraband article. Such needless tyrannies -embittered us still more against the detested commandant. -However peaceably we might otherwise have been inclined, -our hatred of this man might well have blazed out at any -opportunity; he himself probably guessed as much, for he -became more and more mistrustful, at last never entering -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>our prison. He felt that he had made enemies all round -him, and sat lonely in his own house, or squabbled with his -cook, afraid to show himself outside. It may be a matter -of surprise that one of his many enemies did not find a -way to put an end to him, that being a not unusual course -of events in Kara; but finally he could endure such a -life no longer, and applied to be transferred elsewhere. In -the spring of 1887 his application was granted, and he -departed, accompanied by the anathemas of the entire -population of Kara.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXV <br /> <span class='small'>HUMOURS AND PASTIMES OF PRISON LIFE—TWO NEW COMMANDANTS—THE “HOSPITAL”—THE PARTICIPATORS IN ARMED RESISTANCE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Our life was one of dismal uniformity. Day after -day, month after month, went past and left no trace -in remembrance. One day was exactly like another, and -all alike seemed endless. Whole years elapsed, and from -each three hundred and sixty-five days there could not be -singled out one on which any event had occurred worthy -of recollection. In vain one racks one’s brain trying -to arouse a memory of that monotonous past. When -we arose in the morning we knew exactly what the day -would bring; indeed, one knew beforehand what the next -day and the next week and month would contain. One -knew the manners, customs, inclinations of every comrade -in misfortune, could tell what each would be likely to say -or do on any given occasion, and sometimes one would -long to run away and hide, and never see their faces again. -But there is no running away; every minute of the year -you are obliged to endure the company of those others, and -to burden them with your own; there is not a moment -in which you can be alone, not a corner in the common -room to which you can withdraw for real privacy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To all this is added the rigour of the prison routine: -the roll-call morning and evening, the periodical inspections, -the shaving of heads that takes place with painful -regularity, the constant presence of the gendarmes. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>strain at times becomes insupportable, and the nerves are -so shattered that the creaking of the great lock in the -frequent opening and shutting of the door affects one -almost to madness. Many of us became irritable to an -extent incomprehensible to a normally sound person, and -with some of us (though not with many) this would at -times lead to loss of temper and quarrelling over the -veriest nothings. It thus once happened that two friends, -both intelligent and well-educated men of mature years, fell -out with one another literally about an egg-shell, which -occasioned a dispute that led to a break between them. -This can only be conceivable if one realises that even -people who love each other tenderly might find it difficult -to endure such close and uninterrupted intercourse. What, -then, must have been our situation, locked up together, -forced to inflict unwillingly on each other a companionship -which there was no alternative but to accept?</p> - -<p class='c001'>We had, however, our small joys and alleviations. The -most welcome event was the arrival of the post, which in -winter came every ten days, in summer every week. I -can hardly depict the intense eagerness with which many -of us awaited the post days, counting the hours till the -mail might be expected to reach the prison. Some would -stand for hours by the stockade, watching to see the -commandant start on his drive to the post-office, which -was some versts distant; then they would impatiently -await his return, not omitting to let their comrades know -the result of their observations. The post brought us -letters, newspapers, books, money, and occasionally a -parcel—a present, a token of affection. All this made -indeed a break in the dull routine of daily existence, and -not one could remain an uninterested spectator. On the -arrival of money depended our common exchequer, and -the amount of our private pocket-money; newspapers and -reviews brought the news for which we thirsted passionately, -especially the tidings of political events. They were -eagerly seized on, and their reading at once furnished -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>subjects of talk and discussion, although those years were -times of thorough reaction, not only in Russia, but in -Western Europe, so that what we read was nearly always -disheartening, causing us to lay the paper down depressed -in spirits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Moreover, only the most conservative, uninteresting -papers were permitted us, with the sole exception of -the well-known review <cite>Vèstnik Evropuy</cite> (<cite>The European -Messenger</cite>), which for some unknown reason was allowed -to pass. Some of our newspaper readers studied the -whole publication from beginning to end, and remembered -every little detail. Many of us, however, were chiefly -interested in the arrival of home letters, the source of so -much joy and of so much sorrow. Constant anxiety about -our dear ones was caused by the long interval between the -despatch and the receipt of correspondence, which was -often six weeks or two months on the way, and when the -roads were impassable, as is often the case in Siberia for -months together, the posts were even longer delayed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All letters received by us were first read by the commandant, -and subjected to a strict censure; they were -also tested with a solution of chlorate of iron, to see -whether any entries had been made in them with invisible -chemical ink. But what was most cruel was that we were -not permitted to answer on our own account; we might -only send a post card in the name of the commandant, -acknowledging the receipt of a letter or other communication, -and giving the briefest information as to health, -somewhat in this fashion: “Your son (brother, nephew) -is well. The money (or whatever it was) sent to him by -you has been received, and he begs you to send him -the following—--” This is signed by the commandant, -but as the card is written by the prisoner himself, his -correspondents may be assured from his handwriting that -he is alive and is in possession of their missives, nothing -further. Under such conditions correspondence is often -a torture to both parties, yet those who could have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>even this much intercourse with home were envied by the -lonely ones who never expected letters at all. There was -more than one such among us, and how often when the -letters were distributed would one or other of them say -sorrowfully, “If only someone would send me a line!” It -is terrible to think of being thousands of miles from home -in the solitudes of Siberia, and not to know of a single -soul who may sometimes remember one’s existence; yet, -as I say, some of our comrades at Kara were in this -forlorn situation. How great was the rejoicing if one of -these outcasts unexpectedly received a letter from some -relation, or some friend of former days! The lucky one -would order tea, and perhaps even cakes for the whole -room to celebrate the occasion; the letter itself would -become a much-talked-of treasure, and the most interesting -portions would be read aloud to intimate friends.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Treating one’s room-mates was also customary if one -had had any specially good news from home. The contents -of such a letter would be immediately imparted to all the -other rooms, and sometimes extracts containing tidings of -universal interest would be circulated. Certainly the commandants, -and the “tom-cat” particularly, took every -means for suppressing such tidings, blotting out in our -letters everything outside the narrow circle of personal -matters; but we had always ways and means of obtaining -intelligence of political and other events that it concerned -us to know about. The inventiveness shown by some of -our party in devising this was sometimes astonishing; -moreover, we occasionally managed to get delivered to us -through the commandant literature strictly prohibited in -Russia. He, of course, was enjoined to examine most -carefully every book and parcel that arrived; but we contrived -to supplement the officially prescribed channels of -correspondence, either by inducing some corruptible member -of the prison staff to assist us, or by some other device. -Intercourse with the women’s prison, which was strictly -forbidden, was also effected by means of this “secret post,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>and it likewise enabled us to communicate with the exiles -in different parts of Siberia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our official postal transactions were always effected -through our <em>stàrosta</em>, the commandant telling him what -money had been received and for whom, and he informing -the prisoners. The librarian had charge of all printed -matter sent to us, and the order in which each new book -or newspaper should be passed round was arranged most -exactly beforehand. If anyone had a present—linen, boots, -or anything of that kind—it was open to him to keep it -for himself or to hand it over to the <em>stàrosta</em>. In the latter -case everyone was made aware that such and such things -were to be had; whoever wanted them might announce -the fact, and the award was decided by lot. If the gift -consisted of eatables, it was at once given to the <em>stàrosta</em>, -who divided it among the rooms. In each room there was -a “general divider”—one whose office it was to divide with -scrupulous exactitude among all the inmates every portion -of food and every tit-bit that fell to their share—a task -which frequently called for the exhibition of much talent -and artistic judgment. This post of “divider” was usually -held by somebody of a mathematical turn, and he officiated -as carver at meals, serving out each person’s due portion -with careful impartiality.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This striving after equality in every particular developed -into a passion with some of our number, till it became -actually painful to them to receive any little gift that could -not be shared, and they would feel obliged to apologise -for it to all their comrades; very rarely did anyone who -received a present wish selfishly to keep it entirely to himself. -A few were so scrupulous that they did not consider -it right, in asking for new books from home, to consult -merely their own individual taste, but made the others -draw up a list of books that they wished for; and that -perfect equality might govern the transaction, the sum of -money set aside for the purchase was divided among the -whole number of prisoners, so that each one could choose -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>books to the value of the amount allotted to him. In this -way everybody would be catered for—the lover of <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>belles -lettres</em></span> as well as the student of abstruse scientific or philosophical -subjects.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ranking next to the mails as a source of enjoyment -must be reckoned the bath-house. Especially after a week -of hard and dirty kitchen work, the vapour-bath and clean -linen were a real luxury, and when one came from the -bath-room, extended one’s tired limbs on the bed-shelf, -and let one’s thoughts wander idly as one sipped hot tea, -a feeling of such physical well-being would pervade one as -to cause all disagreeables to be forgotten for the moment. -Although the freshly donned under-linen was anything but -fine, and not very artistically washed and got up, being apt -to scratch a sensitive skin; although the grey prison-clothes -were neither convenient nor beautiful—still one -revelled in the sensation of comfort and relaxation, and if -it happened also to be mail-day, delight was complete.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I hope you’re enjoying yourself, you epicurean!” -someone would cry, knowing full well himself the pleasure -of such an hour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Chess was a favourite pastime, and we had some -champion players among us, especially Yatzèvitch and -Zoubrtchitsky, who, besides having had much practice, -had studied the game scientifically. Sometimes we had -chess tournaments, with all the rigour of the game, and -prizes were given—of course, consisting of tea or some -other of our small luxuries. On such occasions the whole -prison took the liveliest interest in the combat; the final -“mate” being announced in all the rooms, and the play -exhaustively criticised.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Music was also cultivated. Our choir had an extensive -repertory, in which the melancholy moods of Little Russia -were contrasted with the dramatic Great Russian folk-songs. -It included operatic choruses, and, of course, the -revolutionary songs so dear to us all—the Marseillaise and -many others. After Commandant Nikolin had departed, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>and we were less harried and thwarted, one of our geniuses -constructed a violin, upon which various gifted friends -practised with great assiduity: not—it must be confessed—exactly -to the edification of the rest of us who had -perforce to listen. Posen and one or two others tortured -the ears of their comrades further by truly terrible musical -performances on ordinary hair-combs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another way of passing time was to invent riddles and -act charades, which was especially fashionable in our -“Sanhedrin.” And when some new-comers brought with -them a few packs of cards, the game of whist—then just -coming into vogue in Russia—so carried away some of -our party that they were at it literally day and night. On -the whole, however, card-playing did not find much favour -among us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Physical exercise would have been most welcome to -many of us, but as long as the “tom-cat” ruled the -roast it was possible only in a very restricted measure; all -he would consent to was that in winter we should make a -sledge-track in a part of the yard where the ground sloped -slightly, and we there disported ourselves on little sledges -made by ourselves.</p> - -<div id='i254' class='figcenter id006'> -<img src='images/i_254_top_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>YARD OF KARA PRISON FOR “POLITICALS”</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id006'> -<img src='images/i_254_bot_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>YARD OF KARA PRISON FOR “POLITICALS”</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 254</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>One of Nikolin’s successors saw no objection to our -laying out a garden, and during the next spring we were -extremely busy over this. Some of our number, great -lovers of nature, exhibited quite passionate energy in this -pursuit; they worked at their beds with most industrious -care, watered, manured, and weeded untiringly, and tended -each plant as though it were a beloved child. All sorts -of different plants and flowers were cultivated. I myself -had a special affection for sunflowers, which reminded me -of my South Russian home; wherever possible I sowed -their seeds, and in summer my fosterlings shot up -magnificently, their thick stems standing erect along our -“boulevard,” as we called the path by the stockade, -whence, by looking through the chinks, we could see -the road and the commandant’s house. When the tall -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>plants hung down their heads, it seemed as though they -looked down on us poor captives and wondered at the -cruelty of man to man. “So many young men wasting -their best years, half their lives, here in prison, only because -they strove for the welfare of their country as they -understood it!” And when the sunflowers straightened -themselves and held aloft their golden crowns, they might -be saying, “Do not lose courage, poor convicts! The time -will come when you too with proudly lifted heads shall -return to your beloved home.”</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>Nikolin’s successor, Captain Yakovlov, exerted himself -to mitigate the severity of our prison régime, which the -“tom-cat” had administered so tyrannically. He seemed -to be a compassionate and humane man, who—while keeping -to the prescribed regulations—was not concerned to -aggravate our hard lot by superfluous restrictions and -unnecessary harshness. Perhaps his conduct was partly -influenced by the knowledge that he was only filling the -position temporarily, as a stop-gap for Colonel Masyukov -of the gendarmerie, who was shortly to be sent from -Petersburg; probably also he wanted to have as little -squabbling with us as possible. He belonged to a class -of men to be found in great numbers both in Russia and -in Siberia, who have one overwhelming weakness—love -of drink. His devotion to the bottle was most assiduous, -and he often had evidently had more than was good for -him; but for all that, we breathed more freely under -his rule, and regarded with anxiety the advent of the new -commandant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a six months’ interval Colonel Masyukov entered -upon his office, in the winter of 1877, and made his first -round of the prison, accompanied by Yakovlov. He was -a man of short stature, with grey hair and moustache, -very quick in his movements, despite his fifty years; he -spoke in an unpleasant falsetto voice, and looked rather -like a plucked chicken. His whole appearance betokened -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>a weak and characterless disposition, as unluckily proved -to be the case, both to his own and our misfortune. Intellectually -limited, but good-tempered enough, Masyukov -was quite unlike one’s idea of a staff officer of gendarmerie; -indeed, he was in no way cut out for such a service, -and knew this himself better than anyone. He had only -joined the gendarmerie as a result of unforeseen circumstances. -Son of a country gentleman, he had been for -a time an officer in the Guards, afterwards returning to -his estate, where he gave himself up to riotous living. -The good dinners he gave were probably the reason of -his being elected Marshal of Nobility for his district, and -his subsequent dissipation led eventually to the ruin of his -finances. To re-establish himself in some measure, and -also, it was said, to discharge his debts of honour, he was -obliged again to enter the service of the State, and he -became an officer of gendarmes, induced by the higher -pay given in that branch of the service, as compared -with others of like standing, especially for those employed -in the distant parts of Siberia. The Commandant of -Kara was paid four to five thousand roubles per annum, -with house, servants, horses, fuel, etc. As a late officer -in the Guards and Marshal of Nobility, Masyukov was -soon made colonel, and appointed to the vacant post at -Kara. He himself declared afterwards that he had come -with the honest intention of doing his best to better our -lot; but hell is proverbially paved with good resolutions, -and the political prisoners suffered more under this well-meaning -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>bon vivant</em></span> than under many a thorough-paced -tyrant. But I will not anticipate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the early days of Masyukov’s rule we were able -to rejoice in more than one concession. Besides the granting -of our petition for a garden, the doors of our rooms -were now hardly ever locked by day, and within the -stockade surrounding the prison yard we could wander -about as we pleased. In Nikolin’s time one of the rooms -had always been empty, and for some reason or other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>he had refused to let us use it; now we were allowed -possession of it, and also of the wing containing single -cells, during the summer months. We thus had more -space, and anyone who wished for solitude could be alone -for a few hours at a time; our musicians, too, with their -instruments of torture, could be sent where they disturbed -no one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another relief was that the rule against the possession -of tools was less strictly interpreted, and we were no longer -obliged to conceal any work we had in hand. A vice and -some other tools were procured, and our arts and crafts -flourished exceedingly. Even an amateur photographer -was discovered among us, and with the help of our carpenters -set up a regular studio; but I cannot say that his -performances were at all remarkable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Masyukov did his best to meet our views, and fulfilled -our requests whenever possible. Among other things he -agreed that we might settle as we liked in what room -each of us should live; so Stefanòvitch and I at once -made use of this permission. Our two and a half years’ -abode in the “Sanhedrin” had been very irksome to us -both, and when the “great migration” caused by the -above-mentioned expansion of our territory took place, we -transferred ourselves into the room called the “Commune,” -or sometimes “the hospital.” It was more comfortable -than the other rooms in one or two particulars; it contained -proper bedsteads, for instance, and besides the big -table there were also little tables, one between each pair -of beds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was, as a rule, unusual for the inmates of a room -voluntarily to change their abode; we called the feeling -about this “room-patriotism.” Such patriots were very -keen about their own room, which was, of course, always -“the best”; they never left their room-mates in the lurch, -were proud of the success of any of them, and sorrowed -over their griefs. The inmates of the “Commune” seemed -the least possessed by this <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>esprit de corps</em></span>, perhaps because -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>most of them were among those nomads who had already -changed rooms more than once. Here, too, in contradistinction -to the habits of the other rooms, each man -was much occupied with his own affairs; we isolated ourselves -more, and rarely held common debates or jollifications; -most of us immersed ourselves in serious study, -and on that account less noise and merriment went on -among us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of the most interesting of our new room-mates, -and an original altogether, was Leo Zlatopòlsky,<a id='r94' /><a href='#f94' class='c010'><sup>[94]</sup></a> to whom -I must devote a few words. He had studied in the Petersburg -Technological Institute, had been concerned in the -“Trial of the Twenty” in 1882, and sentenced to twenty -years’ penal servitude. He had never himself been an active -revolutionist, but as he was proficient in mathematical and -mechanical knowledge, he had helped the Terrorists in -purely technical matters. Even as a student he had been -looked on as an inventive genius, and in prison inventions -became a mania with him. For a long time he was -busy with the project of a circular town, wherein everything -was to be run by electricity; and even plants were -to be cultivated by that means, for the light and heat -of the sun were much too simple affairs to satisfy our inventor. -He had a scheme for a flying-machine that should -not only carry us all up into aërial heights, but should also -be unaffected by the velocity of our Mother Earth’s proper -motion. Then he evolved his own theory of values; and -beside all these high matters he would also occupy himself -with the most prosaic and humble affairs, such as new -methods of doing the washing, boiling potatoes, or making -shoes. He elaborated a new theory of heating dwellings, -invented new card games; in short, in every department -of life, he was prepared to upset the existing condition of -things and build it all up anew in some hitherto undreamt-of -fashion. His beautiful plans, however, all suffered from -one small disqualification: they were never practicable in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>real life. That, of course, he would never allow, declaring -his inventions to be perfect and beyond criticism; but this -did not prevent him from throwing one after another aside -to pursue some fresh idea with equal energy. Not unnaturally -he soon became the butt of everyone’s jokes, and -most absurd stories were told about him. He was really a -very capable and learned man; but there was just something -wanting to make him a genius. Perhaps we were -right in setting him down, as we did, among Lombroso’s -“matoids.”</p> - -<div id='i258' class='figcenter id007'> -<img src='images/i_258_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>DULEMBA, KOHN, RECHNYEVSKY, LURI, MANKOVSKY</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 258</p> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>During the first three years of my stay in Kara the -number of prisoners in our prison remained practically -constant; a few were allowed to settle in the penal colony, -but their places were soon taken by new-comers. Besides -Spandoni—left behind at Krasnoyarsk, as I have related—who -rejoined us at Kara in the spring of 1886, five comrades -arrived in the autumn of the same year. They had been -condemned in the “Case of the Proletariat,” in Warsaw: -Dulemba, a workman, to thirteen years’ “katorga”; Kohn, -a student, eight years; Luri, an officer of engineers, condemned -to death, but reprieved and sentenced to twenty -years’ penal servitude; Mankòvsky, a workman, sixteen -years; Rechnyèvsky, a graduate of the College of Jurisprudence -in Petersburg, fourteen years.<a id='r95' /><a href='#f95' class='c010'><sup>[95]</sup></a> The year after -came Pashkòvsky, who in March, 1887, was condemned, -(as a participator in the attempt upon Alexander III.,) to -ten years’ “katorga”; and the peasant Ozovsky, sentenced -to six years. In the course of 1888 arrived Peter Yakubòvitch -and Souhomlìn,<a id='r96' /><a href='#f96' class='c010'><sup>[96]</sup></a> sentenced respectively to eighteen -and fifteen years’ penal servitude, both in the Lopàtin case.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the course of time participators in nearly every -political trial of the period—from the famous Netshaëv -case in 1871 to that of Lopàtin and Sigida in 1887—were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>numbered among the “politicals” in the two Kara prisons, -that for men and that for women; and as, of course, the -various comrades talked much of the events in which they -themselves had been concerned, Kara furnished a sort of -living chronicle of the revolutionary movement, and was -perhaps the only place where one could study the history -of Russian Socialism from the testimony of personal experience. -None of us, however, ever thought of committing -to paper the material that was here available; and it is -much to be doubted whether there is now anyone left in a -position to do so. Much that would be extremely interesting -is probably destined to remain buried in oblivion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During my term of imprisonment none of those implicated -in the first-mentioned Netshaëv trial (which belonged -to the “Propagandist” phase of our movement, in 1870,) -were still in Kara. They had all been released from prison -and sent into exile, and I saw nothing of them; but of -course I had known personally many of these revolutionists -of earlier days when they were still in freedom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I shared the captivity of several who were sentenced in -the various political trials towards the end of the seventies, -these having been mostly concerned in deeds of violence, -from armed resistance to the police to attempts on the -life of the Tsar. The chief combatants in that terrorist -campaign had for the most part ended their days on the -scaffold, or were buried alive within the grim walls of -Schlüsselburg or in the Alexei-Ravelin wing of the -Fortress of Peter and Paul. I had been acquainted with -most of them, both men and women, before their fate -overtook them, and I could set down much that I learned -from these comrades in the terrorist struggle; but my -reminiscences already threaten to assume formidable -dimensions, and I will only briefly mention some of the -most remarkable of such incidents.</p> - -<div id='i260' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_260_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>LURI, SOUHOMLIN, AND RECHNYEVSKY, IN PRISON DRESS</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 260</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Voynoràlsky and Kovàlik were two prominent actors in -the Propagandist movement, both of whom had been -justices of the peace. In May, 1876, when imprisoned in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>the examination-prison in Petersburg, assisted by comrades -outside they made an attempt to escape. They -succeeded in getting out of their cell and climbing down a -rope-ladder from one of the corridor windows; but an -official who happened to be driving past the prison, -thinking they were ordinary criminals, gave the alarm, -and they were caught. They were sentenced to terms of -penal servitude in the “Trial of the 193”; but again an -attempt was made to rescue them, a plan being made to -enable them to escape while being transported to the -Khàrkov prison, where the prisoners considered most -dangerous were then confined. This was in July, 1878. -A number of armed men, two of them mounted, stopped -the prison-van in which Voynoràlsky and Kovàlik were -being conveyed; one of the gendarmes guarding it was -shot, and the attempt might have been successful had not -the horses taken fright and stampeded, which led to the -recapture of the prisoners. Voynoràlsky and Kovàlik -spent many years of confinement in European Russia, -and were then sent, in company with many other -revolutionists, to Kara, where they finished their term of -imprisonment, subsequently being exiled in Yakutsk. -Most of their companions found graves in the wilds of -Siberia, but Voynoràlsky and Kovàlik survived their hour -of release; in the winter of 1898-1899 they returned to -European Russia, where Voynoràlsky died soon afterwards -in his own home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The attempted rescue just described had further consequences. -The evening after, one of the riders who had -stopped the prison-van was arrested at Khàrkov station; -this was Alexei Medvèdiev, also called Fomin. He -managed subsequently to escape from Khàrkov gaol with -a number of ordinary criminals, by burrowing under a -wall. As, however, outside help failed them, there was -nothing for it but to hide in a wood near by, where they -were soon recaptured. The comrades then resolved to try -and rescue Medvèdiev, and arranged the following plan. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>Two young men, Berezniàk and Rashko, disguised themselves -as gendarmes, and brought to the prison a forged -order that Medvèdiev should be handed over to them and -taken for examination to the office of the gendarmerie. -But either in consequence (as the two asserted) of -treachery, or else because the prison staff saw something -suspicious about the supposed gendarmes, they were -arrested on the spot. Yatzevitch was arrested at the -same time, he being on the watch outside, ready to assist -the flight of the others; and soon afterwards Yefremov -and some others involved in the affair were also captured. -In the subsequent trial Yefremov was condemned to death, -but the sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life, -and Berezniàk had a like penalty; these two and Yatzevitch -were sent at once to Kara. Medvèdiev was treated -differently: he was condemned to death and the sentence -modified to lifelong penal servitude; but as attempts to -rescue him were dreaded he was kept closely guarded in -first one, then another West Siberian prison, was then -taken to the Alexei-Ravelin in Petersburg, and was only -brought to Kara in 1884. He was a man of consummate -bravery, who literally despised danger, and was always -ready to embark on the most perilous adventure. He -had been a postillion, and had only received a scanty -education at an elementary school; but by his own -exertions while in prison he had gained quite a respectable -amount of knowledge. He was particularly clever -with his fingers, and performed some really astonishing -feats. While imprisoned in Petersburg he secretly -modelled a statuette in bread, which, when it was eventually -discovered by the gendarmes, evoked great admiration -from the commandant of the fortress and other -officials, so marvellously was it executed. Thanks partly -to this achievement, he was afterwards granted a special -order modifying his sentence of lifelong “katorga” to a -term of twenty years, upon which he was sent to Kara. -There he became an adept in various handicrafts; he was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>an excellent tailor, shoemaker, engraver, and sculptor; -and afterwards, when he was living “free” in exile, he -became a watchmaker and goldsmith. Unfortunately soon -after he left the prison he fell a victim to alcoholism, to -which he had an inherited predisposition; all attempts at -reclaiming him were vain, and in a few years he was -beyond hope.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just about the time of the attempted rescue at Khàrkov -the revolutionists in Petersburg were put into a state -of frightful excitement by other events. A number of -those condemned in the “Case of the 193” were awaiting, -in the Peter and Paul fortress, their transportation to -Siberia; and in consequence of the vexatious and cruel -treatment to which they were subjected, they had recourse -to a hunger-strike, which, as most of them had already -suffered years of imprisonment while still on remand, -might easily have proved fatal to their enfeebled constitutions. -After the strike had lasted some days, the society -<em>Zemlyà i Vòlya</em> (Land and Liberty) became aware of -what was going on, and one of its members, Kravtchinsky,<a id='r97' /><a href='#f97' class='c010'><sup>[97]</sup></a> -a former lieutenant in the artillery, declared at once that -he would avenge his comrades by killing General Mèzentzev, -the chief of gendarmerie, the man who was chiefly responsible -for the persecution of the “politicals.” This deed he -wished to undertake single-handed and openly without -troubling about safety for himself, like Vera Zassoùlitch, who -on January 24th, 1878, had fired at General Trepòv, Governor -of Petersburg.<a id='r98' /><a href='#f98' class='c010'><sup>[98]</sup></a> Many of Kravtchinsky’s comrades—myself -among the number—opposed his resolve. Mèzentzev -was not worth such a sacrifice, and we insisted that if the -attempt were made it should be in such a manner as to -make possible the escape of the perpetrator. To this end -General Mèzentzev’s doings were carefully observed that -we might ascertain his hours of coming and going; and -close to his dwelling a carriage was constantly stationed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>with the famous trotter Barbar, who had already saved -one life—that of Prince Peter Kropotkin in his escape -from the prison hospital in 1876. One day in August, -1878, Mèzentzev was stabbed in one of the busiest streets -of Petersburg, and, thanks to the speed of Barbar, -Kravtchinsky and his companion Barannikov got away -safely. Subsequently a great number of persons were -arrested on account of this deed, among others, Adrian -Mihaïlov, who was accused of acting as coachman. He -was sentenced to twenty years’ “katorga,” and was for -some time my room-mate at Kara.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adrian Mihaïlov was another very talented member -of our company. He had a thirst for knowledge, and -a really remarkable memory. He had been a medical -student, knew a great deal of natural science, and had -dipped into various other branches of learning. We called -him “the living encyclopædia,” and it was popularly -supposed that there was hardly a question he could not -answer. He could always give the date of any historical -event, seemed to remember everything he read, and easily -made himself at home in the most difficult subjects. He -was resolute, inflexible, and energetic; and his mental -superiority gave him an immense influence over his -companions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Finally, I must mention Yemelyànov,<a id='r99' /><a href='#f99' class='c010'><sup>[99]</sup></a> one of those -concerned in the assassination of Alexander II. As is -well known, the Tsar was killed by a bomb thrown under -his carriage by Grỳnevitsky.<a id='r100' /><a href='#f100' class='c010'><sup>[100]</sup></a> Besides that youth and -Russakov, who was brought to the scaffold, Yemelyànov -was also directly accessory to the deed. He was standing -close by when the explosion took place, with another bomb -in readiness, but did not need to make use of it, seeing -that the Tsar had already met his fate. He was arrested -soon after, and with ten others was condemned to death in -the “Trial of the Twenty.” The death-sentence was, however, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>only carried out in the case of Suhànov, an officer -of marines, that of the others being commuted to penal -servitude for life. Yemelyànov and his companions were -imprisoned in the Fortress of Peter and Paul. He was to -have been sent to Schlüsselburg when the new fortress -there was completed, but owing to his being seized by -serious illness this was not done, and instead he was sent -to Kara in 1884. He was the son of a sacristan of the -Orthodox Church, had attended a school of handicraft, -and had later been sent at the State’s expense to Paris, -where he sang as a chorister in the chapel of the Russian -Embassy. When a youth of twenty he had returned to -Russia, and associated himself with the Terrorists. He -possessed considerable intelligence, and had gradually -acquired a fair amount of information, self-taught. When -I became acquainted with him he was a disillusioned -sceptic, and spoke ironically of revolutionary ideas. Like -Fomitchov and one or two others, he had become an -admirer of Russian imperialism, and he reaped the reward -of his opinions; but of that later.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span> - <h2 id='chap26' class='c008'>CHAPTER XXVI <br /> <span class='small'>THE WOMEN’S PRISON</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>I come now to the most tragic time of my imprisonment -and the saddest of my recollections, a series -of events in connection with our unhappy fellow-sufferers -in the women’s prison. We were always well instructed -as to how our ladies were faring, for in spite of all the -measures taken to prevent it, letters continually passed -between us. Concerning the subject of the following -narrative I also learned many additional details later from -some of our women comrades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When I first came to Kara ten women “politicals” -were imprisoned there, one of whom—Lèbedieva—died -soon after my arrival. The most remarkable among those -remaining was Sophia Löschern von Herzfeld. She was -the daughter of a general, and her relations belonged to -the Court circles in Petersburg. She joined the Propagandist -movement in the early sixties, and lived among -the peasants, dressed like one of themselves, trying to -diffuse the ideas of “peaceful” Socialism, if I may so call -it. She was arrested, endured four years’ imprisonment -while still under examination, and was at last banished -to Siberia in the “Case of the 193.” The efforts of one of -her relatives, a lady in the Tsaritsa’s household, procured -her pardon, and in 1878 she was released from prison, -at which time I made her acquaintance in Petersburg. -But she was not allowed to enjoy her liberty for long; -a year later she was arrested in Kiëv, and resisted capture -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>“with weapons in her hand.” She was brought before a -court-martial, together with Ossìnsky and Voloshenko; -she and Ossìnsky were condemned to death, and he paid -the full penalty of the law, but in her case “by favour” -the sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life, -and she was deported to Kara in 1879. Sophia Löschern -von Herzfeld was modest and even shy in manner, giving -the impression of an extremely reserved character. She -suffered a longer term of imprisonment than any other -participant in the revolutionary movement of the early -seventies.</p> - -<div class='plate65 c017'> - -<p class='c001'><a id='i266'></a></p> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_266a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ANNA KORBA</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_266b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ELIZABETH KOVALSKAYA</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_266c.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>NADYESHDA SIGIDA</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i266d' class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_266d.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>MARIA KOVALEVSKAYA</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_266e.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>NADYESHDA SMIRNITSKAYA</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div id='i266f' class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_266f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>SOPHIA BOGOMOLETZ</p> -</div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='icrj'> - -<p class='c001'>To face page 266</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Her friend Anna Korba<a id='r101' /><a href='#f101' class='c010'><sup>[101]</sup></a> I had also known in Petersburg -in 1879; she had then just returned from the seat of -war in Turkey, where she had been nursing the wounded. -She belonged to a German family named Meinhardt, -naturalised in Russia, numerous members of which had -filled high official positions, and she herself married a -foreigner. She had been extremely active in philanthropic -work, and was adored by the people of the provincial -town where she lived; but she learned by bitter experience -how futile, under the existing political conditions, were all -attempts to effect even the smallest reforms by merely -quiet educative means, and she joined the terrorist society -<em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em> in the beginning of the eighties. It was -just then that the desperate struggle of that party against -the Tsar’s despotic government had reached its height. -Anna Korba saw her friends and comrades arrested by -the dozen, sent to the scaffold, or buried alive in prison. -The “white terror” raged. In 1882 the chief of the secret -police, Soudyèhkin, had succeeded in capturing most of -the Terrorists who still remained at large after the assault -on Alexander II., and Anna Korba took up the task of -continuing the struggle in company with the last remnants -of the fighters. A secret laboratory for the manufacture -of dynamite bombs was set up in Petersburg; this was -discovered by Soudyèhkin, and in June, 1882, Anna Korba -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>was arrested, together with Gratchènsky, the officer Butzèvitch, -and the married couple Prybylyev. Next spring -she was tried with sixteen others, and sentenced to twenty -years’ penal servitude.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Anna Korba was a highly educated woman, in character -courageous, even-tempered, and persevering. She holds -the same views to-day as when she first threw herself -into the fight, and this unswerving faith in her cause -impresses with respect even people who cannot share her -opinions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Before I proceed to describe the other inmates of the -women’s prison, I must digress for a moment to relate an incident -which in its time caused great excitement among the -newspaper-reading public. Towards the end of February, -1881, the police of Petersburg had their suspicions directed -to a certain cheesemonger’s shop in that city, where something -illegal was supposed to be going forward. A search-party, -one member of which was an engineer of the -pioneer corps, was sent to investigate, but discovered -nothing of any consequence. The next day came the -assassination of the Tsar, and three days after that the -cheese-shop was suddenly deserted by its occupants, among -whom had been a married couple calling themselves -Kòbozev—peasants from the interior of Russia, according -to their perfectly regular papers. The police now made a -more effectual search, and found that a subterranean -passage had been made from the cheese-shop to the -Màlaya Sadòvaya, a street through which the Tsar often -passed. This tunnel had been meant to serve as a -mine for blowing up the Tsar’s carriage in case the bombs -had failed to do their work. It is easy to imagine what -must have been the feelings of the two revolutionists who -passed under the name of Kòbozev when the police made -their first visit to the shop; the underground passage had -then just been completed, and the cases and barrels, -supposed to contain cheese, were filled with the earth that -had been dug out. Had the police but lifted the straw -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>matting that covered them, the whole plot, like many -others before, might have been doomed to failure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The humble peasant-woman who had served in that -shop was Anna Yakìmova. She was the daughter of a -priest, and had been a village schoolmistress. Like so -many others, she had gone “among the people,” and -had been one of the accused in the “Case of the -193”; she was acquitted, but was nevertheless sent by -administrative order to a forlorn spot in the north of -Russia, whence in 1879 she escaped and came to Petersburg, -where I made her acquaintance. Subsequently she -joined the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, and took an active part in a -series of attempts against the life of the Tsar. She had -helped Zhelyàbov and others in 1879 to undermine the -station at Alexandròvskaya, through which the Tsar was -expected to pass. After many escapes she was eventually -arrested, and condemned to death in the “Trial of the -Twenty”; but her sentence was commuted, she was imprisoned -in the Fortress of Peter and Paul, and sent to -Kara in 1884. I need hardly say that Anna Yakìmova -was a person of strong-willed and determined character; -all the women who took part in our movement of the -seventies were of one type in that respect, and eminently -so Praskòvya Ivanòvskaya and Nadyèshda Smirnitskaya, -(both sentenced in 1883,) who, with Yakìmova, formed a -little group by themselves in the Kara prison. They had -been friends of old, shared the same opinions, and were -similar in tastes and temperament.