The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-27
RUSSIAN ATROCITIES.
Horrible Outrages at the Kara Prison

LONDON, Feb. o2.-Further details of
the outrage in the political prison at
Kara reached the Russian eXlles IN Lon,
don to-day from friends who are located
a short distance from the scene OF nor
rors. They are brief, but conclusive,
confirming fully the report of the affair
received here from an official IN st.
Petersburg who is in sympathy with
the cause of the people.
According to details received to-day,
it appears that trouble at the Kara
prison originated in ''hunger strike'
IN August, when the womeIl political
prisoners tried to starve themselves to
death to escape the brutalities Of their
iailers. All the women Imprisoned
there abstained from food for fourteen
days. The jailers did not believe that
they would be able to keep up the
struggle. At first they jeered at the
women, than tempted them with food,
aud then, finding this OF no avail,
threatened them. When several of the
women were at the point Of death from
their voluntary abstinence from food,
the prison officials resorted to artificial
means to compel them to take nourlsl-
ment. The methods adopted, however,
were violent and licentiouS, and the
women were compelled to abandon
their strike. Abominable outlages toi-
lowed and were Of daily ant hourly
occurrence.
This state of affairs led Madame
Sigida, whose death by hogglng mas
already been announced, 10 ask for an
interview with the director of the pm
son, in the hope of securing all amello-
ration of the condition ofthe prisoners.
This request was granted, but when she
was taken before him she found nm
abusive. 1t is said that in her eXaspera-
ton at his abuse she called hlm a
villain and slapped his face. 1t IS not
positively known, however, what TOOK
place during her interview: but what,
ever did happen, Madame Siglda DID
not return to her companions. She was
taken from the directors office anC
conveyed to the prison in which com.
mon offenders are confined. Three OF
her companions from among the polltl-
cal prisoners We're permitted to join her.
AdVices received to-day state that these
were Mary Koalesky, wife OF Professor
Koalesky of kieff; Madame Smirnltsky
and Maria Koiujny. The last two ladies
were from Odessa.
Two months elapsed after these
events before Adjutant Baron hore1f
Governor General of the Province OF
Amour, instructed the directors OF
prisons that the secret edict Of March,
1SSS. which ordered that political
prisoners should be treated by prison
officials in precisely the same manner
as criminals condemned for common
law offenses, would be enforced, and
ordered the directors to notify political
prisoners Of both sexes that they "oulo
be liable to corporal punishment II
they violated certain of the prison
regulations. The male prisoners, fore
seeing immediate danger, held a con.
sultation and sent to the directors OF
the prison petition that he would
telegraph to the Minister of the In
terror at st. Petersburg, requesting MN
to suspend the application OF the edlcI'
The director refused to pay any a'ten-
ton to their petition, and thereupon
the men warned him that the flrst
foggiug ola political prisoner Woulo oe e
the Signal for the others to colnmlt
suicide together.
Three DAYS afterwards, Baron hore1l
sent a special order that Madame Sig
ida be punished according to the regu'
lations. and the order was executed tc
the fullest extent. Madame SlSlda
was stripped and received lOo lashes
She was carried off bleeding and III an
unconscious condition, and her death
ensued from rupture of the heart. Hel
three companions commntteo suiciue
within an hour of the time of hearing
of Madame Sigida's death, Inc
corpses of the four women were Durleo
at the same time in the court yard o.
the common offenders prison.
For weeks the Gordon OF vigilance
was so closely maintained around the
prison that nothing was known o.
what was happening within.
Since the secret channel of iniorma
| ton has been reopened, 1t has oeen
learned that the men carried out thell
threat of suicide. They met together
and thirty of them shared what poison
they could obtain and then went &c
their cells to die The quantity OF pol
son which had been smuggled into the
prison was not sufficient to kl II quickly
| but in the course of the evening two OF
those who had shared it, Bobookoy
and Koluzny, died. There convulslons
and the dead silence which reigned II
the other cells reused the attention OF
the guards, and they immediately
summoned physicians, who admin,
istered emetics to the survivors ano
endeavored by every means to counter
act the effects of the poison.