14 ADVENTURES IN IDEALISM 



What with his regular college work, tutoring as a 

 means of livelihood, and the work for the "Am- 

 Ohlom," he rarely had more than five hours* sleep.) 



In January, 1882, the first party sent by the society, 

 consisting of only six men but those the very finest 

 and most intelligent left for Brody to wait and ar- 

 range there for the other parties to arrive. By May 

 of 1882 three more parties left Odessa, this time hun- 

 dreds going in each band. But when the government 

 became aware of the large flow of emigration very 

 stringent laws were promulgated, and it was impos- 

 sible for the third party to obtain passports. To plan 

 the work of the ff Am-Ohlom" therefore became much 

 more difficult, since an organization of this character 

 was now prohibited by the government. Delegates 

 from organizations in other towns were sent to us; the 

 "Am-Ohlom" had to manipulate passports for all the 

 emigrants to use, and yet keep its meetings secret. 



Most of the conferences were held in the house of 

 Nuchem Rubin. It so happened that on March 13 the 

 head of the Odessa Gendarmerie, S.trelnikofr', was as- 

 sassinated. He had been sent from St. Petersburg to 

 rout out the nest of revolutionists. He had filled the 

 prisons to capacity with the best youth of Odessa. But, 

 in spite of all his vigilance, he himself was struck down 

 and the assassins escaped. The police were in a frenzy 

 and more alert than ever. They noticed that an un- 

 usual number of people frequented the Rubin home. 

 They became suspicious and, concluding that the meet- 



