Smyrna times., 1888-06-06
THE HUNGER STRIKE.
GRIM DETERMINATION OF POLITICAL
PRISONERS IN RUSSIA.

GRlM DE- ELIMINATION OF POLITICAL
PRISONERS IN RUSSIA.
They Wanted Permission to Work, to Re-
ceive Food from the Outside, to Read
and to Go to Church-Victory Secured
at Last.
The following morning-it was July 3-au
the prisoners of the ''right solitary" refused
to eat their food When the warders. at the
order of the director, opened the cells at 8
o'clock in the afternoon they found the food,
placed there in the morning, untouched. An
excellent supper, consisting Of fragrant
boulllOn, delicious roast beef and fuming tea
and cakes-fOOd the prisoners had already for
gotten the taste Of-was placed in the cells in
the evening, but they were not to be tempted,
and took no notice of it. The same night
they were joined by the 'lefts," or the occu-
pants of the cleft solitary" who had by. some
means learned of their action and of the
causes which prompted it. Seeing that the
prisoners were in earnest, the director. at
midnight, ordered all food and water TO be
removed from the cells. ''I'll make them
beg for food" he thought. He did not sleep
that night. He stole on tiptoe from one
wicket hole to another, watching what the
prisoners were doing They lay on their
pallets, gazing at the ceiling, or talking to
each other by knocks, and in the twilight of
the cells their bodies reminded the director
OF hobgoblins. Grim silence prevailed in the
corridor.
Early IN the forenoon a delicious breakfast
was brought into the cells, but the prisoners
exhibited no desire to eat it, and it was taken
DacS TO the kitchen. AT noon q luxlriOus
dinner was served, and although it remained
untouched, it occurred to the director to
leave 1t all day in the cells The voluntary
sufferers threw the food into the ''parashkas.n
In the evening the same story was repeated.
with the same result. The director ordered
Mishkin, AlexandrofP and CicianoF to be
brought from the ''karzer" back to their cells
hoping to reconcile the prisoners. and that
the three men, touched by their pardon.
would try and persuade the others to give mn
their dangerous undertaking, but he found
he had made a Observation-Disclosures. as we'll ne
ClcianoR and Alexandroff, Joined their fell
low prisoners.
AT late hour Of the second night tho di-
rector accompanied by the prison physician.
went from cell to cell, begging and suppli.
eating the prisoners to cat, reminding them
OF their homes, fathers, mothers. relatives
and friends, to whom they might soon re-
turn, apologizing for the rudeness he had dis
played when overzealous in the performance
OF his duties, and explaining that he was
merely subordinate official who had to
obey the orders from those above him. At
all the cells the director received the same
Iacomc reply, Grant what we are asking.n
In the forenoon of the third day the pris-
oners were all led into the yard, where the
ON V..fcr
large tables eating and drinking. The direc-
tor thought that the sight Of persons eating
would induce the hungry to take food. but
they did nothing Of the kind and were taken
back to their cells Outside the prison walls
nothing was known of all these horrors. The
director gave strict orders to all soldiers and
warders to keep their mouths shut, and. fear
ing his wrath, they carried out his orders to
the letter. The serious character of the affair
so frightened the director that in the morn
ing OF the fourth day he dismissed all the
warders whose insolence had displeased the
prisoners, and gave orders to their successors
to be as polite and gentle as possible Again
and again he visited the cells, humiliating
himself before those whom he formerly
treated as beasts, and conjuring them to eat
ana to live for the sake Of their relatives and
friends, but his efforts were of no avail
In the evening of the fourth day the prison
priest, low lived hypOcrite, went with a
large cross In his arms from cell to cell suu-
plicating the prisoners to eat, in the name Of
God, but his prayers and entreaties received
no attention from the half dead sufferers
Their condition that night was of a most de-
pressing nature. Most of them could no
longer stand on their feet; some tainted
others raved constantly, and special wartlers
had to watch at their beds all night in order
to prevent their sudden expiration. Tba
director did not sleep all night. The phvsi-
clan and his assistants had never had such a
busy time before. Fifty-eight men were
apparently dying slowly from voluntary
starvation. They touched nothing but water.
and some also abstained even from this.
The same night a conference, presided over
by the director, and attended by the phvsi
clan, the priest, the officers of the garrison
and the head warders, was held at the prison
office. The director delivered a mournfu{
speech, saying that he was tired Of the duties
of his office, that his office would kill him in
few years, and that he was ready to resign
if his resignation would be accepted But
what is to be done now9" he exclaimed, dra-
matically. Il cannot grant their demands:
it's beyond my power to do it. Up to the
present time l still hoped the fellows would
change their minds OF break down and begin
to eat. For this reason intended not to let
the governor know Of this horrible affair.
But now / see they are in earnest They are
determined to die. I don't want to be solely
responsible for their deaths, and 1 think it's
time to report everything to the governor
and let him act as he thinks best"
All agreed that no other course was posi-
was got up and forwarded Immediately to
the governor of Kharlkoff. On the sixth day
Of the famine-July S-COuncilor Soumtzeff,
accompanied by the chief doctor of the
province, arrived at the ''centralka" They,
too, began by exhorting the prisoners to take
some nourishment. Accompanied by the
director and the prison physician, they went
from cell to cell, arguing, begging and
threatening, but their efforts were as useless
| as those Of the director and his assistants
On the seventh day the prison was visited
by a number Of generals and the prOcureur,
or attorney general, Of the province. They
received the same categorical reply: "Grant
our demands" Seeing that nothing could
shake the resolution Of the prisoners, aud
fearing to wait any longer, the governor
ordered the director to capitulate-that is,
to promise to fulfill all their demands. As
/ the prisoners had no faith in promises of
Russian government officials, both the gov
ernor and the director bad to sign paper
obliging themselves TO permit tho political
prisoners to work, to receive food from tho
outside, TO read all the books permitted by
the state censor, to visit the prison church on
Sunday named by them, etc. Thus on the
eighth day of the famine-July 10-the pris-
oners once again took foOd.-Michael Malkoif
In Chicago News.
Whom, the eun Seems to Kick.