Pittston Gazette

              I i A K«tabliT.IC ■«! I \OL. XL.V1I. No. 51. ! Oldest Newspaper in the Wyoming Valley. PITTSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1897. A Weekly Local and Family Journal. t iti C£i |um Y«mr often said to sleep Honndly the night before execution, and the boys were wo exception. They fell asleep side by side, and only woke when the gray dawn was stealing in at the grated window. Outside were hoard strange noises, a steady tramp of feet, a harsh rattle, and then a terriflo discharge of firearms seemed to shake the building. xne party now numoeren scarcely 1UU. Many had died oil the way, and many had been left at different points on the whom it was intended, for the guards had escaped the flying fragments of iron and glass. place. If wo would escape, there is not a moment to lose." Half rising on his uniujured leg, he rattled fiercely at the door and hammered the heavy panel with his fists. by the soldiers seemed to im iress him tnom, ana tno long inarm was enaea. gara group 01 men, t»oaKCn u, um bkiii, who entered with a clanking C t chains between a file of soldit is ..' i75v?rv"~  from a ludicrous standpoint, for he turned toward the boys with a comical expression on his face. The gold mines of Kara are the private property of his imperial majesty the czar. They consist of a series of open gold placers, located along the banks of tho river Kara, a narrow and rapid mountain stream. rout* Phil lay among the injured, his face and hair stained with blood. Maurice bent over him ill alarm. Toil and sleep, evr the ramr, without rest or change—snob is life at the mines of Kara. Those remaining were either political prisoners or belonged to the most desperate grade of criminals. Maurice was trembling in fear of the const qui nces of this rash act, and Phil v, its leaning against the wall, very pale "The cowards," he cried angrily, as 110 response came from within. "They are afraid to open it. But we have still another chance. Force will conquer where persuasion fails." To reach the prison the party were compelled to cross a section of the city, and the lioys were amazed to see the broad, well paved streets, the imposing buildings, the shop windows filled with articles of luxury, and the well dressed people who occupied the sidewalks. "Phil, Phil," bo cried, "speak to me. Are you hurt?" Then, as no Answer came, he seized the wounded boy in his arms and staggered backward with his burden. Platoff first fell into a paroxysm of anger, but it presently passed off, and he went calmly to skCp, example which the boys, through sheer weariness, were forced to imitate. C1 dazed, Through this Kara valley lies a scattered chain of prisons, mines and convict settlements. Frightened and amazed, the boys rest* to tlicir feet. Footsteps were heard in the corridor. They came nearer and nearer. The door creaked and opened, and Lieutenant Brosky entered, accompanied by two soldiers. A surgeon presently arrived, who dressed the bullet wound in Platoff's leg, and then the prisoners were led away and placed iu separate cells, large, dri ary apartments half filled with huge wooden chests. Ho dragged'himself to the edge of the steps. The wooden canopy over the door was supported by heavy pillars, and seizing one of these Platoff, with a desperate effort, wrenched it loose. Handing it to Maurice, he tore a second ohe from its socket for his own use, and turning to the door he dealt it a sturdy stroke with tin; heavy weapon. At the lower diggings centers the administration of the whole settlement There resides tho governor of the prisons, and there, in barracks, dwells a military force sufficient to quell any insurrection that may arise. The excitement had now reached the highest pitch. The mob, iuflamed still more by the unintentional injury done the exiles, pressed forward against the few reniaiuing soldieis. The whole square was jammed with the furious combatants. The Cossacks fought well, using buyoii"t and saber with deadly effect, but against such desperate numbers their bravery was of no avail, and many of them fell under the volley of cobblestones, clubs, bricks and what other missiles the rioters could lay their hands on. Maurice awoke first. A faint streak of gray was shining through the dirty window, and as he sat up rubbing his eyes a drum began to beat, and the convicts around liim lift their hard beds without an instant's hesitation. •- * "It seems like a dream," observed Maui ice to his companion. "I cannot believe that we are in Siberia. How like an American city this is, Phil, and how long it si ems since we left home," he added sadly. Phil made no reply. He raised his sleeve and brushed away the tears which were rolling down his pale tOfTRtCMt. Br THE WOOIFALI PUBLISHING CO. Maurice spent a wretched night. He tossed from side to side trying in vain to sleep, and listening to the monotonous tread of the sentry. At daybreak a lilt! of mounted Cossacks came after the prisoners. Platoff, on account of his wounded leg, was mounted on horseback, and the boys, heavily ironed, were placed between two columns of soldiers. CHAPTER IX Closely connected with the lower diggings lies middle Kara, where the gloomy prison of the working convict force is located. There, in company with the ordinary and vicious criminals, Maurice and his companions had been placed, though the significance of tho fact did not once occur to them. ho had assumed. He was deeply impressed with the gravity of their present scrape, and even should they avoid punishment for that through Lieutenant Brosky's influence he realized that Siberian exile offered no hope of escape. Vladimir Saradoff would take every THE MOT AT IRKUTSK. "Come," said Platoff, seizing Maurice by the shoulder; "delay will insure a speedy punishment." CHAPTER VIII. "I havo been fortunate," he said in a grave voice. "Grodno was shot outside of the stockade hut a few moments ago, and the Turk will suffer the samo fate as soon as he can be moved to Tomsk, but your sentence has been commuted, and you will go, instead, to the mines of Kara." Lieutenant Brosk'y turned away, as a sign that the interview was ended, and was about to rap on the table for the guards who- were outside iu the hall when Maurice asked respectfully: " Will CONDEMNED. "Strike, lad, strike!" ho shouted to Maurice. "Do your best!" And under the double rain of blows the door began to creak and tremble. Carried away by the possibilities of escape Which Platoff offered, Maurice onco more forgot all prudence, and with nerves wrought to the highest tension he banged away at the resisting barrier with furious en ergy. Glancing over his shoulder, ho saw the square all ahlaze with torches and alive with mounted Cossacks and swarms of infantry. Phil was up by this time, and they joined the crowd, who were pressing forward toward the door. A Cossack officer stood at the entrance, book in hand, and at once prccreded with t'mii morning verification. The men answered to their names as they were called out and then