Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-09-27
A HUNeER STRIKE.

.,,r,De,line che Governor Of Siberian
,,,,son 70 Consider Grievances.
IN MS siberian series In Century Mr.. George
<ennan gives the following account Of
,rison revoje among the exiles: a few days
ater-aDout the middle of July-an the rest
r the state criminals were brought back to
he political prison at the Lower Diggings,
vhere they were put into new and much
mailer cells that had been made by erecting
,artitions in the original kameras in such
manner as to divide each Of them into thirds.
he effect of this change was to crowd every
roup of seven Or eight men into cell that
vas so nearly filed by the sleeping platform
IS to leave no room for locomotiOn. Two
men could not stand side by side in the mar
,ow space between the edge Of the platform
md the wall, and the occupants Of the cell
we're therefore compelled to sit or lie all day
N the plank mares without occupation for
ither minds or bodies. No other reply was
made to their petitions and Temonslranees
han a threat from Khalturin that If they did
ct keep quiet they would be logged. With
view to intimidating them khalturin even
emit a surgeon to make a physical examina
ion Of one political, for the avOwed purpose
Il ascertaining whether his state Of health
vas such that he could be logged without
ndangering his life
This was the last straw. The wretched
tate criminals, deprived Of exercise, living
under dungeon conditions" poisoned by air
laden with the stencil Of excrement buckets,
and finally threatened with the whip when
they complained, could endure no more.
rhev resolved to make that last desperate
protest against cruelty, which is known in
Russian prisons as "golodofka," or "hunger
strike" They sent notification to Maj
Khalturin that their life had finally become
lnendurable, that they preferred death to
,uch an existence, and that they should re-
use to take food until they either persisted
IT forced the government to treat them with
more humanity.
No attention was paid to their notification.
nut from that moment not mouthful Of the
tood that was set into their cells was touch
H. As day hitter day passed the stiffness OF
leath gradually settled down upon the pris
III. The starving conviets, too weak and
,pathetic even to talk to one another, lay in
.ows, like dead men, upon the plank sleeping
llatforms, and the only sounds to be heard
IA the building were the footsteps Of the sen
ries, and now and then the incoherent NUT
erings Of the insane.
On the fifth day of the "golodofka" Maj
GhaltiIrin, convinced that the hunger strike
onvicts to State definitely upon what terms
hey would discontinue their protest. They re-
3lied that the conditions of their life were
nbearable, and that they should continue
heir self starvation until the excrement
buckets were taken out Of their cells; until
hey were permitted to have books and to
exercise daily in the open air; until they
we're allowed to direct the expenditure OF
rheir money for better food and better cloth
ing than they were furnished by the govern
.nent, and until he (Khalturin) gave them a
solemn assurance that none of them should
be fiogged.
The commandment told them that the talk
lbout hogging was nonsense; that there
never had been any serious intention of re-
sorting to the whip, and that, il 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 com
pliod with, the prisoners continued the ''golo-
dofka."
On the tenth day the state of affairs had
become alarming. All of the starving men
were in the last stages Of physical prostra-
ton, and some Of them seemed TO be near
death Count Dmitri Tolstoi, the minister
If the interior, who had been apprised of the
situation, telegraphed the commandant 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
., feldsher, or hospital steward, went'through |
the cells taking the pulse and the temperature
Il the starving men.
On the thirteenth day Of the ''golodofka"
Maj. Khalturn sent word to the wives of all
political convicts living in the Lower Dig
gings that they might have an interview with
their husbands-the first in more than two |
months-if they would try to persuade them
to begin taking food They gladly assented,
of course, to this condition, and were ad-
mitted to the prison. At the same time Khal-
turin went himself to the starving men and |
assured them, on bis honor, that if they
would end the hunger strike he would do
verifying in his power to satisfy their de
hands. The entreaties of the wretched, |
ieart broken women and the promises of the |
'ommandant finally broke down the resolu- |
ion of the politicals, and on the thirteenth |
lay the first and most obstinate hunger strike |
N the history of the Kara political prison
anne to an end.