The Sunday Oregonian., February 26, 1905, PART FOUR, Page 37, Image 37

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THE SUNDAY: OEEGONIAN, PORTLAND,. FEBRUARY 26, 1905.
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F-OJOCOXJ&ZS
ST. PETERSBURG, Feb. 1. (Special;
Correspondence of The Sunday Ore
gonian.) Although so much has been
cabled about Father. George Gapon, the
priest "whose fame became -world-wide on
Bloody Sunday, January 22, the stories
sent out about him have been as contra
dictory as the imaginary photographs of
him which have been printed, and an au
thoritative account of this man, who has
shaken an empire and Is likely to shake It
again may be of value, therefore. I am
sending this letter through private chan
nels. Father Gapon Is now 34 years old, tall
and bony, with somewhat emaciated fea
tures that reveal traces of lifelong self
eacriflce and suffering. His hair is be
ginning to turn gray. His complexion is
swarthy, and his dark, piercing eyes,
which glare out on the world from be
neath twov black, bushy eyebrows,, are
filled with the fire of fanaticism. He
wears his hair Jet-black except for the
threads of gray in flowing locks, which
fall down over his neck, and his beard, to
all appearances, never has been trimmed.
He wears the long, black robe of the
orthodox Greek priest, which reaches
down to the ground and conveys the Im
pression that he Is even taller than he is
Hound his neck Is a silver chain, to
which Is attached a silver cross, the em
blem of his holy calling. Beneath this
priestly robo Father Gapon wears the
rough garb of the Russian peasant, con
sisting of coarse woolen vest and under
wear, besides a pair of huge jackboots
reaching above the knees and weighing
more than any one outside of Russia
would like to carry around. On his head
Father Gapon wears the tall round black
hat of his priesthood, which also strength
ens the impression that his stature Is ex
traordinary.
Usually Father Gapon is silent and re
Berved, and his Impassive features convey
the impression of solemn obstinacy, but
when he is engaged In conversation on
subjects which interest him his face
lights up, his impassive demeanor gives
way to excitement, and he becomes elo
quent. Seen at close quarters, when the
fire burns within him, it is easy to under
stand the marvelous power which Father
Gapon has contrived to gain over the dull
masses of the Russian population. His
enthusiasm is infectious, his zeal is con
vincing, and his words, illogical though
they often are, contrive to reach the
heart and feelings of his listeners. Thus
It is that at public meetings Father Gapon
can work his audiences to any pitch of
excitement, so that if at the conclusion
of one of his orations he were to call
upon them to throw themselves against a
stone wall they would as likely as not
carry out the suggestion without ques
tion. He is certainly the most Interesting
man in Russia, and the development of
his career Is awaited with interest by the
whole clvllired world.
Born to Hardship.
George Gapon was born In a remote vil
lage in the Russian Province of Poltava.
his father being a liberated serf. His
birthplace was a miserable little wooden
hovel, consisting of two rooms, badly
lighted, badly ventilated and unclean
His father earned a weekly wage of $2 as
a farmhand. The boy was the only child
of his parents, and his fellow-villagers
declare that he gave evidence of unusual
intelligence at an early age. He attended
the village school, and at the age of 12
years he began to work in the fields,
spending half the day at school and half
the day on the farm of his father s em
ployer. When he was 14 he left school
altogether and became an agricultural la
borer at CO cents a week.
During the many hours which he spent
plodding along the rough ground behind
the primitive plows which are still in use
in Russia, he had ample opportunities of
brooding over the lot of the class to which
his family belonged. His mode of life of
fered a striking contrast to that of the
average young Russian peasant, who
spends most of his spare time In drinking
poisonous vodka, for young Gapon de
voted his leisure hours to the continua
tion of his studies and to the reading and
re-reading of the few books he could bor
row. Sometimeshe picked up a copy of
newspaper published at Moscow or Kieff
or Odessa, and in its columns he found
information which suggested entirely new
lines of thought to him. He found it was
possible to rise in life only by adopting
the clerical profession, and accordingly he
turned his energies in the direction of
becoming a priest. This is no very dif
ficult matter in Russia, and with the help
of the parish priest at his own home,
whose confidence he contrived to secure,
young Gapon was able to enter a theo
. logical college at Kieff at the age of 2L
His Priesthood.
