Reminiscences of the Days of Our Imprisonment by H. J. LOEBSACK

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 19, 1907

Reminiscences of the Days of Our Imprisonment

By H. J. LOEBSACK

How the Truth Made Its Way in Russia

H. J. LOEBSACK (Concluded)

ACCOMPANIED by a Russian police officer, we came to Taganash, situated on the Crimean railroad. The chief of police was not at home, so we were obliged to take leave of Brother Teske, and entered the prison pointed out by the police stationed there. It was a room about twenty feet long, ten feet wide, and twelve feet high. A single window at the end of the room and a four-cornered opening in the door were secured by iron bars. As we entered the room, there lay on a long wooden pallet, which served as a bed for the prisoners, an intoxicated man. The officer commanded him to lie on the ground, and let us occupy the pallet. There was nothing but the bare boards. After we had laid our clothes on them, and the officer had closed the door, we knelt down, thanking God for his protection and beseeching him to soften the heart of the officer so that, as Laban with Jacob of old, he could not speak other than friendly to us.

Meanwhile the Russian New-year had come. In the market-place sausage and other things were stolen by drunken men, horse thieves were caught, and all these were put in with us, until our cell lodged as many as fourteen men at a time, who danced, whistled, sang, and made the air foul with smoke. A trial was not to be thought of at such a time as this, so we waited there eleven days. As we had won the confidence of the officers in charge, we were permitted, several times a day, to go into the courtyard, where by way of variety we shoveled snow or walked back and forth, sang such songs as “A mighty fortress is our God,” “Let the Lord guide your affairs,” “See how Daniel in Babel prays,” and similar ones. God was with us as he was with Joseph in prison, with Daniel in the lions’ den, and with Paul and Silas in prison; even the stars in heaven comforted us, and it seemed as if every song and every Bible verse had been written especially for us. We had no Bible with us, only a Russian New Testament, which lay there for the prisoners to read. From its pages we sought comfort, and recalled the chapters of the books of Daniel and Revelation in regular order, and only too often our memory failed to recall the texts as we needed them, so we wrote to the brethren at Tschihir, urging them to search the Scriptures thoroughly while they still had the opportunity. At our meal-time, we were permitted to go into the market-place in company with a policeman to post our letters; we told every one why we were imprisoned, and in this way our belief became known in this place.

Once when Brother H. K. Loebsack read to one of the prisoners the parable of the prodigal son, the young man began to weep, and said that he was reading his own experience, for he had already left his father twice, but if he should become free, he would do as this lost son had done. As we knelt down and prayed, it seemed a strange spectacle to our fellow prisoners.

At last the holidays were ended, and we were examined in a very kind way by the chief officer, contrary to our expectations. He had had our books examined by a German, and said that he did not have the power to let us go, but that he would word his report in such a way that our release would be soon granted.

Since we boarded ourselves, we were paid our board money, six kopeken, or three cents, a day. Had we not had our own money or known the language, we would have been obliged to live on this small sum.

Caucasus.