scattered through the room. cheeks. The mournful procession moved on rapidly, attracting but little attention from ttie people. As they passed through the square Maurice could with difficulty believe that it was the scene of last night's precaution on that score. The rapid approach of darkness made The interior of the convict prison was gloomy and wretched beyond description. The floor and the walls were covered with the accumulated dirt of years, the narrow windows admitted through their dusty panes a meager supply of light, and the atmosphere was vile and stifling. Long, slanting platforms of bare, unplaned be 1 - sleeping purposes. A ft v. ... u scattered about, but not hah agb to accommodate the inmates 01 prison. At the thought of his treacherous uncle Maurice ground his teeth and clinched his fists. "The mines of Kara!" exclaimed Maurice blankly, and for the moment, as his mind reverted to what he had read and beard of that dread place, be felt half sorry that their lives bad been spared. The central portion of the city was soon left behind, and they entered a more squalid neighborhood, with dark, narrow streets and gloomy, dingy houses. The sidewalks now appeared to be more crowded, and from the attitude of the people it seemed as though something unusual were going ou. strugglr ft the scene still more dreadful, and as the prisoners realized their situation and saw the discomfiture of their guards many of them broke from the lines and vanished in the crowd. The place was almost deserted. A few people stood on the street corners, and the shutters of tho somber gray houses were tightly closed, probably to hide the broken windows. Presently ho became more composed and sat down on the bed beside Phil. If any aid could reach them, it must come from one source—home. His guardian and Phil's friends would make a determined effort to find the boys. But here again Vladimir Saradoff would no doubt be ready with some cunning tale to explain their disappearance. A few moments later breakfast waB served, consisting of weak tea and black rye bread, and as 6oon as this w as over the working parties were made up for the day. Two &angs started from the prison, each surrounded by a squad of Cossacks. Maurice and Platoff were in one of these, and Phil was in the other. They marched past few scattered log buildings that surrounded the prison and tramped for an hour or more up the gloomy valley. The sky was dark with clouds, and a fine snow was falling. The mining operations on the Kara river had reached a point some distance from the settlement, thus forcing on the convicts the additional misery oi a long tramp through Ine snow each morning and evening. M Then came a revulsion of feeling, and he thanked the lieutenant warmly for his intercession. The intense excitement gave to Maurice almost superhuman strength, and Phil's unconscious body seemed an easy burden as he bore it tenderly into the center of the lines, where the chance of saf« ty from the flying missiles was best. There he paused irresolutely for a moment. The sullen roar of the mob rang in his ears, an occasional red flash lit up the gloom, and the terror stricken w retches around him were beginning to flC e in all directions. The insurrection had been quickly quelled, and tho rear of the was fast struggling out through the narrow street, leaving countless dead behind them. "Harder, harder!" commanded Platoff. "A few more strokes will do it, and then safety." As he spoke a squad of Cossacks clattered down the street, striking right and left at the remnant of the fugitives, and along the sidewalk advanced a turbulent swarm of troops, seeking hero and there for some object on which to vent their passion. A torch gleam flashed under the canopy, revealing the fugitives, and the maddened soldiers made a rush for the steps, iiring recklessly into the air as they ran. In desperation Platoff and Maurice redoubled their efforts. Crash, crash, rang the heavy pillars, and crack, crack, went the door on its hinges. The bullets pinged sharply round the daring refugees, and just as the foremost of the soldiers swept up the steps, with gleaming bayonets, the lock gave way before the fusillade and the door swung inward. The forwarding prison was soon reached. It was a large, dilapidated building 011 the outskirts of the city. The boys were separated from Platoff as soon as they entered the courtyard and taken away to a large cell, where they were locked up together. Here they spent nearly two weeks of trying suspense, expecting any moment to be led out .and shot for their participation in the riot. Multitudes of peasants in red silk and black velvet trousers surged to and fro, singing and shouting, either from excitement or intoxication, probably the latter, for ou every street corner was a peddler's stall, where the fiery vodka was being sold by tlD« oImm-j nr the1 bottle. Phil, to whom the mines of Kara meant nothing, fairly broke down and was profuse in his gratitude. Inside +he*doorway the : • y arrived exiles, not more than 30 in number, were baited, and an officer, with a paper in his band, called out the names one by one and checked them off as they were responded to. Little did Maurice dream of tho startling truth as ho sat on the wretched couch thinking of the homo and" the friends that he would probably never see again. "I did 110 more thau my doty," said Lieutenant Brosky coldly. "I believed yonr Htory and etated iny belief to the governor of the province. He was pleased to commute your punishment. Your original sentence, which I promised to ascertain for you, was ten years at the mines. "It's a holiday of some kind," whispered Maurice; "the shops are all closed and the people are dress« d up in their best." He fell asleep at last, and when he woke the guards were tramping heavily past the prison, and from an adjoining cell came furious cries and ravage cursing, doubtless the wretched Grodno in a feverish delirium caused by bis wound. The guards visited them daily, bat it was impossible to obtain any information from them, and Maurice's entreaties to the commanding officer of the prison were unheeded. Then one cold, raw morning they were hurried through the courtyard in the early dawn. Outside in the dreary street an exile party was forming, and before it was fully light the long procession was winding over the frozen ground toward the distant mines of Kara. That last stage of the journey was more dreadful than anything that had preceded it. Winter set in with arctic severity, and the wretched exiles toiled through snow and ice, shivering in their scanty garments, weak for want of nourishing food, nud sleeping at night in road stations where every form of disease brooded in the vitiated air. The commandant of the prison, a tall, bearded officer, with a harsh face, stood by his side, closely watching the proceedings. No attempt v. us made to check them. The few remaining soldiers were busily engaged in lighting for their lives. At that moment tne exiles wefe named in a small