A fellow-student, of his gives an inter
esting description of Gapon-s first ap
pearance in the theological college. He
was clad in the roughest peasant -garb,
and resembled a Caucasian brigand more
than a novice about to enter the priest
hood. The majority of the students were
strongly in 'sympathy with the nihilist
movement, and Gapon probably sympa
thized with them somewhat at the time,
although his preaching until Bloody Sun
day at least has always been In favor
of constitutional reforms rather than violence.
The five years he spent at the theologi
cal college were devoted to work so ear
nestly that they transformed him from
an ignorant country bumpkin Into a man
of some education and culture, and suffi
cient knowledge of the outside world to
make him the intellectual superior of
most of his fellows. 'When he left the
college It was his secret determination to
devote the greater part of his energy to
obtaining liberties for Russian workmen.
The priesthood was merely a means to
an end, and he entered it simply because
gave him the best opportunities of
earning his living without using- all his.
trengtn, and at the same time of oc
cupylng a position which of itself gave J
mm extensive Influence. He married a
young schoolteacher who had been out
spoken in the cause of liberal ideas, and
settled down to parish work in his natlvo
district of Poltava.
Five years later, however, his wife died.
and he moved to Kieff and subsequently
secured an appointment as the chanlaln
of the central state prison there, and In
mis posiuon ne came Into close contact
with all the persons who were arrest pd
for political offenses. The sufferings he
witnesses ana tne intercourse he held
with the political prisoners strengthened
his own revolutionary opinions and in
spired him with a burning desire for the
rerorm or a government which was re
sponsible for so much injustice. After i
year at Kieff. Gapon procured an an
polntment as chaplain In the state nrlaon
at Odessa, and moved to the capital of
Doumern ltussia in order that he might
oroaoea nis Knowicage ol social condl
tlons. After a short period of resident
at Odessa, Father Gapon was transferred
to St. Petersburg, where again he held the
position of chaplain at one of the prin
cipal prisons.
During these years of priestly activity
Father Gapofi seems to have elaborated
in his own mind those plans for revolu
tionary leadership which he has -now car
ried into effect. He succeeded, however,
in keeping bis revolutionary sympathies
absolutely secret, and no one who came
Into contact with him had the least sus
picion that he was not as other orthodox
Greek priests. He approached the au
thorities and suggested to them various
schemes for combating so he said the
revolutionary agitation among the work
men of the Russian capital. At first his
proposals received scant attention, but
the priest gradually gained for himself
the approval and confidence, "of the ad
ministrative authorities and" of the police.
It Is not much more than a year since
Father Gapon sought an audience of the
late M. Plehve, the Minister of the In
terior, and submitted to him a detailed
scheme for organizing an antl-soclallst
league among the St. Petersburg work
men. M. Plehve considered the Idea ex
cellent and gave instructions to the au
thorities to lend Father Gapon all the
assistance which he needed to carry out
his project. In this way, with the ap
proval and the support of an intensely
reactionary Minister of the Interior and
co-operation of the administrative au
thorities. Father Gapon founded an or
ganization which Is destined to play an
Important part in the political liberation
of the Russian empire. Little did M.
Plehve Imagine that the insignificant
priest to whom he lent his powerful aid
was using him as an Instrument to pro
mote the cause of revolution.
-During the first months of Its existence.
