File:Siberia and the exile system (1891) (14782827705).jpg

Identifier: siberiaexilesyst01kenn (find matches)
Title: Siberia and the exile system
Year: 1891 (1890s)
Authors: Kennan, George, 1845-1924
Subjects: Siberia (Russia) -- Description and travel Siberia (Russia) -- Exiles
Publisher: New York : Century Co.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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years,when exiles were compelled to walk from the places of theirarrest to the places of their banishment, they reached theSiberian boundary post only after months of toilsomemarching along muddy or dusty roads, over forest-cladmountains, through rain-storms or snow-storms, or in bittercold. As the boundary post is situated about half-waybetween the last European and the first Siberian etape^ ithas always been customary to allow exile parties to stophere for rest and for a last good-by to home and country.The Russian peasant, even when a criminal, is deeply at-tached to his native land; and heart-rending scenes havebeen witnessed around the boundary pillar when such aparty, overtaken, perhaps, by frost and snow in the earlyautumn, stopped here for a last farewell. Some gave wayto unrestrained grief; some comforted the weeping; someknelt and pressed their faces to the loved soil of their nativecountry, and collected a little earth to take with them into ACEOSS THE SIBERIAN FRONTIER 53
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Tin-. - \ • 54 SIBERIA exile; and a few pressed their lips to the European side ofthe cold brick pillar, as if kissing good-by forever to all thatit symbolized. At last the stern order Stroisa! (Form ranks ! ) fromthe under officer of the convoy put an end to the restand leave-taking, and at the word March! the gray-coated troop of exiles and convicts crossed themselveshastily all together, and, with a confused jingling of chainsand leg-fetters, moved slowly away past the boundary postinto Siberia. Until recently the Siberian boundary post was coveredwith brief inscriptions, good-bys, and the names of exilesscratched or penciled on the hard cement with which, thepillar was originally overlaid. At the time of our visit,however, most of this hard plaster had apparently beenpounded off, and only a few words, names, and initialsremained. Many of the inscriptions, although brief, weresignificant and touching. In one j^lace, in a mans hand,had been written the words Prashchai Marya! (Good

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