Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-07
WRITTEN In BLOOD.
Netchaieff's Letter to the Car.

A st. Petersburg dispatch of October % says
that the new nihilist journal, the Messenger of
the WI Of the People, contains a letter from the
nihilist prisoner Netchaier to the Car. The
original letter was written in blood 1t says:
''SIR: On taking charge Of the fortress. the
new commandment, Ganetsky addressed his sub
ordinate officers in the ravelin on the event of
March Is. The character of the speech, and
also the fact that it was made in the hall not
far from my cell. showed to me that it was in
tended for my ears. And. indeed, heard every
word of it. But his intimidation did not reach
its aim. The indirect threatening of Gen. Ga
netsky did not brighten me. 1t showed me only
that, under the influence of the late events,
even the highest representatives of the admins
tratlon have lost their heads and their feeling
OF personal dignity. | would not mind the trick
of his eXcellency if. for no fault of mine he did
not a@gravate my lot, which has already eX-
hausted my endurance.
The Alexis rayelin is secret prison No
supervision is allowed there The late COM
mandant, Baron Medel. used to restrain, to
certain degree, the thevish warden Phi-
monof. While fulfilling his hard duty. he did
not torture the prisoners to crafty his personal
cruelty But after that speech of Ganetsky the
thief PhilimonoH took from us the last crust Of
bread. saying impudently that such was the or
der of the cOmmandant. In GT,ier to get i'm
favor with the new commandment, the officers Of
the rayein have tried tho. Utmost to Cypress
political rr:sc"erS in all possible ways. For
mc"tHs the" lave kept me in my cell. without
permitting me to see daylight. Ganetsky ordered
that even the warming holes in my cell should
be closed. on the pretence that | might there get
SCOT and make ink of it. The upper pane Of
my window was clean. and through it | cloud
see part Of the sky. 1t is necessary to eX-
perience the horrors of long solitary confinement
III order to understand what relief prisoner
gets from the sight of passing clouds and shin
ing stars. Ganetsky closed that pane. The two
commandments, six Otthe chiefs of gendarmes and
even the chief of the supreme commission. Gen.
MllikOn. while visiting me, saw the clean pane
and did not think the state was in danger on
account of it. Here the letter was iegbe
Ten years already | have suffered here. The
further argravation OF my lot cannot proceed
from any political consideration. but OILY from
the cruelty of the man to whom you have in
trusted the fortress Gen. MeZentseff was
my personal enemy. For two years he
kept me in heavy chains. and yet he
did not shut me up out of sight of the sky l
had another enemy. Gen. Potapoff. He in
suited me in words, and | slapped his lace. OF
course he hated me. yet he did not take re-
venge He knew that to take revenge upon
man who is bound arms and legs would be an
action fit only for wild beast and Gen Pota-
potf was a man anyhow. Ganetsky enjoys the
sight OF suffering prisoners. Perhaps he eX-
poets to bring me into state of despair in
order to see tears and the passion of helpless
madness, and to listen to insane shouts of rage
from me like those hear from neighbOring
cell. where cOmrade at the end Of long con-
tnement has become a lunatc. Oh no, will
not treat Ganetsky to such pleasure. / hope
he will preserve even hundredth part of the
calm and sell-cOntrOl possess when he shall be
carried to a scatfold.
''ln 1875 the government requested me to ey-
press my views on the state Of Affairs in Russia.
In my memorial sent to your late father | eX-
planned that the time of absolute power was
gone, that the unlimited monarchy was under
mined ana that a liberal constitution might vet
save Russia from the horrors of revolution. |
insisted upon the need of liberal Institutions
which. and which only. could stop the series OF
daring attempts. | said then that in few years
even a. constitution would be too late SUISSE
quent events have justified my views. The re-
action which set in after the catastrophe OF
March Is was q matter of course. 1t was in the
nature OF things. But being carried too far, even
the reaction will bring about quite unexpaa;-,,
resCt2 do not expect any relief from the new
administration. | shall not be surprised if my
lot becomes still harder on account of the pres
ent letter. Louis XVI realized the horrors to
which the prisoners of the Bastile were sub
jected only when he became himself political
prisoner. Serge NETCHAIEFF
II write this with my nail in my blood S.N."
In December 1882 Netchaetf was tortured by
the warden. and soon after was found dead.