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AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY NEWSPAPER.
New IDloomfield, Tn., Tuesday, November Q5, 1873.
TSo. -AT.
Vol. VII.
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MY ADVENTURES IN RUSSIA.
- CONTINUED.
I HAD no sooner left the offloo than two
spies took my track, and kept' it up,
and down, and around, until I returned. I
knew their profession, and believing that
they would not dare lay hands on me in the
daytime, I retaliated on them. I dodged
into stores, around corners, entered vehi
cles, gave them the slip on the quay, and
kept them in a perfect sweat to keep my
track. I, of course, did not pretend to
know that they were dogging me, and
several times roundly abused them as pick
pockets. " We are not pickpockets ; we are po
lice 1" explained one of them ' after my
abuse.
"Police and pickpockets are the same
thing 1" I replied ; " or the latter class are
the more honest and the less servile of the
two." . ''
I spoke the words in Russian, and just at
a' comer where several people were stand
ing. Every man ran away aa fast as he
could, expecting that I would be arrested,
but I passed on and the officials made no
reply. .
That evening we ascertained that a guard
had been set to watch Morrow's house. I
accidentally discovered that the say was in
the kitchen, where be was cordially wel
comed by the servants, and unknown to
the consul or his wife, I went down and
hustled him out. He took up his position
on the doorstep, and I drove him off by
sousing him with water from one of the
windows. Ho then crossed the street, and
probably kept watch all night.
' I was alone at the office fees morning
when two police officials entered, the same
two who had called separately. Both
smiled and bowed, as if nothing unpleas
ant had occurred, and then me of them
asked :
" Has the gentleman concluded to leave
Cronsdadt to-morrow?"
I was going to give him au emphatio
reply, but changed my mind and answer
ed :
" Yes, I nave concluded to go. u you
are around the depot when the early train
leaves, you will see me going out."
" We are a thousand times obliged,", the
man replied, bowing courteously. And
they took their leave.
That day, as I took my usual walk, there
were no spies around, and the fellow who
had been set to watch the house was with
drawn that night. I saw that the officials
depended on my word, and felt rather
ashamed of tny position, but was deter
mined not to leave Cronsdadt until I got
ready, or until there were signs of greater
. personal danger.
I had scarcely entered the office io the
morning before I was followed by the same
two officials, wearing the same smiles and
bowing as courteously as before.
" The gentleman did not go as he Intend
ed?" said one of them, in a voice of in.
quiry.
" No, I didn't get off," I replied,
" The reason, pray ?"
" Solely on account of the illness of my
grandmother. The old ludy is very bad
off, and I can't toll how soon I may be an
orphan. I am mentioned in her will for a
considerable sum, and it wouldn't do to
leave now."
The men stared at me in blank amaze
ment, and were so childlike as not to de
tect the sarcasm. After a whisper and
nod, one of them remarked :
"It is very strange; we did not know
that your t grandmother was in Cronsdadt.
Where is she ?"
' . The question was asked in such an Inno
cent tons that I fell to laughing, and they
suspected the falsehood. I could see that
they were very indignant, but I laughed
away, and they took their leave without
another word to me. Half an hour after
spies were watching the office. The ser
vant who kept the rooms in order had left
our service after the first visit of the police,
fearful of being implicated, but I could
" run" the office in all its departments, and
did do so.
Had Morrow been able to get out of the
house, he would have probably Insisted on
my taking a different course, or leaving the
city at once, as he knew what would be the
result if I did not do so. The officials had
certainly beon very patient with me ; but
for the position I held, I would have been
on the road to Siberia long before. The
misfortune was that I overestimated my
strength of position. While realizing that
I incurred great personal peril, I reasoned
something like this :
" If they injure me or imprison me, the
consul will consult the miuister, and tho
minister will consult the state department
of the United States, and the Russian bear
will get a cuffing from Uncle Sam."
The line of reasoning was sound except
in one particular ; it did not provide against
underhanded work on the part of the offi
cials. Morrow was finally flat down with
fever, raving crazy most of the time, so
that I had full charge of the office. The
police officials would have called regularly
each morning but for the fact that I locked
the door in their faces ; then they ceased
to annoy me in person, but a small crowd
of spies hung on my trail whenever I moved
out of the office. . '
Morrow had been ill two weeks, and I
had been in Cronsdadt a month, whsn an
American sailor called at the offiee one
day. He was a weather-beaten old chap
who wanted a passage home, but as there
was no opportunity just then, I had to send
him to a boarding-house. He was not able
to speak a word of Russian, but ho knew
the English language and all its oaths, and
he soon told me his opinion of the country
and its people. We were going along the
street as he talked, and even if none of the
Russians could have understood his words,
tbey would have known by his looks and
gestures that he felt a contempt for the
whole race. I tacitly enoouraged him,
when I should have rebuked him, on ac
count of my position, if nothing more.