square, surrounded by unusually squalid houses, and instantly an eager and curious crowd had hemmod them in. They were pressed against the soldiers, who tried in vain to drive them back cm the sidewalk. "That has now been increased to SO years, so you can face the worst. Remember that what I have done for you is in return for your assistance when those two ruffians attacked me. Here our intercourse ends. It is not likely that we shall meet again." As Maurice still hesitated whether to remain where he was or to trust to the tender mercies of the mob the situation changed with appalling suddenness. A territic report echoed over the square— a report that was instantly succeeded by cries of fright and pi',in—and the riotous mob, quick to roeognize the crash of artillery, fell into a hopeless panic anil fled in confusion. Toward the four approaches of the square they surged, shouting, trampling each other underfoot, and still the vengeful cannon sent its iron messengers tearing among them. When the last name had been called, the officer rolled tip the paper and handed it to the commandant, saying: "There now, Captain Daroman, my duty is done, and I will leave these fel- Ajw8 under your authority. Take good care of them and don't give them too rich food or they will all get dyspepsia.""No, Phil; don't give up." His ravings continued until daylight, completely putting an end to the boys' sleep. The gangs consisted of 20 men each, and as soon as they reached the spot work was begun. Each party was instructed by an officer, while the Cossacks, drawing a complete cordon around the convicts, built fires to keep themselves comfortable. you be kind enough to tell us to what part of Siberia we have been sentenced? No one will give us any information." They -were provided with a scanty, unpalatable breakfast and then left alone until after tnidday, when a file of soldiers, led by a young officer, entered the cell. They were taken outside, ■where they found Grodno supported by two guards, his only face flushed with fever. He glared at the boys with malignity, and even maths an effort to spring at Aluurice, but was held back by the soldiers. They marched across the courtyard between crowds of convict*, who surveyod them curiously and, as a close observer v onld have discovered, pityingly, The lieutenant spoke u few words to the captain, and then, turning to Manrice, replied: "I can tell yon nothing tow. I promise yon that yon shall know what your original sentence was when yon arrive at Tomsk." Ho signaled to the guards, and the boys were led away to the larger apartment down stairs. A commotion was now heard in front nud, mingled with the shouts of the people, the boys could distinguish rude music and a hollow beating of drums. * An officer galloped along the line, shoutiug fiercely: "Drive the scoundrels from the square. Force your way through with swords and bavouets!" As the lientenant turned to leave the prison Maurice, seeing his last chance slipping away, sprang forward implur ingly, but the officer motioned him back, and in an instant the door had closed behind him. "We ought to be thankful that our lives have been saved," said Phil as Maurice threw himself, face downward, on the bed, and presently be asked, "Where are the mines of Kara and what are they?" The gold bearing sands along the banks of the Kara river lie buried under a stratum of clay and gravel varying in depth from 10 to 20 feet This is dug out by pit ks and carted away until the bed of saud is exposed, and the gold is washed out by rude hoppers. Under the watchful eyes of the overseer the men labored unceasingly. It was a sad sight, the grim soldiers pacing through the drifting snow or grouped about the fires, the wretched toilers bending to their work with aching limbs, and in fitting harmony were the clank of chains, the creak of the wheelbarrows and the monotonous tap of the picks. To Maurice this unaecustomed labor was especially severe. In a short time his back ached and bis hands were blistered. PlatofT tried to encourage him from time to time, but be w as compelled more than once to stop work from exhaustion. The overseer showed some leniency toward those convicts who had just arrived from Irkutsk, and these short periods of rest were not rebuked. At midday a lunch of tea and bread was served, and then the labor continued without intermission until late in the afternoon. The officer laughed at his own weak witticism and passed out of the door, which one of the Cossacks held open for him. "Inside, for your life!" slionted Platoff, and seizing Phil in his powerful arms he fairly threw him into the dark hallway and pushed Maurice after him. Springing back to the edge of the steps, he snatched tho two heavy pillars, and swinging them around his head mowed down the advancing soldiers like ripened wheat. The weary exiles made a motion to press forward into the room, but Captain Daroman waved them back with his hand. The Cossacks made an immediate attempt to obey this order, for the column pushed forward a few yards, only to come to a dead halt again between the snrging crowds. Retaining his presence of mind and clinging to Phil with all his might, Maurice wan swept into the thick of the struggle. Jostled, squeezed and bruised, he was carried, without any effort of his own, foot by foot, acrrss the square. Twice be stumbled and gave himself up for lost, but the press lifted him to his feet again, and he held on to his burden with renewed hope. Grodno was still sitting in moody silence in his corner, and the Cossacks were filling .their pockets with food and their canteens with tea. Then in a hoarse voice he began to speak briefly, going over the prison rules and reciting at length the severe punishment in store for any one daring enough to break them. Maurice watched him closely and read in the lines of that cold, stern face the evidence of a pitiless and malignant disposition. "You will know when we reach there," said Maurice. "They are gold mines that belong to the czar and are nearly 2,000 miles from here. That's all I cart) to say about them." And in spite of Phil's entreaties Maurice firmly refused to talk any more about the mines of Kara. Many died, and some were left in wayside hospitals, but Maurice and Phil fortunately escaped serious illness, though they grew more emaciated day by day. Outeide the sturdy ponies were stamping restlessly, and through the window Maurice saw the wagon standing at the station door. Another horse had been fonnd to match the one shot by Grodno. The boys were near the front of the column, and, looking over the heads of their companions, they could see a golden image mounted on a pole and strange looking banners jammed in among the people. "This is a religions festival of some kind," said Maurice, "and those stupid Cossacks have blundered right into it on their way to the prison." Maurice recognized among T them •nany familiar faces, his fellow voyagers oil the convict barge, and he was glad to see that they had escaped the terrible death