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Besides these, Elizabeth Kovàlskaya,<a id='r102' /><a href='#f102' class='c010'><sup>[102]</sup></a> Sophia Bogomòletz,<a href='#f102' class='c010'><sup>[102]</sup></a> -and Elena Rossikòva,<a id='r103' /><a href='#f103' class='c010'><sup>[103]</sup></a> all of whom were brought to -Kara in 1885, and Maria Kalyùshnaya—who, it will be -remembered, had travelled thither with Tchuikòv and myself—completed -the number of our women “politicals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>These inmates of the women’s prison constituted in a -certain sense the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>élite</em></span> of our band; for while in the men’s -prison a great number were mere boys whose opinions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>were scarcely formed, and who only languished in Siberia -because of senseless persecutions under martial law, the -women were without exception tried and convinced adherents -of the revolutionary movement, whose sentiments -and ideas were fixed once and for all. In Russia alone -has the historical development of events induced so great -a number of women belonging to the upper classes of -society to leave the circles in which they were born, in -order to aid in freeing a nation from political slavery.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Conditions of life in the women’s prison were on the -whole a little better than in ours. Above all, each had a -cell to herself—small, dark, and damp, it is true, but this -spared them the most irksome of our trials, that absence -of quiet which made our existence so hard to bear. They -could enjoy companionship if they so desired, as a large -common room was also provided for them, and the doors -of the cells were left open by day; but whenever they -pleased they could isolate themselves. They were better -provided with material comforts than we were, for they -received more money from their relations; and they could -even occasionally contribute to our exchequer. Then, of -course, they had not to submit to the barbarous process of -head-shaving; they might wear their ordinary clothes, and -the staff generally abstained from teasing them with petty -restrictions. But the peculiar characteristics of these -women, their whole mode of thought, their inflexibility of -purpose,—which under such conditions inevitably develops -into contrariety of temper,—led to a series of conflicts -between themselves as well as with the authorities. There -was no unity of principle among them in their attitude -towards the prison rules. Whilst Sophia Bogomòletz, -Maria Kovalèvskaya, and Elena Rossikova regarded it as -a part of their political programme, to which they conscientiously -adhered, that they should maintain a continual -feud with the staff about any and every possible circumstance, -the others held that conflicts should not be needlessly -provoked. These differences of opinion caused -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>frequent friction, and personal relations between the -prisoners were occasionally somewhat strained.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the spring of 1887 Maria Kovalèvskaya was brought -from Irkutsk to Kara. She arrived just at a time when -the disputes in the women’s prison had become unbearable; -and shortly afterwards Sophia Löschern von Herzfeld, -Anna Korba, Anna Yakimova, and Paraskova -Ivanòvskaya petitioned the commandant to separate -them from the others, their request being granted. At -the same time, in consequence of some squabble with the -staff, Sophia Bogomoletz and Elena Rossikòva were removed -to another prison; there were, therefore, for some -time only four women in the prison at Ust-Kara—Kovàlskaya, -Kovalèvskaya, Kalyùshnaya, and Smirnitskaya.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Early in 1888 the Governor-General, Baron Korf, came -to visit the prisons of Kara. When he arrived with his -suite at the women’s prison Elizabeth Kovàlskaya was -sitting on a bench out in the open air, and as the Governor-General -came up to her she remained quietly seated, -vouchsafing him not a glance. He addressed her harshly, -saying that in his presence she ought to stand up, that -he was the highest official in the district.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not elect you to that position,” replied Kovàlskaya -calmly, and remained as before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The functionary was beside himself with rage, and -informed the commandant that he would send written -instructions how to deal with this refractory prisoner; so -shortly afterwards there came an order to send Kovàlskaya -to the central prison in Verkhny-Udinsk, “because -by her unruly behaviour she had a demoralising influence -on the other prisoners in Ust-Kara.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kovàlskaya’s friends asserted that she had purposely -provoked the conflict in order to effect her removal to -another prison, so hateful had the sojourn in Kara become -to her. The Governor-General’s order would therefore -have been most welcome to her; but the stupid, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>cowardly commandant Masyukov supposed otherwise, -and took it into his head that she and her companions -would offer resistance. He thereupon came to the idiotic -and inhuman decision that the delinquent should be conveyed -away secretly. Early one morning, while the -prisoners still slept, gendarmes accompanied by ordinary -convicts burst into her cell, seized on the sleeping -Kovàlskaya, and dragged her, clad only in her nightdress, -to the office, where she was ordered to dress and make -ready to start for her new place of confinement. Naturally -the unfortunate lady screamed when aroused so -rudely from her sleep, and the other prisoners waking -up sprang from their beds and were witnesses of the -inexplicable and insulting treatment to which their comrade -was subjected. They could imagine nothing else but -that a common assault on her honour was meditated, and -their fury against the commandant knew no bounds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a long time only uncertain rumours about these -events reached our ears, for our secret post was not -working regularly at the time. We were first supplied -with exact tidings through Golubtsòv, the sergeant of the -guard, in a very unusual way. This honest fellow, -Golubtsòv, who could hardly read and write, was a very -important personage in our prison. He was a remarkably -sensible, clever, and tactful man; his relations with the -“politicals” during a long course of years and under -different commandants had taught him a great deal, and -he thoroughly understood our way of looking at things. -He was thus enabled to avoid rubs and disputes, and we -were always on the best of terms with him; this strengthened -his position, and with his good sense and tact gave -him the upper hand over the stupid and inexperienced -Masyukov. The wise sergeant, in fact, was the presiding -genius of the place, and ruled the commandant completely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the Governor-General’s order arrived, and Masyukov -in his foolish shortsightedness evolved his plan of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>carrying off Elizabeth Kovàlskaya, Golubtsòv warned him -what would be the consequences; but for once no heed -was paid to his advice, and it was only when the women -prisoners started a hunger-strike as a protest against their -comrade’s treatment that the commandant sought counsel -from his subordinate. Golubtsòv advised him to lay the -matter before the “politicals” in the men’s prison, and -ask us to intervene. This was the more natural and -reasonable, because one of our number, Kalyùshny, had a -wife and a sister among the strikers. He had been a -student in the University of Khàrkov, was an intelligent, -high-spirited young man, a charming companion, and a -great favourite among us. He was a Terrorist, had been -sentenced in 1888 to fifteen years’ “katorga,” and with -him his wife, Nadyèshda Smirnitskaya. Maria Kalyùshnaya, -my companion on the journey to Kara, was his -sister, and both these ladies had witnessed the alarming -scene which had led to the desperate protest they were -now making. These facts suggested to the wise sergeant -his plan, and he advised Masyukov to appoint Kalyùshny -as intermediary in the affair. Masyukov was sensible -enough to agree; he had Kalyùshny brought to his -house, and told him straightforwardly all that had taken -place, ending with the information that Kalyùshny’s wife, -his sister, and Maria Kovalèvskaya, had been refusing -food for several days. He then begged Kalyùshny to go -to Ust-Kara, pacify the women, and induce them to give -up their hunger-strike, promising beforehand that he would -do anything in reason to give them satisfaction. Kalyùshny -said to us afterwards that he was sure the unlucky commandant -really regretted his conduct in the affair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kalyùshny told Masyukov he must consult his comrades -before undertaking the mission, and asked that we might -be allowed to take counsel together. This was agreed to, -and we all met to consider and discuss the circumstances—a -thing that had not been heard of in Kara since the -prison had been put under the gendarmerie. The tidings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>given us by the unhappy husband and brother regarding -the hunger-strike of the women moved us deeply. When -he ceased speaking a stillness as of death reigned over our -gathering, and then the usually silent Yatzèvitch began -the debate. Without much discussion we decided that -another delegate must accompany Kalyùshny, and that -they should try to prevail on the women to desist from -their protest, assuring them that we should ourselves now -take over the arrangement of the business with Masyukov. -To the commandant we declared that he must apologise -to the three ladies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was arranged that our two delegates should be taken -to the women’s prison, fifteen versts (about ten miles) -distant, accompanied by gendarmes, though all this was -entirely against the regulations.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they returned from their mission, and we had -assembled to hear the result, they told us that the famishing -women absolutely refused to be contented with an -apology from the commandant. They all three declared -that they would only desist from their protest if Masyukov -were withdrawn from Kara.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The majority of us—myself among the number—saw at -once that this was an impossible demand. The reactionary -Government, with Count Dmitri Tolstoi at its head, would -never recall the commandant, even if all the “politicals” -in Siberia starved themselves to death; but we thought -we might perhaps find a way out of the difficulty if we -could induce the commandant to ask of his own accord to -be transferred elsewhere on some pretext or other. To -this the commandant on his side, and the ladies on theirs, -consented; but the latter insisted positively that if Masyukov -had not taken his departure within a certain fixed -period of some months, they would again refuse food and -persist in their protest to the bitter end.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This, as might readily be foreseen, meant merely a postponement -of the question. But I must return for the -present to our own affairs in the men’s prison.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXVII <br /> <span class='small'>THE “COLONISTS”—FURTHER EVENTS IN THE WOMEN’S PRISON—THE HUNGER-STRIKES—THE YAKUTSK MASSACRE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The summer of 1888 brought troubles also to us in -the men’s prison, though they had nothing to do -with the grievances of the women.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Among the inmates of the “hospital” room was Vlastòpoulo, -formerly an officer in the army, condemned in 1879 -to fifteen years’ “katorga,” this sentence having been -subsequently increased to the life-term, in punishment for -an attempt at escape. He was a man of many gifts and -well equipped with varied information, firm in character, -very proud and ambitious; and he was held by us to be -unalterably fixed in his terrorist principles. His comrades -placed great confidence in him, and esteemed him highly, -as they testified by twice electing him <em>stàrosta</em>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the spring of this year (1888) Vlastòpoulo’s roommates, -of whom I was one, noticed that he was becoming -short-tempered, peevish, and restless. About this time we -were visited by an official of the Imperial Police Department—one -Russìnov by name, a privy councillor. Tours -of inspection were often made by high officials from -Petersburg, and had for their real object the inciting -of political prisoners to “repentance,” and the urging -them to sue for pardon. These efforts were sometimes -successful. Weak-minded people were occasionally found -who would sing, “Pater, peccavi”; but it is worthy of note -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>that such instances never occurred among the women -“politicals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>On this occasion we were unaware that Councillor -Russìnov had made proposals of recantation to any repentant -souls among us; but one morning, shortly after -his departure, Vlastòpoulo left the prison in the company -of gendarmes, handing to one of the comrades as he -passed through the door a note, which when read aloud, -left us all perfectly thunderstruck. Vlastòpoulo informed -us that he had lost all faith in the justice of the revolutionary -struggle, and had therefore resolved to “cast -himself at the foot of the throne,” as he expressed it, <i>i.e.</i> -to petition the Tsar for pardon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>No previous occurrence of the kind had been at all like -this, and the impression on us was overwhelming. Vlastòpoulo -was, as I have said, a most prominent person in our -ranks, and his example might well be followed by others, -especially considering the frame of mind in which many -of the prisoners were known to be.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was, as I have explained, a time of thorough-going -reaction in Russia. Sufficient news penetrated the walls -of our prison to convince us that there was at the moment -no hope whatever of any definite immediate success in the -revolutionary movement; and the fact of this being so -necessarily caused much brooding over gloomy and even -desperate thoughts, to which in prison one is but too -prone. If some among us were already troubled by -feelings of disillusion and doubts of the validity of our -ideal, a further piece of news which arrived at this juncture—totally -unexpected and at first incredible—would -naturally only serve to heighten dismay. The rumour -reached us that Leo Tihomìrov, one of the best-known -leaders of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, had become a renegade. -This man, whom chance alone had saved from death on -the scaffold, had fled from Russia in 1882; and it proved -to be true that in 1887 he had written the pamphlet, -<cite>Why I Ceased to be a Revolutionist</cite>, in which he forswore -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>his former convictions, and by which he gained the Tsar’s -pardon. He received permission to return to Russia, and -henceforth devoted his pen to the service of the existing -Government, of which he is to this day a supporter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This instance of apostasy—unique in the history of the -Russian revolutionary movement—made the deepest impression -throughout all Russia. “If such a man as -Tihomìrov has become a monarchist, and acknowledges -the absolute power of the Tsar, why then I, poor sinner, -can be a revolutionist only through a misunderstanding,” -I heard one of the foremost among us say; and, in fact, -he himself soon afterwards sent in a petition for pardon. -Our worst fears were realised. Nine men in all followed -the example of Vlastòpoulo; among the number Yemelyànov, -who had held a bomb in readiness to throw at -Alexander II., and Posen, whose monarchist infatuation I -have already mentioned. Of course, all this had a most -overwhelming and depressing effect upon us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The authorities always took care that anyone who had -petitioned for pardon should at once be removed from our -midst and interned outside the prison until orders arrived -from Petersburg. Naturally we ourselves instantly broke -off all relations with such a person, which often occasioned -very affecting scenes. The action of sending in a petition -of the kind we termed “asking to be sent to the colony”; -and to this day the word “colonist” has a sinister sound -in Siberia, bearing the implication of “renegade.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile the fight in the women’s prison was not at -an end, but raged more fiercely than ever. Four other -women who had been brought to Ust-Kara joined in the -protest of Elizabeth Kovàlskaya’s three friends. The -authorities did not seem inclined to move Masyukov; and -the truce having expired, the women resolved to carry out -their threat, and again began a hunger-strike. When we -learned this, we decided that we too must associate ourselves -with them in their protest, and we refused to take -food, declaring that we did so to show our solidarity with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>our women comrades, though in our own opinion the commandant’s -apology had been a sufficient atonement for his -offence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our prison now presented an unwonted appearance; all -work was suspended, the chest that served as our larder -remained closed, the kitchen stood empty, and about the -yard wandered the prisoners, who for days ate nothing, -but in whom no signs of yielding could be discerned; it -was easier for us to starve than to eat, while we knew that -our women comrades were suffering the pangs of hunger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We made no announcement of our proceedings to the -commandant, and he also preserved silence until the third -day, when he sent for our <em>stárosta</em> to know why we were -on strike. When our reasons were given him he asked -the <em>stárosta</em> to inform us, as well as the women, that he -really was soon to leave the place; he had just sent in an -application to be relieved of his post, and had received a -favourable answer. In proof of this he showed a telegram -relating to the matter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We succeeded in persuading the women to give in for -the time and to take nourishment, they having now fasted -for eight days; but they would not entirely forego their -protest against Masyukov, only modifying it so far as -simply to “boycott” him. Ever since the abduction of -Elizabeth Kovàlskaya the commandant had been afraid of -appearing in their sight; but now they determined to -break off even indirect communication with him. This -decision cost them perhaps the heaviest sacrifice they -could have made: it meant that they refused to accept -their mails, which had always to pass through the hands -of the commandant, so that they received neither money -nor letters. Consequently they were forced to subsist on -the prison rations alone, all communication with their -friends was stopped, and all tidings of the outer world that -they could have obtained from newspapers were lost to -them. The natural result was that in a very short time -the poor women began to suffer greatly, both physically -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>and mentally, and that some of them were well-nigh driven -to despair. The commandant was obliged to send back -whence they came all letters addressed to the women -prisoners. The alarm of their relations and friends at -getting no news and receiving back their own letters unopened -may well be imagined; and the knowledge of the -suffering thus caused to their dear ones was an added -misery for the captives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She who suffered most in this terrible ordeal was -Nadyèshda Sigida, one of the latest arrivals in Ust-Kara. -I never knew her personally, but from all I heard of her -from her friends she must have been a very sensitive -young creature, gentle, affectionate, and attracted by all -that is good and beautiful. She was deeply attached to -her family, who lived in Taganrock, a small town in South -Russia. Before her marriage she had been a teacher in a -school, and her whole heart had been in her profession; -she had taken but little direct part in the revolutionary -movement, and had been condemned to eight years’ penal -servitude because a secret printing-press and some bombs -had been found in the house inhabited by herself and her -husband. The latter had been condemned to death, the -sentence being afterwards commuted to penal servitude -for life, and he had died on his way to the island of -Saghalien. Fate had dealt hardly with the poor woman: -she herself had been unjustly sentenced, she had lost a -beloved husband, and she had arrived at the Siberian -prison at a juncture when she was obliged to take part—almost -involuntarily—in the drama I am now describing. -The stoppage of all communication with home must have -been especially cruel to her; her longing for her mother, -brothers, and sisters made her nearly desperate, as she -pictured their feelings on receiving back their unopened -letters to her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There seemed no way out of this terrible <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>impasse</em></span>. A -year had gone by since Kovàlskaya’s departure, and -Masyukov was still commandant. The women, in a state -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>of desperation, declared at last that they could bear the -position of affairs no longer, and would put an end to it, -cost what it might. They consulted together, and again -resolved to fast, so they set up a hunger-strike for the -third time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will it be any good?” Sigida asked herself. The -authorities seemed determined not to yield; the hunger-strike -had led to nothing hitherto, and would probably -once again prove a fruitless undertaking; would it not be -better that one victim should pay for all? Better that one -alone should suffer, than that all should sacrifice themselves. -Sigida resolved to save her companions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day she told the gendarme on duty that she wished -for an interview with the commandant, and asked to be -taken to him. Masyukov saw nothing out of the way in -this request, and ordered Sigida to be brought to his office.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some of us were witnesses that day of a strange scene, -which could be followed by looking through the crevices -in the stockade surrounding our yard. A carriage brought -a young lady, attended by two gendarmes, to the commandant’s -house; she entered, and shortly after the -commandant, in a state of great excitement, jumped out -of the window into the yard bareheaded, and ran away. -The young lady soon appeared in front of the house, and -spoke with evident earnestness and decision to the gendarmes; -after which she began talking quietly with a -warder’s children, and caressing them. All this seemed -most enigmatical; we gathered little save that the young -lady had insisted on having a telegram despatched. But -the solution soon followed. We learned that when Sigida -came face to face with the commandant she struck him a -blow, saying, “That is for you as commandant!” and our -hero, despite the presence of the gendarmes, took to his -heels and fled, leaping out of the window as we had seen. -Sigida, afraid that Masyukov would try to hush up the -affair, had thereupon demanded that the occurrence should -be telegraphed at once to the proper authorities. She was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>counting on the usual procedure in such a case; an officer -receiving a personal injury from one of his charges being -generally removed from the place where such a thing had -happened, and the offender sentenced to death. Her calculations -as to these probable results of her action proved -false, however; the poor lady had offered her sacrifice in -vain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I must here pause to speak of other events, which, -though not directly bearing on these struggles at Kara, -yet greatly influenced the minds of those concerned in -them. The year of which I speak, 1889, will never be -forgotten by those who were then in Siberia. The news of -the sanguinary scenes that took place in Yakutsk was told -to the whole civilised world, and everywhere aroused horror -at the cruelty of the Tsar’s Government; yet probably -but few of my readers will recollect the particulars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were at that time interned in Yakutsk some young -men and girls who were to be deported still further northward, -“by administrative methods,” to those wretched -forlorn hamlets that figure on the map of Siberia as -Verkhny-Kolymsk, Nijni-Kolymsk, Verchoyansk, and so -on. Among these young people, who of course belonged -to the student class, there were boys and girls under age, to -whose charge even Russian law could lay no crime.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Vice-Governor, Ostàshkin, who was then in command -of the province of Yakutsk, had given orders that these -exiles should be conveyed to their appointed destinations -in a manner that would have rendered the hardships of the -journey quite unnecessarily severe; and when the young -people learned this they made representations to the -authorities, pointing out the danger that threatened them -of perishing by cold and hunger on the way. They were -told to come together to talk matters over, and they -accordingly assembled in a dwelling-house to await the -arrival of the chief of police; instead of whom, however, -came an order to betake themselves at once to the police -office. They now felt convinced that they were to be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>deported at once, without time for protest, and they refused -to obey; whereupon there arrived immediately a troop of -soldiers commanded by an officer, and a frightful scene -began that beggars all description. The soldiers clubbed -the exiles with the butts of their rifles, stabbed at them -with bayonets, and fired on the defenceless assembly. Six -corpses were left on the spot, among them that of a -pregnant woman, and many were severely wounded. The -wounded and injured—numbering twenty-seven—were -then thrust into prison; and a court-martial was opened, -wherein three persons were condemned to death and -executed in Yakutsk, and nineteen were sentenced to -penal servitude for life. That is briefly the history of the -“Massacre of Yakutsk.”<a id='r104' /><a href='#f104' class='c010'><sup>[104]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>We in Kara received the news of these horrors just when -our own situation was becoming critical. Sympathy with -the innocent victims and anger against their oppressors -were mingled with apprehensions for ourselves; for we -naturally thought, “If the Government can treat so barbarously -harmless people who are not convicts, what may -be done to us, ‘deprived’ as we are ‘of all rights,’ convicts -in a prison whence tidings need never penetrate to the -outer world?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After events justified these fears.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXVIII <br /> <span class='small'>OUR CELEBRATION OF THE CENTENARY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION—SERGIUS BOBOHOV—THE END OF THE TRAGEDY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>Among my recollections of the year 1889, one pleasant -memory remains to me—how we commemorated the -hundredth anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. -While the French nation, amid fervent rejoicings, celebrated -the centenary of their great Revolution, a handful of -convicts, imprisoned by the Russian despot in a barren -wilderness of the Far East, took their share in the festival. -Ours was truly but a modest ceremonial—no banquet, no -toasts, no speeches. Tea and a cake provided at the -common expense were all that we could afford; and our -banqueting hall was the prison-yard, whither all the tables -from our cells were carried for a public feast. There we -sat, and thought of the great triumph of the Revolution, -and of its heroes—the spiritual heroes of the civilised world.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will the day ever come when the people will demolish -our Bastilles—the Fortress of Peter and Paul, Schlüsselburg, -the Citadel of Warsaw, and all the other gaols in -which Tsarism imprisons its foes?” we asked ourselves; -“and will any of us be still alive then?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The battle for freedom will have been fought and won -by the beginning of the twentieth century,” our optimists -averred.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who knows if it will ever take place?” said the sceptics.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>The subject was argued over and discussed up and -down. Many who then were full of hope now rest in -their graves; others languish to this day in Siberian -deserts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I return to the sorrowful events that were then happening -in Kara. After Sigida’s assault upon the commandant -the women began their hunger-strike, their third and most -terrible. They adhered resolutely to their decision; Masyukov -must go, if it cost them their lives. For sixteen -days they abstained from food. Sigida, it was asserted, -remained fasting for twenty-two days, and when the prison -doctor reported that he could not answer for her life, the -Governor sent an order that she was to be fed artificially. -Whether the doctor carried out that instruction I do not -know. A rumour came to us during those dreadful days -that he had had a scene with Maria Kovalèvskaya: he -went—it was said—into her cell one day, when she was -lying on her bed, exhausted by hunger; and she, supposing -he had come to administer nourishment to her forcibly, -struck him in the face. The doctor, a rather humane kind -of man, seems to have looked on this simply as the act of -an invalid not properly responsible for her actions; he -told her she was doing him an injustice,—that he was not -going to touch her,—whereupon she begged his pardon. -He said to his friends afterwards that he had never seen a -woman with such strength of character, so spirited and -eloquent as she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When it became evident that these women, who were -already at death’s door, would never give in, the higher -authorities consented to the following compromise: -Masyukov could not be removed, lest it should be said -that the prisoners had forced such a step on them, but -the Governor should arrange that Sigida, Kalyùshnaya, -Kovalèvskaya, and Smirnitskaya should no longer be -under the commandant, but should be removed to the -female criminals’ prison, and treated in future as ordinary -convicts. Our comrades agreed to this, and ceased their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>hunger-strike. But the martyrdom of the unhappy women -was not yet accomplished, worse sufferings still were in -store for them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the second half of October Masyukov, who had kept -in the background since Sigida’s encounter with him, -entered our prison one day surrounded (as had never -before been the case) by a guard of armed soldiers. The -man looked thoroughly shaken and upset; he sheltered -himself behind the soldiers, and told us to come and -listen to an order from the Governor-General. When -we had all assembled in the corridor he read aloud with -trembling voice a document saying that in consequence -of the disturbances among the political prisoners in Kara -the Governor-General warned us that on any repetition -of such occurrences the most stringent measures would -be taken against us, and that recourse would even be had -to corporal punishment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now the “politicals” had had much to bear, but had -never been legally liable to personal chastisement; the -mere threat was held by many as an insult only to be -wiped out with blood, and this view was voiced by Sergius -Bobohov. I have not hitherto mentioned this excellent -man; for the part that he played, and that gives him a -place in the annals of the Russian revolutionary movement, -only began with this challenge from the Siberian -satrap.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sergius Bobohov was born in the Volga district. He -had studied in the Petersburg veterinary college, and had -been expelled towards the end of the sixties for taking -part in a riot of the students directed against Professor -Zion, an affair that made a good deal of stir at the -time. He was subsequently banished by “administrative -methods” to the government of Archangel, and in 1878 -attempted unsuccessfully to escape. When he was recaptured -he fired a revolver-shot in the air, hoping that -this would cause him to be brought to trial, and that -so he might have an opportunity of denouncing the arbitrariness -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>of the so-called “administrative methods.” For -this shot he was sentenced to twenty years’ “katorga,” -and brought to Kara in 1879.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the nearly thirty years of my intercourse with -Russian revolutionists I have met many remarkable men, -but none that lived on a higher moral plane than Bobohov. -Genuine sincerity, seriousness of purpose, and boundless -devotion to his ideal were his leading characteristics. -He was the most modest of men, but when the honour of -a revolutionist was at stake, or if it were a question of -duty, he would undergo a transformation and become -a fiery and inspired prophet. There was never the -slightest contradiction between his words and his deeds, -he was the most logical and consistent of men, and it was -no wonder if he won universal respect and esteem in -Kara, even though everyone did not share his opinions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bobohov was but a youth when I entered the prison, -and the ideas that he had imbibed were the then prevalent, -rather anarchistical views of the Buntari, to which -he remained faithful all his life. Imprisonment and exile -are apt to exercise a conservative influence on the mind; -the opinions with which one enters prison tend to become -stereotyped. Bobohov was well read, and interested himself -keenly in all questions of social politics; but it -happened with him as with many other intelligent men -among us—he gathered from every book he read only -what tended to strengthen anew the opinions he already -held. He took great interest in the Social-Democratic -theory, for instance, but his way of thinking prevented -him from properly grasping its argument, and he was -continually combating those who were attracted by it. -He and I were never room-mates, but when walking in -the yard I used to have endless discussions with him -on this subject, and he always showed himself an exemplary -debater, attentive, restrained, never ill-tempered -or personal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bobohov took the threat of flogging more keenly to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>heart than any of the others. His idea, which he at once -did his best to promulgate, was that we should immediately -send a telegram to the Minister of the Interior, -declaring that if the threat of the Governor-General were -not withdrawn we would all commit suicide; and he -further demanded of us that if the minister had not -yielded within a certain time, we should each in our turn, -to be decided by lot, take measures to put an end to our -lives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had an opportunity one day of speaking to him about -this proposal, and I tried to convince him of its impracticability, -especially arguing against his impossible notion -of casting lots, which would make suicide cease to be a -voluntary act, as those who had at first agreed might feel -in honour bound to cast away their lives, even if when -the time came they had changed their minds. Moreover, -I reasoned, if we were to announce such an intention to the -authorities, they would at once take steps to prevent its -being carried out.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bobohov passionately disputed my arguments. “I cling -to life as much as any other man,” he said. “If I am -ready to face death as a means of protest, it would only be -if I could reckon on others to follow my example. Without -casting lots—that is, without making it a duty—there -would be no sense in the undertaking; the others might -draw back after I had taken my life, and my sacrifice -would have been in vain, for the effect on the Government -would be lacking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The impression I gathered from the whole of this conversation -with Bobohov was that life was really dear to -him, and that he would not commit suicide, so that my -worst fears were quieted. But his fate and that of some -others of our comrades was already sealed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rumours reached us directly after this that, by order -of the Governor-General, Nadyèshda Sigida was to be -subjected to corporal punishment for assaulting the commandant. -We took this rumour as quite improbable. In -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>all the history of our movement there had been no single -instance of a woman being punished in such a manner; -and among the men even, Bogolyùbov alone (sentenced to -fifteen years’ “katorga” on account of the demonstration -in the Kazan Square of December, 1876) had suffered this -indignity. And since, to avenge him, Vera Zassoùlitch -had fired at and wounded Trèpov, and had been acquitted -by a jury, in all the twelve years that had elapsed no -attempt had ever again been made to inflict corporal -chastisement on a political prisoner. Certainly it had been -repeatedly threatened in cases of attempted escape; but -the threat had never been carried out, only lengthened -terms of imprisonment imposed. It seemed therefore impossible -to believe that such treatment of a woman should -be meditated. On the other hand, in view of the Yakutsk -tragedy, the victims in which had been mere boys and -girls, we could not but fear that the Government of the -“peace-loving Tsar” would shrink from no barbarity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Terrible days followed for us, but our uncertainty was -not of long duration. In the beginning of November we -learned that the Governor-General’s order had actually -been executed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I find it hardly possible to describe our state of mind. -It was not depression that we felt, but deep agitation -and gloomy resolution. Externally we strove to preserve -calm, lest the gendarmes should become suspicious.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We soon heard that Sigida had died immediately after -the infliction of the punishment. Some reports said that -she had succumbed to a nervous seizure; others that she -had poisoned herself. And at the same time we were -informed that Kovalèvskaya, Kalyùshnaya, and Smirnitskaya -had taken poison, and had died in the prison -infirmary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On hearing these tidings many of our number silently -resolved, without any discussion or consultation, to follow -the example of the women. They got poison from outside, -and determined to take it after roll-call one evening. No -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>one asked now who was going to join in the act, but each -man who had made up his mind to it possessed himself -of a portion of the opium that lay on the table in every -room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bobohov, during these days, had appeared calm, serious, -and taciturn as ever, behaving as though nothing unusual -lay before him. Kalyùshny, too, seemed long ago to have -taken an unalterable decision. This decision had brought -them together, and the two were now close friends.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Seventeen men—seventeen out of the nine-and-thirty -that made up our number—had resolved to put an end to -their lives. On the appointed day, after the evening -rounds, singing was heard in the “Yakutsk room,” where -were Bobohov and Kalyùshny and the greater number -of the others who had also determined to die, though -there were some in every room—two in ours. This singing -was the signal to them all. Those who were to die then -took leave of their comrades and swallowed the poison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Shortly after, they began to feel ill, with headache and -great weariness, and they lay down on their beds to sleep, -not expecting to wake again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had taken no poison, but when this general suicide -began it seemed as though it would be easier to kill -oneself than to witness the deed. How strong and deep -was the impression made on me may be gathered from -the fact that late in the night I began to suffer from severe -headache and general uneasiness, and the doctor said -afterwards that I had exhibited all the symptoms of -poisoning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>However, our comrades had not effected their purpose. -The opium was bad—either old or adulterated—and was -not deadly; the unhappy men awoke next morning in -great pain and distress. But the frustration of their -design did not in most cases weaken their resolution. -Three only abandoned the attempt; the others determined -to take a more potent drug—morphia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next evening the farewell scenes were repeated. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>nerves of the survivors were still further tortured; our -position was indeed cruel. The morphia also proved bad; -most of those who had swallowed it were very ill, but -eventually recovered. Bobohov and Kalyùshny, however, -having each taken a treble dose, speedily became unconscious. -In the night Bobohov awakened yet once again. -He heard Kalyùshny’s throat rattle, and tried to rouse -him, embracing him, covering his face with kisses. When -he saw that his friend would never wake more, he seized a -whole handful of opium, swallowed it, and lying down -beside Kalyùshny, closed his eyes for ever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the inspector and the gendarmes made their -rounds the next morning, they found the two insensible. -The doctor was fetched, and pronounced that the death-agony -had already begun; Kalyùshny expired that -evening, Bobohov not until the following morning. The -corpses were removed to the mortuary, and were subsequently -buried side by side with those of the four dead -women.