Page:Siberia and the Exile System Vol 2.djvu/569

553 APPENDIX 553 serious anxiety with regard to the further extension of the disturbance. If imperial considerations render it impossible to put a stop to the banish- ment of this class of offenders, they should be isolated, so far as possible, even in Siberia, from the local population. This subject is now occupy- ing the attention of the Minister of the Interior, and I am taking part in his deliberations. The conditions of the question are so complicated that it is difficult to settle upon anything, and thus far nothing has been decided upon. The concentration of such persons in one place, or the segregation of them in groups of considerable size in several places, would obviate the necessity of scattering them over the whole country, and would facilitate surveillance ; but, on the other hand, it is doubtful whether, on account of the smallness of Siberian towns, it would not necessitate the finding of quarters for them and the subjection of them to discipline in their social life ; and this would not be far removed from the prison confinement to which they might be subjected without sending them to Siberia. In any case, it is extremely necessary that they should be kept under more vigilant surveillance, otherwise escapes, which now occur rarely, may assume more extensive proportions, and every such criminal who escapes from Siberia becomes extraordinarily harmful and dangerous. The serious importance of escapes should receive the more attention for the reason that among the exiles banished to Siberia and living there in comparative freedom are not a few extremely harmful pei*sons — persons much more dangerous than those sent into penal servi- tude. To the best of my information there exists among these exiles a rule to assist in the escape of the more self-reliant and resolute characters, and the latter, in return, promise to sacrifice themselves for the attain- ment of the ends designated by their leaders. Recognition of the impor- tance of preventing the escape of such criminal evil-doers, and the almost complete impossibility of so doing render my position, and that of the administration dependent upon me, a very hard one. We are over- burdened by the weight of the responsibility that rests upon us, and the threatening possibility of the escape of this or that exile keeps us in constant fear of incurring your Imperial Majesty's displeasure. It is my plain duty to report to your Majesty that the administrative authorities of Eastern Siberia are honorably fulfilling their obligations in this par- ticular, and I hope that they will not give occasion for any complaints. Thei*e have been only three escapes from regularly organized prisons, and, in connection with them, it must be remembered that state criminals, who are experienced in plots, bold in their plans and resolute in carry- ing them into execution, have, as their adversaries, imperfectly educated prison wardens, and subordinate officials who stand on a still lower plane of intellectual development. The escape of Malaf ski and Ivanof from the Krasnoyarsk prison seems to indicate a relaxation of discipline in that place of confinement. I have sent one of my officers, Major Kalageorgi,