to which Grodno's crime had so nearly consigned them. With a spring he regained the hallway and slammed the door shut in the very face of a furious storm of bullets. One slight consolation alleviated their misery. Paul Platoff journeyed at their sido each day, and the strange acquaintance that began on the terrible night of the riot ripened into a deep and lasting friendship. The famous revolutionist, for such he was, possessed many traits which the boys admired. He was kind hearted and sympathetic, and, more than all, he readily believed the tale of crime and sorrow that they poured into his willing ear. Consolation, however, he could not give them. He explained the iniquities and the corruption of Russian justice with a vividness that made his hearers shudder, and ho showed them how utterly hopeless it would be to attack Vladimir Saradoff's intrenched position, even with abundant proofs of the dreadful crime. Of himself Platoff spoke little. He had been neither a terrorist nor an extremist, ho said, but had merely labored in behalf of social reforms. A bugle blast assembled the Cossacks in baste, aud the buys wore rebound and placed in the wagon. Grodno was fastened securely on the back of one of the horses and given in charge of two Cossacks. At the last minute Lieutenant Brosky appeared and took the front ■eat. When just on the point of starting an incident occurred which for the moment diverted the boys from their troubles.Above the roar of the people he heard the whistle of rifle balls, for it was evident that re-enforcements had arrived and were firing r«-cklessly into the mob. The troops seemed bent 011 slaughtering as many of the rioters as possible, for the shooting txcanie louder and more frequent, and men began to drop in all directions. They spent two days of gloom and hopelessness in the Tomsk prison, and at daybreak on the third morning they were rudely turned out into the inclosure, which was half filled with wretched exiles waiting apparently for some event of importance. "I have your companion," he shouted to Maurice. "Follow me quick. They will be here in an instant." He led the way in tho darknOs, and Maurice followed closely along what seemed to ba a vast corridor. Outside were beard furious cries and rifle shots and a clatter of feet. Then the door burst open, revealing a blaze of torches and a multitude of fierce faces. Wretched indeed would existence be in that prison under the will of Captain Daroman. Near the gates stood the office of the prison, a gloomy two story building. Soldiers were all around it, somo on guard duty, some chatting in groups, others holding fiery black horses, belonging, no doubt, *o officers who were inside. The boys were ushered into a large, dimly lighted room aud in a barred inclosure along one side Around a large table, lighted by a lamp, sat half a dozen stern looking men in officers' uniforms, among whom Maurice recognized Captain fcstanisla, the Cossack captain who recaptured the fugitives and Lieutenant Brosky. The rest were strangers. The two men were writing at a table near by, and a dozen soldiers occupied a long bench across the room, but all Was very quiet and still. From the crowding and pushing going on in front it looked as though the mob were disputing the passage of tho He ceased at last, and as he turned away Paul Platoff stepped quickly forward. "Captain Daroman," he said respectfully, *1 am a political prisoner, and so also are these two men," designating Maurice and Phil. "I should like to know why we have been brousht nere instead or to the political prison at the lower diggings?" prisoners, The delay was brief. The large gates were thrown open, and between lines of firmed soldiers the convicts, answering to their names, which were called ont by an officer with a book in his hand, passed outside, each man receiving at the gate a sum of money equivalent to 10 cents. On this they must svbsist two days, as the Russian government allows its exiles but 6 cents a day while on the march. The outcry was loud and violent, and the commands of the officers with difficulty reached the ears of their men. Twice Maurice shuddered when he felt something soft underfoot. With every nerve strained to its utmost he held his own against the pressure, expecting every moment to be riddled with bullets. Amid the throng of curious villagers standing a little distance from the wagon the keen eyes of Lieutenant Brosky detected the cowardly driver who had run away from him that morning aud was lurking in the background hoping to escape detection. A close watch was kept on the convicts, and the soldiers threatened with sword and bayonet the excited mob who pressed against them. "Down flat!" shouted Platoff. "They will fire over our heads." As they dropped to the floor, trembling in expectation of a volley of bullets, a door at the farther end of the corridor opened, and a file of soldiers appeared, led by a young officer with drawn sword. A lamp was burning in the room behind them. For a moment a dire catastrophe impended. CHAPTER XIL A DARING ACT. Amid all this tumult the convicts maintained the same sullen demeanor, some gazing stupidly 011 the ground, others carelessly scanning the faces of the people. Suddenly his foot tripped on something hard, and, taking a step upward, he felt the smooth pavement under him. At the same instant there was a stinging pain in his left arm, and his grasp on Phil relaxed. He knew he could go no faithcr with his burden, and yet to remain where he was meant certain death. They marched back to the prison at sunset, so weary that every step was torture. The principal meal of the day was now served, consisting of weak soup, rye bread and a small quantity of meat, and then the convicts went to sleep in rows on the bare platforms, some with their coats rolled up for pillows, others without at all. To Maurice and Phil the first week at the mines was a period of horror, and for the first time they began to realize the unutterable misery of their situation. Platoff, with whom they were still able to converse at night, gave them no hope, and indeed they could see for themselves how perilous an attempt to escape would prove under the circumstances. One poor fellow had made a dash for liberty while returning from the mines at sundown, and his bullet riddled body was brought to the prison on a plank. Captain Daroman wheeled like a flash, an ugly expression on his face. The angry officer seized his whip and ■prang from the little wagon with a single bound. Another leap carried him into the midst of the affrighted peasants, who scattered in every direction, and catching bis man by the neck he dragged him back before the station and applied the whip with merciless energy. The fellow bowled and screamed most piteously, but the officer continued the castigation until the whip split in his hand, and then, tossing the fragments in one direction and the limp peasant in the other, he coolly climbed into the wagon, and with a merry blast of the bugles the convoy wound