St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-16
Outrages in the Political
Prison at Kara, in East
epn Siberia.
Stepniak, the Well-KnoWn
Muscovite Writer, Tells of
Recent Horrors.
Shocking Murders by Officials
Cause Prisoners to Com
NIT Suicide.
Sick and Helpless Women
Flogged to Death by
Cruel Jailers.

LONDON, Feb. 15.-Provided with a
cable despatch of introduction from
George Kennan, the celebrated Siberian
traveller, the London agent of the Asso-
ciated Press called this morning on Ser
gius Stepniak, the well-known writer
upon Russian political and social condi-
tions. Mr.. Stepniak was asked whether
he could give any informan in regard to
the outrage in the political prison at
Kara, in Eastern Siberia, rumors
about which had recently reached
the public press by way of the Russian
colony in Paris. Mr.. -Stepniak replied
that the reports already published gave
only hint of the horrible tragedy en-
acted at Kara. Perfectly trustworthy
information, he said, had been received
in cipher letters that have succeeded in
getting through to Paris and London
from exiles in Eastern Siberia. These
letters. which are nothing but
meager scraps of paper, tell the
story of the recent horror only
in It's main outlines. But one who
knows about Siberian prison life does
not need circumstantial recital to un-
derstand the cruelty of discipline and
thO oSOHy I'll SuueElllS Vi WHICH ILLS hui
Tor was the elimination. The full de-
tails of the dreadful story cannot be long
now in reaching the Western world.
coming SO soon after the publicity given
to the Yakutsk atrocity. Mr.. Stepniak
thinks it can hardly fail to deepen
THE SENSE OF HORROR
already felt by the civilized world at
RuSSia'S treatment of political offenders.
The facts SO far received are as follows:
Nine. Sigida did not commit suicide, as
the earliest reports stated. She died
from the effect of the cruel fiOgging to
which she was subjected. The flogging
took place Wednesday. Nov. 6. 1t was
continued till under the brutal blows
sciousness and lay as one dead.
The poor woman never revived from
the terrible shock, but continued to
grow weaker and weaker until Friday,
when death came to her relief. This
news OF her shocking official murder
produced widespread dismay and an
guish among her fellow prisoners, and
three of them, unable longer to bear
their wretched fate, committed suicide
by taking poison. How they obtained
the poison is not known, but probably
they had long had it in their possession
and were keeping it as a last
Marie KaluZhnaya, Marya Pavloona
Karalefskaya and Nadezhda Smirnltz-
kaya, and these facts are learned in re-
gard to them: Marie KaluZhnaya was
arrested in 1884, being then Girl of
eighteen, on charge of dislOyalty. Her
father was merchant at Odessa. Dur
ing her imprisonment every means was
tried in vain 10 eXtOrt from her con-
fession duplicating her friends.
At last Col. Katanski, gendarme
officer, brought to her Skillfully forged
statement purporting to be the confess
sion of her fellow conSpirators, and
promising immunity if she also con-
fessed. Marie fell into the trap, con-
fessed. and her confession was used
against ner friends, who were
|. SENTENCED TO PENAL SERVITUDE.
When she learned that they mad made
no confession, but had been convicted
on her testimony alone, she procured
revolver. and on the 21st of August
called upon Col. KantanSki and fired at
him, wOunding him slightly in one ear.
For this attempted assassination she
was condemned by court martial at
Odessa on the 10th Of September, 1884,
and sentenced to twenty years
of penal servitude. Marya Payioona
KaralefSkaya was married lady
about thirty-five years Of age, daughter
of we'll known landed proprietor in
the South of Russia, Paul Voroutsof,
and sister of Basil Voroutsof. one of the
best known political economists in Rus
Sia. She Joined secret circle, which
was surprised and captured by the
police in February, 1879, and was SEN
fenced to thirteen years penal servitude
with exile to Siberia for life and
deprivation of all civil rights. Her
husband, though not present, was
sent by administrative process thou
sand miles from the mines to which she
was sent. The separation drove her in
sane, and she was put in a straight
jacket. In 1881 she was allowed to join
her husband in hope of restoring her
reason. Sne recovered, but q new gov
ernor separated them again, and she
was returned to the Kara mines.
NadeZhda Smirnitskaya was thirty
three years old, and student
in a woman's college. She was
sentenced to the Kara mines
for fifteen years with penal serviIude.
women, brother of Marie Kaluzhnaya,
also political prisoner, died suddenly.
1t is not definitely known as yet
whether he too died of poison or
whether his death was the result of
overpowering grief on learning of the
death of his sister. Another exile
named Robokov committed suicide
rather than submit to
THE CRUEL HUMILIATION
and suffering of flogging. Robokov
| was university student and took part
| i'll some public demonstration of the
students which was displeasing to the
authorities. He was thereupon ordered
| to make his abode at Pinega, small
village in the province of Archangel,
| the northernmost part of Russia. From
| there he attempted to make his
| escape, and for this heinous Of
fense he was exiled to the
mines of Eastern Siberia. The
fiogging of Nine. Sigida occurred
under orders issued by Lieut.. Gov.
| Baronkorff, the governor general of the
| province of the Amoor, in which the
| Kara prison is sitnated. These orders
directed that the secret edict of March.
| 1888, signed by Calkine-Vrasli, director
! general of prisons for the empire,
should be unflinchingly enforced.
| This edict was to the effect
that political convicts should be
| treated by prison officials in
(! precisely the same manner as criminals
| condemned for common law offenses.
| Political prisoners were thus made liza
| bic to fiogging for breaches of prison
| discipline. In what particular Way
Nine. Sigida had transgressed the
prison rules is not clearly explained.
But, fiogging
! A SENSITIVE AND CULTURED WOMAN
to death for any lack of conformity to
prison regulations Mr.Stepniak thought