The Siberian Exiles OR A STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 226, 21 September 1906, Page 6

The Siberian Exiles OR A STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

By COL. THOMAS W. KNOX Author of " Overland Through Asia*" The Bay Travellers" etc.

CHAPTER V.—(Continued.)

All -was progressing favourably, so far as indications could show, and the family of tlif prisoner were resting in the belief that he would, soon be a free man and once more with them. Several days passed, each day bringing a hopeful message from the lawyer; who said the arrangements had been made fox a hearing on the following Monday, when the presence of Mr. Hartmann and Ivan would be desirable.

The man who had made the. proposal for Carl's "escape" for fifty thousand roubles, called at the hotel in the morning to renew his offer.

"You have thought over what I said, have you not?" he remarked, addressing Mr. Hartmann.

"Tea, I've thought the matter over somewhat," was the reply, "but there are difficulties in the way of accepting your terms."

Preparations were made for an early start on Monday morning, so as to bring them in Tambov before the hour fixed for the hearing. The money had been raised, and was in notes of a thousand roubles each, the thirty notes being all crisp and new, and evidently fresh from the bank. In most countries of the world, coin is preferred to notes in tranactions of this kind, for the reason that it cannot be traced. But in Russia they are not so particular and, furthermore, there is no gold coin in circulation, the currency of the country being at a great discount, which hits caused the complete disappearance of all coins except those of small denominations.

"What are they?"'

"In the first place, I think the figures altogether too high. Carl Pavloff isn't a poor man, but fifty thousand roubles is a great deal of money, and he couldn't raise that amount without considerable negotiation. He would have to sell or mortgage his estate, aud that, you know, would attract attention, and might bring you and your friends into trouble. People would connect his escape with the sale of the land, and that wouldn't be agTeeable to anybody concerned."

'•'That need not give any trouble," replied the official. "But it will not be necessary to sell or mortgage the property. I will make it forty thousand roubles or sven thirty thousand, and instead of insisting upon all the money being actually in hand, half of it may be paid over and the other half can be secured for future payments. I can bring you the necessary legal papers -whenever you name the time."

There was a pause, and then the man spoke again.

"I think I understand another of your objections to closing the negotiation. You are uncertain as to my standing in the matter and think it possible I may be an impostor. That suspicion is the moat natural and, under the circumstances, a proper one. 11l satisfy you on that point."

Then he drew from his pocket his commission in the service of His Imperial Majesty, which showed him to be exactly what he said he was. Evidently he had told the truth,- and no doubt he would have been ready to take issue with any one who hinted that he was otherwise than irreproachable in character, in spite of his peculiar views touching the question of bribery and connivance at the escape of a prisoner.

After the commission had been inspected, he exhibited two or three letters from his brother, which were equivalent to a full power of authority for the transaction of the business. It was plainly to be seen that these worthy gentlemen were determined to make the most of their opportunity in the uniform of The Great White Czar. They were under the Imperial banner for purposes of revenue, rather than for patriotism. One important point was thus settled. The discussion of the other points was cut short by the arrival of Mr. Kosavitch, the lawyer, who had been engaged to look after Pavloff's case. He came in unannounced and before the officer had time to withdraw. The meeting was a confusing one, especially to Captain , but he concealed his annoyance with a cordial greeting and some commonplace comments upon the weather and the general prosperity of the province. Glancing at his watch, he pretended to remember an engagement and speedily withdrew. "You need not tell mc what he was after," said the lawyer, as the door closed on the retiring form of the official gentleman.

"11l bring father home with mc tonight," said Ivan to Nadia as he kissed her good-bye. "And. mother, I'll tell him while we're coming from Tambov, how much we've missed him and how we've prayed every day for his release." In a few moments the tarantass was rumbling over the road, and in due time it halted in front of the home of the lawyer, who was just at that moment coming out of his door. A glance at his face showed that something had gone wrong, and Mr. Hartmann immediately asked what was the matter.

"Come into the house and I'll tell you," was his abrupt reply. He was unwilling to talk in the presence of the driver of the tarantass and within hearing of anyone who might be passing along the street.

They followed hfm into the house and to the room which served him as o cc and reception parlour. Mr. Eartraaiui repeated his question; the other hesitated a moment and then said he had painful news to communicate.