</p> - -<div id='i290' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_290_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>GRAVEYARD OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AT KARA</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 290</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXIX <br /> <span class='small'>DISQUIETING REPORTS—VISIT OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL—RELEASE FROM PRISON</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The suicide of our two comrades brought visits from -various officials to the prison; first came the Public -Prosecutor, then the Colonel of Gendarmerie, finally the -Governor of the district. We, however, absolutely declined -to enter into conversation with them, not even answering -direct questions; and they left without eliciting a syllable -from any of us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>No special measures were taken; everything remained -as of old. Only we ourselves were as though transformed -by the tragic events that had taken place; a heavy weight -seemed to oppress us, our songs were hushed, jesting was -at an end, we had forgotten how to laugh; games too -were stopped, even chess found no devotee. Most of us -still suffered acutely from shaken nerves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So passed the winter of 1889-1890. The silence of the -higher authorities was a bad sign, and we felt certain that -in one way or another reprisals would be taken for the -past events in Kara. The order rendering us liable to the -punishment of flogging still held good, spite of the six -martyrs who had gone to their death. Some of our -number were terribly agitated about this during the early -part of the year, and again two of our comrades determined -to take their own lives in order to demonstrate to the -Government that the political prisoners had not abandoned -their protest against the threat. But the rest of us -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>persuaded them to forego their intention until the commandant -(Masyukov still held this post) should have made -some reply to our demands. This reply was to the effect -that fresh orders had been received whereby corporal -punishment for women was entirely done away with; and -men were only liable to it if they did not belong to the -privileged classes, and had not been educated in a gymnasium. -The sacrifices had been in so far vain that the -system remained; but it could be reckoned on with -comparative certainty that the authorities would not again -resort to such measures. So far as we were concerned we -were now aware that the rules for our treatment were in -any case about to be changed, and as a matter of fact this -was soon the case.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For some years a report had been current that a new -prison was to be built at Akatoui—a place distant some -three-hundred versts from Kara,—and that the Kara -prisoners would all be transported thither. It was also -rumoured that in this new prison a system was to be -instituted such as had never hitherto obtained in Russia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile our numbers had been gradually diminishing. -A good many of my companions had in course of time -been allowed to leave, and were living in the penal settlement; -and the number of those who had begged for -pardon, and who in consequence had been liberated as -“colonists,” was not small. Among others my friend -Jacob Stefanòvitch should have been released in the spring -of 1890, when his term in prison ended; but he preferred -to remain with us until the question of our removal to -Akatoui was settled, and found various pretexts for getting -his release deferred.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the last year we had had no new arrivals from -Russia; because since the end of the eighties the Government -had brought no revolutionists to trial, so that no -sentences of penal servitude had been passed. Instead, a -system had been introduced of sending political offenders -for many years of banishment to Siberia, or to the island -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>of Saghalien, by “administrative methods.” By the summer -of 1890 most of us who still remained in our prison -were already formally entitled to leave for the penal -settlement, and were only unjustly detained because the -number of political settlers there was limited to fifteen. -I myself should have obtained release in the course of that -year, but I had never expected that this would really be. -From my first arrival in Kara I had resigned myself to the -thought of spending my entire term of punishment in the -prison; in my dreams of the future I never thought about -the penal settlement, but only looked forward to the distant -date when, at the expiration of my sentence, I should be -allowed to live somewhere as a Siberian exile.<a id='r105' /><a href='#f105' class='c010'><sup>[105]</sup></a> That life -was depicted for me in anything but rosy colours by -the letters of comrades; <a id='corr293.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='neverthelesss'>nevertheless</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_293.15'>nevertheless</a></span> I awaited with -impatience the far-off day of release. Like the hero of -Dostoiëvsky’s <cite>Memoirs from the Dead-house</cite>, I often -counted up how many years, months, weeks, hours, I had -still to spend in prison. How wearily the time passed! -The fewer grew the remaining years, the slower went the -days, and freedom seemed further off than ever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Prison life had affected me considerably in the course of -time. My nerves were shattered, and I felt as though -borne down by a heavy burden; my brain worked with -difficulty, and my general condition was one of apathy -and lassitude. The future looked black to me; I was sick -of life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In August, 1890, reports assumed a more definite form, -and we learned with certainty that we were shortly to be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>taken to Akatoui. This news excited us much, and plans -for our arrangements in the new prison became the chief -subject of conversation. It seemed incredible to us that -the cruelty of the Government could go so far as to increase -the hardships of prisoners who for the most part -had already been ten years or more in captivity, and had -suffered so much; yet we heard that the régime at Akatoui -was to be unusually severe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day we learned that the Governor-General had come -to Kara. We were ordered to assemble in the yard, and -Baron Korf soon made his appearance, followed by a -large suite, and guarded by gendarmes and soldiers. He -informed us that an order had been sent from Petersburg -for our removal to Akatoui. The regulations of the new -prison provided that political convicts should henceforward -be in exactly the same position as the ordinary criminals: -we should share rooms with them, be fed in the same way. -“In short,” concluded the Governor-General, “in no -respect will any difference be made between the two -classes of prisoners, and these instructions will be carried -out to the letter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sentences flowed smoothly from his lips, yet Baron -Korf did not look altogether pleased with his mission. -Upon us his words had a crushing effect; our fears were -confirmed and worse, for no one had dreamt of our being -placed on the footing of ordinary criminals. Above all, -this meant that we should be liable to flogging, as they -were.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We stood for a time speechless; partly because we were -staggered by what we had heard, and partly because we -had no desire to enter into conversation with the man who -had degraded himself by ordering the corporal chastisement -of a woman. To the repeated question whether we had -anything to say, no answer was given; but Baron Korf was -apparently very anxious to get into discussion with us, and -the situation became rather uncomfortable. At last, as the -Governor-General was preparing to leave, Mirsky suddenly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>broke the silence. With formal politeness he inquired how -the words “in every respect like the ordinary criminals” -were to be construed, and laid stress on the fact that -ordinary convicts were allowed to enter the penal settlement -without any limitation of their numbers. Visibly -gratified that at last he was addressed, Baron Korf hastened -to explain that in this particular also there would henceforward -be no difference made between the two classes. -An animated conversation now ensued between him and -Mirsky, in which Yakubòvitch soon joined. With excited -gestures the latter began declaring that they might treat -us in all other respects like criminals, but we would never -endure it if one of us were flogged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Governor-General attempted to restore peace: we -ought not to be alarmed, he said; none of us had hitherto -been punished in that way, and he hoped it might never -happen in the future.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had not intended to take part in the conversation, but -when I heard those words, involuntarily I cried out, “And -Sigida? A woman!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was a subject full of the most ominous possibilities. -Baron Korf began speaking eagerly; he had apparently -been waiting for the chance of such an allusion, and he -seemed to feel a need of justifying himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What were we to do?” he cried. “Must we be insulted, -and keep silence? It was not we who first resorted -to personal violence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You could have tried her,” I answered; “but you had -no right to torture her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Governor-General stammered out a few sentences, -the drift of which was that past events were irretrievable, -and that he could not be held responsible for what had -occurred in Kara.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a painful episode, and when Baron Korf had -gone we returned to our cells in deep depression, feeling -insulted and humiliated by the decision that we had just -heard.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>The day was to bring yet another excitement. The -head warder, a certain Pohorukov, made the rounds as -usual, accompanied by some gendarmes, and called the roll -in the various rooms. I was in the corridor, meaning to -go into my room along with the gendarmes; and Fomitchov -also was in the corridor, standing by the door of his -room. As one of the gendarmes was unlocking that door -I suddenly saw something hurtle through the air, the -sound of a frightful blow followed, and the head warder -fell to the ground. The gendarmes instantly fled in panic, -leaving the man lying unconscious on the floor; but I ran -after them, calling to them not to be frightened, that they -must come and help their injured companion. It was, -however, some time before they could be persuaded to -return.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I ought to mention here that Golubtsòv, the clever and -tactful captain of the guard, of whom I spoke before, no -longer held that post. When our hunger-strikes began he -got himself transferred to the section for ordinary criminals, -for he saw that the dispute with Masyukov was certain -to cause trouble. The new captain of the guard was a -stupid, cowardly fellow. When he at last recovered from -his fright I managed to induce him to unlock the door -of the room where Prybylyev, our physician, was, and the -latter then had the wounded man carried into our -“hospital” room, where he administered first aid. The -head warder had received a severe blow on the head from -some hard object, he was still unconscious, and it was -difficult to know at first whether the wound was dangerous -or not.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the commandant was away in attendance on the -Governor-General and would not return till next day, and -as the head warder was <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>hors de combat</em></span>, we prisoners had -to take command, the gendarmes, who had quite lost their -heads, obeying our orders without hesitation. The first -thing was to get the injured man conveyed to his own -house, and Prybylyev had him carried thither on the bed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>as he was. Then something must be done with Fomitchov, -who himself insisted on being removed from among us; so -we made the captain of the guard install him in one of the -single cells in the adjacent building.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fomitchov’s act seemed absolutely inexplicable, the head -warder being a quite insignificant, ordinary kind of person, -about whom we had never troubled ourselves; and the -only explanation that suggested itself to us was that, -excited by the news we had just heard, Fomitchov must -have suddenly lost his reason. For, being, as I have -related, an eccentric devoted to monarchism, Fomitchov -was the last person from whom such an attack on an -official could have been expected, and the theory of madness -seemed the more likely, as he had on one or two -former occasions shown a tendency to paroxysms of rage. -We were mistaken, however; next day he himself gave us -the following elucidation of his motives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some months before, when Fomitchov was in the prison -hospital, where Pohorukov was then steward, he had been -witness of a shocking scene. Some ordinary criminals -had been cleaning out the yard, and the steward, declaring -that the work had not been done thoroughly enough, -at once ordered the men to be flogged. The punishment -was instantly administered, right under the window of -Fomitchov’s cell. Indignation and disgust had naturally -been kindled in Fomitchov’s bosom, and abhorrence of the -man who could perpetrate such a barbarity; but it would -hardly have occurred to him to attack Pohorukov without -further cause. Now, however, when the Governor-General -had just declared that we were to be put on an equal -footing with the ordinary criminals as regards flogging, -Fomitchov remembered how people could be subjected -to that barbarous punishment by any stupid official for -the merest trifle; he wished, therefore, he said, to avenge -the deed he had witnessed, and at the same time to show -what would be our proceedings if anyone ever attempted -to apply such treatment to us.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>Naturally we feared that the Governor-General might -suppose Fomitchov’s assault to have been an act resolved -on by us all, and committed with our sanction, in which -case reprisals could not fail to be made; we lived, therefore, -for several days in a state of excited expectancy. -The doctor, meanwhile, pronounced Fomitchov to be -suffering from a passing disturbance of mind, caused by -learning of the new decree; fortunately, too, the injured -man’s wound proved not to be mortal, and he recovered, -only losing the hearing of one ear. The Governor-General -was, I suppose, relieved to find that no more serious -consequences had followed his announcement of the new -order, and that may have made him take a lenient view -of the case. Fomitchov was eventually placed under -observation in the prison hospital, and his term of imprisonment -was lengthened by two years as the penalty -of his offence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From the statement made by the Governor-General in -response to Mirsky, we might conclude that none of us -who had become entitled to leave prison for the penal -settlement (that is, not less than twenty men) would be -taken to Akatoui, and that therefore we should escape -the severe régime there; but I personally could not -believe that the hour of my release from prison was so -near. My old experience at Freiburg had taught me -how easily hopes may be falsified, and I repelled with -energy every alluring vision, preferring rather to paint -gloomy pictures of a future in prison among the criminal -horde; and although the news soon reached us that -we were indeed to be liberated—that a list had already -been prepared of those persons who were entitled to -leave—I could not trust myself to credit it. One day, -however, quite unexpectedly, three of our number were -released from prison—Luri, Rechnyevsky, and Souhòmlin, -whose wives had followed them to Kara. Shortly after, -Masyukov, accompanied by his newly appointed successor, -Tominin, appeared one day in our prison, and informed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>us that seventeen others were to be liberated, my name -figuring in the list.<a id='r106' /><a href='#f106' class='c010'><sup>[106]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>We packed up our belongings and took leave of our -comrades, who were to go to Akatoui the next day; and -the thought that our friends had before them such an -increase of hardships damped our pleasure in attaining the -long-desired semi-freedom. Beforehand we had pictured -quite otherwise the joy of release and the scene of farewell. -Now that the hour had struck it was hardly joy that I felt; -on the contrary, I seemed almost to be quitting a home -that had become dear to me. Not with heads uplifted, -but sad and depressed, we bent our steps towards the door. -The bolt flew back, and a larger company of men than had -ever been seen to do so before on such an occasion left -the prison for good. A trammelled and partial liberty lay -before us; still, liberty it was.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXX <br /> <span class='small'>NIZHNAYA-KARA—NEW LIFE—STOLEN GOLD</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Nizhnaya-Kara, where the penal settlement -was situated, had an appearance quite peculiar to -itself. The dwelling-houses were at some minutes’ distance -from the prison, on a hill-slope descending to the banks of -the River Kara, whose bed contains gold-dust and in -summer becomes almost completely dry. The place had -nothing of the Russian village about it, either in the style -of its buildings or its inhabitants. The latter were mostly -convicts, both men and women; besides whom there were -a few peasants, descendants of former convicts, or of the -crown colonists who had been settled here as drudges in -the gold-workings. Then there was an infantry battalion -of Cossacks stationed here for the purpose of keeping -guard over the prison; and finally there were numerous -prison officials and Cossack officers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mixed nature of the population was evidenced by -the variety of their dwellings. Ordinary criminals who -were unmarried lived in barracks, where the Cossacks also -were housed; the officers and prison officials inhabited neat -little houses belonging to the State; and the “politicals” -and married criminals lived in wretched tumbledown -hovels. Besides the classes already enumerated, there -were three tradesmen in Kara, each of whom kept a -small general shop.</p> - -<div id='i300' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_300_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THE PENAL SETTLEMENT, KARA</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 300</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>At first we had great difficulty in finding accommodation; -for of course it was not possible at once to run up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>habitations for twenty men, all let out of prison at the -same time, and we were obliged to put up with lodgings -where a number of persons were crowded into each single -room. In other ways too there was much inconvenience -and discomfort during those early days of freedom; but -on the whole our change was distinctly for the better. -Merely to have got rid of the detested turnkeys was a joy; -we rejoiced also at being free from the barbarous head-shaving, -and we might once more wear our own clothes. -We were permitted to take up some handicraft, but the -exercise of the so-called “liberal professions” was forbidden -us. The regulations as to our correspondence were also -less severe; we could write letters to our relations, and a -number of newspapers that were prohibited in prison were -allowed here. But above all, we might now go about -freely at all hours, and wander in the neighbourhood of -the village to our heart’s content.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On our exit from prison we were placed under the -supervision of the staff controlling the ordinary convicts, -and shortly after the gendarmerie disappeared from Kara -for good. Every morning a prison inspector made the -rounds of the settlement with his book, which we had -to sign, so that the authorities might be satisfied that -none of us were missing. We were not allowed to go -beyond ten versts from the village without a special -permission from the superintendent—that same Pohorukov -whom Fomitchov had assailed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Our material condition was considerably more comfortable -now than it had been in prison. Besides the means -of livelihood that had hitherto been available—rations -from the State and money sent from home—many of us -could now earn something by private exertion. We still -preserved our organisation as when in prison, with certain -modifications rendered necessary by our new circumstances; -we still formed an <em>artèl</em> and elected a <em>stàrosta</em> to -arrange the details of our common life. Of course, our -domestic economy had considerably extended its sphere; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>we had now much to think of that had not entered into -our consideration before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Autumn brought a good deal of heavy labour for all -able-bodied men. Trees had to be felled and carted to -serve as winter fuel, and then the wood had to be chopped -small for use. In the winter the hay needed for our -cattle had to be brought in, for we possessed six cows and -four horses. In the spring we looked after our gardens, -and in the summer we made hay in the meadows. -Cooking was still managed in common, groups of us -carrying it out in turn. There was always plenty for all -hands to do, and the work was often very hard. I myself -found the labour of the winter season extremely severe. -It meant rising at three or four o’clock in the morning -to harness the horses—a task difficult and disagreeable -enough always in the Siberian cold, and a perfect misery -in the small hours of the morning—and then driving -the sledge ten or twelve versts, loading it with hay, and -finishing our job so as to return home by nightfall. Two -of us at a time had to load and fetch home four great -waggon-loads of hay. Naturally we were very clumsy -over the unaccustomed labour, and it happened often -enough that ropes would break and the hay get scattered, -or that the horses would stray away. In our heavy sheepskins -and felt boots we had each as much as we could -manage in conducting two heavy waggons on the homeward -journey; and despite the extreme cold we used -often to be bathed in perspiration.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yet the hard physical work had a charm of its own. -It gave one a quite peculiar sensation to be driving along -in the dark over the smooth, white surface of the snow, on -and on into the depths of the forest. The profoundest -silence reigned everywhere, broken by the crackling of the -snow under the horses’ hoofs and the runners of the sledge, -and sometimes by the distant howling of a wolf. Myriads -of stars sparkled in the firmament, and not a trace of -man’s existence was anywhere to be seen. But the cruel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>cold, increasing in severity towards dawn, would soon -drive away all poetical ideas. The frost penetrated our -sheepskins, and we felt as if we were being pricked all -over our bodies with sharp needles. Often the brandy -in our flasks would freeze, and although we took all -possible precautions, the glass would split and the spirit be -left in a frozen lump.</p> - -<div id='i302' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_302_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>COTTAGE SHARED BY “POLITICALS” IN THE KARA PENAL SETTLEMENT</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 302</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>These expeditions, fortunately, were not of very frequent -occurrence, the turn of each man coming only about three -or four times in the course of the winter. The fetching of -wood, on the other hand, was continually necessary; but -although this, too, entailed considerable exertion, it was -not nearly so serious an undertaking.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a spell of hard work it used to feel luxury indeed -to be back in one’s own house. The little peasant hut in -which I dwelt seemed a perfect palace, and I thought it -most comfortable; though any spoilt child of civilisation -would have seen much to be improved in it. Nearly a -third of its space was taken up by a great Russian stove, -which unfortunately often smoked; doors and windows -shut very imperfectly; and in both floor and walls there -were great cracks, through which the wind whistled everlastingly, -despite my continual efforts to stop them up. -But all these were petty details that could not detract -from the charm of having a “home” of one’s own. Only -those who have themselves undergone the martyrdom -of never being alone for an instant, and of feeling always -conscious that the eyes of others are upon one’s every -action, can properly realise that charm. To have the -enjoyment of that independent solitude it was worth while -putting up with a number of small inconveniences that -might to a certain extent have been avoided by a <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><em>ménage-à-deux</em></span>. -It was only an occasional pair of bosom friends -who chose to live in that fashion. Most of us much -preferred to undertake singly the duties of housekeeping—stoking -the stove, carrying water, cleaning, etc.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My hut, which, when I took possession of it, was in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>a state of extreme disrepair, was the property of the -State. With my own hands I mended it up as well as -I could. It stood a little apart from the other dwellings, -at the end of the village, on the slope of a hill, and close -to the little cemetery. At first I used to feel some -anxiety over the insecurity of the door; a push from -without was sufficient to open it, and this was hardly -agreeable when one knew that round about dwelt all sorts -of criminals—some very queer customers among them. -However, I soon found that I had no cause to fear anything -from these people; and when I returned home late -at night by lonely ways and bypaths, I felt as safe as -in the best-policed town.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of the most notorious criminals in the settlement -was a man named Lissenko. It was reported of him that -in one of his robberies he had killed a whole family—men, -women, and children. He was about sixty when I first -knew him, and still had the strength of a giant. He -struck me as being crafty, cunning, and reckless, but not -a malicious kind of fellow, and he was extremely pious -withal. No one who knew him personally could easily -believe him to have murdered innocent children. I was -curious to learn from himself how much truth there was in -the reports that were current concerning him, and I found -an opportunity one day of questioning him on the subject.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, of course it’s true,” said he. “What about it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But how could you have the heart to kill a child?” a -friend of mine asked him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I cried all the time I was doing it, but still I killed -them,” was the answer. “It was just God’s will. If He had -not willed it I should not have been able to commit the -murder; I should have been struck down myself. So it -was really God who made me do it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>My friend (from whom Lissenko seemed to stand a -good deal) then asked—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, and would you murder me, if you met me in a -safe place?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>“If I knew you had a lot of money about you I should -certainly wring your neck,” said the man, with cheerful -frankness. “But there! one doesn’t kill without some -good reason!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lissenko was at that time carrying on a very risky -illegal trade: he was a receiver of “stolen gold,” and -smuggled spirits. I must explain that gold could be found -in considerable quantities in the neighbourhood and worked -with the greatest ease. Equipped with a shovel and a -wooden vessel for washing, men and women repaired to -the River Kara and other neighbouring streams, and could -without difficulty get gold-dust to the value of one or two -roubles in a single day. Though strictly prohibited by the -Government, this private search for gold is practised -almost openly. Those who do not themselves look for -gold yet traffic in it; and practically the entire population, -except the political prisoners, is engaged in the illicit trade. -Nobody—one or two really honest officials perhaps excepted—makes -any scruple about infringing the law; thousands -make their livelihood in this way, and many even grow -rich. I knew whole families, some members of which went -off as regularly every day on the quest as though it were -the most lawful affair in the world. No one—not even -officials—found anything to protest against in this breaking -of the law; on the contrary, everyone in the place, except -those few persons whose interests were concerned on the -other side, looked upon it as quite natural that the gold-seekers -should make the most of their labour, and take -the treasure that the soil offered. No attention was paid to -the arbitrary decree which declared that treasure to be the -Tsar’s private property—or, as it was officially expressed, -“the property of His Majesty’s Cabinet”; and notwithstanding -the heavy expense incurred by the responsible -authorities to protect the gold-fields of the district, -far more gold is obtained by unlawful than by lawful -means. The receivers of the stolen treasure, and other -middlemen, can always find a way to convey their merchandise -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>over the border into China, where it fetches a -far higher price than that given by “the Cabinet of His -Majesty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile all authorities agree that the illicit gold-finders -have conferred immeasurable benefit on the country. -They are the true pioneers, who, wandering about the -“Taiga” or virgin forests in all directions, seeking deposits -of precious metals, are to be thanked for the discovery of -numberless gold-fields—among them some of the most -prolific of all. Certainly little enough profit falls to the -share of the pirates themselves; most of them remain -poor and needy all their lives, hardly earning their daily -bread; and many of them become slaves of the middlemen. -It would take me too long to describe further the -lives and doings of these gold pirates; suffice it to say -that they inhabit a curiously interesting little world of -their own—a state within the state—with its own strictly -administered laws and peculiar customs.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXXI <br /> <span class='small'>THE TOUR OF THE HEIR-APPARENT THROUGH SIBERIA—OUR LIFE IN THE PENAL SETTLEMENT—AN INCENSED OFFICIAL</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Time passed by much faster in the settlement than -in the prison. Busy with the necessary work for -establishing our little community, we scarcely noticed the -passing of autumn and winter. I can never forget the -spring of 1891—the first I enjoyed after the long years of -imprisonment; moreover, that spring brought quite unexpected -hopes of favours soon to be granted us. A -report reached us that the Tsar Alexander III. had -decided to issue a manifesto to celebrate the treading of -Siberian soil by the Heir-Apparent. This manifesto, it -was said, would bring pardon to all convicts, and not even -the “politicals” were to be excluded. The official telegram -about this—obscurely worded though it was—could -not fail to awaken in us hopes of at any rate increased -liberty. If the news were correct, it was to be concluded -that many of us would shortly be treated as “exiles,” and -no longer as convicts. This would improve our situation -in a greater or lesser degree according to the locality -whither we should be banished. “Politicals” are generally -sent to the province of Yakutsk, where conditions of life -are in many respects no better than in the settlement -at Kara. It must be remembered that Yakutsk is a very -sparsely populated province, and lies further from the -civilised world than the Transbaikalian province in which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>Kara is situated. The climate is worse than that of Kara, -the winter longer; and in other ways, too, our comrades -there were worse off than we. Their post arrived less -often than ours, and in many parts of the Yakutsk government -“luxuries,” such as tea, sugar, and petroleum, are -often not to be procured at all. Even stale black bread is -sometimes a rarity, costing twelve to fifteen roubles the -pood,<a id='r107' /><a href='#f107' class='c010'><sup>[107]</sup></a> and is regarded as a delicacy only to be set before -an honoured guest. The chief, if not the exclusive, food -of the natives consists of fish and meat. The dwellings, -too, are worse than the wooden huts of Kara, being simply -“yurtas,” <i>i.e.</i> tent-shaped hovels such as the natives live -in, built of rough logs, the interstices between which are -filled up with earth and turf. Yet most of us were ready -to go to these inhospitable regions, for there was always -the chance, when once one was numbered in the category -of “exiles,” that in time one might be sent to a more -advantageous district. Above all, there was greater freedom; -for though a place of residence is appointed for -each exile, yet they may travel about in the surrounding -country for considerable distances. There are more opportunities, -too, of seeing people; new additions are always -being made to the numbers of the “administrative” exiles -in every province, and from them one learns what is going -on at home; while, on the other hand, nobody fresh was -sent to the penal settlement at Kara during the whole -time that I was there. Finally, the exiles in Yakutsk had -the prospect of yet another step in advance—they might -gain permission to enrol themselves in the peasant class, -and in that way win even greater facility of movement -within the borders of Siberia. Things do not move very -fast, and even if all goes well this favour may only be -obtained after ten years’ exile; but one learns patience -in Siberia, and many a one will let his thoughts dwell on -that distant future: “Ten years! then perhaps there will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>be a manifesto; and in fifteen or twenty years may come -the great event—return to one’s home!”</p> - -<div id='i308' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_308_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>KARA PRISONERS AT WORK</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 308</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>I confess that I myself indulged in such hopes, though I -knew but too well how deceptive these “favours” of the -Tsar might be. To the Coronation manifesto there had -been attached numberless limitations and exceptions, and -it was not to be expected that this time the pardon of -which we had been hearing rumours would be extended -to everyone. “But who knows? They have let me out -of prison at last; perhaps now I shall be made an exile, -unlikely though it seems!” Hope and fear alternated, -and optimism gained the upper hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While in the Petersburg government-offices the question -had to be settled as to carrying out the proclamation—who -was to benefit by it, and who must be excluded from -its operation—the authorities in Siberia had another care -upon them: how to avert all danger from the path of the -Heir-Apparent, as he journeyed through a land where -dwelt so many embittered victims of Tsarism. The -gentlemen of the official world solved this problem eventually -in a simple fashion: all along the Prince’s route we -(busy with our hopes of freedom!) were to be locked up -for the time being; and though Kara was a good fifty -versts distant from the high-road by which the journey -of state was made, we were shut up in prison the day -before the Cesarèvitch<a id='r108' /><a href='#f108' class='c010'><sup>[108]</sup></a> passed, and only set free again a -day after he had got safely through our neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For long afterwards we awaited with the greatest excitement -the advent of the post every week or ten days, -always hoping that some decision as to the scope of the -manifesto would arrive. But government departments -take their time; those who amused themselves with -thoughts of the Tsar’s grace had still to endure uncertainty -as best they could. A whole year elapsed before -we received the long-expected news, and then it was disappointing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>enough; nearly half the inhabitants of the -Kara penal settlement were excepted from the operation -of the manifesto, the rest had but a very short curtailment -of their sentences. I was among those who got nothing -at all, and was obliged to reconcile myself to the thought -of another four years in Kara. It was bitter to have one’s -hopes thus destroyed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the more bitter that our first joy over release from -prison had soon worn off, and life in the settlement had -now become almost as irksome as the life in prison had -been. Our days seemed as monotonous and empty as -ever; and while in prison one had been constrained to -accept the unalleviated barrenness of life, here in the -settlement one felt the tug of the chain at every turn, and -chafed at it. There we had known from the first that all -reasonable and profitable activity was denied us, that we -were condemned to an uninteresting and aimless existence; -and under such conditions one’s mental alertness becomes -dulled—almost atrophied. In the settlement, on the contrary, -it was quite otherwise; here we were in the midst of -life again, the state of lethargy that had reigned in the -prison passed away; and although the pulse of life could -hardly be said to beat high, yet we could see people exerting -themselves, undertaking enterprises, pursuing their -various interests, fighting with difficulties and dangers. We -ourselves the while were restricted to the work of our -narrow household economy; work which naturally could -not satisfy our aspirations. Most of us yearned to set our -powers to work—to do something that should call forth all -our energies and capabilities, not merely to chop wood and -make hay. But in this forsaken spot, and hemmed in as -we were by all manner of restrictions, we could find no -congenial outlet for our activities. To all appearance we -were now at liberty to undertake many things that had -been forbidden in prison; but this appearance was mainly -illusory. It was just this contradiction between our apparent -rights and our actual possibilities that galled us -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>and weighed heavy on our spirits, making us sometimes -inclined to think we would almost rather return to prison, -if thereby we might escape from this torment of inactivity. -We found it irksome in the extreme to have to take -enormous pains and waste much time over mere trifles—the -details of our primitive household management—which, -under the difficult conditions of our life, made exorbitant -demands upon us. Especially at first, when we were new -to it all, it often happened that for weeks at a time one -could never take up a book or a newspaper, and for -educated, intellectual men that was naturally very wearisome. -The only interesting mental occupation open to us -was to observe the lives of the dwellers in this strange -place; as already mentioned, they were an oddly mixed -lot, and we had plenty of opportunity for studying them.</p> - -<div id='i310' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_310_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>FEMALE CRIMINALS AT KARA DRAWING WATER-CART</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 310</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>I have often been in the criminal prison of Kara, and -witnessed there the life of the convicts in their cells and in -the workshops, as they went about their various occupations. -The employment of convict labour in the gold-washing -had been abandoned by that time, having been -found too costly; and the convicts were occupied with so-called -“domestic work.” Among other things they were -used in transport, to take the place of beasts of burden; -and the spectacle of men—even of women—harnessed to -heavy carts, and moving painfully along like oxen in a -yoke, was altogether revolting.</p> - -<p class='c001'>About a year after our establishment in the settlement, -convict labour in Kara was entirely given up; -the convicts were taken away, some to serve in the -construction of the Siberian railway, (then just begun,) -some to the island of Saghalien or to other penitentiaries. -With the convicts departed their guards, the -Cossacks, and other officials; our settlement was well-nigh -depopulated, and life became more monotonous than ever. -However, one advantage ensued for us: we could use the -abandoned dwellings of the officials, and so lived more -comfortably henceforward. We were on the best of terms -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>with the few inhabitants who were left; we taught their -children, assisted them with our counsel when we could, -and gave them medical and legal advice. To these people -a “political” seemed a compendium of learning, and they -applied to us on every kind of occasion. Now it was strictly -forbidden us to engage in any work that could interfere -with that of practitioners of the “liberal professions”; by -law we were not allowed to teach or to give medical -aid; yet, circumstanced as we were, the officials themselves -were not above calling for our help, notwithstanding -the infringement of the law. Of course, therefore, they -could not very well bring us to account for our dealings -with civilians. Only on one occasion did this kind of -thing lead to any unpleasantness, and I will briefly relate -that occurrence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A peasant from a neighbouring village came and laid -the following case before us. One day the newly appointed -<em>prìstav</em> (commissioner of police) had appeared at his house -with the <em>stàrosta</em> of the village and other officials, and -without giving any reason had instituted a domiciliary -search. In the larder they had found some poods of ship’s -biscuit, tea, tobacco, candles, and other stores, all of which -the <em>prìstav</em> had confiscated out of hand, on the pretext -that the peasant could only have such quantities of these -things in his possession in order to exchange them for -“pirated gold,” and that he was therefore a convicted receiver -of stolen goods. Then when the peasant had attended -at the house of the <em>prìstav</em> in compliance with the -latter’s orders, he was informed by the official that he must -pay him fifty roubles before he could have his property -back. This claim appeared to the peasant quite unconscionable, -and on the advice of a neighbour he had come to -beg me to draw up for him a petition against his extortionate -oppressor. The peasant told me a long story: how he -needed all the articles in question for his own consumption; -he procured them in winter, when the transport was -easier, and used them in the summer for his workpeople, of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>whom he employed a great number. This was evidently -all humbug; it was perfectly obvious that the good man -was really a receiver of “stolen gold.” On the other hand, -it was as clear as daylight that the official had been guilty -of an offence, having tried to use the peasant’s infringement -of the law as a means of extorting backsheesh for himself. -I had already heard that this newly appointed satrap was -grinding the faces of the whole population in this province—a -district as large as many a German state, over which -he was irresponsible master—and was diligently using his -position to fill his own pockets. Nearly every night he -paid surprise visits to the houses of the inhabitants, took -possession of whatever fell into his hands, and then put it -to ransom at a high price. At the same time he bullied -the simple people in the good old fashion of official Russia, -raging at them like a Berserker. His favourite speech was, -“You fellows shall learn that I’m your Tsar and your -God!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The notion of teaching this functionary a lesson rather -attracted me; but I did not want to play the hedge-lawyer, -so I advised the peasant to find someone else to undertake -the affair, as I knew there were officials whose business it -was to write out appeals and complaints. He told me -that they had refused to help him, as they were afraid of -the <em>prìstav</em>. So I finally decided there was nothing for it -but to do as he asked; and that I should not appear to be -denouncing the man secretly I added at the end of the -document (though I knew I had no legal right to draw up -petitions for other people)—“Written and signed for the -illiterate petitioner by the political exile Leo Deutsch.” -By signing my own name I meant to show that it was far -from my desire to make anonymous denunciations; and -also I calculated that this circumstance would oblige the -authorities to attend to the matter. The peasant was -much pleased, thanked me warmly, and wanted to tip me -a rouble for my trouble, which of course I declined.