Father Gapon's organization .of workmen
enjoyed the active co-operatlon of the
nollce to such an extent that Gapon him
self was regarded by the revolutionists
and socialists -as a dangerous enemy to
their cause. There is an interesting pho
tograph in existence which shows Father
Gapon at one of the meetings of his
workmen's league in company with a tall,
powerfully built man wearing the uniform
of the Czar with epaulettes, stripes and
decorations, which show him to be a high
officer. This uniformed ally of the revo-
lutlonarv leader was none other than-
General Foullon. the Chief of Police In St.
Petersburg, who. acting on M. Plehve'3
orders, did all he could to promote the
success of the workmen's league founded
by the Poltavan priest. The complete
success with which the unknown priest,
born In a peasant's hovel in remote Pol
tava, befooled the leading statesman and
some of the highest administrative orn-
cials in Russia, has been astonishing;
Suddenly, after the government nal re
fused his plea for reforms. Father Gapon
proclaimed a general strike In St. Peters
burg. His organization numbered 6000
workmen, but these were all such enthu
siastic adherents to their leader and all
Imbued with such enthusiasm for the
cause that they Infected the entire prole
tarian population of the Russian capital
and brought about a strike of 130,000
workers. -
At the time of writing, uncertainty ex
ists regarding the present whereabouts
of Father Gapon. According to one re
port he is busily engaged In organizing a
similar movement in Moscow, and ac
cording to another version, he is lying
dangerously wounded in a hospital in St.
Petersburg, arid is being carefully nursed
back to life in order that he may be
hanged. It Is also stated that he is un
injured and remaining In hiding for fear
of arrest. But Father Gapon is not a
man to be discouraged by the defeat in
flicted on him and on his adherents on
"Bloody Sunday" In the Russian capital.
He will not give up the struggle against
despotism as long as there Is breath in
his body. Whatever his fate may be, ha
Is a man of courage, whose name will
be handed down to future generations of.
Russians as one of the most notable pio
neers of Russian freedom.
There has been much discussion as to
the exact attitude of Father Gapon up to
the time he led tne strikers toward the
Czar's palace. He knew well enough, of
course, the power of the weapon he -was
so carefully forging at the meetings of
the workmen's societies, with-the encour
agement of a government which supposed
this weapon was to be its own. According
to my own observation and Information,
Gapon was sincere In opposing any move
ment to overturn the government. "Up
to the very moment the order to fire
was given, he believed that a beneficent
Czar could be persuaded to grant, volun
tarily, some of the reforms that were
most desperately needed.
If the massacre which ensued proves
to have turned this born leader of men
from an advocate of peaceful reforms
Into a firebrand, the government will
have only itself to thank for it.
SERGIUS VOLKHOVSKT.
Roughriders to Be at Inauguration
.llilrtT of Them AVIH Form Reocevclt'a Immediate
Next Saturday Continued From Page 32.
Escort
jungle trail toward Santiago. He was de
termined to get to the front as aulcklv as
possible, in order to draw first blood If
he' could. Up parallel trails the nthpr
regiments of the bric-ade were sent bv
General Toung.
Under First Fire.
At Las Guaslmas the Rough Riders
came in touch with the enemy, Capron's
troop, dismounted as were the others,
being well In the lead. Sergeant Hamil
ton Fish, with four men, took the ad
vance, followed by the rest of Capron's
men. Behind these were Roosevelt's and
Brodle's squadrons, picking their way
slowly along the trail, which was so nar
row that the men were compelled to
travel single file. After reaclhng the top
of the hill, the magazines were filled and
the troops began to deploy. Then came
the crisping of the Mausers, and the bat
tle was on. The Spaniards, using smoke
less powder, could not be seen, but they
converged a deadly fire on the trails.
Down went Hamilton Fish and Captain
Capron, in the very forefront of their
men, both of them dead. Brodle and Mc
Cllntock were hit. and men were dropping
fast, but the troopers stuck to their work
until the Spaniards fell back.
This was the preliminary skirmish
which was reported, by Stephen Bonsai
as an amubsh In which the Rough
Riders were trapped. The Rough Riders
lost eight killed and 34 wounded, some
thing over half the total American loss.
