Family folklore is that my Uncle Morris (Goichmann) Hoffman was drafted into the Czar's army in 1905 and was on a train to the far east when the Russo-Japan war ended.  He returned to his family in Golovanevsk and was discharged.  My Grandfather Aron then obtained an exit passport for the family (6 children), a copy of which I still have. The entire family emigrated to America in 1906.  I suppose timing is everything, then and now.  Maiming wasn't necessary for Uncle Morris.

Arthur Hoffman
Boynton Beach, FL USA

Researching HOFFMAN, GOICHMANN, GOYKHMANN, WHITE, Golovanevsk, Annopol