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For several months nothing was heard of the business; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>then one day the <em>dessyàtnik</em><a id='r109' /><a href='#f109' class='c010'><sup>[109]</sup></a> came to me and called on -me to go to the office, as the <em>prìstav</em> wished to speak to -me. This order was quite irregular, as we “politicals” -were only answerable to our own superintendent, not to -the police. I therefore answered the <em>dessyàtnik</em> very -shortly—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go and tell your <em>prìstav</em> that I am not at his beck and -call, and that if he has anything to say he can come -to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I made the man repeat my words till he had them -correctly, and impressed upon him that he must tell the -official exactly what I had said, which he did most conscientiously. -The wrath of the “Tsar and God” may be -imagined at receiving this answer in the presence of all the -officials of the commune and a number of the peasantry. -As I was subsequently informed, he stormed and raged -like one possessed, and finally ordered that I should be put -in irons and brought before him. Despite his categorical -command the people hesitated to obey, and not till some -hours later did the communal officers come to my house, -and beg me, with all manner of apologies, to accompany -them. I explained to them that the <em>prìstav</em> had no legal -rights over me, and that it would be far more in order for -him to communicate with me through the superintendent -of the penal settlement. This contented the ambassadors, -who returned and informed the <em>prìstav</em> that he had no -jurisdiction over me. The day after I learned from our -superintendent that all the <em>prìstav</em> had wanted was to tell -me about a communication he had received in consequence -of the complaint I had drawn up—a circumstance, therefore, -that had nothing whatever to do with me. The -whole affair fizzled out in the end; but when I left Kara -some years later the peasant had not yet received back his -goods, which still lay under the official seal in charge of -the <em>prìstav</em>, and for aught I know they may lie there to -this day.</p> - -<div id='i314' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_314_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>AGED ORDINARY PRISONERS AT KARA</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 314</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>For me personally the affair had no evil consequences. -After the lapse of some months a document was sent me -by the Governor, wherein I was warned that I was not -permitted to draw up complaints for the inhabitants. Of -course, if our relations with the peasant population had not -been so cordial, the business might have led to trouble; -but as it was, the authorities did not care to risk causing -an agitation among the peasants by harsh measures -towards us.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXXII <br /> <span class='small'>THE DEATH OF THE TSAR—NEW MANIFESTOES—THE CENSUS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“Do you know that the Tsar is very ill? They say -the doctors are doubtful of his recovery.” A well-known -official addressed me one day in these words.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The unexpected news surprised me very much. It had -been a general belief that Alexander III., of whose herculean -strength many stories were current, would attain a -great age, and so be able to carry on his reactionary policy -for many years to come; and now suddenly there shone -a ray of hope, for even in Russia it is usual to expect -much of a new ruler.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In November, 1894, came tidings of the Tsar’s death; -and soon afterwards two manifestoes were announced—one -for the marriage of Nicholas II., and one for his coronation. -This time I was not excluded. By the provisions -of the first manifesto the entire term of my punishment -was shortened by a third, <i>i.e.</i> by four years and some -months; but this “grace” came when I had altogether -only ten more months of convict life before me! By the -second manifesto the time I had to wait before I could -pass from the category of exile to that of simple peasant -was altered from ten to four years. When I was told -of the first manifesto I was also informed that I should -have to go to Yakutsk as an exile: but eventually, in -consequence of various circumstances, I did not avail -myself of either proclamation. Private reasons occasioned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>my preferring to remain in Kara; so I did not go into -exile at all, but remained where I was as a convict, having -obtained the Governor’s permission to do so.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>One cold December day in 1896 I suddenly heard the -sound of sleigh-bells, and a sledge stopped before my -house. The door opened, and a man entered wrapped in -sheepskin and <em>dohà</em>.<a id='r110' /><a href='#f110' class='c010'><sup>[110]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>When he had emerged from his furs I recognised our -<em>starshinà</em>,<a id='r111' /><a href='#f111' class='c010'><sup>[111]</sup></a> an important functionary known and feared -far and near. His wisdom and firmness had secured for -this representative of the peasants’ self-government <a id='corr317.11'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='an'>a</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_317.11'>a</a></span> -universal respect far above his social position. He was -strong-minded and independent, and was said to be a very -adroit and energetic man, but also hard, and morally not -quite above reproach. He lived about thirty versts from -my abode, and had only visited me on one former occasion. -I therefore concluded that only some important reason -could have induced him to come so far in the bitter cold. -According to Siberian custom, he did not at once begin -upon his business; but after he had drunk some glasses -of hot tea and eaten something, he laid the case before me -as follows:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Government had issued orders that a census of the -whole population should be taken on an appointed day -throughout the whole immense empire. For this purpose -there would be required a large number of capable persons -such as in Russia it was not very easy to find, and still less -so in Siberia. The local authorities were hard put to it on -this account, and the census superintendent of the district -had consulted with his subordinates how to solve the -problem. When affairs at Kara and the neighbouring -villages came to be discussed, our <em>starshinà</em> had declared -that he would only undertake the business on one condition, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>namely, that I should help him. I was the only -fit person; without me the thing would be impossible. -The census superintendent had nothing to say against my -participation in the work, and even the <em>prìstav</em> (against -whom I had drawn up the complaint) could make no -objection, though he himself was to take an active part in -the proceedings. He had, in fact, to superintend the -taking of the census in his own district, and if I were -to assist I should be directly responsible to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The <em>starshinà</em> explained all this to me, and asked -if I would consent. I agreed immediately; for the work -involved would be a welcome relief to the monotony -of my life, and was for a useful end. One circumstance -only made me a little anxious—association with the <em>prìstav</em> -might be awkward. However, the <em>starshinà</em> assured me -that the man heartily regretted that old affair, would -gladly have it forgotten, and bore me no grudge. One -other obstacle—the difficulty of obtaining permission from -the superintendent of the convict settlement—the <em>starshinà</em> -himself undertook to remove.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The business was soon arranged, and I—the “political -criminal”—was suddenly clothed with official dignity. -I was to take the census in a village about fifteen versts -away, with a large population of about a thousand souls; -and I was then to enumerate the people of another village -in conjunction with the pope.<a id='r112' /><a href='#f112' class='c010'><sup>[112]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>It was very interesting to look up these peculiar people -in their own homes and to make personal acquaintance -with them. Of course, there were many comical episodes -and absurd misunderstandings; and on the other hand, -I had glimpses of very sad—even tragic—circumstances.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My trouble was so far rewarded that the inhabitants -expressed their gratitude to me in various ways, and the -officials seemed to be impressed by my promptitude. -I had accomplished my task some little time previously -when one day in January, 1897, the <em>starshinà</em> paid me -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>another visit. The good man had again something to ask -me. It was prescribed by the instructions that the head -of every census-area should finally call together a certain -number of the persons who had undertaken the work -of enumeration in his district—one from each commune—to -correct the results and draw up a general report.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The head of our district was, as I have said, my old -opponent the <em>prìstav</em>; and I now learned that that gentleman -was particularly desirous to persuade me, through -the mediation of the <em>starshinà</em>, to represent our commune—the -Shilkìnskaya Vòiost—at the committee of census-takers -for his district.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The proposal had much to attract me. For more than -eleven years I had never left Kara, and I knew only the -adjacent villages. Now I was offered the chance of travelling -a distance of some hundreds of versts, and that in a -province which, as I was aware, contained much that was -of great interest. The work of drawing up the general -report likewise interested me. The only objection was -association with a man I had come against in such an -unpleasant way; but the eloquence of the <em>starshinà</em> again -prevailed over my doubts, and I agreed to undertake the -task. Permission for me to leave my place of internment -was at once given, and I set off on my journey.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course I travelled at the State’s expense. I received -a pass from the Governor, which entitled me to requisition -horses for my use wherever I went, and to lodge in the -<em>zèmskaya kvàrtira</em>, or official residences;<a id='r113' /><a href='#f113' class='c010'><sup>[113]</sup></a> in short, I was -for the time being an official travelling on Government -business.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A journey of the kind in a Siberian winter is no trifling -matter. I was clad in furs, a <em>dohà</em> over all the rest, and so -wrapped up in a fur rug that I could hardly move in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>sledge. The road ran for the most of the way through a -practically uninhabited part of the province, a hilly, thickly -wooded country, and the horses had hard work to get the -sledge along. Every thirty or forty versts we came to a -halting-station, where the horses were changed. When I -arrived everyone was always most subservient and polite, -giving me such a reception as befitted a very important -official, which was sometimes extremely funny. At the -first station where I was to spend the night, the elder of -the village displayed a perfect fever of official zeal. I -arrived late in the evening, and had at once sought my -bed, when the man came to me, much disturbed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Has your Excellency any orders for me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I begged him to see that horses were ready for my start -next morning; but that did not seem to satisfy him. He -said that my gracious commands should be obeyed, and -still insisted on decorating me with a title. When I explained -to him who I really was, he admitted “certainly -that was another thing”; but orders he was determined to -have, notwithstanding, and asked if he should not fetch -the census-takers of the village to wait on me. I naturally -did not wish to disturb them in the middle of the night, -which he could not understand at all. The people of other -villages also astonished me by the fervour of their attentions; -and I could not quite comprehend it, until I learned -that our masterful <em>prìstav</em> had travelled by the same route -a few days before, and had spurred up his subordinates -with injunctions to receive the “Censor of Shilkinskaya” -(as I was entitled) with all honour, and to fulfil his orders -most carefully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I approached the goal of my journey I met at the -stations other census-takers, also on their way to the conference. -Among these people a rumour was current that -the head of our district had found the lists submitted to -him unsatisfactory, and that the whole business would have -to be done over again. Of course my colleagues were -rather troubled over this, for such an undertaking might -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>easily cost them several days’ work, and they had left -pressing affairs behind them. Besides, the census-takers -received but very scanty remuneration for their exertions—a -few roubles only; or, if they preferred it, a medal -which the Government had had struck for the purpose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After two days I arrived at the Stanitsa Aigùnskaya, -where the conference was to be held. I had been wondering -all this while how my meeting with the <em>prìstav</em> would -go off, and he, too, seemed to have had the same anxiety; -for I had scarcely awakened next morning when a Cossack -came to the <em>zèmskaya kvàrtira</em>, where I and the other -census-takers had slept, and announced that the <em>prìstav</em> -wished to speak to the Censor of Shilkinskaya. I told -the man to say I would come as soon as I could, made a -leisurely toilet, and had my breakfast. But in a short time -appeared a fat man of about fifty, in the uniform of a -police official, who introduced himself as “Head-of-the-census-district-of-so-and-so -Bìbikov”—my <em>prìstav</em>, in fact. -I on my side announced myself as “Census-taker Deutsch,” -and we chatted together most peaceably, as if we had -never fallen out in our lives. The tormented man at once -poured out his troubles to me. He could not manage his -task at all, and confessed that he could not make head or -tail of the divers instructions, orders, and circulars of the -various authorities; neither did he know how to proceed -with the examination of lists and drawing up of the report -for his district. And then there were thirty census-takers -worrying him, some of whom had come a whole week’s -journey from their homes; naturally they wanted to get -back, and they were pressing him to release them, but he -could not accede to their wishes, as all the lists seemed to -him inadequate. His moving tale ended with a petition -that I would stand by him; he knew how well I had -managed things in my division, and I was the only man -who could help him to bring this difficult task to a satisfactory -conclusion. Several of the other census-takers, -too, urged me to take the thing in hand; and as I was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>interested to see how the work had been started from the -beginning, and what a superintendent like the <em>prìstav</em> was -expected to do, after some hesitation I consented, for -which my quondam enemy thanked me effusively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When we entered the official building the office was full -of people. These were the census-takers, among whom -were all kinds of persons—clerks, medical men, schoolmasters, -and a great many Cossacks. Directly they saw -the <em>prìstav</em> they crowded round him, begging him to try -and finish up with them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Just look at them!” said the <em>prìstav</em>; “that’s how it -goes on every day. It’s enough to drive one mad!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I made them give me the papers, and tried to master -their contents. As I had already guessed, the business -was not really so difficult and puzzling as it had appeared -to the poor police official; but it was work that did not -come within his scope, and he had no notion how to tackle -it. At the end of a few hours I had things in train, and -could show him what he had to do.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The presence of the census-takers proved to be unnecessary, -and they were able to go home next day, for -which they were extremely grateful; but I myself had -to remain a whole fortnight in the place. There was in -fact a great deal of writing to do, and the <em>prìstav</em> and I -were hard at it from morning to night. He was always -politeness itself to me, and no one who witnessed his -charming behaviour now could have believed that he had -once given orders to put me in irons. But of course that -episode was never alluded to.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXXIII <br /> <span class='small'>A PREHISTORIC MONUMENT—MY DEPARTURE FROM KARA—LIFE IN STRETYENSK—MY TRANSFERENCE TO BLAGOVESTSHENSK—THE MASSACRES OF JULY, 1900</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>During my sojourn in Kara I took part in an expedition, -the object of which was to discover the -whereabouts of a curious relic of ancient times. One of -our comrades, Kuznetsov by name, who by reason of his -archæological researches was rather a noted personality in -Siberia, had written to me on this subject. According -to the testimony of various people, there was in the neighbourhood -of Kara a monumental stone covered with -ancient characters inscribed in some red colouring matter. -This had been mentioned long before in the proceedings -of the Geographical Society of Irkutsk, but had never -been described in detail; and Kuznetsov—who himself -lived at a considerable distance from Kara—was anxious -that I should search for it and copy the inscription.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I gladly undertook the mission, and early one spring -day I set out on the quest, accompanied by two friends, -following the meagre clue we had been able to obtain. -We only knew in a general way the direction and distance -of our object, which was supposed to be near the banks of -the River Bitshoug, about thirty-five versts away. There -was no road, and we were obliged to go on foot across -a very boggy bit of country, leading the horse which -carried our provisions and other necessaries.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>We started at dawn, reached the river towards evening, -and there camped out for the night. During the next -few days we explored the locality, but in vain, and we -were at last obliged to return from our fruitless errand. I -then made further inquiries about the stone among the -inhabitants of the place, many of whom were hunters, and -therefore well acquainted with the surrounding country, -and I promised a reward to anyone who could guide me -to it; but it was not until nearly two years later that -I heard a report of how two peasants from a neighbouring -village had seen something of the kind. This rumour -proved correct; and a gold-digger of my acquaintance -undertook to guide me to the object of my search, making -the expedition by sledge, as it was then winter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The monument with the red inscription turned out to -be not far from the spot where I and my friends had -previously looked for it, but the dense forest undergrowth -had hidden it from us. It dates undoubtedly from a very -early period, and consists of a smooth perpendicular -surface hewn in the rock, whereon curious signs and -characters are drawn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We made a careful sketch of the monument, and a -photographer who happened to visit Kara subsequently -took separate photographs of the whole stone and of the -coloured characters. These I sent to Kuznetsov, with a -detailed description, but I have never heard whether the -meaning of the inscription has been deciphered.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>When, in consequence of the imperial manifesto, I -passed from the category of convict into that of exile, the -change only affected my circumstances in that it deprived me -of the right to an allowance from the State. Henceforward -I was thrown entirely on my own resources, and the task -of supporting myself was no light one. The population of -Kara diminished steadily, and among others the family -whose children I had taught for several years removed from -the place. It was absolutely impossible to find any other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>remunerative occupation; my relations at home were -sending me no money, and my affairs got into a very -unsatisfactory state. I had a host of debts, and could -expect assistance from no one.</p> - -<div id='i324' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_324_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>THE COSSACK VILLAGE OF STRETYENSK</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 324</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Just then began the work in connection with the construction -of the railway in the Stanitsa of Stretyensk, -some hundred versts distant from Kara. I decided to -migrate thither; and, the Governor having given me the -necessary permission, I left Kara on the 20th of May, -1897.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Stanitsa of Stretyensk, situated on the banks of the -large and navigable River Shilka, was at that time the -scene of much activity. The population had increased to -between four and five thousand; there were some good -shops and several business firms. The ordinary inhabitants, -besides the Cossacks, were chiefly Jews; but the railway -works had brought all kinds of people to the place—officials, -clerks, contractors, etc.—so that Stretyensk had -taken on more the appearance of a thriving town than -of a mere Cossack village.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I soon found a post, and a comparatively good one, -on the railway; my duties being to draw up the various -orders, advices, and circulars, and to copy them out. But -the yearning for a fuller life possessed me here even more -than at Kara, partly induced by the more bustling life -of the busy little place, partly by the total absence of any -congenial society. In Kara I had had comrades with -whom I could converse on every kind of topic; but in -Stretyensk, though I knew nearly everybody at least by -name, there was no single person to whom I could talk -about anything beyond the most everyday matters. The -principal, and almost the only, subject of conversation was -money. The flow of capital into the country on account -of the new railway had aroused in the inhabitants an -almost incredible greed and a feverish desire of becoming -rich. There were numbers of people who recoiled at -nothing in the pursuit of this aim—cheating, dishonesty, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>even downright theft, were all in the order of the day; -and the irresponsibility and arbitrariness of officials which -prevails throughout Russia, and especially in Siberia, -greatly assisted in undermining the morals of the population. -Many large fortunes were made in an extraordinarily -short time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The only relaxations from this constant working and -striving after riches were drinking and card-playing. Not -only was there no library in the Stanitsa, but there was -not even a school for the children of those who were not -Cossacks, <i>i.e.</i> a greater part of the inhabitants. When I of -necessity entered into the society of the place I felt myself -in a world entirely strange to me, and utterly uncongenial. -It was hardly possible for any, even intelligent, young -man to escape being driven to drinking or gambling in -such an atmosphere.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is true that here I had the advantage of more freedom -of movement than in Kara, and that I could go further -afield. During the two years of my stay in Stretyensk I -frequently made long excursions in different directions; -and on these expeditions I became more closely acquainted -with local conditions, and learned to understand the life -of Siberia much better than would be possible from any -amount of mere reading up the subject.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the spring of 1899, while travelling, I met with a -comrade of my own way of thinking, who had been exiled -by “administrative methods.” It was the first time I had -met a Social Democrat newly come from Russia, and my -delight may be easily imagined. We talked nearly all -through the night, and I learned for the first time from -him how great had been the expansion of our movement -among the working classes during the last ten years, and -how quickly the idea of Social Democracy had taken root -in Russia. I was especially impressed by his account of -its development among the Jewish workers in the western -provinces.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Under the influence of the feelings aroused by this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>intelligence, my longing to return home sprang up with -redoubled strength. This thought had been kept in the -background during the last few years; but now it forced -itself upon me with urgent insistence. What were the -possibilities of the case? This question was hard to answer -with any certainty. I had now been fourteen years in -Siberia, and it was fifteen years since my arrest in -Freiburg; in accordance with the terms of the last -imperial manifesto, by which I was to benefit, I might go -home after another seven years,<a id='r114' /><a href='#f114' class='c010'><sup>[114]</sup></a> and this term might -conceivably be further shortened by some fortunate concatenation -of circumstances. Once more to see European -Russia, where I had not been as a free man for twenty -years, was the most fervent wish of my heart; yet what -warrant had I for supposing I should be still alive in -another seven years? or that, being alive, I should actually -be granted the privilege of returning to Russia? Life in -Siberia became each year more irksome to me. I found -it well-nigh impossible to remain in Stretyensk, and I -determined to go further east, to the comparatively large -town of Blagovèstshensk. After exerting myself for some -time to obtain permission to do this, I at last succeeded, -and in the autumn of 1899 I quitted Stretyensk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I found myself much better off at Blagovèstshensk; I -soon got employment on one of the two local newspapers, -and the work was far more interesting than that to which -I had hitherto been condemned. The society here, also, -was much more agreeable, for the town contained many -cultivated people, and also several comrades in our movement, -political exiles like myself. The town possessed -schools, a public library, a theatre, a telephone service—in -short, so far as outward civilisation went, Blagovèstshensk -stood in no way behind European towns of the same size, -and was even in some ways more advanced. During the -last few years the place has attained an unenviable -notoriety from the occurrences there at the time of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>war with China in 1900. I thus became an involuntary -witness of that terrible series of events of which the -Russian Government gave such a lying version to the -world. In the interests of truth I will here relate the -particulars from my own experience as an eye-witness of -much that occurred.<a id='r115' /><a href='#f115' class='c010'><sup>[115]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c001'>First of all let me give some details about Blagovèstshensk. -It is the chief, and was formerly the only town in -the Amur province, which covers a considerably larger -area than many a European state. Blagovèstshensk is -situated on the flat left bank of the Amur river, which for -a long distance forms the boundary between Russia and -China; before the war it contained 38,000 inhabitants. -Most of the houses are of wood, and there are no -fortifications.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the right bank of the river, exactly opposite the -town, was the Chinese village of Saghalien.<a id='r116' /><a href='#f116' class='c010'><sup>[116]</sup></a> There was -constant intercourse between the dwellers on either bank, -carried on in summer by means of boats and junks, in -winter over the ice; for the Chinese and Manchurians -were the chief purveyors of supplies to the inhabitants of -Blagovèstshensk, especially of meat and vegetables. Until -the spring of 1900 relations between the two settlements -had been uniformly peaceful; but after the murder in -Pekin of the German ambassador, von Ketteler, and the -decision of the Russian Government, on January 24th, to -mobilise the Siberian army, constraint and tension began -to make themselves felt. On the Chinese side of the river -military exercises took place every evening; the beating of -the tattoo sounded, and the firing of cannon was heard, -which had never been known to happen before. To the -inquiries of the Russian authorities as to the meaning of -all this, the Chinese answered that a small detachment of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>soldiers had been quartered there for the summer. This -reply entirely satisfied the administrators of Blagovèstshensk, -but not the inhabitants; many of them opined -that the Chinese were not having gun-practice for nothing, -and telescopes further showed that earthworks were being -constructed in the neighbourhood of Saghalien. The -representations of people who had observed this only -elicited from the Russian military governor of the Amur -province—General N. R. Gribsky—the assurance that -these were trifles, and need disquiet no one.</p> - -<div id='i328' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_328_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>BLAGOVÈSTSHENSK</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 328</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile there were but few soldiers in Blagovèstshensk—two -or three regiments of infantry, a regiment of -Cossacks, and a brigade of artillery—and by order of -the Governor-General Grodekov even these were almost -all withdrawn on July 11th and sent down the Amur -to Habarovsk, while only one company of soldiers, a -hundred Cossacks, and two guns (one of which proved later -to be totally useless) were left behind in the town. Besides -these there were about two thousand reservists, who had -been called out in accordance with the mobilisation order; -but in view of the entire lack of arms and ammunition, -these reservists were of little use, and certainly could not -count as any efficient protection to the town.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The departure of the military, for which many steamers -and barges were needed, took place with much ceremony, -and was watched by an immense crowd of people. This -could not fail to be observed by the Chinese inhabitants -of Saghalien, who were thus made aware that the Russian -town was left almost defenceless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Further down the river, about thirty versts from Blagovèstshensk, -is the little Chinese town of Aigùn. When -the Russian soldiery came to this place on July 12th, the -Chinese allowed the boats to pass without hindrance until -all but the last steamer had gone by, and then opened fire -upon this last boat, which contained the ammunition, -forcing it to return to Blagovèstshensk. The news of this -attack spread through the town on the evening of the next -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>day, and aroused great uneasiness among the inhabitants, -even the administration at last becoming alarmed. By -order of General Gribsky, the military governor, a meeting -of the Town Council was called for the morning of the -14th, and this conference was attended, not only by all -the town councillors, but by many of the more important -residents, by various officials, directors of the bank, etc., -and I myself was present as the correspondent of a local -paper.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Colonel Orfenov spoke in the name of the military -governor; and after he had explained to the assembly how -scanty were the means of defence available to the military -authorities, he proposed that he himself should undertake -the organisation of affairs. Though it had been known that -after the departure of the troops there could not be many -soldiers left in the town, nobody had supposed that their -number was as small as now appeared from Colonel -Orfenov’s account. His frank statement made a great -impression on his audience, and alarmed them considerably. -Many turned pale or showed other signs of emotion, and -the voices of the councillors, whose speeches followed, -trembled with excitement. After a short discussion it was -decided to call for volunteers. The town was at once -divided into military districts, and a chief with two assistants -appointed for each. Thereupon some members of -the Council repaired to the military governor to inform -him of their decision and to consult with him upon the -situation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As I was afterwards informed by one of those who -spoke then with General Gribsky, he thanked the town’s -representatives for their readiness to undertake the duties -of defence, and tried to quiet their apprehensions of danger -from the Chinese. When asked if he did not think it -necessary to take steps with regard to those Chinese who -dwelt in great numbers in Blagovèstshensk itself and its -neighbourhood, he declared that in his opinion any such -special measures would be unnecessary and inadvisable, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>war had not been declared between Russia and China. -The General further informed the deputation that he had -already been approached by representatives of the Chinese -in the town, with the question whether it would not be -better for Chinese subjects to withdraw betimes from -Russian territory. Whereupon (and this was his own -account of the matter) he had told the delegates to inform -their compatriots that they might remain where they were -without anxiety, as they were on the soil of the great -Russian Empire, whose Government would never allow -peaceful foreigners to be molested. Finally, the governor -stated to our representatives that he himself, with the -remaining detachment of soldiers and the hundred Cossacks, -would go on the following day to Aigùn, in order -to free that place from the Boxers, to occupy it, and so to -ensure free passage on the Amur for Russian vessels. -This latter plan, however, was never carried out; for the -active hostility of the Chinese towards the people of -Blagovèstshensk manifested itself earlier than anyone had -expected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On that very same afternoon, when a great number -of people of all classes had assembled at the municipal -buildings to enrol themselves as volunteers, the noise -of gunshots suddenly resounded from the Chinese shore; -and from the windows of the town-hall, where I was -myself, we saw people hurrying in crowds from the shore, -crying, “The Chinese are firing! the Chinese are attacking -us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The volunteers in the town-hall believed, when they -heard these cries, that the Chinese were attacking the -utterly defenceless town, and an indescribable panic ensued; -some rushed into the street, others hurried to the -armoury of the hall (where, as everyone knew, some -hundred old guns were stored), crying, “Arms! give us -arms!” The number of these weapons was of course -insufficient to arm all the volunteers, and many, chiefly -the poorer people, then rushed to the shops—which, as it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>was Sunday, were closed—broke in, and possessed themselves -by force of any weapons they could lay their hands -on. The entire community was overcome with terror. -Numbers of the inhabitants packed up their valuables and -fled from the town on foot or on horseback; or took refuge -with friends who lived at a greater distance from the river -and in stone houses, which could afford better protection -from shot or shell. The idea that the Chinese might -crowd into the defenceless town, set it on fire, and practise -all manner of horrible cruelties on the inhabitants, drove -many people into a state of positive desperation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It would in truth have cost a disciplined army of small -proportions but little trouble to destroy Blagovèstshensk -in a few hours, but luckily for its citizens the Chinese were -very bad marksmen; most of their shells never reached -the town, but fell into the Amur, or else they failed -to explode. Thanks to this there were only between fifteen -and twenty of the townspeople killed and wounded during -the whole bombardment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the second day of the siege Blagovèstshensk presented -a forlorn appearance—shops closed; windows and -doors fast shut; no horses and hardly any foot-passengers -in the streets, people who had ventured out keeping close -to the walls, and hurrying over the crossings for fear of -stray bullets; all business at a standstill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>We had already organised a garrison of volunteers. All -along the river bank, for a distance of several versts, -shelters were dug out hastily and by night, in which -volunteers of all ages and classes were posted to observe -the Chinese on the opposite shore and so render a surprise -almost impossible. Many people, however, saw danger in -quite another direction, namely, from the Chinese quarter -of the town itself. Here dwelt Chinese and Manchurians -in considerable numbers—merchants, tradesmen, day-labourers—whose -work had been most useful to the whole -community. Industrious in the extreme, and modest in -their requirements, these Chinese subjects had never given -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>the smallest cause for complaint; honesty and conscientiousness -were their leading attributes, and in many -shops and commercial houses, and also in private dwellings, -entire trust was reposed in them as employees. By -many Russian families with whom the young Chinese -were in domestic service they were looked on as friends; -often they were taught the Russian language, which they -would study with the greatest diligence. But by the -lower and less cultivated classes of the Russian population -the Chinese had never been regarded with favour; they -were looked upon as foreigners who obstinately refused to -amalgamate with the Russians, for the Chinese never, -with the rarest exceptions, alter their customs or their -outlook on life. The workmen saw in them dangerous -competitors, for it is well known that before the Chinese -came to the Amur wages were higher, (though, on the -other hand, after the war, when cheap Chinese labour disappeared, -many articles that had been within the means -of the poorer classes became prohibitively dear).</p> - -<p class='c001'>From these causes, and also from sheer brutality—for -coarse and cruel elements are to be found in every nation—it -happened that even in peaceful times the Chinese -were often maltreated by Russians when they met in the -streets, hustled or knocked about, or their pigtails pulled. -Some more flagrant instances of oppression of the humble, -timid Chinaman even found their way into the columns of -the local press; and there were further instances of this sort -after the mobilisation order, when numbers of reservists, -called in from their employments in the country districts, -filled the streets, and would often (especially when drunk) -fall on any Chinese they encountered, beat them unmercifully, -and call after them, “It’s your fault, you dogs, -that we’re taken from our work and our families and sent -to our deaths!” In the eyes of the ordinary European -the Chinese were not human beings, but “cattle,” “beasts”; -and the state of things engendered by this feeling had -caused the military governor to issue a proclamation, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>threatening with punishment those who molested peaceful -Chinese subjects.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Trusting in the assurances of the highest local authority, -the Chinese and Manchurians of Blagovèstshensk and its -environs, to the number of several thousand souls, had -remained on the spot. They were soon bitterly to rue -having done so. Even on the 14th of July, when firing -from the Chinese shore was in progress, and the frightened -crowd was in panic-stricken flight, one could see how as -they ran they would turn upon and maltreat any unlucky -Chinaman who happened to be in the way. Chinese and -Manchurians fled through the town in a most pitiable -condition, seeking some safe corner in which to hide; and -on the evening of the same day cases were reported of -their being murdered in the open street. Persons whose -word could be trusted asserted that the police officials -themselves had advised citizens to kill any Chinese abroad -in the town that evening; for many feared that those on -Russian territory might come to the assistance of their -compatriots by setting fire to the town. It was also -supposed that there might be supporters of the Boxers in -the town, and to this fear had been due the first suggestions -of its being advisable to take measures with regard to the -native population. The more temperate and reflecting -thought it would be sufficient if those Chinese for whom -Russian citizens would be surety—and of these there would -be many—were left to the care of their European protectors, -and if the rest were assembled together in one -place and put under proper supervision. But it turned -out that the local authorities were of a different opinion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the second day after the commencement of the -bombardment Cossacks both mounted and on foot might -be seen, together with police, going round to every house -and inquiring whether there were any Chinese inmates. If -asked what was wanted with them, they replied that all -Chinese in the town were to be brought together and placed -under the charge of the police. Suspecting that nothing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>good was intended, many people sought to conceal the -Chinese who were with them, hiding them in cellars and -attics; but often the neighbours informed the police of -this, and then the Cossacks would insist, with threats and -even with drawn swords, on their being delivered up. -This process of arresting the Chinese lasted over several -days.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I can hardly describe the consternation of these unhappy -people when told they must go to the police office. Hastily -collecting their belongings, they followed the Cossacks with -faces of unspeakable dismay; and when taking leave of -their European friends they gave them their money and -goods to take care of, in many cases begging them to -discharge some debt, or even giving them the free disposition -of their effects—perhaps houses and shops full of -valuable property. Foreseeing their tragic fate, many -asked on the way, “Will they behead us?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were not mistaken in their fears. Murder in cold -blood awaited them; and only during the Middle Ages, at -the time of the Inquisition and the persecution of heretics, -Jews, and Moors in Spain, have such inhuman proceedings -as now followed been equalled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some versts above Blagovèstshensk, on the left bank of -the Amur, there is a Cossack settlement. Thither before -sunrise several thousand Chinese, among them old men, -cripples, invalids, women, and children, were driven by the -Cossacks and police. Those who for sickness or fatigue -could not get so far were stabbed on the road by the -Cossacks. One man, a representative of the great Chinese -firm Li-Wa-Chan, refused to proceed, demanding to be -taken to the governor, who had promised the Chinese -delegates safety for all who remained on Russian soil; but -for answer the Cossacks killed him then and there. The -deputy-<em>prìstav</em>, Shabanov, was present, and uttered no -word of protest against this iniquitous deed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the miserable Chinese had been driven down to -the shore of the Amur, they were commanded <em>to go into -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>the water</em>. Means there were none for reaching the -opposite Chinese shore; the river at this point is more -than half a verst (about one-third of a mile) in width, and -flows with a strong current. One can picture what terror -seized on the poor creatures at the water’s edge. Falling -on their knees, with hands raised to heaven, or even -crossing themselves, they implored to be spared such a -death. Many vowed to become Christians and to be -naturalised as Russian subjects. But the only response -vouchsafed to their prayers by the merciless fulfillers of -official orders were bayonet-thrusts, and blows with the -butt-end of rifles or with swords, to drive them into the -river-depths; any who still continued to resist were simply -murdered on the spot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Persons who by chance were eye-witnesses of this -wholesale drowning and massacring, which proceeded on -several successive days before the rising of the sun, tell of -frightful and heartrending scenes. One Manchurian family -that was driven into the water consisted of father, mother, -and two little children. The parents each took a child, -and tried to swim across the Amur, but all were soon -sucked down by the current. In another family there was -one child; the mother besought the murderers and the -bystanders at least to take the little one and spare its life, -but no one would do so. She then left it on the bank and -herself entered the water, but after a few steps returned, -seized her child, and carrying it went back into the river, -then again returned and laid down her precious burden. -Here the Cossacks intervened to end her vacillations, -stabbing both parent and child. The tortures of this -wretched mother and of all the victims thus driven to -their death can be imagined by everyone not dead to all -human feeling. Even the above-mentioned police officer, -Shabanov, declared that he could not remain to the end -of this scene of horror.