"Last evening," said he, "an order was received from the Minister of the Interior for the immediate deportation to Siberia of Carl Pavloff, surnamed Pushkin. At midnight he was taken from the prison and sent away. I knew nothing of the matter until early this morning, and thus far I have not been able to find by what road he has gone. I was just on my way to the Chancellerie in the hope of learning Bomething. I have already been there twice this morning, but no one who could tell mc anything had then arrived."

".Sent to Siberia!" exclaimed Ivan, his face white with terror. "How can Igo back to mother and Xadia with this dreadful news?"

CHAPTER VI. ON THE ROAD TO EXILE. Inquiry at the prison and at the Chancellerie availed but little. All that could be learned was what they already knew, that Pushkin had been taken from the prison at midnjght by order of the Minister of the Interior and sent away. The prison-keeper did not even know if he had been sent to Siberia; all he could say was that a sergeant of police had brought an order for the prisoner's removal and had taken him away in a telyega (a common waggon) under escort of a soldier. The order was entirely regular in form and in fifteen minutes after delivering it the sergeant departed with his prisoner. There are several ways out of Tambov, and nobody knew by which one of the roads the prisoner had gone. The railway from Saratov on the banks o» the Volga to Koslov and Moscow passes through Tambov, and Pushkin might have been taken in either direction, east or west. Going to the west, he wouid in all probability lie sent to Moscow, ■while if he were taken eastward, he would reach the terminus of the railway at Saratov, whence he might be sent up tne Volga to Kazan on the great road from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Siberia. Or he might be sent from Saratov to the other side of the Volga and thence by one of several waggon roads to the land of exile. A hundred miles or so to the North of the Koslov-Saratov railway is another line almost parallel to it; a waggon road north-eastward from Tambov intersects the railway at Penza, where the train could be taken to Syzran, another landing on the Volga higher up than Saratov. The convicts in Siberia have a saying to the effect that "He who runs away has but one road, he who pursues him has twenty." The same proverb rises painfully to the thoughts of the friends of one who has been spirited away in the night when they seek to discover in what direction he has been taken. Let us follow the fortunes of Pushkin, on his way into exile. As he stepped into the telyega he was handcuffed to the soldier to make sure that he did not escape. The sergeant mounted the box at the side of the driver of the vehicle and then the order -was given to go on. As they neared a corner of the street, two of three blocks from the street, gate, the sergeant gave the command: "Nα Leva (turn to the leftj" A little further on the orde- "Na. Prave (turn to the right!" was given, and the driver wfithout checking the speed of his horses obeyed the instruction. In a few minutes they were out of the city and in the open country, as was evident by the change in the condition of the roads. The telyega is at best an uncomfortable vehicle, far worse than the the latter is built with some attention to the comfort of its occupants, while the former is made solely the purposes of transportation. Compared with tie tarantass, the telyga is like the common farm-waggon of America compared with a family carriage. On a smooth road, and filled with straw and blankets for a passenger to lie upon, it is uncomfortable enough; on a rough road, with two men chained together to occupy it and a driver urging his horses at their best speed, the telyega is an instrument of torture of no mean order. Especially so, when one ot the occupants has been torn from home and friends and is on his way iato -exile.

'" He proposed an escape on payment of a handsome sum of money?" Mr. Hartmann made no response, as ha felt bound by his promise of secrecy though he was entirely satisfied that the lawyer should know what had happened. He believed in the idea that a lawyer ought to be informed of everything bearing on a case; and certainly this matter had a very important bearing.

" fie can do exactly what he says he can," continued the other. " Stop a moment, I don't know what be has said, and, therefore, must particularize."

He then recounted; almost word for word, what the vieitor had proposed, -it was evident that the lawyer had dealt with him before, and knew his man.

But before deciding upon their line of action, the gentlemen went again to the prison to discuss the matter with Pushkin. A new permission was necessary, and this was obtained without difficulty and without any necessity for another cigarette. But the cigarette case had been prepared for the occasion, and if the official had demurred, it would have been presented as before.