across the steppe on its way to Tomsk. Hamid was not with the party. His condition was probably too serious to permit removal, but Maurice noticed that two of the Cossacks remained behind, doubtless to await the Turk's recovery. "Yon mutinous dog," he shouted, "beginning already, are you? I'll make an example of you for the benefit of the others." He turned toward the soldiers, apparently on the point of giving some orders, while Platoff's face flushed crimson and his hands quivered nervously. The boys almost forgot their own troubles in the pitiful sights around them, for many of the prisoners were accompanied by wives and children. Directly behind Maurice and Phil stood a middle aged man, with a light beard and mustache. He had accompanied the party fronj Tomsk, and his name was Paul Platoff. This was all that the lioys knew concerning him, for, although his refined appearance had tempted them on more than one occasion to make his acquaintance, the recollection of their previous experience always checked them in the act. Turning half round, Maurice saw that this Platoff was gazing into the crowd, with an expression of intense excitement on his features. Had ho recognized some friend or acquaintance among the people, or was he meditating a sudden escape, basing his hopes on the hostile attitude displayed toward the soldiers and the murmurs of pity for the fettered convicts? The command to fire was 011 the officer's lips, and the soldiers at the outer door already held their hands on the triggers. Caught between two fires, the fugitives devoutly hugged the floor, wishing themselves anywhere but in their present predicament. Tho thrill- "They are waiting for some person," whispered Maurice to Phil. One of the guards observed the conversation and rapped the boys sharply on tho shoulders with the flat of hie sword. On the flimsiest of evidence he was convicted and sentenced to Siberia for ten years. The exil» party was speedily made up. The extra clothes and baggage which many of the convicts possessed were piled up in wagons, and while this was going on peddlers and peasant women crowded freely in through the guards with various kinds of food, which was bought up eagerly. To his right a gloomy building loomed indistinctly out of the darkness. If he could only cross the sidewalk and reach that, he might find a place of refuge till the danger was past However, Captain Daroman suddenly changed his mind, and he turned once more to Platoff, with a grim smile hovering on bis lips. He had been educated at the Moscow university aud was an educated and scholarly man. In a very short time wheels rattled up to the door, and a tall, stout man entered the room and took a seat at the head of the table. Ho had a heavy gray beard and mustache and was dressed in a summer uniform of light linen. He conversed briefly with Lieutenant Brosky, a proceeding which Maurice gladly noted, and then the trial—if such it could be called—was formally begun. Summoning all his strength and still grasping Phil with his wounded arm, in spite of the pain, lie began to force his way at right angles through the H—h D r train Qm Wl I 4 „ Li-- / jltfesN rf These and many other topics he discussed with tho boys at every opportunity on their long march, and in this way both Maurice and Phil acquired a fluent knowledge of the Russian language that permitted them to converse freely. "So you wish to know why yon are here, do you? So this place is not good enough for you? You'll find out before you get through, let me tell you. What's your name? I can readily guess, though. You are Platoff, the revolutionist. Stand to one side there and let your two friends come forward too. Birds of a feather must flock together." At last came the order to start, and the whole column was quickly in motion. A squad of Cossacks, in their handsome green uniforms, led off and were followed by the disorderly throng of men, women and children marching between three broken lines of soldiers. The infirm and the sick and the very small children came next, riding in telgas—a species of rude wagon—and a sullen convoy of half a dozen Cossacks, guarding the baggage wagons, with their loads of gray bags, brought up the rear. mob. It was almost a hopeless task, but be stuck to it, bravely pushing the people risht and left with desperate strength. The boys' suspeuse was augmented by the fact that all was conducted in Russian.Platoff told them much about the mines of Kara, its rules and regula- The air was clouded with powder smoke, and the guns still pounded un- Maurice and Phil timidly advanced a few paces from the throng, and the commandant surveyed them with a lowering aspect "Try to keep up your courage and wait," said PlatoS. "That is all I can tell you. It may be that harder times are before us. Captain Daroman was summoned away the day after we arrived here. Wben be returns, we shall feel the change. Do you wonder now that men turn against the czar and his government?" The first to be examined was Captain Stanisla, who spoke for 10 or IB minutes, and from stray words understood here and there Maurice knew that he was relating the circumstances of the fire. ceasingly tions. "We are all three political prison- At the time the convict barge had been aet on fire it was more than 100 miles from the city of Tomsk, and as the fugitives had covered but little ground in their flight the journey was of short duration. Fierce as was the rush of the mob, Maurice fought his way clear across the sidewalk, aud staggering feebly up a flight of stone steps dropped in a dead faiut on the summit. The ping of bullets brought him to his senses, and he sat up to si-e Phil lying motionless at his side and a man in convict garb leaning heavily against the door. ITS, ' lie said, "and we shall be treated as such. Fur some mouths we shall be kept in close confinement in the prison. At the expiration of that time, if we b»-huve ourf t lves in accordance with the rules, we will be permitted to join the free command and live outside the prison in cal'ius, subject, of course, to con stant polir ' " Ah tliese thoughts passed through Maurice's wind the command to march was thundered out by the officer, and the bead of the line Legan to straggle through the now sundered ranks of the procession. "What are your names?" he asked fiercely. Maurice hesitated. To proclaim himself under the false title by which he bad been arrested would be a tacit acknowledgment of tbe name, while to tell the truth would undoubtedly cause serious trouble and excite Captain Daroman's wrath to its fullest extent. At the close of his explanation ho was subjected to a close cross exam ination. Lieutenant Brosky and the /Cossack captain followed with brief addresses, and at this point the prosecution seemed to r«*st. The officers conferred briefly amoug themselves, and then, to the utter consternation of the boys, Grodno was called forward. The Cossack ponies and the horses who drew the wagon were animals of ■nperior strength and endurance, as are *11 