The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-05-27
A WOMAN On THE GIRBET.
Sophy Perovsky'S Speech Before being
Hanged in st, Petersburg.

va tHC tAA<tA u 4SEOtShy, inc
Russian woman ofnOble family recent
iy hanged in st. Petersburg rs re-
sicide, when leave was finally given
her to speak in her own behalf, she
said:
In 1863, being then 1G years old,
and having gone through the usual
school studies, I fitted mysc,f for q,
teacher. In 1870 I taught village
school. I soon found out that the Gov
ernment by its system of despotic in
terferencc with the atfairs of the
peasantry was putting insurmountable
obstacles in the way OF their normal,
intellectual, moral, and economical
development. In 1872 I was forced to
leave tho school, and 1 joined the
revolutionary party. Sincethen I have
arrested and tried for taking part in
the revolutionary propaganda. In 1878
without any trial, but by administra-
tive order, l was transported to the
province of Olonctzk. I escaped.
dropped my name, and procured false
passes. My part in the Moscow eX-
plosion of 1869 is known to the Court.
Since June, 1850, 1 have been living in
st. Petersburg with Il woman whose
namc I don't want to give here.
GeliabpH came to live in my rOomS
and by order of the Executive Com
mittce we began preparations for the
event of March IS. Being an agent of
the committee, 1 knew everything
about the means TO be rc~ortcu to,
was charged with the duty OF finding
out where and when the Car could be
met with. In the moln;ng of March
Is, l brought two bombs into the
rooms of Hcssy Hoffman. But whence
the bombs were brought and how
many pcison We're charged with the
duty of throw ing them / don't choose
to say. l drew the map n order to
show the station appoint. for each of
my cOm"ad :, and it W:s / to whom
the bomb throwcr5 hal Il, TX for di-
rcctions OH the place of action. l
made sisns with my handkerchief, and
they movC,l aud actc / according to our
agreement. l had no bomb my self, for
we had not enough of them for au of
us. stood on the other side of the
C,tharine Cana! and oh ;ni va the
effect Of both explosions. That is all
want TO say of the pract;cal pa: : which
1 took in there volutionary move nent.
GAS to the motive that induced me
to join the revolutionary pa, -. l
can say this: The principal t'sk of
our party IS to awaken in the pc ,ple 4
consciousnc Eat they lave the r, ,ght
and power t goverl themselves. To
solve this problem our p2r.y hoped to
gradually raise the inta,lcctrel and
moral ievct of the PEOPLE, TO improve
their economical condition, and so to
devcloptf;S cOrsciOUsn- 5 Of ther civil
rights and therefore the members of
the perty settie:l among the pea SAINT y
in different capacitit and iied on
n peaceful social propaganda. But the
Government, by seri !: Of severe re-
pressivc nc:srrC', made or" peaceful
work impossible. Then our pay,
after a long hesitation, wcs force j tC
undertake Il political 81 uggle against
the Government, as tho chief obs' acle
in our way. Once on the political
arena, we could not help alopting the
terrorist policy. Our rc!cnt'Cas pelse
cution of the late Gar wcs, on one
side, an answer to his relentless pcl5c
cution of our party, and on the othcl
he would never change his ruinous in
ternat policy. l admit that 1 am :
member of the party of NurOt7naj
Volta thc Will of the Pcoplc), and an
an agent of the Executive Commit" G
The party of Ndl'odj' ~ T'oii0 IS ia
from having dssire to impose on tn
people at large any institution
whatever, or. any form of govern
ment; it has only deep convit
tion that by and by the peopl