Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-29
THE LATEST SIBERIAN OUTRAGE.
How a Young Princess and Score of
Others Were Brutality Murdered.

A Russian, Alexander Kwiatkowsk, arrived
in New York Monday direct from st. Peters
burg, and brought with him the first accoun,
OF the Tiumen tragedy. He had gained his
news almost at first hand from a relative oil
one Of the victims, beautiful young GIRL the
Princess Elena Oginska, eighteen years of age.
From Prince Adam Ogilska NJ Kwiatkowski
lear aed the following details, which, through
Count AdolphIs Norraikow, himself an old
Siberian exile and at present a resident of New
York. he communicated to the New York
World
The story begins with the exiles, hundred
IN number, who left Ekaterinburg about the
end of May. They had been transported with
. steamer load OF exiles-politicals and Grim
inals-from Mimi Novgorod to Perm, living in
iron cages on deck, and were then sent by the
railroad across the Urai mountains, twelve
hours journey. to EkaterinDurg, where the
real horrors of the Siberian journey began.
From that point the exlies had to 60 on foot
all the way to Tiumen, distance of nearly
hve hundred miles, where the cage-steamer
would be in readiness TO transport them via
the Jenessei and the Obi to Tomsk. where
another thousand miles would have to be trOd-
den by the weary exiles until Irkutsk was
reached.
According to Count Adam Oginskas account,
as told to NJ kwiatkowski. the journey from
Ekaterinburg to Tlumen was one of lndescriba-
BILE hardship. The heat during the day was
intense, and for fifteen days the exiles were
compelled to walk under the burning sun along
the roads half foot deep in dust. They usually
made from twenty to twenty five and some
times thirty miles day, resting at night in the
etappes or road prisons which line the great
Siberian post road straight across the CONT
nent from the Urals 70 the Baikal and then fur
ther to the Pacific ocean. From the letters re-
ceiyed by Prince Adam the sufferings of the
trail, beautiful Princess Elena were intense,
arousing even the sympathy Of the Cossack
guards at times. She WIS the youngest of the
group OF eXiles, but much as she suffered her
self she was never heard to complain.
All her companions were i'll a similar pitt
able condition OF exhaustion from the drearv
journey. Their feet were swollen to such an
extent that some of them sat down by the road
side and declared it was utterly impossible for
them to move another step and asked per-
mission to rice in the wagons that always &C.
company an escort Of exies for the purpose of
Transporting the sick and the women unable to
walk. They appealed to the guard in vain,
however, for as answer they were cruelty
beaten by the soldiers with the stocks of their
guns and ordered to get up and march on.
These scenes happened frequently ON the
journey. always with the same results in
cruelty But at last, when within few stations
Of Tiumen, the small band OF exiles, driven to
despair, turned fiercely upon their guards and
uebdu W u1ut IOE tnelr lrceuOHl.
But II was a very unequal fight. for the SOL
diers, who made the journey with loaded rifles,
immediately began firing on the crowd. The
result was horrifying. The first victim was
the beautiful young princess herself Her
head WAS pierced by bullet and she fell dead
without uttering word. Still the soldiers
kept up the firing and out of the small band
Of hundred political exiles who left Ekaterin-
burg twenty were shot dead and twelve were
wounded. As nearly all the exiies in the group
participated in the rebellion" to a greater or
less degree it is feared that the remainder will
be severely punished ii not hanged.
Such is the terrible story as told BY NJ
Kwiathowski. 1t sounds incredible and would
doubtless be considered 80 were it no,
that SO many previous horrors of a like de-
scriptOn have been reported and proven NJ.
Norraikow says that the case Of the Princess
Oginski has been followed with deep interes,
In the Russian colonies in Geneva, Paris Lon
don and here. She belonged to an old and
honorable Lithuanian family, several men,
bers of which spend the winter season in st.
Petersburg. How she came into trouble orig
inally Is not clearly known. She was probably
connected in some way with the societies il,
st. Petersburg for the bringing about Of poiiti-
cal reforms At any rate she was arrested and
sent to Siberia by administrative command
that is TO SAY without any trial whatever. This
form OF sentencing people, NJ. Norraikow says
has low been leSalized, and there is now no ne
cessity for even the form Of a trial in any case
That NJ. Kwiatkowski's story is based on
facts is scarcely to be doubted. News of such
horross can only get out of Siberia by private
letters which happen to escape the argus eyes
oft Le post Office officials IN Russia 1t is still q
secret how the news Of the Yakutsk massacre
reached Switzerland. NJ. Narraikow con-
tidently expects that still more complete &C.
counts of the Tiumen horror will be published
in Geneva shortly