</p> - -<div id='i336' class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_336_facing.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>ON THE AMUR NEAR BLAGOVESTSHENSK—THE SCENE OF THE MASSACRE</p></div><div class='icrj'><p>To face page 336</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>But very few of that immense multitude, and those only -the strongest swimmers, succeeded in getting anywhere near -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>the Chinese shore; yet even of these but a small number -survived. When the Cossacks saw that they were likely -to save themselves they sent a few well-planted shots after -them; and Chinese marksmen, too, posted in trenches on -the opposite side, fired on the swimmers—either because -they took them for Russians, or because they considered as -enemies all Chinese who had remained in a Russian -province after, as was asserted, a proposal had been made -to them that they should return to their homes long before -the beginning of hostilities.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When, on July 17th, great numbers of corpses became -visible floating down the Amur it was clear to everyone -in Blagovèstshensk that these peaceful unarmed Chinese -inhabitants of the town, whom the governor himself had -advised not to return to China, but to trust in his promise -of protection, had been done to death. Scarcely two days -after the guarantee had been given, General Gribsky had -faithlessly broken his word, by giving the verbal order -to “<em>send back the Chinese subjects to China</em>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Indignation and horror filled the minds of all right-thinking -people when they learned in what manner that -order had been carried out. The dreadful story was told -with tears and shuddering; many longed to protest, and -express their burning wrath at the barbarous treatment of -the poor harmless Chinese workpeople, but how was that -possible in Russia? Besides, on the 17th itself, Blagovèstshensk -and the entire province of the Amur had been -put under martial law; consequently anyone who dared -to protest would have been instantly dragged before -a court-martial. Some of those who compassionated -the Chinese tried at least to prevent the continuance of -the reign of terror. A few instances occurred where -people who had managed to conceal Chinese servants or -guests in their houses, went to the local authorities with -urgent petitions that they might be allowed to offer -personal surety for these survivors of the massacre; and -some who had exceptional influence succeeded in saving -<span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>one or two. But such cases were rare, and nearly all who -were preserved in this way had to remain in custody of -the police throughout the siege.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rich young merchant Yun-Tcha-San (a man with -a European education, speaking both Russian and French) -succeeded in escaping in this manner, by heavily bribing -the officials; but he is reported to have said that had -he known what frightful humiliations he would be subjected -to, he would rather have perished in the river.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A lady well known in the town, Madame Makeyeva, -went to the governor, with whom she was personally -acquainted, to beg that her young Chinese servant, who -had been five years in her house, might remain with her. -This servant had been of the greatest value to the family; -if anyone were ill he nursed and tended them, watching -by their bedside day and night. But when General -Gribsky found that it was for a Chinese Madame Makeyeva -was entreating, he cried, “A Chinaman!” and drawing -his hand across his throat, added, “That’s how we -shall treat them all.” And when Madame Makeyeva -persisted in her entreaties, explaining further that the man -in question had long wished to become a Christian, the -governor merely answered, “I do not issue orders for -either the imprisonment or the release of these people, it -has nothing to do with me”; following up this with the -declaration of his intention (which he subsequently carried -out) to lay the whole blame of the drowning and slaughtering -on the shoulders of his subordinates, Batarèvitch, -prefect of police, and Captain Volkovinsky.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The same lady had a similar reception from the highest -spiritual authority of the place, the Bishop of the Orthodox -Church. When Madame Makeyeva begged him on her -knees to baptise her Chinese servant, this apostle of Christian -love told her drily that she should not intercede for Chinamen, -that it was not right to have them about one; finally -recommending her to go to the civil authorities, whose -business it was. The worldly power sent her to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>spiritual, and the latter back to the former; but after much -difficulty she actually succeeded in gaining her end. Few -were so persevering in their efforts as she; I only found a -very few instances of Chinese being successfully interceded -for by their Russian employers, although I made very careful -and exhaustive inquiries on the subject. The Chinese -and Manchurians of the native quarter found no such -advocates, and they were all drowned or otherwise murdered -without exception.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Apologists for the massacre were found even among -people of culture, who argued that even had there not been -the danger that the Chinese would set the town on fire, we -were not called on to strengthen our enemies by sending -their compatriots to reinforce them, or to waste our own -provisions by keeping them under guard and so having to -feed them. As to the former excuse, the natives could -have been rendered perfectly harmless by being massed -together in one place; and as for the latter, the Chinese -had ample provision for their extremely modest needs in -their own shops, which after their death were plundered by -Cossacks, police, and others.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the attempt to justify their brutal action a false report -was spread by the police that arms, gunpowder, and even -dynamite were found in the Chinese shops and houses; -and though this was never confirmed in any way, many -persons were only too ready to believe it. As a matter of -fact, the possibilities of loot, as well as the repudiation of -debts owed to Chinese creditors, played a large part in -causing both the massacre and the justifying of it. When -the Chinese were arrested the Cossacks and police took -their money and ransacked their dwellings; and not only -the lower but the higher officials enriched themselves considerably -by this means, the booty that this or that police -officer or member of the local administration had obtained -for his share being discussed quite openly. Many debtors -of the Chinese profited by the terrible end of their unfortunate -creditors, as it is not customary for Chinese -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>business men to keep written memoranda; their methods -are based upon personal trust, and their own honesty is -proverbial. If in any instances such memoranda did -exist, care was taken that they should disappear, in case -any claim should afterwards be made by heirs possibly -existing in China; while on the other hand Russian -creditors of the Chinese repaid themselves a hundredfold, -with the connivance of the police. It would take too -long to relate all the examples of the wholesale looting -that was carried on by “respectable” merchants and -others; but one or two typical instances may be recorded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A rich landowner, proprietor of a large steam-mill, -Buyanov by name, of whom some Chinese had hired a -warehouse for their goods, when the owners of the property -stored there had been drowned, put up a wooden hoarding -between the warehouse and the next house to it, in order -that he might possess himself of the dead men’s property -unobserved by inquisitive eyes. Another man of property, -also named Buyanov, and a cousin of the above, made a -subterranean passage from his own dwelling to the shop of -a Chinaman who had lived with him, and conveyed the -property of the deceased to his own premises. And a -tradesman named Prikastshikov simply had the wares of a -Chinaman who had hired a shop from him carried on -waggons through by-streets to his own shop in a different -part of the town, having made use of a duplicate key -which was in his possession. These two last cases came -before the courts in Blagovèstshensk, and the perpetrators -of the thefts were punished; but the great majority of -these instances of plunder were never revealed, chiefly -because the police and the authorities were themselves -interested in shielding the guilty. After the drowning of -the Chinese it was decided that the police should take -charge of their property till legal heirship should be -established, and this proved a source of much profit to the -police officials, as may be guessed when the character of -our police is taken into account, together with the fact that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>in the Chinese quarter were some hundreds of shops and -warehouses containing valuables worth many millions. -After the war the police authorities in a few cases surrendered -property (for a substantial consideration, of -course, sometimes amounting nearly to the value of the -goods themselves,) to Chinese who proved themselves to -be the owners, having fortunately survived, or their legitimate -representatives; but it depended entirely upon the -ransom offered whether the police would recognise or -reject such claims, not upon any legal formalities. The -calm way in which high officials appropriated property -left in their charge was exemplified by the case of the -deputy-<em>prìstav</em> Shabanov, surprised by a gentleman, (a -justice of the peace who had been appointed guardian of -a Chinese property,) as he was in the act of removing -several cartloads of the goods in question from the place -where they were stored. Although this aroused considerable -comment, and even came before the courts, the trial was -without result, and Shabanov was not even removed from -his position as deputy-<em>prìstav</em>.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>During several successive days the bodies of the murdered -Chinese went floating down the Amur in such masses as -made counting them difficult, and covering a considerable -expanse of the river. Yet at first no mention was made -of this in the two local newspapers, nor was there any -allusion to the fate of the Chinese inhabitants of the town. -Only on the fourth or fifth day after the holocaust did an -article appear in <cite>The Amur Province</cite>, expressing indignation -at the cruel and gruesome affair. This article was -copied in Petersburg journals, and thus the civilised -world for the first time learned how these thousands of -helpless people had been done to death. The other organ -of Blagovèstshensk, <cite>The Amur Gazette</cite>, confined itself to -the meagre announcement that “the Chinese residing on -Russian territory had been sent away, a suggestion having -been made to them that they should cross to the other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>side of the river.” Grodekov, the governor-general of the -province, informed the authorities in Petersburg that “the -Chinese throw their dead and wounded into the river, and -forty such corpses have been counted.” Thus is history -written!</p> - -<p class='c001'>With much the same amount of veracity various officials -sent reports of the hostilities between the Russians and -the Chinese. They told of battles that had never taken -place, of countless Chinese hosts, which they pretended -had been annihilated, when in reality only women and -children had been seen, and so forth. In the Amur -province, for example, much amusement was caused by -the report sent from Colonel Kanonovitch stating that in -the so-called “Pyàtaia Pad” he had overcome an immense -army of Chinese, for which exploit he received a decoration. -It soon transpired that in the place mentioned -Kanonovitch had only encountered two Japanese women!</p> - -<p class='c001'>But to return to Blagovèstshensk. There is no doubt -that the drowning of the Chinese took place not only with -the <a id='corr342.20'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='foreknowlege'>foreknowledge</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_342.20'>foreknowledge</a></span>, but by the express order—though -possibly only verbal—of General Gribsky, military governor -of the town. To avert suspicion of the fact, however, and -in order to have a justification of himself ready if need -should arise, he issued a proclamation some days after the -massacre, saying that “reports had reached” him “of the -rough handling and even murder of unarmed Chinese in -and about the town.” “These crimes,” he proceeded, -“have been committed by inhabitants of the town, peasants -of the villages around, or Cossacks; and although these -deeds were provoked by the treachery of the Chinese, who -had first commenced hostilities against the Russians, any -further instances of violence towards unarmed persons will -be punished severely.” But, together with this proclamation, -after the taking of Saghalien by the Russians, General -Gribsky issued another, in which—as head of the Cossack -forces—he ordered the Cossacks to go across to the -Chinese shore and there “annihilate all the Chinese bands.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>In other words, he told the Cossacks to massacre the helpless -Chinese who were left in the place after the flight -of the troops; for when once Saghalien had fallen, no -<em>armed</em> bands were left on the right bank of the Amur.</p> - -<p class='c001'>General Gribsky carried his hypocrisy so far as to -appoint a commission to inquire into “the cases of violence -towards peaceful Chinese.” But as this commission would -have had to report that the drowning and murder of peaceful -Chinese had been carried out under his own instructions, -naturally its findings could not be published. So, after -the lapse of several months, General Gribsky declared that -from the report made to him by the commission it was -evident that the cause of the unfortunate events which -had occurred had been a want of unity among the officials -to whom he had entrusted the arrangement of affairs. -This declaration repeats almost word for word the pronouncement -of the present Tsar, Nicholas II., after the -death of thousands on the plain of Hodinsky at the time -of his coronation; the cause of which the Tsar also found -to have been a lack of unity in the arrangements. General -Gribsky evidently wished to suggest that if on an occasion -of holiday-making, wholesale deaths had occurred in this -way, nobody could really be held responsible for the -killing of Chinese during the bombardment of Blagovèstshensk. -And nobody was ever brought to book; General -Gribsky and all his subordinates remained on at Blagovèstshensk -in their divers positions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It came to light eventually that various authorities -throughout the province had sent direct written instructions -to put the Chinese to death; and that killing the unfortunate -people singly and wholesale had been carried -out in many villages by the peasants, and in Cossack -settlements by the Cossacks. Several officials won notoriety -by their instructions to their subordinates on this head—Volkovinsky -(the colonel of Cossacks), Captain Tusslukov, -and the <em>stanovoi prìstav</em> (commissary of rural police) -Volkov, among others.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>Obedient to the will of their superiors, the Russian -peasants and Cossacks armed themselves as they could, -and began the work of destruction. I cannot undertake -to describe what went on in the Manchurian territory -on the Seya—a strip of land not far from Blagovèstshensk, -the inhabitants of which, though living on Russian -soil, were Chinese subjects and (by a diplomatic arrangement) -paid taxes to China. Enough to say that altogether -sixty-eight villages were burnt to the ground, that of -their inhabitants, some were drowned, some barbarously -murdered, that property was looted, and cattle were -driven off by the Russians. In perpetrating these and -other brutalities—either on their own initiative or following -out instructions—our peasants thoroughly believed that -they were fulfilling their duty as loyal subjects. “That -is how we ought to serve our Tsar and country,” one -stalwart hero concluded his narrative. Persons who in -time of peace were merciful even to dumb animals were -changed by those days of horror into stark barbarians. -Here is an example: In one Russian village an old Chinaman -had lived for years in the service of a shepherd, and -all the peasants were most friendly with him. The report -reached them that “all Chinese must be killed.” They -therefore called a village council and consulted as to what -should be done with the one Chinaman in the place; and -although everyone agreed that he was a good and honest -old man, it was decided that he must be put to death. -When the people with whom he lived broke the news to -him he humbly submitted to the decree, only begging that -they would accompany him to the place where he was -to die.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am a lonely old man,” he said. “I have neither -kith nor kin. Do you replace my family and go with me -to the grave, as is the custom of my people.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The shepherd and his wife acceded to his request, and -went with him to the outskirts of the village, where the -peasants then slew the unresisting old man.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>After a fortnight or so of these massacres, when the -thirst for blood began to be appeased, and the authorities -ceased to spur the people on to deeds of violence, they -began to collect together and bring into the town the few -Chinese who remained alive, half-dead with hunger and -mad with terror. These poor wretches, scarcely able to -move for exhaustion, and those of the Chinese townspeople -who for one reason or another had been allowed to survive—some -few dozen persons—were all that remained of the -many thousand Chinese who had dwelt in Blagovèstshensk -and the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was not difficult to foresee what character the war -would assume when our soldiers and Cossacks passed over -into Chinese territory. Scarcely had they crossed the -Amur on August 3rd and taken possession of Saghalien -(from which place the inhabitants had fled betimes to the -interior of the country), when they set everything on fire. -During the two following nights the flames illuminated the -river for a long distance; and in place of a prosperous -community which supplied Blagovèstshenk with foodstuffs -at very moderate rates, nothing was to be seen on -the Chinese bank but blackened posts and crumbling -ruins.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The entry of our army into Manchuria was not merely -signalised by flaming dwellings; nothing and nobody was -spared. Women, children, and the aged were pitilessly -slaughtered, young girls violated and then slain. Such -were the deeds of our “heroes,” as General Grodekov in his -despatches called these warriors, for whose “brave deeds” -he “could not find words to express his admiration”! -But even some of his officers themselves told with a -shudder of the bloodthirsty instincts developed by these -“heroes” in a war against unarmed men, women, and -children on Chinese soil. A rich and thickly-populated -land was reduced in a few months to a barren desert, -where charred ruins were visible here and there, and -corpses were left to the wolves and vultures.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>When indignation is expressed at these atrocities it is -customary to meet with the excuse, “Read the accounts of -the cruelties practised by Germans, French, and English in -China. If more civilised races behave so, what can be -expected from us less cultivated Russians?” It is hard -to answer this. The white races did indeed prove during -that terrible war with “barbaric China,” as they contemptuously -say, the full worth of their boasted civilisation. -On the threshold of the twentieth century average Europeans -showed themselves scarcely less barbarous than the -hordes of Tamerlane and Tchengis-Khan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this shocking achievement of Russian officialdom, -either directly or indirectly authorised, of course went -unpunished. But no! I must let the exact truth have its -way. General Gribsky held a judicial inquiry into the -conduct of his subordinates (who had carried out his own -orders), and the Russian newspapers shortly afterwards -informed their readers that “the chief of police in Blagovèstshensk -had been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment”—for -the drowning, shooting, or stabbing of from -ten to fifteen thousand helpless and inoffensive Chinese!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span> - <h2 class='c008'>CHAPTER XXXIV <br /> <span class='small'>MY FLIGHT FROM SIBERIA—THE END OF MY JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD—MY FRIEND AXELROD AGAIN—CONCLUSION</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The terrible events that had happened in the town, -and the death of our unhappy fellow-citizens, could -not but leave an indelible impression on many people’s -minds, my own included. Blagovèstshensk had become so -detestable to us that many left the place as soon as things -were quiet again. Unfortunately I could not follow their -example at once; but I determined on the first opportunity -to transfer myself to the Far East, in which I had long been -interested. I intended to settle in the busy commercial -town of Vladivostock, and there patiently await the time -when I might be free to return home. Before that time -could arrive five or six years had still to pass; but the -nearer the time came, the more irrepressible grew the desire -to quit Siberia, and the thought of flight recurred again -and again. Nevertheless doubts also arose whether it were -worth while to jeopardise the freedom, however limited, -that I had won by my sixteen years of prison and exile. -If my attempt failed, I should have rendered myself -liable to all the rigour of the law; and I was no longer of -an age to bear suffering and privations as in youth, for I -was now well past my fortieth year.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus did I hesitate backward and forward until the -spring of 1901, when various personal reasons made me -come to a definite decision, which resulted in my burning -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>the bridge behind me, as the saying goes. I resolved to -escape as soon as the Amur was open for travelling -again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Circumstances favoured my project; a kind friend who -had a large connection throughout the country promised -his aid, and the following plan seemed the easiest of -execution. I was to leave Blagovèstshensk unobserved, -going first to Habarovsk and thence to Vladivostock, -where I must take my passage on a foreign vessel bound -for Japan; and this I succeeded in carrying through, with -the help of the friend above mentioned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It need hardly be said that I cannot give all the details -of my flight from Siberia, where I was under strict police -supervision; for I must not compromise those who assisted -me. As I went on board the steamboat that was leaving -for Habarovsk, (of course, taking no luggage with me,) -there suddenly appeared the deputy-<em>prìstav</em> to whose district -I belonged. Of course, at the first moment I thought my -plans had been discovered, and I was not a little alarmed; -but I was soon satisfied that the official had merely come -to take leave of some friends who were travelling by the -same boat. It evidently never entered his head that I was -taking my departure from Blagovèstshensk under the very -nose of the police; I suppose he thought that, like himself, -I had come to say farewell to some friend, (which was -quite permissible,) and I managed that he should lose -sight of me, so that he might imagine I had gone home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I found there were people of my acquaintance on board -who belonged to the place; but they apparently never -once thought that I was leaving Siberia for good; and in -conversation with them I let it appear that I was travelling -on some official commission. Our boat was a tug, and -therefore went very slowly; it stopped at every village on -the way, and took five days to reach Habarovsk. Here -came my most perilous moment, as on leaving the steamer -everyone had to show their passes, and of course I had -none. I avoided this difficulty by staying on the boat for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>the night; and next morning I betook myself to the -house of a friend, who came on board and fetched me. -I spent the day with him, and we devoted it to seeing -the town.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had every intention of seeing as much as possible, -during my journey eastwards, of this country—hitherto -unknown to me—which was developing with such extraordinary -rapidity, especially since the construction of the -railway by the Ussur. Villages were springing up like -mushrooms, and soon became towns of a considerable size. -Habarovsk itself had developed from the insignificant -hamlet of Habàrovka into an important town which is -now the residence of the Governor-General of the Amur -province. It is situated at the junction of the Amur with -the Ussur, and stands in a most picturesque position on a -steep and lofty cliff around whose base flow the two mighty -rivers. But this chief town of a vast and fertile country -is itself like nothing but a great barrack; nearly all -the houses have the appearance of official buildings, and -one meets soldiers in the streets at every turn. As in -most Russian towns, there is no look of comfort; the -streets are unpaved and very dusty, and are dimly lighted -at night by oil lamps standing at a respectful distance from -each other. I found the town museum, however, by no -means ill-equipped.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Faithful to my intention of learning all I could about -the country, I gladly accepted the invitation of a friend, -near whose place of abode I must pass, and went to visit -him at Nikolsk-Ussurìsk. This place had only within -the year attained to the dignity of being called a town, -and, like many others in the province, it swarmed with -soldiers; which was explained by the fact that the -slaughtering of Chinese was not yet entirely at an end, -and, as was supposed, preparations were also being made -for war with Japan. As the district lies in close proximity -to China, Korea, and Japan, and is the probable theatre of -future warlike operations, the Russian Government is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>apparently taking its measures in good time, and by -drafting in large numbers of soldiers is converting the -province into a sort of military camp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a stay of four-and-twenty hours at Nikolsk-Ussurìsk -I went on to Vladivostock, a very pretty seaport -of some thirty thousand inhabitants, for which—not -without good grounds—a brilliant future is prophesied. -Its situation is charming, and in its public arrangements it -is already far in advance, not only of most Siberian towns, -but also of many in European Russia. Here I stayed -three days before I could arrange for my passage on a -foreign vessel, but at length all was ready, and my last -night in Siberia arrived. I slept but little. The thought -that next morning I was to bid farewell to all that time -had made so familiar to me mingled with my fears for -the successful achievement of my escape. So often in my -life had some small chance cruelly frustrated all my -plans that I naturally trembled now for the result of the -present adventure. I had no desire to find myself suddenly -bound for the icy regions of Yakutsk instead of for the -lands of freedom, and I prepared beforehand for every -possibility.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All went well, however, and next morning I boarded -a ship that was going to Japan. Yet, when the boat -weighed anchor and danger no longer threatened me, a -strange feeling of sadness came over me, as though I were -parting, not from the land of prison and exile, but from a -dear home. Thus can custom attach a man even to chains -and bondage. But I felt that it was not only from use -and wont that I was parting; I was not merely leaving -Siberia, but Russia—and perhaps for ever.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>It was a dismal day, the sky was covered with heavy -clouds, and rain flowed in torrents. Our steamer rolled -violently, and many of the passengers were seasick; but, -though I had hardly ever been on the sea before, I remained -immune, and rejoiced thereat, as I had another -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>long voyage before me. We soon began to skirt the coast -of the Korean peninsula, and entered two harbours, those -of Gensan and Fusan, remaining four-and-twenty hours in -each. I went on shore with some other passengers to see -the towns, which in many respects resemble those of -Japan—the same style of building, the same apparent -superfluity of shops and booths. The Japanese appear to -be the ruling spirits there, and the efforts of Russia to -oust them do not seem likely to be crowned with success; -nor in my opinion are they justified, for Japan has every -right to exercise her civilising influence on Korea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I also visited a Korean village in the neighbourhood -of Gensan, and was astonished at its primitive character. -It consisted of one very narrow street bordered by straw-thatched -wooden huts, which had neither windows nor -doors, the latter being replaced by loose boards. The -whole population evidently lived principally in the street, -carrying on all occupations there—cooking, eating, and so -forth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Five days after our departure from Vladivostock the -steamer dropped anchor in the harbour of Nagasaki. As -soon as the health regulations had been complied with -I got into one of the little boats that had crowded alongside -and went to an hotel close to the sea. Compared -with Russian inns it seemed to me cheap, clean, and -comfortable; and the Japanese servants spoke a little -broken Russian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In Nagasaki I had to decide how I would pursue my -journey. I might go by the Suez Canal to one of the -ports of Western Europe, and that was the shortest and -cheapest route; but I had a great wish to see something -of North America while the opportunity offered, and thus -to complete the journey round the world that had been -begun so much against my will. I inquired about the -next boat for San Francisco, and found it would not leave -for nine or ten days, but I resolved to employ the interval -in seeing the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>Nagasaki is a rather large town of over one hundred -thousand inhabitants, and lies scattered picturesquely over -the hills that surround a fine bay. Most of the streets, -especially in the Japanese quarter, are too narrow for -horse traffic to be possible through them; horses are, therefore, -replaced by men, who with their little two-wheeled -carriages (<em>jinrikisha</em>) play the part of cab horses, and are -called <em>kurnei</em>. There are so many of them that they -literally stand before every house, and crowd in front of -the hotels and big shops. They surround any stranger in -the street, bidding against each other for his custom, and -each trying to win his favour, chattering in broken Russian -or English. For the modest sum of ten <em>sen</em> (about 2½<em>d.</em>) -the course, or twenty <em>sen</em> the hour, the <em>kurnei</em> will take his -“fare ” with marvellous swiftness up hill and down dale; -and it not seldom happens that though the perspiration -may be streaming from the brow of the <em>kurnei</em>, the -“civilised” European in his little carriage may be seen -laying a stick or an umbrella across his shoulders to urge -him onward. The poor fellow who thus turns himself into -a beast of burden must give almost half of his hardly -earned day’s wage to the proprietor of the <em>jinrikisha</em>, and -must also pay something to the State for the licence -authorising him to support himself in this laborious way. -His living, however, is cheap enough, his food consisting of -rice and an inferior kind of fish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Most of the houses in Nagasaki are two-storied wooden -buildings, the ground-floor being used as a shop, inn, or -workshop. It was a puzzle to me where all these innumerable -shops could find customers, and how they -managed to exist. In my rambles I often saw a whole -row of shops without a single purchaser, and if one entered -he was instantly surrounded as though a customer were the -rarest of guests.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The houses in the Japanese quarter are built in a -wonderfully light and airy fashion, as if just run up hastily -for summer quarters. Throughout the town there reigns -<span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>the most perfect order; the streets are excellently paved, -and the portion before each house is kept clean and -watered by the occupier. There is never the least dust, -and the air is singularly mild and pure. One feels how -each breath dilates and strengthens the lungs, and it is -not to be wondered at that many Russians and English -use Nagasaki as a health-resort.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The European quarter, along the quay, is full of hotels -and restaurants, banks, and other houses of business. -Here the streets are somewhat wider, and the houses -more solidly built, with the lower stories of brick, while -many of them have verandas and front gardens. Life in -Nagasaki is wonderfully cheap, but it is also a trifle -monotonous, particularly for a stranger not conversant -with the language. There is little in the way of “sights”—two -or three temples of Buddha, with gigantic pictures -of Sakia-Mouni, a commercial institute with samples of -native goods, and the well-known tea-houses; that is all the -visitor is invited to inspect. But the neighbourhood is -extremely beautiful, and at every step one is forced to -admire the industry of the Japanese, who leave no inch -of soil untilled; except the very tops of the rocky hills, -all is carefully cultivated. And yet, notwithstanding this -heavy labour that the Japanese expends upon his land, his -existence seems to have something of the ethereal and -fairylike; and many things in his wonderful country contribute -to produce an impression of unreality, as if they -were happening not in actual life, but on the screen of a -cinematograph.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The “progress” that Japan has made during the latter -half of the nineteenth century is doubtless very striking; -but it seems to me overestimated by many Europeans -and also by the Japanese themselves. Only a very small -part of the population has been affected by Western civilisation—a -thin layer of the upper classes in the coast -towns. The rest of the people are scarcely touched by it; -not only beliefs and customs, but the whole mode of living -<span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>remains the same, both in town and country, as it has -been from time immemorial. The primitive nature of the -Japanese character reveals itself in the transparent honesty -everywhere prevalent. No house or shop is shut up for -the night; nobody touches what does not belong to him; -and lost property when found is immediately restored to -the owner. But in the seaports where European culture -already makes its influence felt, it may be feared that -the Japanese will soon adopt new ideas of “honour.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I left Nagasaki on board the huge Pacific steamer <em>China</em>, -belonging to an American company. The two days that -the boat stopped at Yokohama I spent in visiting that -town and the capital Tokio, which is reached in about -twenty minutes by rail; but there is no need to give my -superficial impressions of such well-known places.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the first five days of the voyage I could talk -with none of my fellow-passengers, as I spoke no English, -and I found this very wearisome; but at Yokohama we -were joined by a Frenchman, a German, and a Japanese -who spoke a little German, and we four formed an interesting -little international society, the members of which -still keep in touch with one another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the sixteenth day we reached Honolulu, where our -boat was to wait four-and-twenty hours. I had already -heard when I was in Blagovèstshensk that a good friend -of mine, Dr. N. Russel, was living on one of the Hawaiian -islands; so I determined to find out whether he was in -Honolulu, and if so to pay him a visit during the boat’s -stay here. With the help of my French travelling-companion -I managed to find out, though only towards -evening, that my friend lived on the island of Hawaii, -but that he happened just then to be in Honolulu. -However, as when I found the house where he was staying -he was not at home, I left a note telling him that an -old comrade of his, who was travelling from Siberia to -Western Europe, would like to see him, begging him -to come on board the <em>China</em> next morning and to ask -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>for “the Russian.” I purposely signed my name very -indistinctly, for I wanted to see if he would recognise me, -as it was fully twenty years since we had met.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While I was on deck next day I saw a grey-haired -gentleman in a white coat come on board. I went towards -him at once, (though he bore no resemblance to my -comrade of old days,) and when I found that he was -seeking “the Russian” I called him by his name, and -asked if he knew who I was. He looked at me for some -time, but could not recognise me, so much had I altered -since we had been together; and at last I had to tell him -my name.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Deutsch! is it you? How did you come here?” he -cried, as he embraced me. I told him in a few words the -story of my escape, and that I was on my way to Europe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you’re going on this very day? No, we can’t -allow that! You must stay with me. We’ll stay here for -a day or two, and then you must come back to the farm -with me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His invitation was so cordial that I should have accepted -it immediately could I have afforded to forfeit the value of -my ticket from Honolulu to San Francisco, about fifty -dollars; but when Dr. Russel understood my difficulty he -cried—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense! That shan’t prevent you. If you lose -your money I shall pay the difference myself.” And after -some discussion I yielded to his insistence, and went on -shore with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I found that Dr. Russel was not only practising as a -physician in Hawaii, but that he was a member of the -Senate, and was at present in Honolulu to attend the -session of that legislative body; consequently I remained -there for several days, and had full time to admire the -lovely town. I then went back with my friend to the -island of Hawaii, where his wife awaited us, and there -spent a month; during which time I learned from the -Russels and their friends, and also from books, a great deal -<span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>about both the present and past history of these wonderful -islands. The lives of the natives exhibit much that is -curious, and also much that is tragic; but I must not -dilate on all that I saw. I will only mention the fact that -the Hawaiians are dying out with almost inconceivable -rapidity. Of the strong, healthy race, who when Cook -discovered the islands numbered four hundred thousand -souls, after the lapse of not quite a hundred years only -about twenty thousand are left, and this remnant afflicted -with various diseases that were unknown previous to the -arrival of Europeans.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My stay with the Russels gave me much pleasure; we -made expeditions to various parts of the island, to see the -volcano Kilauea, the sugar plantations, the native villages, -and so on; and we were never tired of congratulating -ourselves on the turn of fortune that had brought us -together on this island of the Pacific. At last, towards the -end of July, after a delightful visit, I set out on my travels -once more, this time in a sailing-ship. We were twenty-six -days on the journey to San Francisco; though the -weather was generally fine, I became heartily tired of -the voyage, and was very glad when on the evening of -August 25th we arrived in the harbour of San Francisco. -Dr. Russel had given me introductions to friends of his, -and with their help I made myself at home in the -Californian capital. After ten days’ rest there I went on -to Chicago, and so to New York.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In Chicago I was received, through a letter of introduction, -by two Polish Socialists, immigrants who were living -there. They welcomed me very kindly, but unfortunately -my ticket did not allow of my remaining with them more -than two days. President McKinley had been assassinated -on the very day before my arrival in Chicago; people had -quite lost their heads, and turned upon peaceable Socialists, -accusing them of anarchism. My friends therefore advised -me to be careful in travelling, and not to use my own -name; so I selected a pseudonym and travelled <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><em>incognito</em></span>.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>In New York another comrade, Dr. Ingermann, received -me, and I stayed in his house four weeks; after which I -embarked in the English steamship <em>Satrapia</em> for Liverpool. -I pass over my voyage, a stay of two weeks in London, -and the same in Paris, as containing nothing worthy of -note. Everywhere on the Continent I met with old comrades, -many of whom had changed much during the long -years of our separation. Some could not recognise me at -all, others only with difficulty; all regarded me as one -come from another world.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From Paris I went to Zurich. This was the final point -of my six months’ journey from Blagovèstshensk, and -here dwelt my old friends the Axelrods,<a id='r117' /><a href='#f117' class='c010'><sup>[117]</sup></a> from whom I had -parted seventeen and a half years before. After a journey -round the world of not quite the usual type, I returned to -them again on November 5th, 1901.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look! he hasn’t changed a bit,” cried Axelrod, as he -pointed me out to his wife at the station. But it was only -at the first moment of meeting that it seemed so to him.</p> - -<hr class='c016' /> - -<p class='c001'>For over a year now I have been living again in freedom, -going about from one town to another. During that time -I have learned to feel at home in more than one European -country; but it may be readily believed that what is -passing in my native land interests me beyond everything -else. Eighteen years make but a brief span in the life of -a nation; yet during that period a transformation has -come over Russia that must meet the eyes of even a -superficial observer. At the time of my arrest at Freiburg, -in 1884, there were but a few groups of revolutionists, and -they were recruited chiefly from the young student classes, -who rebelled against existing social and political conditions. -And, as I have explained, owing to the methods -of wholesale executions and arrests adopted by the -Government, these organisations dwindled and almost -<span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>entirely disappeared; so that from the end of the eighties -thorough-going reaction was triumphant for a time. Of -late years, however, it has been quite otherwise. The -publications issued by our secret press and distributed -throughout the length and breadth of the Russian Empire, -calling on the people to rise against the existing despotism, -number above one hundred thousand, and they meet with -energetic response among the population of large towns -and factory districts. Workmen collect in great crowds in -the streets along with the students, and by means of -monster demonstrations they voice their demand for -political freedom and the abolition of autocratic government. -The Tsar and his ministers endeavour by the most -cruel and severe measures to quench the torch that has -been kindled in the land: the greater part of Russia has -been placed under martial law; the prisons can hardly -contain the numbers of their captives; those who protest -against such a régime are sent to Siberia by the trainload. -But nothing can stem the tide of the movement; it will -rise higher and higher, embracing ever wider circles of the -people, and the hour is not far off when autocracy will be -laid low, as it was in Western Europe so many generations -ago. My flight from Siberia has taken place at a moment -in our history which is full of hope for the future.