Siberian horses, and after two brief delays at wayside posting stations Tomsk was reached late the following evening. They crossed the dark river and drove into the wide and populous streets of the town. On all sides the boys were surprised to see large and imposing buildings and churches of various denominations. As the hour was late, bat few people were on the streets, And these barely glanced at the little cavalcade as it wound rapidly through the town. The boys turned once for a last look at Tomsk, already fast fading on the horizon, and then, with faces pale and stern, they marched away to the eastward, where thousauds and thousands march every year—never to return. As the meu in front of him began to move Maurice turned for another look at Piatoff, and on that very instant the convict sprang from the line, wrenched the gun from the grasp of the nearest soldier and, swinging it savagely round his head, plunged in among the jx'ople, who made no effort to prevent his escape."No," said Phil, witb a bitter langb. C*I am surprised at nothing, Platoff, and I am getting desperate myself. Some day I shall lose all control and turn on these fiends." "But how about the mines?" asked Maurice. "Will we not be compelled ftp work hi them?" re supervision. He turned to the boys, and Maurice recognized Paul Piatoff. The fugitive's face was white with pain, and his right leg was bound with a crimson bandago torn from his overcoat. At this critical moment Platoff came to the rescue. The period of suffering and misery that began with the departure from "No," replied Piatoff; "only the ordinary criminals do that. Politicals never labor in the mines." Platoff looked at the lad grimly, noting his flashing eyes, his heaving chest 'If w would escape, there is not a mo- "Their names are Cunningham and Burton," he said respectfully. "They are bnt little acquainted with the Russian tongue." Ho advanced eagerly in spite of bis wound and started to speak in an excited voice. / *.■ \ jr "We are safo for the present," he said in Russian, pointing to the high wooden canopy over the top of tho steps. "Keep low, though, for a stray bullet might strike you." wmt to lime." "And when once we are allowed to join this free command and live outside the prison what are our chances of escape?" continued Maurice. Piatoff shrugged his shoulders. "You will be shot," he said quietly, and then to himself be added: "He'a a fine fellow, with good stuff in him. We might do something after all. I'll have to look into the matter." ing pause was broken by a Cossack officer, who forced his way up tho steps and into the hall. Ho was speedily compelled to be silent and to content himself witfc answering the questions that were put to him. Quick as was this daring deed, it did not escape the guards, and half a dozen Cossacks, from as many different points along the line, raised their rifles and fired at Platoff's retreating form, ignoring the people entirely in their eagerness to arrest the fugitive. The scene that ensued terrified the boys. Cries of pain followed the rifle lire, and as the smoke partially cleared four motionless bodies were seen lying in the dusty road. Paul Piatoff was not among them. He bad vanished in the crowd. Tho sight of these innocent victims changed the hostile feelings of the people to a furor of madness. Maurice attempted to utter a feeble protest, but a glance from Platoff silenced him. The commandant scanned the paper be held in his hand. "Don't shoot!' he cried to the men. ' "What are you doing hero? What does this mean, attacking his majesty's storehouse?"Maurice nodded gratefully, and immediately stretched himself at full length on the topmost step. A glance upward showed him a high stone building. The windows were tightly closed with iron shutters, and the door was of heavy wood with brass trimmings. Platoff was right The next day Captain Daroman returned, and the predicted ohange came with a vengeance. The supply of daily food was shortened, all conversation was strictly forbidden, and the wretched toilers in the mines were refused a moment's rest, with the exception of a scant ten minutes for lunch. "Wo won't discuss that," he said. "Many escape every year, some striking westward, others down the valley of the Amur toward the Pacific, but all are eventually recaptured and are made to pay dearly for their brief period of liberty. Yet if a chance offered 1 think 1 would take it. Time will tell whether I will be compelled to servo out my sentence at the mines of Kara." "Platoff, Cunningham, Burton," he muttered under his breath. Then, looking up keenly, he said: "And so you think it is strange that you were not taken to tbe political prison? Have you forgotten Irkutsk on the night of the 22d of September? Havo you forgotten the riot, the slaughtered soldiers, the The interrogations were brief, and as the convict was led back to the pen he threw a glance of hateful triumph at the boys. Before a reply could bo made the officer at the farther end of the hall cried, "In the name of the czar, lay down your arms and surrender, or I fire!" The challenge of the sentries rang sharply on the air as they halted before a huge military looking stockade, fiierced by a large gate, and flanked at ts corners by guardhouses. At that moment Maurice lost all hope, and the grave, severe faces of his judges seemed to confirm his belief. He made no attempt to speak, knowing only too well that it would be useless. Then he turned his attention to the street,, and at once forgot Phil, Piatoff and his wounded arm in the scene beneath him. "Hold on! Don't shoot!" exclaimed tho Cossack. " What is the meaning of this, you ruffians?" And he turned angrily to the men. They passed through the gateway into the conrtvard, and the huge forwarding prison of Tomsk was before them, not a single large building, as might have been expected, but a dozen or more one stoTy log bouses grouped about the inuloaure without any attempt at regularity. A large number of soldiers For a time these hardships were borne without complaint but it soon became evident that the commandant had a special hatred against the three political prisoners, and he lost no opportunity of displaying his feelings. The officer in the white suit conferrC;d with his companions, and then, rising t« his feet, announced what was evidently the verdict of the court. Grodno gave a loud cry as the words fell from the officer's lips, and then the prisoners were hurried from the room. A few paces beyond the door they were met by Lientenant Brosky, who whispered to Maurice as they paused hurriedly by: "You are all sentenced to be shot. Grodno has lied infamously. Don't despair yet I will do what I * The house where ho had taken refuge was at the entrance to one of tho exits from tho square. By good fortune tho majority of tho rioters had turned in this direction. It had so happened that the troops approached the seiuare from all three of the other entrances, leaving this ouo ulone unguarded, and now the narrow passageway was