Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-09
THE HUNGER STRIKE.
GRIM DETERMINATION 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-all the prisoners of the fright 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 bouillon, 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 ''left 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 ln the forenoon @ delicious breakfast was brought into the cells, but tbe prisoners exhibited no desire to eat it, and it was taken back to the kitchen. At noon luxurious dinner was served, and although it remained untouched, it occurred to the director to leave it all day in the cells. The voluntary sufferers threw the food into the ssparashkas. In the evening the same story was repeated with the same result. The director ordered Mlshkin, AlexandroR and Cicianoff 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 up their dangerous undertaking, but he found he had made mistake-Mishkin, as we'll as Cicianof and Alexandroff, joined their fel- low prisoners
 At late hour of the second night the di- rector, accompanied by the prison physician, went from cell to cell, begging and suppli- eating the prisoners to eat, reminding them or thelr 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 ot his duties, and explaining that he was merely subordinate official who had to obey tio orders from those above him. At all the coils the director received the same laconlc 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 common prisoners and soldiers sat around 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 and 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, SUD- plicating the prisoners to eat, in the name of God, but his prayers and entreaties received 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 warders had to watch at their beds all night in order to prevent their sudden expiration The director did not sleep all night. The physi- elan and his assistants had never had such 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 conference presided over by the director and attended by the physi- clan, the priest, the officers of the garrison and the head warders, was held at the prison office. The director delivered @ mournful 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 nowF" he exclaimed, dra- matically. ''I cannot grant their demands; it's beyond my power to do it. Up to the present time I still hoped the fellows would change their minds or break down and begin to eat. For this reason intended not to let the governor know of this horrible affair. But now 1 see they are in earnest. They are determined to die. don't want to be solely responsible for their deaths, and I 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 possi- ble under the circumstances, and a report was got up and forwarded immediately to the governor of Kharkoff. 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 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, and 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 had to sign paper obliging themselves to permit the political prisoners to work, to receive food from the outside. to read all the books permitted by