At tiie suggestion of the lawyer, /van was not present at the interview. He passed the time strolling about the streets of Tambov, studying the groups in. the market-place, and looking in the windows of the shops of the G-ostinna Dvor or centre of trade. Every Russian town or city has an establishment of this sort, and the larger the town or city, the more extensive is the collection of shops. The finest in Russia are, unquestionably, those of Moscow and St. Petersburg. That of Moscow is the most interesting, as it contains many features of Oriental life that are not, found in the younger capital on the banks of the Neva,

The result of the interview in the prison was, that the lawyer should arrange for a hearing as soon as it could be brought about, and, in the meantime, Mr. Hartmann and Ivan were to return home and "wait for a message from their legal adviser. They were also to raise thirty thousand roubles, and have the money whenever it was needed. The iawyer thought this amount of money could be " put where it would do the most good." He had planned to circumvent the official who proposed the escape and consequent exile of Pushkin, by arranging that he should have a hearing and be liberated under bonds to come before the authorities whenever called. This would enable him to live at home instead of spending his days abroad or dwelling under a fictitious name in some other part of Russia. A part of the money would be paid to the officious gentleman to secure his silence, and the rest would go into the hands of those who controlled the preliminary hearing.

But the torture wae not to continue long, for the telyega followed a road nearly parallel with, the railway and stopped at the first station .to the eastward of Tambov. The police had rea-

sons of their own for not taking their prisoner to the station in the city and making their departure from that point, but what those reasons *were they did not choose to say. ' The journey' had been so timed that the party had only a short while, less than half an hour, to wait at the station, ere an eastbound train arrived and took them on board. The telyega remained at the station until after the departure of the train, and then was driven slowly back ,to the city. Perhaps we shall hear again of this very telyega and another journey that it made.

The train rolled leisurely along, this is a habit of most railway trains in Russia, and arrived at Saratov only an hour, behind its schedule time. During its journey Pushkin had occupied a place in a convict ear along , with several other men in the same category as himself, prisoners on their way to Siberia; their guards sat or stood with their weapons ready to prevent any attempt at escape. Escape would have been next ,to impossible under the circumstances. Pushkin had been freed from the handcuffs which bound him to the soldier, but he was chained to a fellow-prisoner, all the gang of prisoners being chained together in couples. Even had the doors been wide open and the guards offering no resistance, it would have been very difficult for two men thus hampered to get away. The windows of the car were strongly grated like those of a prison van.

Pushkin had visited Saratov on previous occasions and always admired it, as it is a very picturesque city. It has a hundred thousand inhabitants and more: it possesses a considerable trade with the country on both sides of the Volga and far into the interior. It can boast a goodly proportion of inhabitants of German origin: its streets are wide, and its houses are generally well built. There is a great deal of wealth at Saratov,, and its churches are second only to those of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The prisoner had neither the opportunity nor the mood for looking at Saratov or anything- it < untamed. A covered waggon, like an omnibus, or rather resembling the "Black Maria" as it is known to the denizens of Australasian cities, was at the station waiting for its prey. The exiles were huddled into it and then driven rapidly to the prison, which swung wide its gates when they approached and closed with a clang as they passed within. Here they were to await until a convoy was ready for Siberia, It might be a day or two, or it might be longer; who could tell?

In the Russian exile system it is the custom to accumulate those who are to form a convoy at certain central points. When a sufficient number has been gathered the convoy is started, and it is expected to keep up a certain rate of march day by day until its destination is reached. In the large towns or cities there are depots or forwarding prisons, and it is here that the convoys are made up, A great deal depends upon the activity of the police, the amount of crime, or the imperative orders of the Minister of the Interior and his satellites; if there is a pressure of business, the convoys are too numerous, and the forwarding prisons become crowded; while, on the other hand, if there is a lull in crime, or in revolutionary movements, the convoys are small and the prisons have space to spare. Unhappily, the latter contingency is rarely known.

There is a story of an Oriental king who one day told his grand vizier that

he wanted to behead a hundred men the next morning, and ordered his vizier to take his pen and make out the list. The king named man after man among those who were at court, but after naming all he could think of he lacked one of the completed hundred. He paused to reflect; his pause lasted several minutes, and then he said to the waiting vizier: "I can't think of any one else, put down your own name." The vizier did as he was directed, and was duly beheaded with the others on the following morning. Russians say that the Minister of the Interior orders arrest and exile by administrative process very much as this Eastern king ordered men for execution, solely for his amusement and to keep his jailers in practice; they intimate that he sometimes does not hesitate to crnsig? his own followers to the hard fate which he so readily decrees to others. (To be continued daily.)