Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-04-25
The Russian Revolutionists.


Having been for several years absent
from Russia, failed, on my return
here, to appreciate at once the extent
and force of the so-called Nihilist move
ment fermenting in this country. l
deemed it to be struggle of the same
nature rs that produced by the aspira-
tions of the Young Russian party some
five or ten years ago; but now I'm
bound to acknowledge that the move
ment proves to be great deal too in
tense and too serious to be put on the
same scale as similar agitations of
former years. You have already heard,
presume, of the riots which took place
lately at Kief. A descent of the police
officials and an inspection of papers
took place at eight o'clock in the even
ing of the 23d of February, at the lodg-
ing of suspected student of the Uni
versity. the young man boarded at
the house of an advocate, but was not
at home when the police came. The
police made thorough search, and
succeeded in laying their hands on a
certain private letter to the young man
from which they learned that the secret
OhlOC VI bhO OOClhllobo 40 w
be found in the town, and at a place
very definitely pointed out. The stu
dent, returning home, was arrested,
and four policemen, with an under
officer, went to the place where the
secret printing Office was to be found.
The indications contained in the let
ter proved to be quite correct. The po-
licemen went in by the way indicated
for the use of the inmates of the house,
but were ired at the moment they made
their appearance. Seeing themselves
in the midst of some dozen resolute and
armed youths the policeman thought it
prudent to retire, and went to the
nearest police station for reinforce
ments. The Nihilists had no time to
remove anything, and did not choose to
give them over to the police cheaply.
They lost no time in getting up plan
of defense against the expected attack.
Thirty-four policemen returned. Some
were stationed around the house as out
posts and the rest went directly in by
the gates of the yard. which had two
storied house on the right hand and one
on the left. All the windows of the
second floors, as well as the roof of the
two houses, were occupied by armed
students, who welcomed the police with
a sweeping volley of bullets. Three
policemen fell dead on the spot; the
rest retired for consultation. They de-
termined to enter the house, intending
to fall upon the Nihilists who remained
down stairs in charge of the books and
the presses. And here, in a large
room, was enacted fearful scene. The
fight became general, and the result
was as follows: On the side of the po-
lice four men received light wounds,
three were seriously injured, and four
killed on the spot. The losses on the
side of the Nihilists were, it seems, still
greated-four young girls, students of
the University, and three students
killed, while all the others were
wounded and finally arrested by the
police. The police seized the printing
books of foreign publication. How
many people were arrested in all do
not know. as the number of political
prisoners is not fully given by the Off
cistl IvpUrts.
But the affair did not end here.
simultaneously two other girls and
several men were arrested in the neigh
borhood of the printing office. Then
Mile. Gerzfeld was arrested, who oc-
o"Pios high position in ST. Peters,
burg, being q member of the State
Council. The young and renowned
Countess Panin, belonging to one of
the oldest Russian families, was also
taken. Her stepmother is reported to
be still one of the danes dhonneur of
the Empress, and her great-grand-
father was the second Chancellor of
State in the time of Catherine the
Great. 1 am told that both young
ladies were taken in the act of firing
at the police with their revolvers. The
names of the other individuals taken
up have not transpired as yet. 1t
is not to be wondered at that girls of
high families are found involved in
such disturbances. The women of
Russia have repeatedly taken part in
the manifestations of national aspira-
tions, as for instance, Martha Possad-
nizo, of Novgorod; the Princess Sophia,
Peter the Greats enterprising sister,
and others. Russian ladies in the
olden times of domestic seclusion could
not be kept wholly from taking an
active part in popular movements, and
they take lively share in all
that concerns their husbands and
brothers, and are quite ready to sup
port them when the occasion comes.
Two days previous to the disturbance
in Kief Prince Krapotkin, Governor of |
was assassinated. The Prince |
had received several anonymous letters, |
him of his intended fate, but |
he had not needed them. Personally |
The Prince was very popular-socially |
as good husband and father. |
AS a private man Krapotkin is
Many private houses were
hung with black on the day of the
funeral. But, on the other hand, the |
document published by the Executive
Committee of the Russian Socialists
long list of alleged crimes
against the causes of Socialism.
He is accused of having martyredr
people in the prisons in the most in
luman manner, one or two women haV-
ng even died in consequence of the fog
ying inflicted on them by Krapotkin's
'rders. The cup of his misdoing was
to have overflowed with his
asst act of seizing and arresting tomin,
me of the five men who made an avr-nod
'ttack on the police on the 18th of July,
1913, attempting to retake a political
convict named VoinOrolsky, who was
icing transferred from one place of i'm
'risonment to another, under an escort
# gendarmes. One of the gendarmes
vas mortally wounded in the affair.
During Fomin's Imprisonment several
ttempts were made to release him, but
allied. Several letters were received
y Krapotkin demanding Fomin's lib
ration, accompanied by threats of ven
eance in case the demand was not ac-
eded to. But Krapotkin persisted in
eeping Fomin under arrest, and for
his, the Socialists say, he was killed.
he trial of Fomin began at Kharkoff
n the 9th of March, all precautions i
einO taken AGAINST nOssihla ;ntorfar