Sixteen years in Siberia

IN FREIBURG-EPISODES FROM THE PA

nt was then in force. The Sozialdemokrat was published in Zurich, and had to be smuggled over the German frontier, where the watch was very keen, rendering most difficult the despatch to Russia of Russian, Polish, and other revolutionary literature printed in Switzerland. Before the enactment of the special law in August, 1878, the procedure had been simple. At that time the publications were sent

other women's, supposed to belong to my (non-existent) wife; and for this reason there really was a lady present at the Customs examination in Basel,-the wife of my friend Axelrod from Zurich. She offered to take further charge

in Freiburg, close to the station; and in good spirits I climbed into a third-class carriage. It was a Sunday, and the carriage was filled with people in gay holiday mood. Songs were sung, and unrestrained chatter filled the air. The guard was pompous and overbearing, as often happened then on German lines; I do not know if it is so still. When he saw that I was smoking, he told me very rudely, with a great sho

aiter brought me the visitors' book; and as I had a Russian passport, lent me by a friend at the time of my flight from Russia, I at once signed myself in my friend's name, "Alexander Bulìgin, of Moscow." I then ordered writing materials and went to my room, but had barely shut the door behind me when there came a knock. At my "Come in!" there appeared, instead of a servant with writing things, as I had expected, a policeman, accompanied by a gentleman in civil dress. "I am an officer of the secret police," said the latter; "allow me to examine your trunks." Instantly I thought, "As Freiburg is so near the Swiss frontier, the police (to whom the porter must have announced the arrival of a young man with unusually heavy luggage), may think I have contraband good

a book that had come out about a year before

ou searched," said

mark notes, there were in my pockets a dozen numbers of the Zurich Sozialde

can read!" said the detective in a

?" asked I, mu

find out; come alo

nal safety; the domiciliary search was instituted without legal warrant; there were no witnesses. I insisted on the officer's counting over in m

ive asked me if this were my wife, and, notwithstanding my reply in the negative, tried to seize hold of her. She evidently thought she had to do with

eets, but I hotly resisted such treatment, declaring that I had committed no cri

searched again, and for the first time since my arrest

innocence, and indignantly demanded the explanation of such an insult. Coming on the top of

on yourself to insult this lady? I repeat again that I do not know her;

r of yours whom we arrest," declared he; and I thought to myself,

first floor. The lock of a cell-door turned, grating, and

nor form any conclusions about what had occurred. The sense of fate weighed me down; my strength seemed broken. 6Sinister dreams left me no peace all night, and consequently I awoke from slumber in a dazed condition, not knowing where I was or what had happened to me. When at last with an effort I realised my position, despair seized on me. Extradition to Russia sta

etched material conditions, and of removing the heavy burden on the people; following, therefore, the teaching of the Socialists of Western Europe, they set before themselves as their ultimate object the abolition of private property and the collective ownership 7of the means of production. The Propagandists felt entirely convinced that the people would instantly embrace their ideas and aims and join them at the first appeal. This belief was an inspiration to them, and spurred them to unlimited self-sacrifice for the idea that possessed them. These youths and girls renounced without hesitation their previous social position and the assured future that the existing order of things offered them; without further ado they left the educational institutions where they were studying, recklessly broke all family ties, and threw their personal fate into the balance, in ord

ists, men and women, went out "among the people," according to the plan they had formed; they distributed themselves among the villages, where they lived and dressed like peasants, carrying on an active Socialist propaganda. But scarcely had they begun operations when treachery made itself apparent; two or three of the initiated denounced the organisation, and delivered over hundreds of their comrades to the authorities. Searches and arrests took place without number; the police pounced on "guilty" and innocent alike, and all the prisons in Russia were soon filled to overflowing. In this one year more than a thousand persons were seized. Many of them suffered long years of imprisonment under the most horrible conditions, some

Gorinòvitch had been imprisoned in 1874, and being in the greatest danger had saved himself by telling everything he knew about the Russian Socialists. His revelations had injured many; yet, as in numerous other cases, not a hair of this renegade's head would have been touched, if he had kept clear of revolutionary circles. But about two years after his release from prison he tried again to insinuate himself among us, and he managed to get into the confiden

reed. There in a lonely spot we attempted to execute our mission, and left Gorinòvitch lying, as we thought, dead, with a paper fastened on his breast bearing 10the inscription, "So perish all traitors!" But he was only severely injured, was found by the police, and survived to giv

beginning of 1878 I escaped[9] in com

of the Gorinòvitch case (and after the accused had been acquainted with the facts alleged against them, 11for which they were only liable to comparatively light sentences), the Terrorists blew up a train on the Moscow line, believing the Tsar to be in it. In consequence of this the Government determined to revenge themselves upon the accused in the Gorinòvitch case. Of these only one had been directly implicated, and as all had been imprisoned two or three years already before the beginning of the terrorist agitation, they could under no circumstances be supposed answerable for that agitation. In spite of this it was decided to "make an ex