St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-09-19
THE HUNGER STRIKE IN KARA
PRISON

From George Remnants Siberian
paper in September Century we take
this thrilling account of the hunger
strike:
\ few days later-about the middle
of IuIv-all the rest of the state crirni-
nails were brought back to the politi-
cal prison at the Lower Diggings,
where they were put into new and
much smaller cells that had been
made by erecting partitions i'll the
original kameraS i'll such a manner
as to divide each of them into thirds.
The effect of this change was to
crowd every group of seven or eight
men into cell that was so nearly
filled by the sleeping-platform as to
leave no room for lOcomOtion. Two
men could not stand side by side in
the narrow space between the edge
of the platform and the wall, and
the occupants of the cell were there
fore compelled to sit or lie all day
on the plank mares without occupa-
ton for either minds or bodies. No
other reply was made to their petit
lions and remOnStrances than q
threat from khalturin that if they
did not keep quiet they would be
logged. With Il view to intimidat-
ing them khalturin even sent a SUR
geOn to make q physical examination
of one political, for the avOwed pur-
pose of ascertaining whether his
state of health was such that he
could be fiOgged without endanger-
ing his life. This was the last straw.
The wretched state criminals, de
privcd of exercise, living under dun
geon conditions poisoned by air
laden with the stencil of eXcrement-
buckets, and finally threatened with
the whip when they complained,
could endure no more. They resolved
to make that last desperate protest
against cruelty which is known III
Russian prisons as Il 'gOlOdOfka,"
or 'hunger-strike They sent a
notification to Major khalturin that
their life had finally become unendur-
able, that they preferred death to
such an existence, and that they
should refuse to take food until they
either persisted or forced the govern
ment to treat them with more hui
mainly. No attention was paid to
their notification, but from that
moment not a mOuthful of the food
that was set into their cells was
touched As day after day passed
the stiffness of death gradually set
tied down upon the prison. The
starving cOnvictS, too weak and
apathetic even to talk to one an
other. lay in rows, like dead men, up
on the plank sleeping-platforms and
the only sounds to be heard in the
building were the footsteps of the
ScntricS, and now and then the incO-
herent mutterings of the insane. On
the fifth day of the ''9olodofka" Ma
IOr khalturIn, convinced that the
hunger-Str1ke was serious, came to
the prison and asked the cOnvictS to
state definitely upon what terms
they would discontinue their protest.
They replied that the conditions of
their life were unbearable, and that
they should continue their self-starv-
alton until the eXcrement-buckets
were taken out of their cells, until
they were permitted to have books
and to exercise daily in the open air,
until they were allowed to direct the
expenditure of their money for better
food and better clothing than were
furnished by the government, and
until he tkhalturInl gave them q sol
emn assurance that none of them
should he logged. The commandment
told them that the talk about fog
gIng was nonsense; that there had
never been any serious intention of
resorting to the whip. and that, if
they would end their strike, he would
see what could be done to improve
the material conditions of their life
Not being able to get any positive
assurances that their demands would
be complied with, the prisoners CON
tinucd the "golOdOfka.' On the
tenth day the state of affairs had be
come alarming. All of the starving
men were i'll the last stages of physi-
cal prostra ton, and some of them
seemed to be near death. Count
Dmitri Tolstoi. the Minister of the
Interior, who had been appraised
OF the situation, telegraphed the
commandment to keep ''skorbnoi
leest," or hospital sheet" setting
forth the symptoms and conditions
OF the strikers. and to inform him
promptly of any marked change.
Every day thereafter a feIdsher, or
hospital steward, went through the
cells taking the pulse and the temper
allure of the starving men. On the
thirteenth day Of the ''golodofka"
Major khalturin sent word to the
wives of all political convicts living
at the Lower Diggings that they
might have an interview with their
usbands-the first in more than two
months-if they would try to per