Milford chronicle., 1888-04-20

and cales--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,n OF 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 SIN 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
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
Z
In the evening the same story was repeated,
with the same result. The director ordered
Mishkin, AlexandroR and CicianoR 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 giyeup
their dangerous undertaking, but he found
he had made a mistake-AIishllin, as well as
Cicianon 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
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 a subordinate official who had to
obey the orders from those above him. At
all the cells the director received the same
laconic reply, "Grant what we are asking"
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 dispIeased the
y,,.feo-,ors o,T rror-a or,arc flai
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 conturing 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
large cross in his arms from cell to cell, sup
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 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-
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 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
a few years, and that he was ready to resign
if his resignation would be accepted "But
what is to be done nowln he exclaimed, dra-
matically. Il cannot grant their demands;
its beyond my power to do it. Up to the
present time 1 still hoped tho 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 see they are in earnest. They are
determined to die. 1 don't want to be solely
responsible for their deaths, and / think it's
time to report everything to the governor
and let him act as he thinks bestn
All agreed that no other course was posi-
bic under the circumstances, and 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 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 procmeur,
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 frem the |
outside, to read all the books permitted by
the state censor, to visit the prison church on
a Sunday named by them, etc. Thus, ON the |
eighth day Of the famine-July 10-the pris- |
oners once again took food.-MichaelA Alalkof 1
in Chicago News.
Whom the Gun Seems to Kick.