It Is only a short distance from Cronsdadt
over to St. Petersburg ; the two places are,
in fact, one, the former being the military
key of the latter. My uncle the minister
had of course been informed of Mr. Mor
row's Illness, and of course an account of
my foolish doings bad reached him. He
wrote me a letter containing not only a
sharp reprimand, but he warned me that I
incurred great personal danger. I was less
high-strung after receiving the letter, and
had been wanted so much that I began to
get a little eervous. When I returned to
the office, after piloting the sailor a few
blocks, the two police officials followed me
in.
"Here is tbe gentleman's passport," said
one, banding out the paper. "He will, of
course, cross to St. Petersburg to-night."
"You are awaie of Mr. Morrow's
illness?" I asked, after considerable re
flection.
" We know that Mr. Morrow is ill," they
replied together.
" If I should go away the office would be
closed,'! I continued.
They shrugged their shoulders for re
ply. 4
" So you see that I cannot go, even if I
wanted to. There are Americans here who
must be oared for."
" We have orders, you know," put in
one.
"To do what?"
He held out the paper again. My hot
temper went up like a rocket, and I came
near reaching for the legislative weapon,
the inkstand. Conquering my first im
pulse, I got up and gave it to them hot and
heavy.
" Orders to drive me out of Cronsdadt ?
I'll- be hanged if you can do it 1 I am here
as the representative of a nation which will
hash your Russian bear into mince-mcat if
you lay a hand on me ! Just try it on once 1
That nag up there is the American flag,
and you try any game on me and you'll see
a hundred such flags floating ever this old
tower I"
I said something more after getting
warmed up, and I think I frigbteued them
a bit, for they got nervous, and they half
apologized for carrying the thing so far,
The man who had the passport tore it up,
and both bowed very low as they retired.
Three days passed In which I was neithor
annoyed nor did I perpetrate any furthtir
foolishness ; in fact, I felt ashamed of my
self, and made up my mind to be more dig
nifled in future. I probably should have
kept the resolution had I been allowed to
do so, but Russian spirit of revenge had
been appealed to. The third, night Morrow
was taken worse in the night, and I dress
ed and started for the doctorllve blocks
away. The streets were clear of all human
life so far as I could see, but when I had
passed along about three blocks a wolf
robe was thrown over my head from a door
way, and the next moment I was pros
trate, with three or four men holding me
down.
My first thought after the robe struck me
was that some part of the house had fallen,
but as I went down, and felt myself seized
by the Russians, I believed that I had beon
attacked by robbers.
" Help 1 help I I shouted, kicking and
fighting as much as I could.
The men neither ran away nor injured
me ; they would have done one or the other
if robbers. In a moment more the robe
was drawn off, I was jerked to my fcet,and
then a voice which I recognized asVlitchy's
said :
" We arrest you for the government !
Any resistance which you can make will be
Useless ; come, now, and the less trouble
you give us the better !"
It was something of a relief to know that
I was not the victim of robbers, and I was
not frightened at the idea of arrest. Re
membering my errand as we were about to
move off, I asked the spy to send one of
the men to call the doctor, and he readily
complied with the request. .
" You are aware that grave diplomatic
difficulties will grow out of this arrest, and
perhaps war?" I asked of Ylitcby, as we
moved off in the direction of the govern
ment prison.
"I hardly think so," he replied.
" But I know it !" I continued, hotly.
" The minister will be over here before to
morrow night, and within a week an Amer
ican man-of-war will be in the harbor, with
her guns trained to rake your town high
and low !"
" Such may be the case," he quietly re-
piled ; " my business is to obey the orders
of my superiors ; we have an army to settle
questions of war."
Not another word was spoken until we
reached the prison. The place may have
altered since then, but at that date it was a
prison composed of two long rooms, guard
ed by heavy doos, and divided by a wall.
The females were locked up on one side,
and the men on the other. Murderers,
thieves, political offenders, and all other
classes were put into the one room togeth
er. I did not intend to convey the Idea
that the long room was clear. - Across the
further end was erected a lattice-work of
iron bars, reaching from floor to ceiling,
thus making a room about twelve feet
long, and the width of the larger room.
Many of 'the prisoners in the big room
roused up as we entered, and they watched
our walk down through the room with
much interest. We paused at the lattice
work, a door was unlocked, and I was or
dered in.