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In Western Europe also great changes have taken place -during the last two decades, though none, perhaps, so -significant as in Russia. In Germany the special laws -against Social Democrats have been repealed; and this -has not only made a great difference to our party, but has -altered the internal life of the nation in a striking manner. -In one respect, however, Germany has made no advance: -she is still ready to lend her aid to Russian despotism. -Just in the same manner as I was arrested and delivered -over to the Russian Government eighteen years ago, -though guilty of no offence against German law, so a -compatriot of mine has suffered a like fate even while -I have been writing this memoir. The Russian student -<span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>Kalayev was arrested in Mysolowitz (1902) without any -warrant, and handed over to the Russian gendarmerie; -since which he has not been heard of. The Prussian -police have in no way altered their methods during the -years that have flown; but to the credit of the German -people I must admit, that with the exception of official -journals, the entire press was most indignant over this -complaisance of the German Government towards the -Russian.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>THE END</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='index' class='c008'>INDEX</h2> -</div> - -<ul class='index c006'> - <li class='c019'>Administrative methods, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>; - <ul> - <li>“politicals” exiled by, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>, <a href='#Page_326'>326</a>;</li> - <li>institution of banishment by, <a href='#Page_viii'>viii</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Agàpov, Stephen, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Aigùn, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Akatoui, new prison at, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>; - <ul> - <li>order for the removal of prisoners to, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Aksha, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Alexander I., <a href='#Page_vi'>vi</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Alexander II., <a href='#Page_vii'>vii</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempts against his life, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>;</li> - <li>result of his assassination, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>;</li> - <li>mode of his assassination, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Alexander III., his policy, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>; - <ul> - <li>surmises as to his possible assassination, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>;</li> - <li>attempt on his life, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>;</li> - <li>manifesto pardoning convicts, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a>;</li> - <li>his death, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Alexandrovo, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Alexandròvskaya, plot to undermine station at, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Alexei-Ravelin tower of the Fortress of Peter and Paul, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Alexèiev, mayor of Tchita, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Alleviation, time of,” 236</li> - <li class='c019'>Alphabetical code used in communications between prisoners, <a href='#f23'>51 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'><cite>Amur Gazette, The</cite>, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a></li> - <li class='c019'><cite>Amur Province, The</cite>, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Amur, Province of the, <a href='#Page_328'>328</a>; - <ul> - <li>under martial law, <a href='#Page_337'>337</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Amur River, <a href='#Page_328'>328</a>; - <ul> - <li>massacre on banks of, <a href='#Page_334'>334</a>-337</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Antònov, his execution, <a href='#f47'>104 n.</a>, <a href='#f65'>188 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Anùtchin, Governor-General, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Archangel, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Armfeld, Natalia, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>; - <ul> - <li>death, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Artèl</em>, or union, the criminals’, <a href='#f59'>155 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>-180; - <ul> - <li>system of, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Aschenbrenner, Captain, <a href='#f49'>115 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Asia and Europe, boundary post between, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Axelrod, <a href='#Page_16'>16</a>, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Axelrod, Frau, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Baikal, Lake, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Balagansk, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Balamutz, Andreas, <a href='#f91'>235 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Barabash, General, military governor of Tchita, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Barannikov, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Basel, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>; - <ul> - <li>University, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Bastille, anniversary of the storming of, celebrated, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Batarèvitch, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Belino-Bshezòvsky, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Berèsov, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Berezniàk, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>; - <ul> - <li>his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>;</li> - <li>attempt to rescue Medvèdiev, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>;</li> - <li>arrest and sentence, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Berg, Baron, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Berg, Herr von, the Public Prosecutor, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Berlin, journey to, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a>; - <ul> - <li>gaol at, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Beverley, his attempt to escape from Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>; - <ul> - <li>shot, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Biscuits,” meaning of the term, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bìtshkov, Vladimir, his disappearance from Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bitshoug, River, <a href='#Page_323'>323</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Blagovèstshensk, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>; - <ul> - <li>siege of, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>;</li> - <li>massacre near, <a href='#Page_334'>334</a>-337</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Bobohov, Sergius, his career, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>;</li> - <li>characteristics, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>;</li> - <li>on the threat of flogging, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>;</li> - <li>commits suicide, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Bogdanòvitch, his recognition of Deutsch, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a>, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Petersburg, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>;</li> - <li>assassination, <a href='#f32'>71 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Bogolyùbov, flogged, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>Bogomòletz, Sophia, her escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a> - <ul> - <li>story of her life, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>;</li> - <li>removed, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Bohanòvsky, his escape from Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a>, <a href='#f43'>99 n.</a>, <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bolshakov, Governor, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Bombists,” 131</li> - <li class='c019'>Borisòvitch, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bosnia, insurrection in, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Boundary post between Europe and Asia, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Brantner, his execution, <a href='#f47'>104 n.</a>, <a href='#f65'>188 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bubnovsky, the locksmith, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bulìgin, Alexander, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Bulìgin, Frau, her visit to Freiburg prison, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Bunt</em>, meaning of the word, <a href='#f6'>9 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Burlei, Captain, Commandant of Kara prison, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Butirki,” or the Central Prison of Moscow, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>; - <ul> - <li>number of prisoners, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Butzèvitch, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Butzìnsky, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Buyanov, <a href='#Page_340'>340</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>“Carrier-pigeons,” meaning of the term, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Case of the 193,” 86, <a href='#f89'>234 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Census, orders for a, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>; - <ul> - <li>report to be drawn up, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>;</li> - <li>conference at Stanitsa Aigùnskaya, <a href='#Page_321'>321</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Cesarèvitch, his journey through Siberia, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Cheesemonger’s shop, subterranean passage from, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Chicago, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>China</em>, Pacific steamer, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Chinese, their attack on the Russian boats at Aigùn, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>; - <ul> - <li>character, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>;</li> - <li>treatment by the Russians, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>;</li> - <li>massacred, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a>-337;</li> - <li>appropriation of their property, <a href='#Page_339'>339</a>-341</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Code, alphabetical, used in communications between prisoners, <a href='#f23'>51 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Commune room” in Kara prison, inmates of, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Convict, a criminal, his appearance, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>; - <ul> - <li>of “unknown antecedents,” 163;</li> - <li>his views, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>;</li> - <li>mode of living, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>;</li> - <li>tramps, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>;</li> - <li>treatment of, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Convict labour, employment of, in Kara, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Convicts, equipment of, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>; - <ul> - <li>head-shaving, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>;</li> - <li>fetters, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>;</li> - <li>dress, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>;</li> - <li>appearance, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>;</li> - <li>loss of clothes at Tchita, <a href='#Page_201'>201</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Convoy officers, their character, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>; - <ul> - <li>treatment of the prisoners, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-182</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Convoy-stations, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Criminals, ordinary, distinction between “politicals,” <a href='#f42'>97 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>regulations, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a>;</li> - <li>the “Ivans,” 155;</li> - <li>passion for gambling, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>;</li> - <li>relations with the “politicals,” 163;</li> - <li>tramps, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>;</li> - <li>escape of, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>;</li> - <li>character, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a>, <a href='#Page_175'>175</a>;</li> - <li>treatment, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a>;</li> - <li>influence of the “Ivans,” 175</li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Dashkièvitch, Peter, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>;</li> - <li>exile, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Debagòrio—Makrièvitch, Vladìmir, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>; - <ul> - <li>his mode of escape, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Decabrists, revolt of the, <a href='#Page_vi'>vi</a>, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Degàiev, a member of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a>; - <ul> - <li>his treachery, <a href='#f21'>43 n.</a>;</li> - <li>sentence on, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Degàiev, Mdme., <a href='#Page_119'>119</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Dessyàtnik</em>, or village constable, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Detention, House of, at Freiburg, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a>; - <ul> - <li>Petersburg, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>;</li> - <li>rules, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>;</li> - <li>outdoor exercise, <a href='#Page_60'>60</a>;</li> - <li>system of communication, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Deutsch, Leo, at Freiburg, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrest, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>;</li> - <li>imprisoned, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a>;</li> - <li>joins the “Propagandist movement,” 6;</li> - <li>member of the <em>Kiëv Buntari</em>, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>;</li> - <li>attempt on the life of Gorinòvitch, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>;</li> - <li>escapes from Kiëv, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>;</li> - <li>examination, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a>;</li> - <li>recognition of Prof. Thun, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a>;</li> - <li>statement of his case, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>;</li> - <li>founds the League for the Emancipation of Labour, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>;</li> - <li>religious opinions, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>;</li> - <li>his photograph, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>;</li> - <li>change of cell, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>;</li> - <li>plans of escape, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>;</li> - <li>interviews with the Public Prosecutor, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a>-36, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>;</li> - <li>defence, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>;</li> - <li>charges against, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>;</li> - <li>extradition demanded, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>;</li> - <li>preparations for the journey to Russia, <a href='#Page_41'>41</a>;</li> - <li>at Frankfurt-am-Main prison, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>;</li> - <li>Berlin prison, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>;</li> - <li>Granitza, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>;</li> - <li>Fortress of Peter and Paul, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a>;</li> - <li>first examination, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>;</li> - <li>deprived of his spectacles, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>;</li> - <li>at the House of Detention in Petersburg, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>-72;</li> - <li>reasons for his confinement in the fortress, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a>-63;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>methods of communication between prisoners, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>;</li> - <li>at Odessa prison, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a>;</li> - <li>hunger-strikes, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a>, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>;</li> - <li>method of hearing news, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>;</li> - <li>brief military career, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>-87;</li> - <li>terms of his indictment, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a>;</li> - <li>trial, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>-91;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>;</li> - <li>made to assume the dress of a convict, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>;</li> - <li>a “political” prisoner, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>;</li> - <li>at Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>;</li> - <li>at Moscow prison, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>;</li> - <li>unfastens his fetters, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>;</li> - <li>preparations for leaving Moscow, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>;</li> - <li>revolt against head-shaving, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>;</li> - <li>on the journey by boat, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>;</li> - <li>at Tiumen, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>;</li> - <li>at Tomsk, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>;</li> - <li>offered a “swop,” 154-157;</li> - <li>friendly relations with convicts, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>;</li> - <li>at Krasnoyarsk, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>;</li> - <li>at Irkutsk, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>;</li> - <li>at Verkhny-Udinsk, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>;</li> - <li>loss of his fetters, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>;</li> - <li>at Tchita prison, <a href='#Page_201'>201</a>;</li> - <li>Nertchinsk, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>;</li> - <li>Kara, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>in the “nobles’ room,” 215;</li> - <li>in the “Sanhedrin room,” 240;</li> - <li>attack of scurvy, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a>;</li> - <li>in the “Commune room,” 257;</li> - <li>his release, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>;</li> - <li>at the penal settlement, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>;</li> - <li>his work, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a>;</li> - <li>hut, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a>;</li> - <li>relations with the peasants, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a>;</li> - <li>his treatment of the <em>prìstav</em>, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>;</li> - <li>assists in taking the census, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>-322;</li> - <li>search for a monumental stone, <a href='#Page_323'>323</a>;</li> - <li>at Stretyensk, <a href='#Page_325'>325</a>;</li> - <li>his longing for home, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>;</li> - <li>at Blagovèstshensk, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>;</li> - <li>flight from Siberia, <a href='#Page_347'>347</a>;</li> - <li>at Habarovsk, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a>;</li> - <li>Nikolsk-Ussurìsk, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a>;</li> - <li>Vladivostock, <a href='#Page_350'>350</a>;</li> - <li>Nagasaki, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a>-353;</li> - <li>Yokohama, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>;</li> - <li>Honolulu, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>;</li> - <li>Hawaii, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a>;</li> - <li>San Francisco, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a>;</li> - <li>Chicago, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a>;</li> - <li>New York, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>;</li> - <li>Zurich, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Dihovsky, Moses, <a href='#f91'>235 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Dmohovsky, his burial, <a href='#f89'>234 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Dnieper, <a href='#f43'>99 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Doha</em>, or cloak, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Dorpat, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Dostoiëvsky, <cite>Memoirs from the Dead-house</cite>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Drebyasghin, condemned to death, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Drenteln, General, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempt on his life, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Dühring, Eugene, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Dulemba, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Dzvonkyèvitch, his attempt to escape on the march to Siberia, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a></li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Easter, celebration of, in Russia, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ekaterinburg, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Elisavetgrad, <em>Kiëv Buntari</em> at, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Erthel, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Espionage in German prison, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Étape</em>, or halting-station, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Europe and Asia, boundary post between, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Exiles, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a>, <a href='#f105'>293 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Extradition, treaty between Germany and Russia, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>; - <ul> - <li>Deutsch’s, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a>, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a>;</li> - <li>Gotz’s attempted, <a href='#f104'>282 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Fetters, fastening on, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>; - <ul> - <li>loss, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>;</li> - <li>permission to break, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>-126</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Fifty, trial of the, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Figner, Vera, her appearance, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrest, <a href='#f35'>80 n.</a>;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#f49'>115 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>;</li> - <li>her character, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>;</li> - <li>revolutionary views, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>;</li> - <li>impressions of the peasants, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>attempt on the life of Alexander II., <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>in Schlüsselburg for life, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Flogging, punishment of, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Fomin, imprisoned in Kara, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>; - <ul> - <li>his industry, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>;</li> - <li>studies natural science, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>release, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Fomitchòv, his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>chained to the wheelbarrow, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>his defence of the Tsar, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>attack on Pohorukov, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>;</li> - <li>his reasons for it, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>;</li> - <li>term of imprisonment lengthened, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Food, in Freiburg prison, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Fortress of Peter and Paul, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>;</li> - <li>in Moscow prison, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Fourteen, trial of the,” <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Frankfurt-am-Main, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>; - <ul> - <li>governor of the gaol at, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Freiburg, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>; - <ul> - <li>journey to, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>;</li> - <li>arrested at, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>;</li> - <li>imprisoned, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a>;</li> - <li>departure from, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Freiburg prison, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Frolènko, assists prisoners to escape from Kiëv, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#f43'>99 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>his attempt on the life of Alexander II., <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#f52'>117 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Fusan harbour, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>Galitzin, Prince, Vice-Governor of Moscow, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a></li> - <li class='c019'><a id='GALKIN'></a>Galkin-Vrassky, head of the Prisons Department, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Kara, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Gambling, habit of, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Garden, laying out a, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Gèhkin, Baron, murdered, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>; - <ul> - <li>allows Luryè to escape, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Gèhlis, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Gendarmerie, the Russian, <a href='#Page_x'>x</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Gensan harbour, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Germany, Social-Democratic movement, law against, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>; - <ul> - <li>methods, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>;</li> - <li>repealed, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Germany, conditions of prison life, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a>; - <ul> - <li>the Public Prosecutor, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Gold, search for, in the River Kara, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Goldenberg, his statement, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Golubtsòv, captain of the guard, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>; - <ul> - <li>his relations with the “politicals,” 272;</li> - <li>advice to Masyukov, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>;</li> - <li>transferred to the section for ordinary criminals, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Gorinòvitch, Nicholas, his treachery, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempt against his life, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>;</li> - <li>deposition, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Gotz, Michael, attempt to obtain his extradition, <a href='#f104'>282 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Granitza, the frontier station, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Gratchènsky, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Gribsky, General, N. R., military governor of the Amur province, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>; - <ul> - <li>on the massacre of the Chinese, <a href='#Page_342'>342</a>;</li> - <li>order to annihilate Chinese, <a href='#Page_342'>342</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Grodèkov, General, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Grodekov, Governor-General, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Gruzia, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Grỳnevitsky, assassinates Alexander II., <a href='#Page_264'>264</a>; - <ul> - <li>death, <a href='#f100'>264 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Habarovsk, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>, <a href='#Page_348'>348</a>, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Halting-stations, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Hawaii, island of, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Head-shaving, process of, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>; - <ul> - <li>dispensation, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a>;</li> - <li>revolt against, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Herzegovina, insurrection in, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Herzfeld, Sophia Löschern von, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Hodinsky, plain of, <a href='#Page_343'>343</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>Honolulu, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Hrùstchov, Nicholas, sentence, <a href='#f90'>234 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>escape from Kara prison, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>;</li> - <li>recapture, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>;</li> - <li>his manual work, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Hunger-strikes, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>; - <ul> - <li>method of, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a></li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>“Illegals,” meaning of the term, <a href='#f7'>9 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ilyashèvitch, Governor, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempt on his life, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Ingermann, Dr., <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Irkutsk prison, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Irtisch, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Isbìtsky, Ladislas, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Isbìtsky, V., his attempt to escape from Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Ispravnik</em>, or head of the district police, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivanein, Karl, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivànov, Basil, his escape from Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivànov, Colonel, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivànov, I., <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivànova, Sophia, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivanòvskaya, Praskòvya, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ivàntchenko, his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Japan, progress of, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>; - <ul> - <li>character of the people, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a></li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Kalayev, his arrest, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kalyùshnaya, Maria, her attempt on the life of Colonel Katànsky, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentenced to penal servitude, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>;</li> - <li>her longing for freedom, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a>;</li> - <li>at Nertchinsk prison, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>;</li> - <li>at Ust-Kara, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>;</li> - <li>joins in a hunger-strike, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>;</li> - <li>takes poison, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kalyùshny, Alexander, his attempted escape from Irkutsk prison, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>a “Sirius,” 229;</li> - <li>appointed intermediary in the women’s hunger-strike, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>;</li> - <li>commits suicide, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kama, the, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kanonovitch, Colonel, <a href='#Page_342'>342</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kara penal settlement, <a href='#f88'>227 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>; - <ul> - <li>legal regulations, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li><em>see</em> Nizhnaya-Kara</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kara prison, escape of prisoners, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrival at, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>;</li> - <li>nicknames of rooms, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>;</li> - <li>the “nobles’</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>room,” 215; - <ul> - <li>system regulating the prisoners’ daily life, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>;</li> - <li>the <em>artèl</em>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>;</li> - <li>allowance of food, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>;</li> - <li>distribution of money, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>;</li> - <li>“May days” events, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>work of gold-washing, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>rebuilt, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>;</li> - <li>measures against the “politicals” in, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li>changes of commandants, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li>modifications, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li>the “Sanhedrin room,” 240;</li> - <li>first spring in, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a>;</li> - <li>monotony of the life, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a>;</li> - <li>physical exercise, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a>;</li> - <li>garden, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a>;</li> - <li>concessions under Colonel Masyukov, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>the “Commune room,” <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>number of prisoners, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>;</li> - <li>women “politicals,” 266-269;</li> - <li>conditions of life, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>order for the removal of prisoners to Akatoui, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>;</li> - <li>release of others, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kara River, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>; - <ul> - <li>gold-washing settlements, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>search for, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Karanlov, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Karovàiev, the exiled Decabrist, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kashintsev, Ivan, his term of imprisonment, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a>; - <ul> - <li>escape, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Kassiber,” or written message, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Katànsky, Colonel, attempt on his life, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Katorga,” or penal servitude, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentences, alleviation of, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Katz, exiled to <a id='corri365.1.32'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Sibera'>Siberia</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_i365.1.32'>Siberia</a></span>, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kennan, George, his travels, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>; - <ul> - <li><cite>Siberia and the Exile System</cite>, <a href='#Page_v'>v</a>, <a href='#f76'>206 n.</a>;</li> - <li>his visit to Kara, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><a id='corri365.1.36'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Kettler'>Ketteler</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_i365.1.36'>Ketteler</a></span>, Baron von, his murder, <a href='#Page_328'>328</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Khàrkov, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Khàrkov gaol, attempted rescue from, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Khàrkov, Governor of, assassinated, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Khàrkov, University of, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Khàrkov, Veterinary College at, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kherson, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kibàltchitch, his attempt on the life of Alexander II., <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>; - <ul> - <li>executed, <a href='#f52'>117 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Kiëv Buntari</em>, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>; - <ul> - <li>escapes from, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>;</li> - <li>arrival at, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>;</li> - <li>independent spirit of the prisoners, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kiëv University, riots in, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kilauea volcano, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Knocking, communication between prisoners by means of, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>; - <ul> - <li>use of alphabetical code, in <a href='#f23'>51 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kobiliànsky, in the Fortress of Peter and Paul, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a>; - <ul> - <li>sent to Schlüsselburg, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a>;</li> - <li>death, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kòbozev, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a>.</li> - <li class='c019'>Kohn, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>; - <ul> - <li>his release from Kara prison, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kolotkèvitch, his attempt on the life of Alexander II., <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentence, <a href='#f52'>117 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kopeck, value of, <a href='#f55'>142 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#f84'>222 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Korba, Anna, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Korean peninsula, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Korf, Baron, Governor-General, his treatment of Elizabeth Kovàlskaya, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>; - <ul> - <li>on the new regulations at Akatoui prison, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Korniènko, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Koros, Commandant of Kara prison, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kostyurin, Victor, sentence, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>; - <ul> - <li>his release from prison, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>meeting with Deutsch, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kotliarèvsky, Deputy Public Prosecutor, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>; - <ul> - <li>his faculty for keen observation, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>;</li> - <li>on the reason for Deutsch’s confinement in the Fortress of Peter and Paul, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a>-63;</li> - <li>on the “old clothes case,” 64;</li> - <li>on the murder of Mèzentzev, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>;</li> - <li>appointed President of the Courts at Vilna, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kovalèvskaya, Maria, details of her life, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>; - <ul> - <li>character, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>;</li> - <li>hunger-strike, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>sufferings, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>;</li> - <li>views, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>;</li> - <li>her arrival at Kara prison, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>;</li> - <li>treatment of the doctor, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>takes poison, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kovalèvsky, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kovalièv, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kovàlik, attempts to escape from prison, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kovàlskaya, Elizabeth, her escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempts to escape, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>;</li> - <li>her behaviour to the Governor-General, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>;</li> - <li>removal ordered, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>;</li> - <li>her removal at night, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kovàlsky, Captain, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kòziriov, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Krasnoyarsk, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrival at, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>;</li> - <li>prison, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>;</li> - <li>regulations, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>Kratzenovsky, <a href='#f91'>235 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kravtchìnsky, S., his attempt on the life of General Mèzentzev, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Krayev, released, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a></li> - <li class='c019'><a id='corri366.1.5'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Kremutsky'>Kremutshy</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_i366.1.5'>Kremutshy</a></span>, <a href='#f43'>99 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kridner, Nicholas, Deutsch under name of, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Krivènko, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kropotkin, Prince, Governor of Khàrkov, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kropotkin, Prince Peter, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Kulaki</em>, or usurers, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kurgan, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kùritzin, his release, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>; - <ul> - <li>turns traitor, <a href='#f30'>69 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Kurnei</em>, <a href='#Page_352'>352</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kutitònskaya, Maria, her arrest, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>;</li> - <li>attempt on the life of Ilyashèvitch, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>;</li> - <li>appearance, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>;</li> - <li>death, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Kuznetsov, <a href='#Page_323'>323</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Kviatkòvsky, sentenced to death, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>“Labour, League for the Emancipation of,” <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lavrov, Peter, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Làzarev, Yegor, in Moscow prison, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>; - <ul> - <li>elected chief of the commissariat, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>;</li> - <li>banished to Eastern Siberia, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>;</li> - <li>on the conduct of the Chief of Police at Irkutsk, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>;</li> - <li>interned at Tchita, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>League for the Emancipation of Labour, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lèbedieva, imprisoned at Kara, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>; - <ul> - <li>her death, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Leiblen, Herr, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lesnik, Colonel, Governor of the Fortress of Peter and Paul, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lesnoye, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Letters, reception of, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Levtchenko, <a href='#f91'>235 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Li-Wa-Chan, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Librarian, post of, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lisogùb, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>; - <ul> - <li>condemned to death, <a href='#f70'>192 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Lissenko, on the reason for his murders, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a>; - <ul> - <li>illegal trade, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Listvinitchnaya, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Literature, socialistic, prohibition of, in Russia, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>; - <ul> - <li>printed in Switzerland, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>Liverpool, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>London, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lopàtin, Hermann, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a>; - <ul> - <li>his arrest, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Luri, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>; - <ul> - <li>his release from prison, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Luryè, Semen, his escape from Kiëv, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lustig, Ferdinand, on the conditions of life in Kara, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Lyòchky, his execution in Irkutsk prison, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Maidànsky, condemned to death, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Makeyeva, Madame, her entreaties for the life of her Chinese servant, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Màlaya Sadòvaya Street, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Malinka, condemned to death, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Maltchèvsky, Captain, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a>; - <ul> - <li>his treatment of the prisoners, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a>;</li> - <li>testimonial to, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Malyòvany, Vladimir, exiled to Siberia, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>; - <ul> - <li>death, <a href='#f48'>105 n.