Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-13
Authors Note

In the summer OF 1871 1 came upon q
pamphlet published by the Times five
years previously, giving an account Of
the persecution of the Jews in Russia in
1881. At about the same time 1 found in
the Brooklyn Times (U. S. a tragic in
cident in the alleged career of a JeWess,
which recalled TO my mind a grim pas
sage of Russian history. These three
records inspired the story 1 have just
concluded. 1t occurred to me to find in
the one village of Russia where the Jews
had for a time lived unmolested, a hero
inc, who failing under the lash of Rus
sian persecution, should survive the
keenest of human Affections, to become
under very dramatic and romantic cir
c~umstaEces, the instrument of Divine
vengeance upon her enemy, and proba-
bly, a type of the fierce injustice which
characteristics the civil and military gov
eminent of Russia. My inspiration for
this tragic figure sprung from the follow
ing narrative, related as absolutely true
by Charles J. Rosebaulr, in the Brook
Ign Times during the month of June,
ISS7:-
''Not far from the police station Elizabeth
street is a large three-story brick building
Years ago it was a handsome dwelling, but time
and the small boy have played havoc with it.
facade, doors. windows and railing. It is occu-
pied by a well-to-do Russian, who years ago fed
his native land for alleged completely in some
devious of political refugees of both sexes, Rus
slams, NihiliSts, Polish Li6erators. French
Communards, German Socialists and Cosmopol-
itan Anarchists. The circle met there is COM
posed OF educated and clever people. Nearly all
are excellent linguists and more or less success
full in trade, literature or professional life. Ow-
ing probably 70 the terrible scenes in which they
have been actors all are more or less eccentric in
behavior, speech or ideas. Notlong since q party
of a dozen men and women were spending the
evening in the large ol6-fashicned parlor. All
smoked, 8 few slipped the ~vitriolic Vodks be-
tween the whiffs of their cigarettes, while all
the rest assuaged thirst with the cheap wines OF
the Rhine and MoseIle. The conversation had
been political and literary rather than snecdotal
in character, and had tagged until the room was
handsome Jevess of twenty-four or twenty-five,
whose name or nom de guerre was Theodore
Ornavitsch. She was OF 6 rare type of that
race, being q superb blonde with bright golden
hair, large lustrous blue eyes, and exhibiting
the powerful figure and splendid health which
the Hebrew women to so remarka-
BILE a degree. AS she paused at the end Of an
argument and drsined q glass of Josephshoefsr,
some one asked, What made you q Nihilist,
Dora?'i
f'Nothing very remarkable TO us Russians
she replied. II belong to a good family in =
small town in the Warsaw province. married
the Rabbi OF our synagogue and we were very
happy for q few months. The Gar then made q
change and sent down anew governor from st.
Petersburg to replace our old one, who was q
good and Just man. although q Russian general.
The new conner had every vice and no virtue OF
any kind. He was so bad and cruel that our
friends and relatives wrote rs when he came,
warning us against him. Ay husband, the next
Sabbath. in the synagogue, told our people
about him, and advised them to be over cautious
in not violating any OF the thousand tyrannical
laws with which we were cursed. Though he
spoke in Hebrew, for fear OF spies, someone be-
trayed him to the governor. De was arrested,
tried, logged on the public squsre into insen-
and sent to Siberia for life. I was
present when he underwent his agony, and
stood IL until I became craZed. broke through
the crowd toward the wretch of an Official, and
cursed him and his master, the Car, and swore
against both. /, too, was arrested,
tried at court-martial, and sentenced to receive
loo blows with the rod in the public square. /,
a woman, was taken by drunken Mouiiks and
heather Ccssacs 10 the place, tied by my hands
to the w-hippIng-post, my clothing torn from my
body TO the Hsist, and beaten before all the