One Cherokee was hit seven times, was
sent home, recovered, found that a cow
boy had run away with his sweetheart,
shot the cowboy, and rejoined the regi
ment at Montauk. Edward Marshall,
the correspondent, was badly wounded.
The more severely wounded were car
ried back on litters to Siboney, and the
others walked back.
The forward march was tremendous
ly difficult. The transportation facili
ties were inadequate. There were ter
rific tropical rains every afternoon, and
the heat was stifling. The rations
were bad, consisting of salt pork, hard
tack and other wrqng ulnds of food for
a tropical campaign. And right here
every Rough Rider will be glad to pay
tribute to the genius of Tom Horn, an
Indian fighter and scout, who was
hanged at Cheyenne a year or two ago
for too thorough work in clearing tbe
Wyoming cattle range of enemies of
the cattlemen. Horn was master of the
pack trains, and his skillful handling
of the mules stood between the Rough
Riders and death.
On the way forward Sherman Bell's
rupture opened, but It was here that
Bell; despite the physician's orders 'that
he must go back, hid in the jungle and
refused to go with the ambulance.
Roosevelt was in command at this time.
Wood having been promoteJ. No or
ders had been received, and the Rough
Riders were compelled to sit down and
watch other men pass them.
Finally Lawton attacked El Caney
away off to the right, and the Rough
Riders were ordered to support him.
Soon the command had swung Into ac
tion, and warm action at that. The fire
from the Spaniards was hot. Trenches
were made, but the officers suffered
heavily. Devereux sank slowly to the
ground, badly wounded. Here Bucky
O'Neill was killed. Roosevelt's orderly
plunged' to the ground, dead, at his
leader's side. The men were restive un
der the inaction, but stfll no order
came tocharge.
The Ninth and First regulars were In
front, lying down and suffering heav-
fily under the galling fire. Roosevelt
made his way to the front and asked
the officer who was In charge of the
regulars to join him in an advance. They
officer hesitated. '
Rough Riders in Action.
'Then let my men through," thunder
ed Roosevelt, and the Rough Riders,
delighted at the prospect of a charge,
swung past the regular troops. Men
from the regulars jumped up and joined
the Rpugh Riders. Roosevelt, riding on
Little Texas, came to a barbed wire
fence and jumped oft. Calling on his
men to follow, he ran on foot toward
the slope of Kettle HJ11. on San Juan
Ridge. At first the men did not under
stand that the order to charge had
been given, and Roosevelt found him
self charging alone across the field. As
soon as the men -realized what their
leader was doing, however, there- was a
wild yell and a scramble. Long lines of
Rough Riders and regulars began to
surge up the slope. The Spaniards in
the trenches fired a last volley and
then fell back in a panic. Roosevelt,
who was one of the first over the
trenches, killed a Spaniard with his pis
tol. Hawkins and his gallant regulars
had carried another slope of San Juan,
and the army was now in the trenches
overlooking Santiago.
In this fight the Rough Riders lost
89 killed and wounded, the heaviest
loss suffered by any regiment in tiie
cavalry division. The total loss to the
American army was 1071. Some Span
lsh prisoners were captured. Roosevelt
and all other writers -who have told of
ngeous manner in which the Spaniards
defended their trenches.
Now came the worst part of the Cu
ban campaign. There were days and
days of waiting, and the fever came
on. Men who had stood all kinds of
hardships in the north were unable to
bear up against the disorders resulting
from the tropical climate and the bad
food. Among the seriously sick was
gallant Captain Lewellen. Finally, after
a council of generals, Roosevelt wrote
a letter-to General Shafter setting, forth
the serious straits of the army. The
result was Immediate. Within three
days the army was ordered home, San
tiago having formally surrendered.
The regiment was landed at Montauk
Point, where the sick at first suffered
for the lack of almost everything. Some
of the sick men died, the malarial fever
clinging to them even after they had
reached this country. But for the kind
ness or New York hospitals and soci
eties the soldiers would have suffered
severely at Montauk. As it was, there
was much complaint, but finally the
men were given everything needful.