</a>;</li> - <li>vein of humour, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Manayev, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Manchuria, entry of Russian army into, <a href='#Page_345'>345</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mankòvsky, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Martinovsky, <em>stàrosta</em> at Kara prison, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>; - <ul> - <li>his character, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>;</li> - <li>release, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Marx, Karl, his doctrines, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li><cite>Capital</cite>, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Masyukov, Colonel, commandant of Kara prison, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>; - <ul> - <li>appearance, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>;</li> - <li>character, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>;</li> - <li>concessions, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>;</li> - <li>his treatment of Elizabeth Kovàlskaya, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a>;</li> - <li>wish to be transferred, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>;</li> - <li>“boycotted” by the women, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>;</li> - <li>struck by Sigida, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>;</li> - <li>his successor appointed, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“May days” events, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a></li> - <li class='c019'>McKinley, President, his assassination, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Medvèdiev, Alexei, his attempted rescue from prison, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>; - <ul> - <li>escape from Khàrkov gaol and recapture, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>character, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>predisposition to alcoholism, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Melikov, Count Loris, Minister of the Interior, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>; - <ul> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>decree against the “politicals,” 234;</li> - <li>annulled, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Melnikova, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mendelssohn, Stanislas, his escape from prison, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Merkúlov, <a href='#f35'>80 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'><cite>Messenger, The European</cite>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mèzentzev, General, murdered, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mihaïlov, Adrian, a “Sirius,” 229; - <ul> - <li>arrest and sentence, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a>;</li> - <li>his remarkable memory, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a>;</li> - <li>release from Kara prison, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Mihailovsky, N., <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Militarists,” 131</li> - <li class='c019'>Minuisinsk, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>; - <ul> - <li><em>ispravnik</em> of, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Minuses,” nickname of, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Minyukov, <a href='#f91'>235 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mirsky, his attempt on the life of General Drenteln, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrest and sentence, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>;</li> - <li>appearance, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>;</li> - <li>views on social conditions in Russia, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>;</li> - <li>on the new regulations at Akatoui prison, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>;</li> - <li>release from Kara prison, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Mongolia, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Moor, Karl, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a>, <a href='#Page_16'>16</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Morphia, poisoning by, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Moscow, journey to, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrival at, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>;</li> - <li>departure from, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>;</li> - <li>the high-road from, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Moscow prison, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Moscow railway, train blown up, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mouraviev, the Public Prosecutor, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempt on his life, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Music, cultivation of, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Myshkin, his escape from Kara prison, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>; - <ul> - <li>capture, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Mysolowitz, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Mysovaya, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Nabòkov, Minister of Justice, <a href='#Page_61'>61</a>; - <ul> - <li>petition to, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a>;</li> - <li>his visit to Odessa prison, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Nagasaki, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a>-353</li> - <li class='c019'>Narim, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>; - <ul> - <li>collapse, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>;</li> - <li>power, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Naròdnaia Vòlya, Red Cross League of the,” <a href='#Page_64'>64</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span><em>Neblàgonadyèshny</em>, or untrustworthy, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nertchinsk prison, condition of, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Netshaëv case, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c019'>New York, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nicholas I., <a href='#Page_vii'>vii</a>; - <ul> - <li>revolt on his accession, <a href='#f74'>200 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Nicholas II., manifestoes on his marriage and coronation, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nijni-Kolymsk, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nijni-Novgorod, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nijni-Udînsk, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nikolin, Captain, Governor of Kara prison, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>; - <ul> - <li>his character, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a>, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a>;</li> - <li>treatment of the prisoners, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a>;</li> - <li>appearance, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>;</li> - <li>nickname, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>;</li> - <li>excess of zeal, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>;</li> - <li>tyrannies, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>;</li> - <li>departure, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Nikolsk-Ussurîsk, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nizhnaya-Kara, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>; - <ul> - <li>penal settlement at, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>;</li> - <li>population, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>;</li> - <li>regulations, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>;</li> - <li>work, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a>;</li> - <li>monotony of the life, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a>;</li> - <li>employment of convict labour, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Nobles’ room” in Kara prison, inmates of, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Novakòvsky, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Novìtsky, Colonel, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Nyèüstroyev, his execution in Irkutsk prison, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Obi, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Ochrana</em>, or secret police, <a href='#f21'>43 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Odessa, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>; - <ul> - <li>journey to, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Odessa prison, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Olchin, A., <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Old clothes case,” 64; - <ul> - <li>work of the society, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Olshàninov, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Opium, poisoning by, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Orfenov, Colonel, on the means of defence in Blagovèstshensk, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Oriel, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Orlov, Paul, mode of escape, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Ossìnsky, <a href='#f43'>99 n</a>; - <ul> - <li>attempt on the life of Kotliarèvsky, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Ostàshkin, Vice-Governor, in command of the province of Yakutsk, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ostiaks, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ozovsky, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>Pankràtov, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Paris, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Pashkòvsky, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Perm, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Perovskaya, Sophia, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Peter and Paul, Fortress of, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a>, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a>, <a href='#f61'>166 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>; - <ul> - <li>rations, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>;</li> - <li>outdoor exercise, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>;</li> - <li>knocking between prisoners, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>;</li> - <li>Alexei-Ravelin tower, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Petersburg, arrival in, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a>; - <ul> - <li>departure from, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Petersburg House of Detention, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>; - <ul> - <li>rules, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>;</li> - <li>outdoor exercise, <a href='#Page_60'>60</a>;</li> - <li>system of communication, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Piròg</em>, or sort of pie, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Plehànov, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li><em>Socialism and the Political Struggle</em>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Plehve, chief of the Central Department of the State Police, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Pluses,” nickname of, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Pohitònov, Captain, <a href='#f49'>115 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Pohorukov, attack on, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>; - <ul> - <li>superintendent of Nizhnaya-Kara, settlement, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Pohùlov, Major, Governor of the ordinary convicts prison, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>; - <ul> - <li>his system of robbery, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Polish insurrection of 1863, <a href='#Page_vii'>vii</a>, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a></li> - <li class='c019'><a id='POLITICALS'></a>“Politicals,” method of the Government in dealing with, <a href='#f21'>40 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>system of communication in prison, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>;</li> - <li>distinction between ordinary criminals, <a href='#f42'>97 n.</a>;</li> - <li>equality, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a>, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>;</li> - <li>demeanour of the staff towards, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>;</li> - <li>separation, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a>;</li> - <li>hardships of the journey to Siberia, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>;</li> - <li>dispute about the hour for starting, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>-163;</li> - <li>relations with the criminals, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>;</li> - <li>escapes from prison, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>;</li> - <li>work of gold-washing, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>privileges, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>;</li> - <li>decree against, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>;</li> - <li>annulled, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li>measures against, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>;</li> - <li>modifications, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li>petitions for pardon, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>;</li> - <li>join in a hunger-strike, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>;</li> - <li>expiration of the sentence, <a href='#f105'>293 n.</a>;</li> - <li>release of, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a>;</li> - <li>relations with the peasants, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a>;</li> - <li>women, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-269;</li> - <li>conditions of life in prison, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>relations with the authorities, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>disputes, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>;</li> - <li>their hunger-strikes, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>boycott Captain Masyukov, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>;</li> - <li>sufferings, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span>Poltava, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Pood, value of, <a href='#f107'>308 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Popko, his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Popov, Michael, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Posen, Nicholas, his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>;</li> - <li>his passion for argument, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>;</li> - <li>petition for pardon, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Post, arrival of, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>; - <ul> - <li>the “secret,” <a href='#Page_251'>251</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Pressnyàkov, sentenced to death, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Prikastshikov, <a href='#Page_340'>340</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Prison at Akatoui, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>; - <ul> - <li>Berlin, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>;</li> - <li>Frankfurt-am-Main, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>;</li> - <li>Freiburg, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>;</li> - <li>Irkutsk, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>;</li> - <li>Kara, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>;</li> - <li>Kiëv, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>;</li> - <li>Krasnoyarsk, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>;</li> - <li>Moscow, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>;</li> - <li>Nertchinsk, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>;</li> - <li>Odessa, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a>;</li> - <li>Tomsk, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Prisoners, distinction between ordinary and “political,” <a href='#f42'>97 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>“children of misfortune,” <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>;</li> - <li>institution of the <em>artèl</em>, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>-180;</li> - <li>ordinary, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a>;</li> - <li>sectarians, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a>;</li> - <li>“biscuits,” <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>relations with the escort, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>;</li> - <li>“politicals,” <a href='#Page_40'>40</a>;</li> - <li>“on probation,” meaning of the term, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>;</li> - <li>suicide of, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>;</li> - <li>release, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a>;</li> - <li><em>see</em> <a href='#POLITICALS'>Prìstav“Politicals.”</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Prìstav</em>, or commissioner of the police, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a>; - <ul> - <li>his treatment of the peasants, <a href='#Page_312'>312</a>;</li> - <li>of Leo Deutsch, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>;</li> - <li>superintends the taking of the census, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>-322</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Prìsyetskaya, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Probation time,” <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Proletariat, case of the,” <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Propagandist movement,” <a href='#Page_viii'>viii</a>; - <ul> - <li>meaning of the term, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>;</li> - <li>its character, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>;</li> - <li>treachery in the, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Protopòpov, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Prybylyev, acts as medical adviser, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>; - <ul> - <li>his assistance to Pohorukov, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>;</li> - <li>release from Kara prison, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Prybylyèva, Raissa, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ptshèlkina, Anna, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Pugatchev, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li> - <li class='c006'>Rashko, his attempt to rescue Alexei Medvèdiev, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrest, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Rasìn, Stenka, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Rechnyèvskaia, Vitolda, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>Rechnyèvsky, Thaddeus, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>; - <ul> - <li>release from prison, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Red Cross League of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>; - <ul> - <li>work of the, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>“Red” terrorism, meaning of the term, <a href='#f10'>10 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Rogachev, Lieutenant, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Romny, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>; - <ul> - <li>reading society at, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>;</li> - <li>arrest of “conspirators,” <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Rosen, Dr., <a href='#f33'>77 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ròssikova, Elena, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>; - <ul> - <li>her arrest and sentence, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>;</li> - <li>removed, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Roth, inspector, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Rouble, value of a, <a href='#f28'>59 n.</a>, <a href='#f85'>222 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Rozòvsky, case of, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Rubìnok, his sentence, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>; - <ul> - <li>banished to Eastern Siberia, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>;</li> - <li>sent to Yakutsk, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Rumania, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Russakov, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Russel, Dr. N., <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>; - <ul> - <li>his meeting with Deutsch, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Russia, “administrative methods,” <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>; - <ul> - <li>institution of banishment by, <a href='#Page_viii'>viii</a>;</li> - <li>army, volunteer in the, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a>;</li> - <li>census, orders for a, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>;</li> - <li>Christian names, use of, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>;</li> - <li>criminal code, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a>, <a href='#f105'>293 n.</a>;</li> - <li>Easter, custom at, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a>;</li> - <li>extradition treaty, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>;</li> - <li>gendarmes, character of, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>;</li> - <li>literature, socialistic, prohibition of, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>;</li> - <li>“politicals,” method in dealing with, <a href='#f20'>40 n.</a>;</li> - <li>prison regulations, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a>;</li> - <li>Propagandist movement, <a href='#Page_viii'>viii</a>, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>;</li> - <li>its character, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>;</li> - <li>reaction, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>;</li> - <li>Social Democracy, expansion of the movement, <a href='#Page_326'>326</a>;</li> - <li>views on, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>;</li> - <li>terrorists, number of, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>;</li> - <li>village communes, power of the, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a>;</li> - <li>Workmen’s Union, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#f73'>198 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Russìnov, Councillor, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a>; - <ul> - <li>his proposals of recantation, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c006'>Saghalien, island of, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Saghalien, Chinese village of, <a href='#Page_328'>328</a>; - <ul> - <li>Russians take possession of, <a href='#Page_345'>345</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Samoyedes, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'>San Francisco, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Sanhedrin room,” in Kara prison, inmates of, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Satrapia</em>, steamship, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Schlüsselburg fortress, <a href='#f21'>43 n.</a>, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#f52'>117 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>Scurvy, attack of, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Sectarians in Siberia, <a href='#Page_176'>176</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Semyanovsky, commits suicide, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Sen</em>, value of, <a href='#Page_352'>352</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Serbìnova, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Seya, <a href='#Page_344'>344</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Shabanov, the deputy-<em>prìstav</em>, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a>; - <ul> - <li>on the massacre at Amur, <a href='#Page_336'>336</a>;</li> - <li>appropriation of Chinese property, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Shebalìn, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Shebalina, Paraskovya, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>; - <ul> - <li>death, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Shilka River, <a href='#Page_325'>325</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Shilkinskaya, Vòlost, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Shtchedrin, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>his sentence, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Shtchulèpnikòva, Barbara, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Shtshulèpnikov, Senator, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Shturkòvsky, <a href='#f27'>57 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Siberia, army, decision to mobilise, <a href='#Page_328'>328</a>; - <ul> - <li>Cesarèvitch, journey of the, through, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>;</li> - <li>Government, corruption of the, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a>;</li> - <li>houses, appearance of the, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a>;</li> - <li>inhabitants, character, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>-175;</li> - <li>prisoners, preparations for the journey to, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>;</li> - <li>hardships, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>;</li> - <li>convoy-stations, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>;</li> - <li>allowance of food, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>;</li> - <li>halting-stations, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>;</li> - <li>accommodation, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>;</li> - <li>escape of convict-tramps, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>;</li> - <li>treatment of the peasants, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>-168;</li> - <li>flight from, <a href='#Page_348'>348</a>;</li> - <li>railway, construction of, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>;</li> - <li>winter, severity of the, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a>, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Sigida, Nadyèshda, her sufferings in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a>; - <ul> - <li>assault on the commandant, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>;</li> - <li>length of her fast, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>condemned to be flogged, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>;</li> - <li>death, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Simàshko, Governor of Kiëv prison, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Sirius,” meaning of the term, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Sixteen, Case of the,” 214</li> - <li class='c019'>Smirnitskaya, Nadyèshda, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a>; - <ul> - <li>takes poison, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Smirnòv, inspection of Moscow prison, <a href='#Page_123'>123</a>; - <ul> - <li>plan for escape, <a href='#Page_123'>123</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Snigiriòv, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Social-Democratic movement in Germany, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>; - <ul> - <li>in Russia, <a href='#Page_ix'>ix</a>, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>expansion, <a href='#Page_326'>326</a>;</li> - <li>German law against repealed, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Social Democrats, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>; - <ul> - <li>views on, in Germany, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>;</li> - <li>in Russia, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Soudyèhkin, Colonel, Commander of the Petersburg <em>Ochrana</em>, <a href='#f21'>43 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>assassinated, <a href='#f21'>43 n.</a>;</li> - <li>succeeds in capturing terrorists, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>;</li> - <li>discovery of a bomb laboratory, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Souhomlìn, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>; - <ul> - <li>his release from prison, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><em>Sozialdemokrat</em></span>, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Spandoni-Bosmàndshi, Athanasius, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>; - <ul> - <li>terms of his indictment, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>;</li> - <li>condemned to penal servitude, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>;</li> - <li>his illness, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>;</li> - <li>at Kara prison, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Stanitsa, Aigùnskaya, <a href='#Page_321'>321</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Stanyukòvitch, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Starinkyèvitch, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>; - <ul> - <li>his character, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>;</li> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>;</li> - <li>release from Kara prison, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Stàrosta</em>, or head-man, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>; - <ul> - <li>advantages of the office, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>;</li> - <li>election, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Starshinà</em>, or chief of the commune, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Statyehny spìsok</em>, or “list of particulars,” <a href='#Page_97'>97</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Steblin-Kamensky, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>; - <ul> - <li>on the prison life in Kara, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Stefanòvitch, Jacob, his escape from Kiëv, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a>, <a href='#f43'>99 n.</a> <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>accused of attempt against the life of Gorinòvitch, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>;</li> - <li>extradition demanded, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>;</li> - <li>arrest, <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a>;</li> - <li>character, <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a>;</li> - <li>appearance, <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a>;</li> - <li>length of his imprisonment, <a href='#f78'>211 n.</a>;</li> - <li>views on the Social-Democratic organisation, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>;</li> - <li>release deferred, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>;</li> - <li>interned in Yakutsk, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><a id='STEPNIAK'></a>Stepniak, <a href='#f40'>92 n.</a>, <a href='#f97'>263 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li><cite>Underground Russia</cite>, <a href='#Page_v'>v</a>, <a href='#f5'>7 n.</a>, <a href='#f8'>10 n.</a>, <a href='#f43'>98 n.</a>, <a href='#f70'>193 n.</a>;</li> - <li>on Jacob Stefanòvitch, <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Stretyensk, <a href='#Page_325'>325</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Stromberg, Baron von, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Subòtniki, sect, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Suhànov, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Suicide of prisoners, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Sundelèvitch, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>; - <ul> - <li>his views on the revolutionary movement, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>;</li> - <li>his character, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a>;</li> - <li>reaction, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Surgut, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Switzerland, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Swop,” meaning of a, <a href='#f59'>155 n.</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Taganrock, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Taiga</em>, or primeval forest, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tarhov, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tchekondze, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tchemodànova, Liubov, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tchernishevsky, imprisoned at Viluisk, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>; - <ul> - <li>his novel, <cite>What Should We Do?</cite> <a href='#f61'>166 n.</a>;</li> - <li>attempted rescue, <a href='#f89'>234 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tchigirìn case, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tchita, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>; - <ul> - <li>arrival at, <a href='#Page_201'>201</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Tchòrny Peredyèl</em>, or Redivision of the Land, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tchubàrov, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tchuikòv, Vladimir, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>; - <ul> - <li>terms of his indictment, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>;</li> - <li>condemned to penal servitude, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>;</li> - <li>at Nertchinsk prison, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>;</li> - <li>at Kara, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>;</li> - <li>appointed librarian, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Terrorism, <a href='#Page_viii'>viii</a>, <a href='#Page_ix'>ix</a>, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a>, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>; - <ul> - <li>the “red” and the “white,” meaning of the terms, <a href='#f10'>10 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Terrorists, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a>, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>; - <ul> - <li>number of, in Russia, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Thun, Professor, <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Geschichte der revolutionären Bewegung in Russland</cite></span>, <a href='#f5'>7 n.</a>, <a href='#f8'>10 n.</a>, <a href='#f43'>98 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>interpreter at Freiburg, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a>;</li> - <li>his lectures, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a>;</li> - <li>views on the terrorists, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a>;</li> - <li>lecture on “Two Episodes in the Russian Revolutionary Movement,” <a href='#Page_15'>15</a>;</li> - <li>his suggestions for escape from Freiburg prison, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tihomìrov, Leo, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a>; - <ul> - <li>a leader of the <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>;</li> - <li>his apostasy, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>;</li> - <li><cite>Why I ceased to be a Revolutionist</cite>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tìhonov, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tihonòvitch, Lieut. Alexander, <a href='#f49'>115 n.</a>;</li> - <li class='c019'>Tishtchenko, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tiumen, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>; - <ul> - <li>separation of exiles at, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tiutchev, his marriage, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tobol, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tobolsk, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tokio, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a></li> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>Tolstoi, Count Dimitri, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>; - <ul> - <li>appointed Minister of the Interior, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tolstoi, Count Leo, his visit to Moscow prison, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>; - <ul> - <li>gift of books to the prisoners, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tomi, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tominin, appointed commandant of Kara prison, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tomsk, <a href='#f48'>105 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>; - <ul> - <li>prison at, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tools, possession of, in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Transbaikalia, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Treaty, extradition, between Germany and Russia, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>; - <ul> - <li>Deutsch’s, <a href='#Page_40'>40</a>, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a>;</li> - <li>Gotz’s attempted, <a href='#f104'>282 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Trepòv, General, Governor of <a id='corri371.1.17'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Petersbury'>Petersburg</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_i371.1.17'>Petersburg</a></span>, fired at, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Trial of the 193,” <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Troikas</em>, or three-horsed carriages, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>; - <ul> - <li>mode of travelling by, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Tula, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tunka, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tura, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Tusslukov, Captain, <a href='#Page_343'>343</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Twenty, Trial of the,” in 1882, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a>, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Ufa, Bogdanòvitch, Governor of, <a href='#f32'>71 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'><cite>Underground Russia</cite>, <a href='#f5'>7 n.</a>, <a href='#f8'>10 n.</a>, <a href='#f43'>98 n.</a>, <a href='#f70'>193 n.</a>, <a href='#f78'>210 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li><em>see</em> <a href='#STEPNIAK'>Stepniak</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Ural Mountains, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ussur, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Ust-Kara, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Vannòvsky, Minister of War, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Vasìliev, Makàr, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>; - <ul> - <li>exiled, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Verchoyansk, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Verkhny-Kolymsk, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Verkhny-Udinsk, prison at, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Vèstnik Evropuy</em>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Vilna, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Viluisk, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#f89'>234 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Vladivostock, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>, <a href='#Page_347'>347</a>, <a href='#Page_350'>350</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Vlastòpoulo, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a>; - <ul> - <li>terrorist principles, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a>;</li> - <li>recantation, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Volga, the, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Volhònsky, Prince, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Vòlkov, Captain, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_343'>343</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Volkovinsky, Captain, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>, <a href='#Page_343'>343</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Volòshenko, his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>his views on the Social Democrats, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Vorontsov, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Voynoràlsky, his attempts to escape from prison, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Vrassky, Galkin, <em>see</em> <a href='#GALKIN'>Galkin-Vrassky</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Warsaw, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Wheelbarrow, chained to the, <a href='#f93'>189 n.</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“White” terrorism, meaning of the term, <a href='#f10'>10 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Wolkenstein, Ludmilla, <a href='#f49'>115 n.</a></li> -</ul> -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'>Yablonovoi mountain ridges, <a href='#Page_200'>200</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yablonski, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yakìmova, Anna, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yakovlov, Captain, temporary commandant of Kara prison, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yakubòvitch, Peter, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a>; - <ul> - <li>on the new regulations at Akatoui prison, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Yakutsk, province of, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a>, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Yaliks</em>, or boats, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yankovski, his sentence, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yatzèvitch, Nicholas, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>; - <ul> - <li>his escape from Irkutsk prison and recapture, <a href='#f66'>189 n.</a>;</li> - <li>imprisoned at Kara, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>attempt to rescue Medvèdiev, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>character, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>;</li> - <li>a “Sirius,” 229;</li> - <li>champion chess-player, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Yefremov, his arrest and sentence, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yemelyànov, his share in the assassination of Alexander II., <a href='#Page_264'>264</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentence, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>;</li> - <li>change of views, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>;</li> - <li>his petition for pardon, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Yenisei, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yokohama, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yordan, the student, his longing for freedom, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Young Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>, members of the, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yun-Tcha-San, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yurhovsky, <a href='#f91'>235 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>“Yurtas,” or tent-shaped hovels, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Yuvatchov, Ensign Ivan, <a href='#f49'>115 n.</a></li> -</ul> - -<ul class='index c000'> - <li class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span>Zassoùlitch, Vera, <a href='#f13'>17 n.</a>; - <ul> - <li>her attempt on the life of General Trepòv, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Zeit, Die Neue</cite></span>, extract from, <a href='#f115'>328 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'><em>Zemlyà i Vòlya</em>, or Land and Freedom, <a href='#Page_116'>116</a>; - <ul> - <li>society dissolved, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'><em>Zèmskaya kvàrtira</em>, or official residences, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Zhelyàbov, <a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Zion, Professor, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Zlatopòlsky, Leo, his attempt on the life of Alexander II., <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>; - <ul> - <li>sentence, <a href='#f52'>117 n.