Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-05
A Dying Woman the Innocent Cause
of It All.
THE TERRIBLE HUNGER STRIKE
Labouchere's Ugly Attack on Lord
Salisbury.
KANSAS FARMERS AND Mr.. INGALLS,.
HORRORS OF SIBERIA.
Sick and Dying Women Flogged by
Prison Officials.

Prison OnicialS.
CHICAGO, March 5.-The following communi-
cation has been received by the Associated
Press:
MINNEAPOLIS, MINI. March 4, 1890.
To the Associated Press: have just received
from a Russian acquaintance in Paris the fol-
lowing letter with regard To the reported
iogging to death of Madame Slglda at the
mines Of Kara in eastern Siberia. have every
reason to believe that my correspondent IS
Trustworthy and that be has received directly
from the province Of the Trans-Baikal the in
formation that he sends me, but fur
Their than this 1 know nothing. The
story of the fogging OF Madame Slgida AID
the suicide Of her companions has been Of
ficially denied by the Journal de 81. Pdterbourge,
the organ Of the Russian foreign Office, and by
the St Petersburg NOroe Vre1nyd, but these
denials unfortunately, do not carry as much
weight as they would if the Russian govern
ment had not denied the story of the slaughter
of political exiles in Yakutsk last March, a
story that 1 am now ready to prove before a
committee Of the international prison associa-
ton. GEO. KEENAN,.
PARIS Feb. 49, 1890.
MI DEAR Mr.. KEENAN,: / hasten to send you
the details that We received here yesterday
from Siberia of the tragedy at Kara, with re-
gard to which / wrote you briefly few days
ago. We learn from a trustworthy source that
upon the suggestion or initiative OF Baron
~
inces, il Was decided some months ago to put
all the political offenders at the mines of Kara
upon the footing of common criminal convicts.
In pursuance of the decision orders were re-
ceived from 81. Petersburg to turn the political
convict women over to Commandant Tomilin,
the director of the common criminal prisons
and to have them shut up in the cells occupied
by female conyicts OF the common criminal
class. The Kara tragedy was the result of this
order. which was made known to the political
prisoners on the 24th of last October. More than
half of the male political convlcts proposed, at
once, to commit suicide; but as all would not
agree to this. IL WAS finally decided to await
definite action ON the part OF the prison author
ities. The men gave notice, however. that
they would kill themselves at the first attempt
to carry the order into execution
WHIPPED A DYING WOMAN.
About the same time seventies began in the
woman's political prison. Madame kavalskaya,
by order of Governor General Korff. had been
transferred from Kara to the Verkhni Udinsk
prison and this had prepared the way for the
events that followed Her female companions
soon learned the narrowing details of her re-
moyal to Verkhni Udinsk, the circumstances of
which were follows: Baron KOrff paid
visit of inspection to the womans political
prison at Ust Kara and entered the cell where
Madame kavalskaya was lying sick In bed. 1t
is strictly enforced rule in all Russian prisons
that when an officer-and especially an officer
of high rank-enters cell every prisoner
shall rise 10 his or her feet and stand in the at
titude of attention. Madame Kavaiskaya. who
was in an advanced stage of prison consump-
ton, neither rose from her bed or noticed in
any way the governor generals entrance.
Baron Korff. ignorant perhaps of the unfOr
tunate woman's physical condition. asked her
roughly whether she did not know who had
entered the cell and why she did not get up
Madame kavalskaya replied YEARLY: 1T
makes difference to me now whether you
are the governor general or only turnkey. l
am unable to get up"
Baron korff. Irritated apparently by what
seemed to him impertnence, ordered that
Madame kavalskaya be taken to the Verkhni
Udinsk prison and there be put into solitary
confinement
This order was executed by Masuikoff. the
commanding officer of the Ust Kara prison,
with great brutality.
Madame kavalskaya declared herself unable
10 walk, and she thereupon taken out of
her bed by two soldiers. carried down to the
bank OF the Shltkarlyer IN a sheet and put into
a small boat for transportation to the Verkhni
Udinsk prison. Her companions held Com
mandant Masuikof responsible and appealed
TO the higher authorities for the latters re-
moyaL
THE HUNGER STRIKE.
When the appeal was disregarded they pro-
,eeded TO enforce it by means of hunger
strike voluntary self-starvation), and a hun
ger strike of unheard of duration. They
o. ~,
Commandant Maruikof rendered his resigna-
ton The higher authorities refused to ac-
cept it, and the hunger strike was renewed for
saSht days more, at the expiration of which
time the mon were notified that the obnoxious
Commandant Masuikoff would be removed to
another post The promised removal how
ever, did not take place, and again the hunger
strike was renewed. This time ii continued
twenty-five days, but most of the women were
kept alive in spite of their refusal to eat by
the administration Of food artifclaliy At the
end of this terrible hunger strike only Madame
Sigida and Madame Solova were able to stand
on their feet. Madame Sigida asked for an in
terview with the commandant, and in the course
Of it struck him in the face. Whether the blow
was provoked by something that he said or
whether she intended to sacrifice herself with
the hope of lettering the conditions of her
companions Is not known. The hungry strikers
were not aware of her intention to strike the
commandment, If she had such an intention
when she left them Madame Sigida was re-
moved to the common criminal prison at Cst
Kara, as were also Mesdames Kaluzhnaya and
Smyrnitska and, according to one account
Madam Kavalskaya. The result of the blow
given by Madame Sigida to Commandment
Masuikof was q telegram from Gov. Gen. Korff
directing that she be logged The prison
surgeon made the customary examination OF
her and reported that she not In a condi-
tion 10 endure the punishment
WHIPPED IN SPITE OF THE SURGEON.
Baron Korf was notified Of the surgeons de-
cision and Of his refusal to be present at the
fogging. He thereupon telegraphed, Garry
the order into execution without the presence
Of the doctor"
Madame Sigida was then logged under the
supervision OF the assistant director of the COM
mon criminal prison, an officer named Ver-
bofskL Another letter gives the name Of the
assistant director as Bobrofski. She died two
days later from heart failure and almost imme-
distely sfterward Mesdames Smirnitskaya,
kAluzhnaya and Kavalskaya poisoned them
selves. The other women were SO isolated that
they did not know what had happened, but the
news Of the terrible tragedy reached the mems
prison and according to information furnished
by the procureur thirty of the male political
convicts took poison. Only two Of them. how
ever-haluzhnoi and Bobokhof-died: the
others were saved by medical treatment.
Hecker. who was living outside the prison in
the free command" shot himself in the head.
bus a. his pistol was a very small and chean
one the wound was not fatal In the words OF
one Of the Kara political convicts: This ia the
beginning Of the end" The governor of tha
province c, the Trans-Baikal the procureur
the district surgeon and two gendarns officers
from rkustk have gone to Kara, but for more
than . week my correspondents says no news
has been received from there.
Very truly yours, ABB.
Bloodshed on the AMOR.
LONDON, March "a conflict in which sew
lxss la IN h.v o..cur-al