A RUSSIAN REFUGEE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8832, 19 January 1907, Page 4

A RUSSIAN REFUGEE.

NEW ZEALAND A HAVEN. THE EMPIRE'S TERRIBLE PLIGHT. Mr Schay Gordon, a Russian Jew, who arrived in Wellington on Wednesday, knows the progress of despotic oppression in Russia, and of the revolutionary movement up to two months ago (says the " New Zealand Times "). Mr Gordon is a refugee. He was an organiser of the revolutionary movement, was arrested, escaped over the border to Prussia, and was there imprisoned for the part he took. in getting returned revolutionaries back into Russia. The newcomer, a young and apparently intellectual man, told his story to a "Times" reporter. His brother, Mr S. Gordon, ,of Ingestre Street, acted as interpreter, the refugee being unable at present to converse in English. | A REVOLUTIONARY. Mr Gordon said he had been studying the medical course at a Russian College. He afterwards went to Memel, in Prussia; but, when the revolution broke cut, he, being a "socialist," went to Libau, on the Baltic coast, as an organiser of the revolu-. tionary party. He was sent out to his native town, Reowo, to organise the " moujiks." While a meeting was being held at his parents' house, a party of Coseiacks surrounded the building. Fortunately, the chief had sympathies with the Socialists, and this leaning, with a little bribery, induced him to close his eyes while Mr Gordon escaped. The fugitive had to run at his best pace for six miles before he could reach a safe hiding-place. Travelling by night and hiding during the day he at length reached the Prussian border, and the arrangements of the party made it easy for him to get a passport Into Germany. Even across the border he found that he was able to continue to help the revolutionary movement in Russia. He worked with a Society, one of whose objects was to help revolutionaries returning from America, England and other places to get back to Russia. These people could not get back without passports; so the Society obtained for them German passports under false names. By this practice young Gordon, with others of the incurred the displeasure of the German authorities, and was imprisoned. Hearing of his plight, his brother sent from Wellington a ticket for a passage to New Zealand. The ticket was taken as a guarantee that the prisoner would leave Germany, and he was released. He crossed to England, and came to New Zealand by the Rimutaka. PROGRESS OF THE REVOLUTION. Mr Gordon explained the constitution- of the various parties' that are working foi* governmental reform. The Social Democrats, the Social Revolutionaries, and the Jewish organisations had the same immediate aim — the overthrow of the present bureaucratic rule. But they favoured different methods of achieving the aim, and their constructive policies were different. The parties overlapped. Many who were openly social democrats were secretly revolutionaries ; for all the operations of the' revolutionaries had to be carried on in secret. The efforts of the organisers were now mainly directed to educating the farming classes. There were one hundred and twenty million farmers in the whole of Russia. The revolutionaries were sending out men to prepare the farmers for a rising. The farmers were in the worst possible condition. The Government -book so much from them m taxes, that there was hardly enough of what the ground brought forth left to keep body and eoul together. The aim of the agitators was to show the farmers that tho Government was their worst enemy. Nothing could prevent a revolution if the farmers could be won over. Tlie propaganda among them had been remarkably successful, iae movement was growing stronger and stronger every day. The mam difficulty was that the farmers were stiftnecked and ignorant. The revolutionaries only tried to teach them the simple lesson, " The land was given to you by God, and the land belongs only to God and yourselves.- -^r Gordon narrated how he had gone into a country placo, had explained the newspapers to the farmers an-cl na_ hammered into their heads a knowledge of how the Government was taking their goods "ftom them. Another thin"— the revolutionaries were trying to make the moujik as sober as possfble They would tell him that drink and 'the (£ar were the. worst enemies he had. When we received reports ot public-houses being burnt down, we could be sure it wad the wjfc of the revolutionaries among the fe™«J?- J* keefJincr them away from vodka it was hcSd to keep their heads clear and to make then? think. They had been taught for B«n«^S , - + ?;f /SjitSE was first, and their Father ( »*™ s * ka ") the Czar was second oniy to Hl '^it is impossible for anyone to say w U^SJ__^ h, i£S_ come." - \ FIGHT WITH COSSACKS. At the suggestion of his brother, Mr Gordon told the story of a fight with the Ocssacks at Libau, u. j^Eh. J-* &^j™ SVai* the three ronths tLt inland had ment. The last reserve had been caUed out. The troops had come up to -Libau. They refused ti> go th?^ Jo *tou«. The revolutionaries sided with the reserves. The first thing they did was to burn down some vodka shops. Ihe Cossacks attacked them wrth their whins. Then the reserves fired -on the SScks with tneir newly acquu-ed rifles. The Cossacks returned the fiie. Barricades were formed and the .fight went on from five in the evening to one Ji the morning. The revolution's made use of bombs. At length the Cossacks overpowered them. J Of the reserves and revolutionaries a^ut Ifcirty were killed, 130 wounded, taken prisoners. The number of the casualties among the Cowaclwwas. never known, but the Chief of Po ice was among the wounded. Mr Gordon himself barely escaped. When he reached his home he found his cap pierced by a bullet and his clothes torn to shreds.