The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-07

lent and safe means Of communication with
friends outside the prison. and the inttef; IN
their turn. fnAuaged. 10 convey. 70 tho otnoI
prisoners whatever Zelsef might have 70 Wy
vain his follow prisoners that false reports
Of evidence would be read 10 them by
Col. B~ielanowski. This is Q very common
md often a very successful manoouvor,
particularly In dealing with workmen ana
other comparatively Ignorant persons; a
prisoner, when questioned, - SHOWN = uoo.
q fellow prisoner. As these fictitious con-
LESSONS are OF course inaccurate, the pris-
oner, in his surprise and indignation ut
such treachery and such falsehoods, very
often relates what really did take placa.
He naturally imaRines that silence 10 no
longer of any service. Bnt the warning
sent out by Napoleon Zelcer put the pris-
onsrs on their guard, and they all obsti-
nately refused to believe that their col
leagues had made any sort of revelations.
The gendarmes. in their vexation at the
failure of this strategem, sought to revenge
themselves against Zelcer, aud there are u
can be worried and tofmented. Ielcer re-
piled to this petty prosecution by lodging q
formal complaint with the administration OF
tho prison against the treatment he had re-
ceived from the gendarmes. No notice,
however. was taken of his complaint. He
tu0loIOTo T6Iubtu 10 lOuVc uIh Ccll, no re-
fused to sec and to be. further questioned
by Col. B~ielanowski till his complaints had
been investigated. This characterization
promptly met with brutal punishment.
Zelcer was torn violently from his cell, con-
veyed to a distant part of the prison. put
into a dark cell, and there severely logged!
At the same time another pris oner, named
Ferdinand Ialeski, who is personally very
popular among the workmen engaged in the
factories of Warsaw and tho neiRhborhood,
was asked to give information as to the
propaganda carried out in these factories.
He indignantl9 protested against the in
suit inflicted upon him by question which
implied that he was likely TO- turn
Being unable to overcome this stub
tiles gave orders that Zaleski should
be conveyed to another part of the prison
building and severely hogged. Colonel
Bielanowski accompanied the prisoner,
took his seat at n little table we'll provided
with writing materials, and directed that
tho prisoner should be questioned while
being logged. Thu colonel was ready to
take down his answers. and, doubtless, had
these proved satisfactory the severity of
the flogging would have been m%itigated.
Zaleski bravely endured the torture. He
did not answer a question or utter a word.
This man had been cruelty tortured be-
cause he would not say what the gendarmes
only supposed or guessed he might know.
The authorities now fearing that this mod
ern revival of the old and barbaric custom
of questioning under torture, might, if
known. cause the outbreak of serious dis
t%urbances in the town, determined to pre-
vent all further communication between
the prisoners and their friends and rela-
lions. All permissions for interviews were
withdrawn, and the prisoners were so sepa-
rated and scattered over the prison and
watched that their secret means of COM
munication were also interrupted. 1t was
only at the moment the prisoners wee
about to leave Warsaw that the authorities
allowed them to see their friends. 1t was
calculated that it would then be too late for
any disturbance to break put. However
great the indignation that must naturally
be felt when the true cause of the long
silence was known, the popular irritation
was likely to pass off peaceably if the pris-
oners were already far away. The dispatch
of a delegate from Warsaw to communi-
cate these facts to the press of various
countries shows, however, that the Poles
are not likely to let the subject rest. They
will doubtless not fail to elicit very wide
felt s%ympathies.