HOW A RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONARY ESCAPED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8288, 16 November 1906, Page 3

HOW A RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONARY ESCAPED.

Recently the papers published 'the news of an important escape— j that cf Mr (J. Savinkov—from the l military prison in the fortress of j Sebastopol. Nothing but tho bare j fact was then .known. We have now j beeii enabled to obtain from an authentic source the full details. Mr Savinkov was arrested in Sebastonol on tho charge of complicity in tho attempt to assassinate General JNeplnjv. As a matter of faot he \ had nothing to do with it, and bia i presence in the town was purelj «ecideniul. Uut as he was flu important member ot Iho Social Revo- | lutionary par'iy, anti the Goveru- j meut had lons and diligently beou i bunting foi him to settle old scores, | once his identity was disclosed there was no ']o«bt that he would be condemned to doatb and shot. The proceedings, however, were so manifestly illegal tbftt the Council for Defence (two of tho throe mou were appointed by the court itself) puootfoded in obtiiinlug n postponement of the trial. Savinlsov's cell wiig sitnuted at the end of a long corridor un one sidu, and ou the other, opposite him, was another cell, where a soldier was imprisoned tor eouio criminal aof. Across the corridor inn a grille, which was always kept locked.. On the other side cf this on one side stood o washstand, .on Hie other wore two doors, tbe firet opening into a room, where a gendarme officer waa always ou duty; tho next into a dork storeroom. Beyond the corridor itself l«d into the guardroom, and from tliip one passed into a vestibule. Here a door on the right, opened into the pfflcers' room, and another ■ straight out into the yard. Ihree sentries were stationed between the •cells and tbe grille, one outside the calls, one at the grating, and the third in the Lnhldle ; on the left. Ue'ween the grating and the guard room there was one more. The guardroom was always full of soldiers under Ihe command of a non-oommisaioned officer. The lust room was ooonoied by two offioerp, • one of whom had always to be ou the watch. At the outer door stood another sentry. To get from tho •«ell to. tho yard, therefore, one had to fass flva sentries, about 20 soldiers, and four officers. Acd yat, with all this elaborate pro teotive machinery, this impressive staff ot guards, the csoape was effected with a simplicity that might be termed almost ridiculous; indeed, it was this very simplicity and obviouahnsa, togetlmr with supreme cooluess and good furtuue, that enabled it to be effected. At the top of Snvinkov'B cell door was a square opening which should have been glazed, but was not. Through this oue day tho last 'Sentry passed him a noto which told him (with a watchword, of course) that thn man could bo absolutely trufited. This soldier iB what is termed a volunteer —.i.e., entered the army to serve his time at once voluntarily, instend of waiting to bo called out by lot. 'lhe two then began tu plan an ■escape, but this' was possible, to effect only when,.this soldier hfid 1 the duty for the day ot opening the cells when necessary, or tho ■ duty of changing tho watch. Three times they arranged it, and something prevented it—the last time by the officer in command, who, coming into the corridor and learning that tbia soldier was "dnevalny" gave crders that another man should take his place ' As It afterwards transpired, this was because the officers had received a secret circular from the author! ties not to trust "volunteers" in .general. As soon after this as he was able the young man then went to the general in command of the corps and bitterly complained to him of this evident, want of confidence in him. His record wfs indeed so good that the general reassured him and spoke to bis superior officer. That very night, about eleven o'olook, the revolutionary soldier made - his round. He un--louked the grating, went down the corridor and opened Saviukov's cell. "Get up and dress" he said aloud bo that the sentry outside could hear. • Savinkov began to dress slowly. "I have no boots." be SEid at last. The soldier then unlocked the opjposite cell took the other prisoner's boots and gave them to Savin- , kov. The sentry watched all this unusual proceeding with the utmost passivity. The Eussian soldier is taugbt "not to deliberate, but. to obey?' and seeing his superior in command doing something incomprehensible with matter-of-fact coolness be did not "deliberate." "Now you are going to wash" said the soldier. The prisoner took bis towel and together they went down the corridor. "Open the grille ordered the rasvodiasbchy and the sentry obediently held it open for them to pass. They went on past the room where the gendarme officer was still asleep till they came to the washstand where Savinkov in view of the next sentry began to wash. When he hud finished his companion took him into the Btoreroom still under the sentry's eye. There the prisoner ohanged his shirt for a regimental one, put on a soldier's cap and rapidly out off his moustache with a clipping-machine. Then they passed out togethsr and through into the guardroom. The soldier watobed them but whether Le lost his head or whether he dared not interfere he still made no sign. The corridor was not well lighted but Savinkov was doubly oouflpiouous ap owing to the darkness in the storeroom he had 'eft a tuft of hia moustache still on. They passed into tbe guard room. There the under.officers and some of the soldiers were asleep abd the others gathered round the lamp listening (to one who was reading aloud. One or two turned their heads but seeing the rasvodiashohy with another soldier paid no further attention. Both tbe revolutionaries were aimed, and were prepared if necessary to fight, though had tbe alarm been given of ocurse they stood no chance against so many. In the vestitule once more chance favoured them, for the officer on duty, instead of walking up and down as was the custom, was in tbe room reading a newspaper, and gave tbem scarcely a glanoe. With a word to tbe sentry at the door they parsed out into the yard before he

had time to see who they were. In five miou'ee tho alarm waa given, bat they had already got to a place of safety.—-Daily Chronicle.