The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-05
ONE OF RUSSIA'S HER0INES.
THE TRIAL and dCQUITTiL or THp
GIRL VINO SIOT GEN. IIihPOI'F.
Avensing the Insult offered TO ~ Political
Prisoner nj the Risk ot Her LIfc-FuiIcr
Details OF the Excitcmcnt In ~. Petersburg.

Details OF the Excitement In ST. Petersburg.
Foa N, Lgsiop Time,
ST. PETERSBURG. April 1G.-All the world
here is ut present talking about the trial Of vers
Iasulitch. the young person who, about two
months ago. made an attempt OF the life of Gen.
Trepoff the Project Of the city. The trial was
hold on Friday. and since that time the political
complications and the Eastern Question have
been quite thrown into tho background.
The incident which gave rise to " the affair
Znsulitch" happened on the 2jth of July Of last
year. At that time a considerable number OF
young people Of both sexes accused of revou.
tonary propaganda were confined in one of the
St Petersburg prisons. Some Of thom were al.
ready condemned. and others were awaiting
their trial. On the morning Of July 20 Gen;
the prisoners walking about and talking with
each other in the inner court. Jhis secmgdM
him an inirHctiOn OF tho prison rules. anu he
asked explanations. one of the prisoners. BOgo'
luhon. replied that he was already cOndcmnGd,
and that he was not infringing any rule in talk.
ing to one who was not implicated In the samo
affair ~ himself. The answer appeared Ia ina
bon WINS ordnrad To- iha rel Tor lisciplinary nun.
ishmcnt On his way thiiher he again met tho
rrSec, and ihis time did not TAX, Of ms fap.
fra n rSSea M nsnd w1@ iSe s ns1s
or not IL uncertain, but BDgolubons car
fell to the ground and suddenly loud express.
sions 81 Indignation issued from tho open win
Gen Trcpof resolved TO make nm example OF
bnogolHGon ana. acc,0riing ordered hin to "
ecuted in one Of the corridors. and give rise "
n new disturbance similar in Kind to the pre-
S end Lrom the ps"Gp r, M b eTcgIn
the prisoners. and from them to the public
Among the many who werc Indignant at the
sD-called "Bashi Bazoukism Of the Project Wa
Vera Insuiich. daughter o. an officer OF tho
Limo. Though only about 20 years of age. she
Ind ulrpuUy considerable experience OF DOLCE
discipline in its mder forms. AT the age ~ II
she had been arrested on suspicion Of being inn
picated in revolutionary designs. and. aftet
two years confinement, had been lib
eratcd without having been brosght to
was again arrested, and was despatched 10
Krestsi. She was told she must live there under
was in April, 1871. In june she was allowed TO
live IN rver with q brother-in-law who was
| Kept there under police supervision. Next year
the brother, ln-law was suspected OF having
given prohibited books TO the Seminarsts. and
further eastward Vera was brought to, 81
| Pctcrsbur. To- be questioned about the prOhib.
tied books, and was thon despatched 70 hei
| brother in laws new domicilc. Toward the end
| Of 1873 she was transferred 10 khnrkon, and re.
maincd there I'LL september, 1915. when she
How She formed the resolution Of shooting
Gen. Trcpoh may BE- best described IN her OWE
"Having arrived In 81. Petersburg hcari
! about the incident I'm the prison from varioui
people About Bogolubon heard TINT he has
! had myself experienced long solitary coniino'
mont could imagine what Il irightul impress.
| sion the whole affair must have produced on al
the political prisoners. not O. speak Of those whC
| had been subjected 10 multreutmont ] know
/ 10y experience the murbdly excited, nervous
condition produced by solitary Iihprisonm.nt
| and tho minority ~ prisoners in question hac
| been alreHdy confined moro than three years
! Some OF them had gone mad and others lac
committed suicide. What cruelty 1t wa
to make them bear all that. simply because On,
OF them had not taken OH his cap when ho mo
! an official the second time. Such % thing ough
not 10 pass unnoticrd. | waited to see whether
some one would take the matter Ia hand but al
| worn eilent md nothing urcVrntcd Trepoff -
any other influential official from rcpca,inE
such arbitrary acts. / determined. at the price
of my own ruin. To- prove that q human beinG
may not be- iusutcd ia that WAY with impunity
It's u terrible thing to raise one = hand agains.
Il fellow creature, hut | could find no Other
means II was all the same to- me whether
/ killed or wounded the Project. and when
lir,d at him l did not am at any parucul"i
Tho ease was tried by Jury in tluc ordinary
tickets " admiss ion to the lending represents.
tives Of the press. On the bench behind the
Judges sat some Of tine high, 4 digniteric- o
the realm. among othcr- the Imperial Chuncel'
lor Prince Gortchakon.
AT III o'clock the three JbdEos Young mon IL
| dnrh hIu. uniforms ai 'inri WIN goa ,ihc1-
took their places on the heu'h. with thu Public
Prosecutor on the right hand aud the Clerk, %
The court On ia" lcit. IN uniforms not easily dis'
timgu.-hrd from those of the Judges.
Tnelnry was d4,y imp nclled ana the wit,
HDs-c- examined. The Prosecutor showed good
md suflrirnt reasons why the prisoner should
/ Dee condemned. while the counsel for the do
fence showed good and sufficient reason why
she should be acquitted. Then the Judge sum.
med up. and the Jury retired 10 consider thcit
Tho accused admitted that sho had danger.
ously wounded Gen. Trcpof, and was quite in:
different ns 10 whether She wouhdei or H lled
him. the jury returned a vorlitof" Not guilty"
ANA the public. on hearing tllS decision, cN-
pressed their approval III wild, Notilcrous ap'
The case was in mnny respects peculiar
one. In the iirst piac" tl.Sre WE u strong
feeling " indignau "a ni the why in which
the prisoners had been trcntcd. and cspc-
caly AT the way in which Gen. Trcpon hnt
acted toward Bogolubor. In no country of the
world. perhaps, is thorc such ~ strong feeling
against corporal punishment Of all kinds as in
kussla. Ia the country where ehirty years as4
the knout and the rod played a. very prominent
part in the judicial and administrative ihsu'u:
tons, school hoy would now consider hlipscit
d.~-rarcd for life II h" wore subjected - a little
; pntrlarchal caStigation with the birch. There
are Instances on record ni boy having com,
received an indclibe stain in that way. When
the counsel for the defence de, .rled the grOana
Z suited human dignity his words called forth
from the audience burst of applause.
Ia thg second place, n anp'ai9nro and bear
zeal details which transpircd. won Tor her the
sympathy of the audience. Modest AMI unpr"'
: tru'inus In manner and attire. hui without nny
strmning after thcu'rlcal elect she replied
frankly amt Respectfully f. ~ We questions
which wrro put 10 her Without eyer having
been condemned by court of law. she had
spent tho best years of her lti" IN prison NJ
sucrihr" the remainder oI II to an idea. Tor sht
had mover seen Va" man whom she determined
, / pointed out 20 III" lury that ih'so cQn-ldclh
| tons should have hiilr on mo- w"lEu- with tIgm
that lhey Wrre NOT can 4 uiwn o. luiE' trn
Tropon or The prison iul'Norit" ~ ilnt me- ~ is
lIiN L CON lu NIrI she NiNfIfIti ll tiNfr+
INTprtation- of This Kind bad very itilr mia
' rucr ou the jury 90 the uuiir l"l BOTH th'
@ n"iit. 'l'u-.- n VII h,.y .u-'.,i rc'hdcmnod
sf.. ID 9 Ia ] . -