The Osceola times., 1881-11-12
NIHILISM.

A prominent Nihilist has an interest
ing account in the New York Sun OF the
methods followed by the great Russian
organization. We make the following
extract
Our idea was to raise in the minds OF
the peasants sense of their rights and
TO assist them in establishing the peo-
ple's government. The revolutionary
propaganda was fairly begun. We or
dered from abroad proclamations and
pamphlets. In London and Geneva
there were several Russian revolutionary
journals. These were brought to Rus
sia and widely circulated.
NY special duty was to inform the
provincial krogki (circles) OF what was
going on in the Third Section; that is,
what the gendarmes found out concern
ing our propaganda and what measures,
il any, were contemplated against the
conspirators. Our spies brought me the
news, and sent it wherever the partic-
ular information was most needed. As
we were aware that all letters were read
at the postoflice, we used language OF
our own. In cases when it was neces-
sary to use the utmost precaution, pri-
vate messengers were sent with letters
written in cipher that could not be made
out. Thus we might agree in advance
upon certain page Of the New Testa-
ment or of some other common book.
Then each letter OF the word wanted
would be written in fraction, the numer-
ator showing the line from the top Tor
the bottom, according to the agreement)
and the denomipator showing the letter
counting from the beginning Tor from
the end of that line. For example
LII, 1877, 40, 4-3, "A, Ill, 1-5, l-S,
l-12, 1922, 90, IA, 1-2l, 10, 2-S. Which
means, "Spies look for you" In this
sentence the letter o is represented by
four different fractions, and 80 every
letter might be.
Among our spies were persons who
performed double duty, spying at one
and the same time for us and the Gov
ernment. OF course they served us and
tricked the czar's officers. But the
most substantial police service was rem
dered us by young ladies, daughters oi
the highest officials. Certainly the czar
never had such educated, titled and
skillful spies in his pay as worked fol
us without any remuneration. Still our
task was hard and novel one, and we
made blunders. The result was that
hardly year passed before large num-
Der OF my comrades were arrested, and
I with them.
It was past midnight. The bell rang.
jumped up at once. With trembling
hands lit lamp and burned several
papers written in cipher or with invis-
ible ink. The bell rang again. My old
lsndlady was very slow in getting up,
thus giving me an opportunity to burn
up all these compromising documents.
Perhaps the smoke Of burning paper
reached the nose of the captain outside
Will sudden crash the door gave way,
and the gendarmes rushed in. The cap.
tain informed me that by order of the
Government he had come to arrest me.
They took my keys and opened my
trunks and drawers. They searched
every nook and corner, carefully collect
ing every scrap of written paper. 1t tool
| them three hours to finish the examin
alton. AT length they put me in theil
carriage and hurried me TO the Third
Section. The heavy iron doors shut be
hind me, and / remembered the words
'Ieave all hope We who enter here.
Indeed, how many young life has per
ished in the cells OF the Russian Inqui
sition
A day passed, another passed, whole
long weary week passed. No officer
came near me. A servant appeared
three times day, bringing my meals,
That week was the longest in my life,
At last was brought before the CHIEF
Of gendsrmes, who sternly told me that
I was guilty of taking part in the revo-
lutionary propaganda and of pro-
nouncing the sentence of death on an
alleged spy, who was afterwards killed
by some of my comrades.
"You have to prove your accusations, y
said
"That is what we shall do, and you,
meanwhile, will stay at the Petropa.
vlovshy Fortress"
l thanked the General. Indeed,
was very glad to hear the news, any
news, for now had something to think
about.
Behold me, then, regularly installed
in ''the Hotel of Peter and Paul." as we
called the fortress. Soon the number
of guests at our hotel reached 100, and
yet il was not full. A nice and secure
place that fortress is. 1t is situated on
the shore of the wide Nova, Just oppo-
site the Winter Palace. It's walls are
so thick that inside of them there are
two rows of cells divided by corridor.
In those cells We were kept in solitary
confinement. On the walls around wero
mounted heavy cannon. A strong gar
rison was kept there. On some holi-
days and on all the cars days salutes
of from twenty-one to 101 guns were
fred above our heads. Then the walls
trembled, the window glass in our cells
was broken, and We were treated TO the
smell OF the czar's powder In the
thunder OF those cannon l seemed to
hear the czar's voice addressing us .
"You miserable creatures feel my
power" Beware, Gar Alexanderl |" /
thought F; "there were kings as power
full as you are, and there was fortress,
the Bastile, they called it, stronger than
yours, and yet they are no more, Your
turn and that Of your Bastile will come"
Though the chief of gendarmes prom
ised to soon prove my guilt, though the
czar in his ukase had declared that
every criminal should be tried "justly
and without delay" yet We were kept
in our cells two years before we were
brought into the court. A horrible
thing it is, too-solitary confinement in
the Cars Bastilel / am safe now in
this great and free republic, far away
from the despot and his inhuman gend-
an.,non XoA ..,...., ,., Ahin A A.,.....n... -.