fast choking up with tho fleeing fugitives, while a horde of cavalry rode at their heels, sabering the wretched creatures as fast as they could use their weapons. Tho roar of artillery and the crack of rifles had almost ceased, but tho shrieks of tho wounded and the frightened cries of the others made an indescribable tumult."It is not we who have broken in here," half a dozen burst out. "It is some of the rioters. They have killed our men, and we demand vengeance." "How far from the minee is the Pacific ocean?" inquired Phil. A- "Less than 1,000 miles," was Platoff's answer. "The Amur river leads right to Vladivostok, the Bussiau seaport. " A Russian mob is always merciless and cruel, always regards a soldier or a gendarme as a born enemy, and now, with shouts of rage that were caught up and re-echoed from every corner of the square, the riotous peasantry closed in on the little group of exiles and sol- The young officer, who had been under the impression that the men at tho door wore part of the mob attacking the building, now advanced (town tho corridor with his file of sokliers, and, seeing that the game was up, Piatoff rose toliisfeet, cry ing loudly: "Don'tshoot, don't sheKit! We are exiles; we do no belong to the mob!" One bitterly cold morning the convicts were trudging in pairs over the snow clad plains to their daily toil. were pacing to and fro with loaded rifle* on tbeir shoulders, and owing to the mildness of the night hundreds of convicta were sleeping on the ground. When the new arrivals entered, many of them sat tip wirh a harsh clanking of chains. The officer oL the prison quickly came forward, accompanied by Captain Stanisla himself, and the prisoners were once more placed in his custody."And once at Vladivostok what chance of liberty would there be?" asked Maurice eacerlv. Maurice and Platoff marched in front, and close behind tbem was Phil, who had been transferred to their gang some time before. They had barely lift the settlement and were passing along the base of a hill, part way up which stood half a doeen struggling cabins. The boy* teuffereil much from the chilling "In the harbor," said Piatoff, "there are constantly English, French, German, Spanish and American vessels— and Russian corvets," he added, with a grim smile. Tho boys scarcely heard the last words. In imagination they saw a noble vessel riding at anchor, with the dear old stars and stripes waving over her deck. Tomsk almost defies description. Day after day they trndged on, living on the scanty food that their meager allowance was able to purchase, and sleeping at night in fool, crowded exile station houses which are built along the road at intervals of from 18 to 20 miles. ruing. For an instant swords and bayonets flushed, and the foremost of the rioters perished by cold steel, but those behind pressed on more furiously than ever. diors. can." Tli*' soldiers at the door commenced to clamor for their liven, but tho Cossack officer drove them hack from tile eutruuco, and the other troops advanced down the corridor and Mixed Platoff and liia companions. With these words ringing in their ears the boys staggered across the prison yard, oblivious to everything around tbem, and sank down in the corner of the cell. The guards went silently away, and even Grodno's piteous wailings from the adjoining cell were unheeded and unheard. The situation became critical in the extieuie. The troops, few in number as it was, were scattered along the lines, and, being unable to concentrate, were wholly at the mercy of the mob. The tumult was deafening, and w ith the savage and frenzied yellB of the rabble mingled the occasional crack of a rifle or a clash of steel. Up in frout the advance guard of Cossacks were making a brave stand, and the rear guard, too, were apparently holding their own, but along the straggled line the soldiers were going dow n one by one, and missiles of every description were falling thickly among the panic stricken convicts."Some of the free command live there," whispered Platoff, and Maurice looked with envy at the homes of the unfortunate people who were yet ten times better off than himself. Lieutenant Brosky drove away immediately without even glaucing toward the boys, the Cossacks trotted out of the inclosure, and the recaptured fugi tives were marched off to an isolated log building with heavy doors and barred windows. Every third day they rested, and these halts the Ixiys soon learned to regard with uncontrollable horror, for during the whole 24 hours they remained shut up in the close, unhealthy station houses. "Mureh lively, now, do yon hear!" crit d a Cossack soldier harshly, and with tear dimmed eyes the boys quickened their steps, w hile I'latoff trudged stolidly forward, buried in his own thoughts. With a sad heart Maurice watched the mass withdrawing foot by foot through the narrow street, while the tramp of hoofs and the glare of torches came closer and closer and closer. CHAPTER XI Suddenly he nw, to his great surprise, a girl standing by tho roadside a few yards ahead. TTIR MINKS OK KAItA Hours passed, and still they tossed in wretched misery on the hard pallet. Phil broke down completely and cried bitterly, while Maurice, brave lad that he was, could hardly repress his tears. He made no effort to encourage Phil by false hopes, for he knew bow precarious was the aid that Lieutenant Brosky had promised. Death staml them in the face. If ever there was an example of the disastrous consequences of bad company, Maurice felt that, this was one, and bitterly did he regret having had anything to do with the two convicts.They were hurried through the* corridor into a rear apartment, and the door was quickly vlosed. Tho danger was past, however, and the Cossack officer, after driving his men from the house, returned to claim his prisoners. Thus spring passed into summer, and turned to autumn, and still the exile fiirty pressed wearily forward, leaving many of their number at different poiuts along the route. Plutnff's commanding voice recalled him to his senses. One thing they had overlooked. Ill the time that had elapsed since the riot at Irkutsk and their assault 011 the canr's storehouse they had come to believe that no further punishmcut would be inflicted upon them. Even Platoff, who should have known better, was lulled into a false security. attack on the czar's storehouse? Did "What are j/o«r mini «•#?'' he nuked jlcrwly. figure aud dressed in a long fur cloak Continued on Mcoud |««.. NAt'o7^6i of tNi (ilolw (or I rheumatism! I WITBATiQIA and ilmllar Oomplaint», I nuil prt'twrwl undnr tlin a»r Insist. MEDICAL LAWS.^ l'ri»»cribod by eminnntphy*ician«r^P5l IS) DR. RICHTER'S (&S& "N® ■PAIN EXPELLERl I World ifnownwl! Rrmiirkuhljrwirrviwfiil' ■ ■Onlvirrnnlno wllh Trade Mark '• Anchor, ■ D'. id. Rli'htorAl'o., 8i;» IVurlSI., Sew lorh ■ I 31 HIGHEST AWARDS. I 19 BraaahEfliuei. Own Glunwork*. M fillr RDdomil A rci-iD|iiuiiDliC1Cnl  rarri'r TVek, !»