The sun., 1890-02-23
THE SIBERIAN HORRORS.
MORE DETAILS OF THE TERRIBLE
OLTR4GES At KARA.

Over Thirty PRISONERS Attempt Suicide
AFTER tho TloEglbe OF Nine. SlEida-
| Several Succeed, but there IVES Net
Poison Enough 10 KiI Thsn All.
LONDON. Feb 22.-Further details OF the
outrage in the political prison at Kara, Siberia
! reached the Russian exiies In London to-day
from friends who are short distance from
tho scene OF the horrora The trouble at the
! hara prison originated in a hunger strike"
! in August. when the women political prisoners
, tried to starve themselves to death TO ESCAPE
tho brutalities OF their jai!ers. All the women
imprisoned there Rbstained from food for
fourteen days.
The yailers did not believe that they would
be able TO keep up the struggle. AT first they
jeered at the women, then tempted them with
food. and then. finding this Of no avail. threat
ened them. When several Of tho women were
at the point OF death from their voluntary
, abstinence from food the prison officials re-
sorted 10 artificial means 10 compel them to
take nourishment. Tho methods adopted.
however. we're violent and lcentlous. and the
women were compelled to abandon their strike.
Abominable outraEes followed and were OF
daily and hourly occurrence. This state OK
affairs led Mme. Sigida whose death by fog
gng has already been announced, to ask for
an interview with the director OF the prison, in
hope Of securing an ane!ioration OF the condl-
tion OF the prisoners. This request was grant
ed, but when she was taken before him she
found him abusive. 1t is said thot in her eXae-
peratior at his abuse, she called him villain
and Slapped his face.
it is not positively known however. what
took place during the interview: but whatever
did happen, Nine. SiGida did not return 10 her
companions She was taken from tho die
rectors Office and conveyed TO the prison in
which common offenders are confined. Three
OF her comp panions from among the political
prisoners we're permitted to Join her. The ad-
vices received to-day say that these were Mary
Koaesky, wife OF Prof koalesky OF kieiI: Nine.
Smirnitsky. and Maria kolujny Tie last TWO
ladies were from Odessa.
Two months elapsed after these events be-
fore Lieut. Gen. Baron KorfT. Governor Cone
raj OF the Province OF tLe Amour, instructed
the directors OF prisons that the secret edict Of
March. 1888. which ordered that political priB-
oners should te treated by prison officials in
precisely the same manner as criminals
condemned for common law offences,
would be enforced, and ordered tho direc-
tors to notify the political prisoners Of both
sexes that they would be liub.e to corporal
punishment il they violated certain Of tho
prison regulations. The male prisoners, fore
seeing immediate danger, held consultation
and sent to the director of the prison O petition
Interior at st. Petersburg requesting him to
suspend the application Of tho edict The die
rector refused 10 pay any attention 10 the petit
tion and thereupon the men warned him that
the first foRging Of a political prisoner would
be the signal for the others to commit suicide
together.
Three days afterward Lieut. Gen. Baron
Korff sent a special order directing that Nine.
Sigida be punished according to the regula-
tho IL ,tn.l 70 fha f,ll-
est extent Nine. Sigida was stripped and re-
ceived 100 lashes. She was carried of bleed
ing and In an unconscious condition and her
death ensued from rupture OF the heart. Her
three companions committed suicide within I'M
hour OF the time Of hearing Of Nine. SiGida's
death. The corpses OF the four women were
buried'at the same time In the courtyard Of
the common offenders prison.
For weeks ACCORDION OF vigilance was close.
ly maini aimed arounc the prison that nothing
was known OF what was happening within.
Since the secret channel Of inform. alton has
been reopencd it has been learned that the
men carried out their threat OF suicide. They
met together. and thirty OF them shared what
poison they could obtain and then went to
their cells to die. Tho quantity OF poison
which had been smuGgled into the prison was
not sufficient to kill quickly. but in the course
OF the evening two Of those who had shared 1t
-Bobotov and Kolujny-dieG. Their convul-
sions and the dead silence which reigned in
the other cells reused tho attention OF the
guards. and they Immediately summoned ply
sicians. who administered emetcs to the sur
vivors and endeavored by every means to
counteract the effects of the poison.