| Show I RUSSIAN NA V At OFFICER WHO FROM SIBERIAN MINES IS HERE UNDER AN ED NAME TELLS A THRILLING STORY I i Melville Mundell oa former Russian naval officer who was sent to the mines at Siberia for striking a superior has arrived here He tells a thrilling story of the horrors of his underground prison and of his escape to the coast a after er fourteen months months' confinement and flight across the Pa PaP citi cub Mr Mundell admits that his present name is one he has assumed as a measure measure measure mea mea- sure of safety Here is his story Rese Resents ts Insult With Blow BloY I was sent to Siberia because I struck a superior officer but the act did not occur on board the tha Russian warship oh on which I was a. a junior of- of C fl Tha lh m naf r was anchored off Iff New York ork One day while in Battery Battery Battery Bat Bat- tery park the officer insulted me and andI I struck him We returned to the vessel vessel ves yes sel both being dressed in civilian clothes When he got back to St. St Petersburg my superior officer made his report and I was immediately placed under arrest Afterward I learned that he had said that I was in league with the Nihilists and In telling of the blow I struck did not say that the affair occurred occurred occurred oc oc- oc- oc on land Sent to the Mines Hines In Siberia I I was sent to and Immediately ly placed In the quicksilver quicksilver quick quick- silver slIver mines where I remained for nine months without seeing daylight We were were chained to the wheelbarrows chained to our beds and wherever we went w were wese e in chains Over us as taskmaster w was s a ruf ruf- fian dan who 1 ri 11 been a thief or a highway highway highway high high- way rob e he ne had been sent to the mines mines' While he came from the dregs of the prisoners who obeyed were for the m most st part put men highest station in Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian life good d many of the nobles In his h hat l he always carried earned a knout a short and knotted knotted- whip which w-ld w tear the flesh every time timea a e blow blowS S struck The d in the mines was almost as bad as trio trial You can see the pits in my fa fa where the acid add ate into the flesh man roan cannot live down in th those mines mines' more than two years ears without elther or going Insane I 1 became r- r rat at least I made believe that I wai wal A C it Maniac is an insane sane asylum and andI I hamy eye on this When I was taken to the top of f the gi ground I played a good many tricks to make them think me insane The Governor-General's Governor house was In the Inclosure with the asylum and the opening to the mines I would take a long rope with a white rag tied to the end and run back and forth in front of the Governors Governor's house holding the the- thing as if I were wera flying a kiteI kiteI kite I would puff like a steam engine and act like a young school boy Then I would get a pole and a a. piece of string and go to a hole in the ground and fish until I saw the Governor come along with his wife Of course I never caught anything and I would curse and swear like a a. trooper Attracts Governors Governor's Attention When the Governor would appear I would swear all the more The Th Governor Govern Gover Gover- n nor r would stop and ask me me what the trouble was and I would point at the hole and say that the fish wouldn't bite Then I would begin to cry That settled se it with the Governor vernor He had me committed to the asylum and I stayed there four months playing crazy all aU the time The doctor In charge was acquainted acquaint acquaint- ed with my father and I managed to get word to St. St Petersburg and nd my parent came there and bribed the phy phy- I He gave me more liberty than was generally allowed the lunatics and andI I escaped across the Amoor river which separates Siberia from Man Maa churia I went through that country into China and came ame out on the coast From there I sailed for foT America and finally landed in Salt Lake Mr Mundell h has s obtained employment employment employ employ- ment merit In a Second South street stationery stationery stationery station station- ery ery store II |