</a>;</li> - <li>in Kara prison, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>;</li> - <li>release, <a href='#f106'>299 n.</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Zlatoust, strike at, <a href='#f32'>71 n.</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Zoubrtchitsky, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li> - <li class='c019'>Zuckermann, in Nertchinsk prison, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>; - <ul> - <li>his character, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>;</li> - <li>commits suicide, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c019'>Zurich, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a></li> -</ul> - -<hr class='c020' /> -<div class='footnote' id='f1'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. See <cite>Russia</cite>, by D. M. Wallace.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f2'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r2'>2</a>. <em>Naròdnaia Vòlya</em>: literally, “the People’s Will,” the name of the chief -revolutionary party in Russia at the time with which the narrative is now -dealing, and also of its secretly printed newspaper.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f3'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r3'>3</a>. This treaty was only concluded in the autumn of 1885.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f4'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r4'>4</a>. Organised by the revolutionists for teaching the principles of Socialism, -and awakening the desire for liberty; for which purpose was instituted the -policy of “going among the people,” <i>i.e.</i> living among the peasants like one -of themselves,—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f5'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r5'>5</a>. The reader who is interested in this period of the Russian revolution will -find much information in the work of Professor Thun, <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Geschichte der revolutionären -Bewegung in Russland</cite></span>, and in Stepniak’s <cite>Underground Russia</cite>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f6'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r6'>6</a>. <em>Bunt</em> means both “uprising” and “revolt”; the name of the society -might be translated “Agitators of Kiëv.” Its object was to stir up and -organise risings among the peasantry.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f7'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r7'>7</a>. In the language of the Russian revolutionaries those are called -“illegals” who have for any reason already become suspected by the -authorities, and who therefore must conceal their identity under fictitious -names.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f8'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r8'>8</a>. At the time of the emancipation of the serfs the peasants in the Tchigirìn -district of the province of Kiëv did not wish to divide into private property -the land allotted to them, but to hold it in common, as was done in the north -of Russia. In 1875 the Government took the harshest measures against them: -arrests, executions, and persecutions of every kind; but the peasants held firm. -The revolutionists, among others Stefanòvitch, Bohanòvsky, and myself, -resolved accordingly to organise a rising among the Tchigirìn peasantry. Our -plans failed, we ourselves were arrested, and the Tchigirìn trial instituted. -See also Thun’s <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Geschichte der revolutionären Bewegung in Russland</cite></span>, and -Stepniak’s <cite>Underground Russia</cite>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f9'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r9'>9</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f43'>98</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f10'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r10'>10</a>. “White” terrorism was that practised by the Government for the intimidation -of the revolutionists—wholesale arrests, banishment, imprisonment, -death penalties, etc. “Red” terrorism was the answer of the revolutionists,—war -waged against the Government and its representatives with pistol, knife, -and bomb, also with the object of intimidation.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f11'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r11'>11</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f43'>98</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f12'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r12'>12</a>. These particulars were necessary, because they applied to Bulìgin, the -friend from whom I had borrowed a passport for this journey, and whose -name I always used when travelling. He really did live at Zurich with his -wife and child, and attended the University there.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f13'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r13'>13</a>. This corresponded pretty nearly with fact. About a year previously, -in 1883, Plehànov, Vera Zassoùlitch, Axelrod, and I had founded the Social-Democratic -organisation—“The League for the Emancipation of Labour”; -the object of which was to spread the doctrines of Marx in Russia, by means -of translations and original writings. Some of the papers in my box were of -this description, the first fruits of our literary activity, which had just been -printed by our private press established for the purpose.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f14'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r14'>14</a>. During my stay in Siberia, later, this fear of fire in the German prison -was often brought to my mind. Thousands of prisoners, condemned to exile -or to penal servitude, are there confined in wooden barracks, serving alike as -prisons and as halting-places for convoys of exiles on the march. These -buildings are always lighted, and the prisoners smoke quite calmly, without -anyone thinking of danger from fire.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f15'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r15'>15</a>. “Kassiber,” Russian prison-slang.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f16'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r16'>16</a>. This term is the nearest English equivalent to the German <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><em>Staatsanwalt</em></span>, -a functionary attached to every court of law. A corresponding official exists -in Russia, with a colleague, the Public Advocate, who undertakes the defence -of any prisoner unable or unwilling to employ a counsel of his own.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f17'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r17'>17</a>. This was true. The passport was forged, and my comrade who travelled -with it bore another name in Russia.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f18'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r18'>18</a>. See pp. <a href='#Page_86'>86</a> and <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f19'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r19'>19</a>. Rozòvsky was executed early in the year 1880.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f20'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r20'>20</a>. The object of the treaty was to ensure the trial of the case in the ordinary -criminal courts. The Russian Government’s practice, in dealing with -“politicals,” was to subject them to martial law, and so obtain heavier -sentences; <i>e.g.</i> capital punishment, which is not inflicted at all under the -Russian civil code.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f21'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r21'>21</a>. Degàiev, a captain of artillery, was a prominent member of the “Naròdnaia -Vòlya.” Arrested and imprisoned in the beginning of 1880, he soon -turned informer, and betrayed many of his former comrades. By this he not -only gained his liberty, but also won the confidence of the notorious persecutor -of revolutionists, Colonel Soudyèhkin, commander of the Petersburg -<em>Ochrana</em> (a body of secret police). Pangs <a id='corr43.21.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='o'>of</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_43.21.6'>of</a></span> conscience, or fear of the -vengeance of the revolutionists, caused him to make a full confession to them -in 1883, and as amends for his treachery he offered to stand by them in an -attempt to assassinate Soudyèhkin. The latter was difficult to entrap, being -extraordinarily clever and wary; owing to which qualities he had done more -harm to the revolutionists than anybody else. Degàiev’s proposal was -accepted; and in the winter of 1883 he managed to decoy Soudyèhkin, under -pretext of important business, into his house, where two revolutionists were -lying in wait, and shot Soudyèhkin down. They were both caught, condemned -to penal servitude for life, and imprisoned in the Schlüsselburg -fortress. Degàiev escaped to foreign parts, and afterwards disappeared.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f22'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r22'>22</a>. See <a href='#PREFACE'>preface</a>.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f23'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r23'>23</a>. The letters of the alphabet being arranged in certain groups, <i>e.g.</i>:—</p> - -<div class='mono'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>a b c d e f</div> - <div>g h i k l m</div> - <div>n o p r s t</div> - <div>u v w x y z,</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='noindent'> - -<p class='c001'>words are made up by knocking so many times on the wall for each letter. -First the horizontal line in which the letter stands is counted, and then its -number in the line. For example, to make the word “you” one would -knock as follows: four taps, a short pause, five taps, a longer pause; three -taps, a short pause, two taps, longer pause; four taps, short pause, one tap. -The taps are not only heard in the neighbouring cell, but sometimes in -far-distant ones if they have a common wall.</p> - -</div> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f24'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r24'>24</a>. The present Minister of Justice (1902).</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f25'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r25'>25</a>. See pp. <a href='#Page_15'>15</a> and <a href='#f43'>98</a>, note, p. <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>, and portrait, p. <a href='#i112d'>112</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f26'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r26'>26</a>. The present Minister of the Interior.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f27'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r27'>27</a>. I learned the following particulars later. In May, 1882, some of the -political prisoners at Kara escaped. They were soon recaptured, and -horribly severe measures were then set on foot in their prison. It was -resolved to send away the “most dangerous element.” Thirteen men were -chosen, on any kind of pretext, only four of them having been concerned in -the escape, and they were all despatched to the Fortress of Peter and Paul, -and afterwards to Schlüsselburg, the special prison for politicals. There the -harshest régime prevails, and no one who enters is ever set free again. -Kobiliànsky shared this fate, although he had not been one of those who had -broken loose from prison. Nearly all these unhappy men met their death in -Schlüsselburg: among them Butzìnsky, Gèhlis, I. Ivànov, Kobiliànsky, -Shturkòvsky, and Shtchedrin. Only one survives (1902)—Michael Popov.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f28'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r28'>28</a>. Nearly £5 10<i>s.</i>—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f29'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r29'>29</a>. About £2 5<i>s.</i>—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f30'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r30'>30</a>. Kùritzin was arrested in consequence of the attempt upon Gorinòvitch, -and turned traitor unknown to his former comrades. He was shut up in -a cell with the other prisoners, so that he might spy upon them; and through -his information some of them were sent to the mines in Siberia, and many -others delivered into the clutches of the law. I believe that he himself is now -practising somewhere as a veterinary surgeon.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f31'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r31'>31</a>. A noted Cossack chieftain of the seventeenth century, who has become a -hero of Russian popular romance.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f32'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r32'>32</a>. While these pages are in the press comes the news (May, 1903) <a id='corr71.32.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='o'>of</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_71.32.1'>of</a></span> -Bogdanòvitch’s assassination. Having risen to be Governor of Ufa, he had -suppressed in a very brutal manner a strike at Zlatoust. Shortly afterwards -he was shot in a public park, and his assailants escaped.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f33'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r33'>33</a>. Not long before this some political prisoners had got up a “hunger-strike” -as a protest against unjust treatment; and the authorities becoming -alarmed at their condition of weakness, the prison doctor, Dr. Rosen, had -forcibly administered nourishment by means of the enema.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f34'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r34'>34</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i112c'>112</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f35'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r35'>35</a>. Vera Figner was arrested in Khàrkov during February, 1883, the -informer Merkúlov having pointed her out in the street to the police. I -shall have more to say about her later (see chap. <a href='#chap13'>xiii</a>.).</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f36'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r36'>36</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f21'>43</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f37'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r37'>37</a>. See later, chapters <a href='#chap17'>xvii</a>, <a href='#chap19'>xix</a>, <a href='#chap21'>xxi</a>, <a href='#chap26'>xxvi</a>, etc.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f38'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r38'>38</a>. One of the monster trials of revolutionists undertaken by the Russian -Government at that period. More than 1,000 persons were implicated -in it.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f39'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r39'>39</a>. Grave bodily injury without intent to kill was only punishable with four -or five years’ hard labour, to be diminished by one-third in the case of minors.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f40'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r40'>40</a>. Well known to English readers by his assumed name of Stepniak. See -later, chap. xxv.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f41'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r41'>41</a>. Literally “a list of particulars.”—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f42'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r42'>42</a>. The Russian Government has a twofold reason for making this careful distinction -between ordinary and political prisoners after conviction. Firstly, in -order that the supervision of the latter shall be stricter, and that they may be -prevented from influencing the ordinary prisoners; and secondly, because the -“politicals” were originally only recruited from the upper and privileged -classes, and the tradition remains.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f43'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r43'>43</a>. The story of this escape has been told by Professor Thun, in his history of -the Russian revolutionary movement (<span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Geschichte der revolutionären Bewegung -in Russland</cite></span>), and also by Stepniak (<cite>Underground Russia: Two -Escapes</cite>), who had it from Bohanòvsky; but the readers of the present -volume may like to have it repeated with more detail than our author has -thought fit to give.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Stefanòvitch, Deutsch, and Bohanòvsky were imprisoned at Kiëv, -Frolènko contrived to obtain work in the prison as a sort of odd man under -the name of Michael. He gradually rose to be warder, first in the criminal -and then in the “political” department, where, in spite of a feigned protest -made by his three friends (who did not wish to appear on good terms with -him), he was appointed to their corridor. They lost no time in fixing a night -for their escape together; and having obtained two suits of private clothes -and a warder’s dress for the prisoners to put on, he let them out of their cells -at midnight. As they were creeping along the dark passages one of them -stumbled against something, at which he grasped to save himself from -falling. Instantly a deafening noise woke the echoes, he had clutched the -rope of the alarm bell! “Michael” hastened off to explain to the staff that -he had accidentally caught at the rope, and luckily this sufficed to satisfy -everyone. As soon as all was quiet again he collected his companions from -the corners where they had hidden, and all proceeded safely to the entrance, -where the key was handed to “Michael” without a question. They stepped -out of the prison almost into the arms of an officer; but he proved to be their -comrade Ossìnsky, who had been organising the affair, and who now conducted -them to the river, where a boat with provisions was ready for them. -They travelled up the Dnieper for a week, concealing themselves in the long -rushes of the bank if a steamer came in sight; and they finally reached -Kremutshy, where Ossìnsky furnished them with passports and money. -“Michael” was for long supposed by the Kiëv prison officials to have been -made away with by the escaping prisoners.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f44'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r44'>44</a>. Surnames in Russian take the feminine termination when used for a -woman. It will be noticed below that the husbands of these two ladies are -called Shebalìn and Rechnyèvsky.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f45'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r45'>45</a>. See portraits, pp. <a href='#i258'>259</a> and <a href='#i260'>260</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f46'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r46'>46</a>. It should be remembered that in private intercourse Russians do not use -their family names, but the Christian name combined with the Christian -name of the father, <i>e.g.</i> Vladimir Kàrpovitch—Vladimir, son of Kàrpo, the -same man’s family name being Debagòrio-Makriyèvitch.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f47'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r47'>47</a>. Antònov and Brantner, besides Ossìnsky and some of the others whose -names I have mentioned above.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f48'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r48'>48</a>. This sentence was renewed later, and in 1892 he died in hospital at -Tomsk.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f49'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r49'>49</a>. The following were condemned to death, but the sentence was afterwards -changed to penal servitude for life: Captains Aschenbrenner and -Pohitònov, Second Lieutenant Alex. Tihonòvitch, Ensign Ivan Yuvatchov. -And besides these, Vera Figner and Ludmilla Wolkenstein.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f50'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r50'>50</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i112c'>112</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f51'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r51'>51</a>. See chap. xi. p. <a href='#f43'>98</a>, note.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f52'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r52'>52</a>. Kibàltchitch was executed for participation in the attempt against -Alexander II. in March, 1881. The others mentioned here were all condemned -to penal servitude for life and imprisoned in Schlüsselburg, where -Kolotkèvitch and Zlatopòlsky died. Frolènko is still alive (1902).</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f53'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r53'>53</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f43'>43</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f54'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r54'>54</a>. In Russia it is the custom at Easter in every house to spread a large -table with cold dishes of all descriptions, and the master of the house invites -every visitor to partake of the feast, which they are bound to do, eating and -drinking standing. This “Easter table” is kept going throughout the -festival time.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f55'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r55'>55</a>. Value one farthing.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f56'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r56'>56</a>. By this name the common people throughout Russia and Siberia designate -all prisoners.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f57'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r57'>57</a>. Carriages with three horses harnessed abreast in a peculiar manner, the -two outside facing somewhat outwards. The middle horse is trained to trot -very fast, and the two outside ones to canter.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f58'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r58'>58</a>. Head of the district police.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f59'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r59'>59</a>. A “swop” is carried out in the following way. A convict under heavy -sentence—of so many years’ penal servitude, <i>e.g.</i>—takes an opportunity -of exchanging personalities, so to speak, with one of the ordinary -criminals who is simply being deported. A member of this class will undertake -the business for a ridiculously small compensation. Then at the first -station whence the exiles are to be despatched to their separate destination the -supposed exile escapes, to wander about in Siberia, and, if lucky, find his -way back to European Russia. The other who has taken his place reveals -after a time his true character, and confesses that he exchanged with So-and-so -at such and such a place. The matter is investigated, and the culprit -receives a hundred lashes and a year’s hard labour. It is generally the very -lowest class of criminals who offer themselves as merchandise in these cases—wretched -outcasts, who only receive a trifle—a few roubles, perhaps—as their -share of the reward. The organisers of the traffic, the leaders of their <em>artèl</em> -(union), see to it that when once a prisoner undertakes a “swop” he sticks -to his part. If he dare attempt to betray them he is simply murdered.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f60'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r60'>60</a>. A kopeck is equal to a farthing.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f61'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r61'>61</a>. This celebrated scholar and political writer, though not an active member -of the revolutionary party, was arrested in 1866 and condemned to penal -servitude. During his imprisonment in the Fortress of Peter and Paul he -wrote his famous novel, <cite>What Should We Do?</cite> which had such a great -influence on the youth of his time.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f62'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r62'>62</a>. Agàpov was sentenced in the case of fifty Propagandists, in 1887, to -three years and eight months’ penal servitude. In 1880 he was released -from prison and interned as a “colonist” in Eastern Siberia.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f63'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r63'>63</a>. Head of the district police.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f64'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r64'>64</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i266d'>266</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f65'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r65'>65</a>. In this trial, of February, 1879, when the defendants were convicted of -resisting arrest with arms in their hands, two men—Antònov and Brantner—were -executed, the other ten condemned to long terms of penal servitude.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f66'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r66'>66</a>. In February, 1880, eight “politicals” condemned to penal servitude -escaped from Irkutsk prison by breaking through the walls: Berezniàk -(known also by the name of Tishtchenko), Volòshenko, Ivàntchenko, Alexander -Kalyùshny, Nicholas Posen, Popko, Fomitchòv, and Yatsèvitch. -They were all recaptured and their sentences increased, Berezniàk and -Fomitchòv being chained to the wheelbarrow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another escape was that of two women, Sophia Bogomòletz and Elizabeth -Kovàlskaya, and they also were both recaptured after four weeks, but -E. Kovàlskaya again escaped and was again recaptured. There were executed -in this prison: Lyòchky, for unintentionally killing a warder, and Nyèüstroyev, -a teacher in a gymnasium, for striking the Governor-General Anùtchin when -the latter was visiting the prison. Shtchedrin, sentenced to life-long penal -servitude, was condemned to death for striking the governor’s adjutant, but -his sentence was reduced, and he was chained to the wheelbarrow. Later -Shtchedrin was sent to Schlüsselburg, still chained to the barrow, and there -he went mad and died.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f67'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r67'>67</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i266f'>266</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f68'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r68'>68</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f66'>189</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f69'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r69'>69</a>. See p. <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f70'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r70'>70</a>. This revolutionist was very rich; but lived in extreme poverty, that he -might devote all his fortune to the cause. He was condemned to death in -1879 solely for that reason, as he had carefully abstained—contrary to his -own most ardent inclinations—from giving any active help in the movement -for fear of compromising himself and thus forfeiting the wealth which was -practically supporting the party. See Stepniak’s <cite>Underground Russia</cite>.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f71'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r71'>71</a>. <i>i.e.</i> penal servitude.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f72'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r72'>72</a>. In 1879 he had been condemned, at the same time as Maria Kovalèvskaya, -to ten years’ “katorga,” for armed resistance to the police. He afterwards -committed suicide in Irkutsk.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f73'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r73'>73</a>. He was sentenced to ten years’ “katorga” in 1881 for taking part in the -South Russian Workmen’s Union, and in consequence of the Coronation -manifesto a third of this sentence was remitted.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f74'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r74'>74</a>. The participators in the revolt of December, 1825, on the occasion of -Nicholas I.’s accession, were so called.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f75'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r75'>75</a>. He had been sentenced in 1879 to ten years’ “katorga,” on account -of the assault on Gorinòvitch (see page <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>).</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f76'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r76'>76</a>. <cite>Siberia and the Exile System</cite>, by George Kennan.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f77'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r77'>77</a>. Everyone will see the dramatic element in this situation if it is remembered -that this friend had been tried and condemned on account of that attempt to -kill the spy Gorinòvitch, in which Deutsch had been the chief actor; and that -now the one had just finished his term of imprisonment, while the other was -commencing his.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f78'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r78'>78</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i112d'>112</a>. Stefanòvitch was one of the most prominent of the -Terrorists, who, helped chiefly by Deutsch and Bohanòvsky, succeeded in instructing -and organising several thousands of peasants, and was on the point -of heading their insurrection when he was arrested in 1877. Stefanòvitch, -Deutsch, and Bohanòvsky were imprisoned at Kiëv, and their escape thence -has been related (note, p. <a href='#f43'>98</a>). Stepniak describes Stefanòvitch (see <cite>Underground -Russia</cite>, <cite>Jacob Stefanovic</cite>, and <cite>Two Escapes</cite>) as of very strong and -original character, extremely reserved, speaking rarely, and, though a man of -action, very cautious and practical. He was the son of a village priest, and -kept up constant intercourse with his old father, even when it was most dangerous -for him to do so, at a time when whole cities would be thrown into a -ferment if his presence in them were suspected. His personal appearance -Stepniak describes thus: “He was of middle height, and somewhat slender, -hollow-chested, and with narrow shoulders. Physically, he must have been -very weak. I never saw an uglier man. He had the face of a negro, or rather -of a Tartar, prominent cheek-bones, a large mouth, and a flat nose. But it -was an attractive ugliness. Intelligence shone forth from his grey eyes. His -smile had something of the malign and of the subtly sportive, like the -character of the Ukrainian race to which he belongs. When he mentioned -some clever trick played off upon the police he laughed most heartily, and -showed his teeth, which were very fine and white as ivory. His entire -countenance, with his wrinkled forehead and his cold, firm look, expressed a -resolution and at the same time a self-command which nothing could disturb. -I observed that in speaking he did not use the slightest gesture.” Stefanòvitch -has now (1903) been over twenty years in Siberia. It was expected that in May -this year he would be liberated so far as to be permitted to reside in some outlying -province of European Russia, but this hope has not been realised.—<em>Trans.</em></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f79'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r79'>79</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f66'>189</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f80'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r80'>80</a>. See chap. xxv. p. <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f81'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r81'>81</a>. The secret police, which was then under the chief of gendarmerie, though -it has since been constituted a separate department, controlling vast sums of -money.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f82'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r82'>82</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i112e'>112</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f83'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r83'>83</a>. Those who did not join the <em>artèl</em> had, of course, no votes in any discussions -or decisions of that body.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f84'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r84'>84</a>. A kopeck is about equal to one farthing.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f85'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r85'>85</a>. A rouble is about equal to 2<em>s.</em> 1<em>d.</em>—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f86'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r86'>86</a>. This simply meant a kopeck’s worth; the expression had originated -in the wish to disguise from the gendarme who was always on guard in the -corridor the extremely small amount of such an order, but naturally in the -course of time the gendarmes had come to understand our <em>argot</em> thoroughly, so -that there was no longer any real deception.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f87'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r87'>87</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i208e'>209</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f88'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r88'>88</a>. This penal settlement was at a short distance from the prison, in the -village of Kara, and here—as will be explained more fully later—the convicts, -both ordinary and political, were allowed to reside under strict rules and -surveillance after their term of actual imprisonment was over.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f89'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r89'>89</a>. Sentenced in 1873 to ten years’ penal servitude, in the “Case of the 193,” -for armed resistance in an attempted rescue of Tchernishevsky from Viluisk -in Yakutsk. Myshkin also received a further fifteen years, because at the -burial of a comrade, Dmohovsky, he delivered a funeral oration in the prison -chapel.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f90'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r90'>90</a>. Sentenced in the Popov trial in Kiëv to fifteen years’ penal servitude.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f91'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r91'>91</a>. Moses Dihovsky, fifteen years’ penal servitude; Levtchenko, fifteen; -Andreas Balamutz, twenty; Kratzenovsky, Yurhovsky, and Minyukov, all -for life.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f92'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r92'>92</a>. See note, page <a href='#f66'>189</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f93'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r93'>93</a>. This punishment consists in fastening a wheelbarrow by chains to the -prisoner so that he is obliged to push it about with him wherever he goes; -and even when he wishes to sleep he must contrive to hoist it into such a -position as will render lying down possible.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f94'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r94'>94</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i208d'>209</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f95'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r95'>95</a>. See portrait-group <a href='#i258'>opposite</a>. From a photograph taken on the arrival at -Kara of these five “politicals.”—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f96'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r96'>96</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i260'>260</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f97'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r97'>97</a>. Better known in England as Stepniak.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f98'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r98'>98</a>. For having ordered the flogging of a political prisoner.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f99'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r99'>99</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i208f'>209</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f100'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r100'>100</a>. Grỳnevitsky himself was killed by the explosion.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f101'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r101'>101</a>. See portrait, p. <a href='#i266'>266</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f102'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r102'>102</a>. See note, p. <a href='#Page_189'>189</a> <i>et seq.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f103'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r103'>103</a>. See page <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f104'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r104'>104</a>. The Yakutsk massacre has lately (April, 1903) been recalled to public -memory by the arrest of the Russian revolutionist, Michael Gotz, in Italy, and -the attempt of the Russian Government—fortunately frustrated—to obtain -his extradition. Gotz was one of the youthful exiles at Yakutsk, and was -severely wounded, but survived to be court-martialled and condemned to -penal servitude in the mines for life. He and his comrades were subsequently -amnestied, chiefly in consequence of the notoriety given to the affair by an -account of it published by the <cite>Times</cite> with indignant comments, which caused -such feeling both at home and abroad that even the Russian Government was -affected.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f105'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r105'>105</a>. English readers might suppose that, on the expiration of their sentences, -political convicts would be set free unconditionally. But this is not the case. -According to the Russian Penal Code, Art. 25, “The results of the sentence -to hard labour are: the abolition of all family and property rights; and, at -the expiration of the sentence, settlement in Siberia <em>for life</em>.” In practice, -however, “politicals” (especially those having influential friends) are occasionally, -after the lapse of years, allowed to return to European Russia. -There they must live under police supervision; and though they may choose -their place of abode, it must be a town; but not the capital nor any of the -more important or manufacturing towns.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f106'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r106'>106</a>. Among the others to be released with me were Martinovsky, Prybylyev, -Mirsky, Starinkièvitch, Zlatopòlsky, Mihaïlov, Fomin, and Kohn; all of -whom have figured already in my narrative. Stefanòvitch also was of the -party, but was only destined to remain with us for two months, after which -he was sent to be interned in Yakutsk. He has spent the thirteen years -since we parted in various places of Siberian exile.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f107'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r107'>107</a>. About 8½<em>d.</em> to 10½<em>d.</em> the English pound, a pood being equal to 36.1127 lbs. -avoirdupois, and a rouble to about 2<em>s.</em> 1<em>d.</em>—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f108'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r108'>108</a>. A familiar form of transliteration is employed here, but more correct -would be Tsesarèvitch.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f109'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r109'>109</a>. A village constable appointed by the inhabitants of the commune.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f110'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r110'>110</a>. A kind of cloak with fur both inside and out.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f111'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r111'>111</a>. The elder or chief of the commune, as the <em>stàrosta</em> is of the village.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f112'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r112'>112</a>. The village priest.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f113'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r113'>113</a>. In every Siberian village a house is kept up by the inhabitants, at local -expense, for the accommodation of any officials who may be passing through. -<em>Zèmskaya kvàrtira</em> literally means “provincial quarters,” or “communal -quarters.”—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f114'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r114'>114</a>. See note, p. <a href='#f105'>293</a>.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f115'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r115'>115</a>. The remainder of this chapter appeared, with a few further details, in -<span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><cite>Die Neue Zeit</cite></span>, February, 1902. Extracts from the article were quoted at the -time in many Continental and some English journals.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f116'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r116'>116</a>. Not to be confused with the <em>island</em> of Saghalien.—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f117'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r117'>117</a>. See chap. <a href='#chap01'>i.</a> <i>et seq.</i>—<i>Trans.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c021'> - <div>PLYMOUTH</div> - <div>WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON</div> - <div>PRINTERS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<p class='c001'><a id='endnote'></a></p> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>Transcriber’s Note</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original. -A three number reference refers to the line within a note on that page, -or, if the page is prefixed with ‘i’, refers to the column and line -in the index pages.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The translator employed accented vowels on Russian words and names to -assist with pronunciation, but occasionally omitted them. They have been -made consistent here, erring on the side of including them, to aid in -searches.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Where names as given in the Index disagree with those in the text itself, -the text is assumed to be correct. The use of a grave accent, to indicate -emphasis, is imperfectly followed. The name ‘Kravtchinsky’ appears on -pp. 263-264, as well as in the Index. But ‘Kravtchìnsky’ appears elsewhere -and is assumed to be intended by the translator.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Minor punctuation lapses in the Index, especially, have been corrected with -no further notice.</p> - -<table class='table2' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='14%' /> -<col width='67%' /> -<col width='17%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_43.21.6'></a><a href='#corr43.21.6'>43.21.6</a></td> - <td class='c003'>Pangs o[f] conscience, or fear of the vengeance</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_47.6'></a><a href='#corr47.6'>47.6</a></td> - <td class='c003'>they looked on me quite as an old acquaintance[.]</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_71.32.1'></a><a href='#corr71.32.1'>71.32.1</a></td> - <td class='c003'>comes the news (May, 1903) o[f] Bogdanòvitch’s assassination</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_117.32'></a><a href='#corr117.32'>117.32</a></td> - <td class='c003'>in the guer[r]illa warfare against Napoleon’s invasion</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_245.24'></a><a href='#corr245.24'>245.24</a></td> - <td class='c003'>Improved diet and the skil[l] of our good Prybylyev</td> - <td class='c022'>Restored.</td> - </tr> - <tr><td class='c013' colspan='3'>.ta l:10 l:46 l:12 w=100%</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_293.15'></a><a href='#corr293.15'>293.15</a></td> - <td class='c003'>nevertheless[s] I awaited with impatience</td> - <td class='c022'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_317.11'></a><a href='#corr317.11'>317.11</a></td> - <td class='c003'>a[n] universal respect</td> - <td class='c022'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_342.20'></a><a href='#corr342.20'>342.20</a></td> - <td class='c003'>not only with the foreknowle[d]ge</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_i365.1.32'></a><a href='#corri365.1.32'>i365.1.32</a></td> - <td class='c003'>Katz, exiled to Siber[i]a>, 36</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_i365.1.36'></a><a href='#corri365.1.36'>i365.1.36</a></td> - <td class='c003'>Kett[e]ler, Baron von, his murder, 328</td> - <td class='c022'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_i366.1.5'></a><a href='#corri366.1.5'>i366.1.5</a></td> - <td class='c003'>Kremuts[k/h]y, 99 n.</td> - <td class='c022'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c003'><a id='c_i371.1.17'></a><a href='#corri371.1.17'>i371.1.17</a></td> - <td class='c003'>Trepòv, General, Governor of Petersbur[y/g], fired at, 263</td> - <td class='c022'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sixteen years in Siberia, by Leo Deutsch - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIBERIA *** - -***** This file should be named 54129-h.htm or 54129-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/1/2/54129/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, MFR and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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