Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-07
MARTYR FOR NIHILIsN.
Suicide Of sophie Gutenberg in Her Prison
ON the NevA.

On the NeVo.
Sophie Gutenberg, the ''nihiliste," who was
sentenced In November last to imprisonment
TOR life at Sehlusselburg an island Of the
Neya, twenty -one miles from st. Petersburg
has committed suicide. She had been despond-
ent for many months past, but recently she
seemed to be regaining her usual spirits. FL
naily she became possessed of pair of scissors
and with them she hacked her throat in such o
determined manner that she died, in spite of
the efforts to save her life.
Sophie was girl of rare beauty, keen mind
careful education, unbounded pride and amaz-
ing enthusiasm. all of which she sacrificed
gladly. She was born in a south Russian VIII
Iage twenty one years ago. She received ele-
mentarv instruction in the village school, and
at the age OF seventeen was graduated from a
high school in neighboring city. She WAS the
belle of the city where she studied, and had be-
fore her at home the prospect Of choosing
whom she would for husband.
She aspred to be a student, and, il possible,
physician. She was already to 60 to the capt.
tai to begin work when the university was
closed against women. She decided to 60
abroad. She arrived in Berne, Switzerland,
late in 1886. with the purpose of carrying on
her studies in medicine and civil government.
Her Russian friends were radicals, some we're
revolutionists They told her all their plans
and aspirations, touched her heart with their
stories Of the sufferings of the poor and OPP
pressed, of conditions Of Russian life she had
never seen, and finally diverted her thoughts
entirely from herself and her own career to the
unfortunate lot of Russia's masses. She gave
up her life's ambition, returned to Russia and
got school teachers certificate, in order that
she might teach growing Russians what they
ought to be and what they should be in the
empire Of the car. The government police
learned of the radicalness of her instruc ton.
10 prevent her cause from suffering for her
religion she gave up her Jewish creed and
joined the Orthodox Greek Catholic church.
But that was little or nothing compared with
her final sacrifice. When conceament of her
mission was becoming daily more difficult, when
the whole work in which she had infused her
strong nature began to tremble on the verge Of
discovery, she FASTENED 10 the police. asked to
be registered as woman of the town and re-
ceived certificate supposed to prove her dis
honor. As u Christian and woman of the
town, however, she was fairly safe from suspi-
clon and interruption.
The discovery of her identity and work was a
pure accident She was shopping one after
noon in ST. Petersburg while on her way to the
house OF nihilistic friend. With her she car
ried little handbag full of revolutionary
pamphlets As she left the shop she forgot the
bag. 1t was picked up by the proprietor and
turned over as lost property to the police.
They opened it, found heliterature and Sophie
Guenzburg's address within. and, when she
returned home at night had scare he'd her apart
ments successfully for other evidences of her
completely in nihilistic plots. Several men
suspected Of being her accomplices were also
thrown into prison at the same time.
The trial of Sophie Guenzburg. Stoilanofsky
and Friefeld, civilians, and Doofhefskv and
Crotchko, artillery officers, all of whom we're
suspected of working to the same end with her.
began behind closed doors on November 10. 1t
WAS before a special court OF Ave members of
the senate. The complaint was that Sophie
Guenzburg had been found to have III her pos
session placards announcing the death of Alex
ander Ill, and that one or more bombs had
been discovered in her apartment. She was
therefore accused of being a chief actor in a
plot to murder the car. She, Stoilanofs y
and Frieteld were found guilty on November
IA. Doothefsky and Crotchko, the artillery Of
fcers, were acquitted. All three guilty ones
have been condemned to be hanged. but the
sentences of Stoilanofsky and Friefeld were
committed to hard labor in Siberia for four and
ten years respectively.
1t was not, however, SO easy to secure COM
mutation o! the sentence of sophie, and it was
made all the more difficult by her defiant at
titude. She herself preferred to be a martyr
for her cause. Women from all parts of the
world united in petitioning for clemency, and
the sentence was finally changed to life i'm
nnnt