• I.Hzcrm. Avettuc U. O. Olick. M) Nm tti Main si H Houck. I Nnrtli  PltttMtun. Pr 0« mCMTtR'l I **ANCHOR" STOMACHAli boat fori She was not more than 16, slender of The boys were not slow to realise the serious change in tbeir situation. The guards roughly fastened chains to their legs and thrust them into a dark, ill smelling room containing absolutely nothing but a dirty straw bed in one eorner. The door was closed and locked, and they were alone in darkness. you think to escape the penalty of thorn misdeeds? Justice does not sleep in Russia. You were tried nod convicted without your knowledge. ISentcnoe wan giveu—you say you did not know it? Very well, I huve the decree of •entenoo hero. It in enough for you to know that you ore condemned to work out your time nt hard labor in the mine* instead of idling in a political prison. In me you will huve no lenient t«nkmitHter. 1 tdiall exact the fullest obedience. 1 know how to deal with fellows liko you. Now go and be prepared in the morning to handle your picks in the czar's gold mines." "Come," he said, touching Maurice on the shoulder. "You are a bravo lad. I watched your heroic struggle through the crowd. Let us try to escape. If wo can gain access to this house till the square be cleared, I have friends who will care for us. 1 am wouuded, or I would seek safety there." And he pointed down at the struggling crowd. Most of this speech Mtturico understood, for he had by this time acquired a fair knowledge of the language. He sat up gladly and turned to Platoff for instructions. The Russian, however, was binding over Phil and wiping the blood from the boy's pallid face. "Your friend is not dead," he said. "A fragment of bomb his head. He will be all right shortly." There were times when the boys found it difficult to convince themselves that the past was not all a dream—that they had ever known a brighter, fairer country than this desolate Siberia, and then again there were occasions when the past became all too realistic and vivid, and the remembrance of their ho]ieiess condition and of Vladimir Saradoff's crime sank into their hearts like heated "Yes," he said, "these are my men. This is I'latoff, the fellow who caused all the disturbance." And he glared thrcutcningly at the Russian, who was sitting 011 the floor nursing his wounded leg. Something round and black, with a smoking fuse, fell at Maurice's feet Everything must have an end, nnd so this apparently interminable sourness, this toiling over desolate Siberian wastes and frown rivers, was finished at last, and one dreary afternoon in the month of January the mines of Kara burst upon the heartsick exiles, aud presently the command to halt ran up aud down the line. In the thickly falling snow little could be seen—the dim outline of gloomy houses, groups of exiles moving to and fro aud squads of armed Cossacks in all directions. "What do you suppose tliey will do with us?" asked Phil in despairing tones. "Not that it matters much, for I don't seem to care any more what becomes of me. 1 have lost all hope." "Back! Back!" he cried, frantically clutching Phil by the shoulder, and as they turned to flee a terrific explosion shook the ground and a red flush briefly lit up the scene of carnage. Then, turning to the officer in command of the building, he added: "I shall have to leave these fellows in your charge overnight, I fear many of the convicts have escaped, and wo must lose no time in retaking tisim. We have taught your Irkutsk mob a lesson they won't forget, and we are by 110 means done with them yet." Aud swearing violently ho hurried away. "No, Phil; don't give up," said Maurice firmly. "The outlook is very bard, but all hope is not, gone. We can't tell what may turn up Jet in our favor. Have courage, Phil; have courage. Lieutenant Brosky may get us free of this present scrape, and when we learn just where they are going to take ps—and you know the lieutenant promised to tell us—then we can see better What our chances are." Grodno, out of revenge, had sworn that the boys were equally guilty with himself, and now they must pay the penalty.iron The boys suffered much from the chilling rains and cold winds that came with the early autumn, and many a weary mile they marched with dripping garments flapping about their aching 8TOKMINU TlIK WKONU CITADF.K CHAPTER X Captain Damnum turned hunphtily iway, and the crowd prwnwd forward, drngfgiuK Muurice and bin companion* with them. Supper was brought to tbem, but was left untouched. Neither had any desire to eat. Engrossed in their own The explosion of the bomb—for such it undoubtedly was—threw Maurice with stunning force to the ground, aud when he staggered to his feet, dizzy and blinded, he believed at first that he was badly injured. sad thoughts, tbey even paid little attention to each other, pacing the floor constantly and starting nervously at every strange sound from without. So the hours wore on, and night came. limbs. "Where are we?" asked Platoff of the officer who hud arrested them. "What house is this?" It was on a crisp, cool September evening that Irkutsk was reached, and the sun was setting lightly on the white walls and golden domes of this powerful capital of eastern Siberia when the boys crossed the river on a pendulum ferryboat and entered the streets of the city. Reaching within his blou«e, he drew out a tiny flask and put it to Phil's li(Ds. The effect wus wonderful. The wounded lad Opened his eyes and made an effort to sit up. Platoff propped him against the side of the doorway aud then turned to Maurice. "Look," he said, "the Cossacks are coming nearer. Their torches '"ill mill tif lit nn our hiilini/ For two hours or more the newly arrived party were kept standing in ranks until their limbs were frost bitten and the f tiow was heavy 011 their heads aud shoulders. It was dark when the little column was ordered forward again. Dazed by what they had just beard, they dropped mechanically on the wooden platform. When the smoke and dust cleared partially, he forgot his owu pain in the misery around him. Two or three of the convicts lay on the ground groaning piteously. The bomb had dune dreadful 1 execution, and not unwuiv threw fm "You have assaulted and broken into the czar's storehouse of exile supplies, " was tho stern reply, "and 1 aiu the officer in command of it." It was difficult at first to realise the fall import of Captuiu Daromau 'h words. Phil, however, refused to be comforted and paced the front of the narrow apartment until compelled to lie down from sheer weariness. Maurice was far ffeon feeling the confident manner which Grodno was silent, and the only sounds that broke the stillness were the heavy tread of soldiers and the occasional rattle at stoeL The truth dawued on them gradually, and their own fate was brought more vividly to mind by the arrival of a convict party from the mines, a hag- This announcement was a great, surprise to Platoff. Tho faot that, he had stormed hIui/Ih. handed a bnililinv held A brief march brought them to a low, gloomy log building, and presently the prison doors were closed behind men uru