" I hope the journey will be pleasant,"
said Ylitchy, removing his cap and making
a low bow, as he was on the point of going
away.
"Journey? What Journey?" I asked.
He went off without replying, and as
soon as the great door had closed, several
of the prisoners began shouting, " Poor
fellow 1 poor fellow !"
Looking around the little room, I saw
two Russians cowering in a corner, and
they were sobbing like heart-broken wo.
men. There was another in the straw, and
yet another in the furthest corner.
thought this last one bad an Englisby
look; and going over, I awoke him from a
sound sleep.
" Port a little !" he growled, as he rub
bed his eyes ; and I soon discovered that
It was the sailor who had called at the
office Joe Graham. He leaped up when
he found it was I, and after recovering
from his astonishment, he told me how he
bad been captured. It was easy enough to
take him, as he was half drunk, but the
hour in prison had thoroughly sobered
him.
" It's a bad lee shore we're on, matey,"
he remarked, as we sat down on the filthy
straw. " As near as I can make out, we're
shipped for Siberia "
I was Incredulous until I went over and
spoke to one of the Russians. The fellow
was in a sort of stupor, and I bad to shake
him roughly before he showed any con
sclousness of my presence. He then, seized
me around the legs, and sobbed out :
' "O my God! If you cannot help me, I
am lost t"
' " Have they sentenced you to be bung or
shot?" I inquired, feeling my legs.
" Worse than that I shall be sent to Si
beria I" he groaned.
" Perhaps not ; you have not been tried
yet"
"They put in here only such people as
are to go to that horrible country," he
sobbed. " Trial and sentence will be a
mere form 1,'
The prisoners in the largor room sub
stantiated his statements, but before we
had much conversation a soldier was
sent in to drive them away from' the lat
tice work. Otherwise, I might have been
spared weeks of suffering, aB I should have
told them who I was, and requested that
they get word to Mrs. Morrow, who would
have notified my uncle, the minister, of my
arrest. Some of the prisonors wore in there
for no greater offence than drunkenness
and ' disorderly conduct, and were, of
course, soon to be restored to liberty.
It was anything but pleasant news, and
hod I credited it as fully as the sailor did,
I Bhould not have had a wink of sleep. It
seemed improbable that they would con
demn me without a fair show, and hardly
probable that they would dare punish me
at all, knowing that they would breed a di
plomatic war. Hugging these delusive
ideas, I foil asleep two hours before day
light, and was bitten, stung, and annoyed
by fleas, until I felt like one who bod run
naked through a growth of nettles. In or
der that I may not forget it, I will take oc
casion to say here that even the frigid tem
perature of a Russian winter does not in
terfere with the lively habits of Russian
fleas. Nature may have brought them
forth prepared to gambol merrily with the
thermometer marking thirty degrees, or
they may have bred from the very snow j
whichever theory you accept, you can sup
port my assertion that Russian prisons,
and hovels, and cabins, are flea-shingled
and flea-floored, and that getting used to
flea-fighting is as much of a business on
the part of a foreign resident,, as getting
ued to eating Russian food.
Daylight was the signal for the Russians
in with us to commence weeping and
howling. Tbey were worse than children,
and they somehow got the idea that Joe
and I could, save them if we would. It
was with mueh difficulty that 1 made them
understand that wo were all on the same
platform, so far as accusation was con
cerned. One of the men had said some
thing unfavorable to be character of a
government official, and . the other two
Wbre accused of conspiracy. They assured
me that the charge was made by a business
rival, and was without a word of truth. : I
encouraged them to believe that the judge
would unravel the plot, and restore them to
liberty, and they finally ceased their wails.
Breakfast was brought in about half-past
eight. Joe fairly raved when he saw how
they were going to feed us. , There was a
piece of black sticky bread, and a slice of
dried meat which was half mould.
" I don't want any !'' growled Joe, as he
flung the bread at the head of the man In
the little door. " Bring me a cup of coffee,
three fried eggs, a piece of steak, a loaf of
white bread, and a bottle of cognac, and
be quick about it, or you'll 'get into
trouble 1"
I threw my bread down in disgust, and
the soldier said that if we had money we
could send through him and secure a good
breakfast. Vlitchy and his rascals had
not taken away my money, and I sent out
a dollar, and we had a fine meal. The
Russians refused to eat a mouthful ; when
pressed, they began howling and lament
ing in a way to make one nervous. -
"When shall we go to court?" I asked
the soldier.
" At eleveu o'clock," he answered.
" Can you send me a lawyer before that
hour?"