After a month at Montauk, during
which McGlnty. Darnell and other
bronco busters gave daIlyexhlbltions of
their skill in the saddle, the Rough
Riders disbanded on September 15,
after four monthB of service, In which
time they had made as brilliant a rec
ord as that made by any regiment dur
ing first four months of the Civil War.
Colonel Roosevelt was presented with
a bronze statuette of Frederic Reming
ton's "The Bronco Buster," and the
leader and his men had hard work to
conceal their emotion at the hour .of
parting.
Since the disbanding at Montauk an
nual reunions of the Rough Riders have
been held, and the fraternal spirit of
the remarkable command Is still In active-
existence. Many of the men have
risen to prominence since those event
ful days In Cuba. Roosevelt became
Governor of Empire state and then
Vice-President of the United States, and
finally filled the highest office in the
land. Wood's phenomenal rise In army
circles is too welj known to need de
scription or comment. Roosevelt's
judgment of Wood has been proved
right at every turn. Brodie has been
chosen Governor of Arizona two terms,
and bas Just received an important
Government appointment. Llewellen
has been appointed United States Dis
trict Attorney for New Mexico. Sher
man Bell became Adjutant-General of
the State of Colorado and saw exciting
times during the long months of the
strike of the Western Federation of
Miners In Cripple Creek, when his life
was in constant Jeopardy. In the last
two years Bell has been much before
the public His war against the strik
ers In the mining regions has been
characterized by a personal bravery
terest enemies. Lieutenant Rynnlng has
become Captain of the Arizona Rang
ers, a fearless body of mounted police
that has done much to make Arizona a
law-abiding territory. J. H. McCHntock
Is Postmaster of Phoenix.
Most of the Rough Riders returned
to their former vocations, however.
From the New York Stock Exchange to
the cattle ranges of the West they can
be found, threading the devious paths
of peace.- But the spirit of the old Com
mand is still alive. Nothing can kill
that. And when the word went forth
that Theodore Roosevelt, now President
of the ITnlted States, but late Colonel
of the First Volunteer Cavalry, would
like an Inaugural escort composed of
representatives of his command there
was not a Rough Rider who did not fee.1
a responsive thrill. And when the 30
picked Rough Riders gather about the
President's carriage on Inauguration
day they will represent a spirit of un
dying love for their commander the
same wealth of love that the Old Guard
must have lavished on the Little Cor
poral. WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE.
this battle pay high tribute to the cqur- tb.t has voa tbe admiration of bla' bit-
"The Lancet',' in a Fofl.
Lancet.
During the time when the recent fog
was densest on the ground, a curious
phenomenon was witnessed In the Lan
cet office and laboratory. The flames
of the Bunsen burners attached to gas
stoves, as well as those used for labora
tory purposes, which are normally of a
bluish tinge, became a bright yellow
color, which on examination with a
spectroscope proved to be due to sodi
um. The characteristic bright yellow
eoler of the flame was well marked
and tbe usual soda line In the spec
troscope was very brilliant. On ex-
either of sulphate or of chlorides,
could be obtained.
The interesting questions are: What
was the origin of the sodium and in
what form did It exist? It Is easy to
imagine sea air showing the presence
of sodium chloride, but it is difficult
to understand how under the condi
tions prevailing during the fog the air
could contain particles of sea water.
It Is true the fog was very general and
possibly some of It had Its origin in
the sea, but then no chlorides could be
found In the air. Again, it may be
conjectured that smoke might contain
sodium salts derived from the cera
bustion of coal, but we find that sodi
um salts are seldom found In coal. It
was not due to our own laboratory
operations, for the Intense yellow col
oration of the flame was evident In all
parts of the office and the coloration
was Just as Intense on the lower floors
as on the top floor, where the labora
tory'ls situated.-
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