RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 380, 5 August 1884, Page 5

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS.

The following particulars respecting the "banishment of political offenders iin Russia under the . " Third Section " into the Archangel District'is given by .the correspondent of the ' Standard ' at Moscow: — "In the cheerless region of Archangel, of which the aborigines sn**,*, "God made Russia, but the devil made Archangel,' there are more than two hundred of those banished oriesf— ' men and women, all young, all pobr, < most of them sent without trial, few amongst them knowing even of what theyare accused. Victor jjlvariovitch dines with his friend 8., for instance, Wtf after ai stroll along the boulevard they 'Separate. '• B is arrested that vary evening, and when "Victor,, astounded ,and horror-stricken, hastens to enquire the cause, he finds everybody, evets Bs own father, as much in* the dark as he is hjmself. All questions and petition's on? the subject receive vague, administrative answers ; all' relatives and friends are • systematically dis.cpuraged and silenced.. .Eagerly, they, •wait,' 'and." watch , for the numerous 'political trials' that come on withdut intermission, hoping to see the loyed bheVnarrie on the list of criminals, ior »cc ; his face once more, let it be evjeh in- th 6 prisoner's dock; but as they wait and watcb.the .prisoner is, withput^ny^trial, en rqute for Archangel. . . /."Arrived there,, the, routine is the j*ame, .whatever ( the crime alleged, the age, or sex, the prisoner is taken to the police ward— & dreary; log : building containing two' sections) one for men, the- other .for 'women.* The solitary table and chair) four- walls, and eyen the ceiline: are-covered, -with the names I of youthful predecessors, whose :pencilled jests 1 and" clever caricatures bear, witness, to. the strength and confiderice in, themselves with which tney began their life' in exile. In .this dreary abode a week or ten days is spsnt; whilst ,*{-_s. governor; of Archangel, after due reflection, marks out for this dangerous personage some final place of ipxjile^.&on^e:; miserable, little; district town, such as Holmonger, Shenkoursk, Pinega, or 'Ivlez.n ; he is then told that his '- documents " are ready, and a gendarme enters, saying it is time to start. The : prisoner jumps into the jolting post-waggon, two gendarme^ jump, in, r-af ter -himj the troika-bell : nhPJ-S : .the^r^jjneo^ -rrand rrings on— for days .and weeSs----*i through , wood, and , swanap, and p.ainj; along Arctic rop.ds inconceivably dreary , and lonely, until the weary convoy a t\ length arrives at its destination. The 'little town 1 is small arid black, it consists of log huts, of unpaved streets, a wooden church painted gTeen, and: the only live stock . visible are twelve raw-boned r hprses, a. herd of sicklycows, and thirty or forty reindeer.; Tne population rarely ' exceeds one thousands amd consists of the Isprajynik,^. tett. Subaltern -officers, the Arbiter df the Peace," the Crown Poresteir, a, priest, a few shopkeepers, thirty or forty, exiles, - a chain-gang of 'God forgotten ,' Russian felons, and a crowd ,. of L ..Einn_sh. .beggars. ,On his arrival 'the /prisoner fis driven straight to' the police ward," vyhere he' is in spected by the Ispravnik, a police officerj who is absolute lord and master ofthe district. This representative of Government requires p£ him ( tp, answer the .following ' questions •: -^His ' name ? How j old ? Married ;,pr single. Where from? Address of parents, or relations, or friends . Answers to all of which are entered into the books. A solemn promise, is then exacted of him \ that, he wiii npt, give lessons of any kind, or try to teach anyone ; that every letter . he writes will go thrpugh the Ispravnik'a hands, and that he will follow no", occupation except shoemaking, carpentering or field labor. He is then told' he is free ! but at the same time is sblemnly warned that should he attempt to pass the limits of the town he will. be shot down like a dog rather than beallowed to escape, and should he be taken alive will be sent off to Eastern Siberia without further formality than that of the Ispravnik's personal order. „ " The poor fellow takes up his little bundle and, fully realising that he has now bidden farewell to the culture and material comfort of his past life, walks {out into£ the cheerless street. A group of exiles, all pale and emaciated, are there to greet him, take him to some of their miserable lodgings and feverishly demand news from home. The new comer gazes on them as one ih a dream. Some are melancholy mad, others nervously irritable, and the remainder have evidently tried to find solace in drink. They live in community of twos and threes, have food, a scanty provision* of clothes, money and books in common, and consider it their sacred duty to help each other in every emergency without distinction in sex, rank or age. The noble by birth get sixteen shillings a month from Government for . their maintenance, and commoners only ten, although many of them are married, and sent into exile with young families. Daily a gendarme visits their lodgings, inspects the premises when and how he pleases, and now and then makes a mysterious entry in his note book. Should any of their number carry a warm dinner, a pair of newly mended boots, or a I change of linen to "some passing exile lodged for the moment in the police ward, it i*. just as likely as not mfarked -against him as a crime. It

. ] is a crime to come and see a friend off, - or accompany him a little on the way. In fact should the Ispravnik feel a ; little out of sorts— the effect of cards * and drink — he vents his temper on the ■ exiles; and a**- cards and drink are the favorite amusements ih these dreary regions, crimes are marked jdown against the exiles in astonishing numbers, and a report of them sent to the governor of the proI vince. Winter lasts . eight months, a period during which the surrounding country presents the appearance, of a noiseless, lifeless, frozen marsh. No ,ro\ds, no comm unica tion with the outer world, no means of ..c/iptt. In course of time a'most evei y individual exile is attacked by nervous convulsions, followed by prolonged apathy and pros-* tration. . Tbey begin to quarrel, and even hate each 'other. Some of them contrive to forge false passports, and by a miracle, as it were, make their escape, but the great majority of these victims of the third Section either go mad, commit suicide, or die of delirum tremens.