The man looked at me in great surprise,
and did not reply until I put the question
again. He then made an evasive answer,
and went away. When eleven o'clock
camo the five of us were escorted through
the room, and up a pair of stairs, into a
courtroom. ' The judge was on his seat,
and Vlitchy, the two police officials, and
three or four spies, sat near him. We five
were seated on a bench, and while I was
looking around for the audience, one of the
Russian prisoners was ordered to stand
" Prisoner, you are oharged with having
conspired against the govarnment," said
tho judge, in a slow solemn voice.
" I am not guilty I am innocent I"
groaned the prisoner, trembling like one
having a severe shake of ague.
' " No lionest citizen comes here charged
with such an offence," continued the judge.
"1 have heard the evidence, carefully
weighed it, and I find you guilty I Your
sentence is Siberia I"
The prsioner did not sink down, but he
fell down, and was allowed to remain
where he fell until he regained strength
enough to crawl up on the seat.
" If that's the way the bloody old
heathen jibes his booms, we may as well
take in canvas at once 1" growled Joe ;
while I was dumbfounded. There had
been no accuser, evidence, witnesses, law
yers or audience, but the whole matter had
rested with the sullen-faced official behind
the desk. The other two prisoners were
ordered up, and disposed of in the samo
way, and then it camo my turn.
"Prisoner, stand np !" ordered the
judge.
" I shall not do It I I replied. "I havo
been arrested without process, and I do not
recognize the theory that I am a prisoner.
If I am to be tried, I want to know the
charge, who makes it, and I want the priv-s
lieges of an accused party."
" That's so 1" roared Joe, leaping up ;
"you just touch a hair of his head, and.
you'll feel the talons of the bird of freedom
scraping at your baldhead pretty quick t
Just go ahead with this tomfoolery busi
ness if you dnre 1"
The judge had a few hairs on his head,
and they stood up straight, whilo his face
was like a coal. Ho fidgeted around, spoke
to Vlitchy, and then asked :
" Will you leave the country ?"
" Not by the bornspoon I" howled Joe.
"I'd see your old town under water to the
mastheads before I'd lot you ' drive me
out!"
" And you ?" asked tho judge, pointing,
tome.
" I want tho minister here before I an
swer," was my reply.
I knew afterwards that we would both
have been set at liberty if making the
promise, but as we would not make it,
and as they did not purpose to give us a
public trial, the judge consulted the spies,
and then sent us below. t As we reached
the jail, we turned to the left, and entered'
a room fitted up something like a black
smith's shop. A big chain was suspended!
to hooks on each side of tne room, and ten
porson,s in pairs, had already been fastened
to it.
"Boarded by pirates !" growled Joe, as
he saw that we were to be chained. " Now,
matey, lot's give 'em a few Yankee
knocks !" . . ' V
There were five pf the jail officials in the
room, and a sharp fight ensued. Joe got
bold of a two pound hammer with a long
bandlo, and I scoured an iron bar, and they
bad more than they wanted to do to even
dodge the blows. Had there been no more,
we could have walked out ; but after a few .
minutes a guard of soldiers came in with
muskets, and then the game was up,
" When you can't beat against a gale you
can always run before It," remarked Joe,
as we took position alongside the chain.
There was a terrible hullaboo in the pris
on ; in five minutes there was a whole com
pany of soldiers present, and the twenty or
thirty officials had armed themselves as if
expecting an Insurrection. But we had no
further movement to make. I stood on the
left side of the chain, and a band of iron
was clasped around my arm above the
elbow, the ends slipped past each other,
and a rod passed through the sides In a
bole cut for it, then through a liuk of the
chain, and was then hammered down. The
job was done iu a bungling manner, but was
nevertheless stout and strong as could be
desired. Joe was served in the same man
ner,and then two more prisoners completed
the chain, making fourteen in all, four of
whom were women. Joe's tongue was not
still for a moment ; be gave everybody a
piece of his mind, and when the blacksmith
cuffed his cars, he retaliated with a kick
which doubled the man in a half cirole.
It was noon before we got ready to move.
Joe was singing aa we moved out into the
street, I was watching to catch sight of the
face of a European, and the other twelve
were howling and lamenting. There was
considerable hope yet ; if they marched us
through the streets of Cronsdadt and St.
Petersburg, the chances of my being seen
and identified were good. But the Rus
sians had perhaps talked over the matter ;
at any rate, we were headed for the quay
by the most direct route, and on arriving
there were hustled on board a small stearo
er. "You see their game, don't you?" vhis- .
pered Joe; "they didn't dare take us
through the streets, but will run us np the
lake, and start ns for Siberia from some of
the towns on the northeast side." Con-''
eluded next week. ' ' f-