The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-05-05
NOTED FEMALE NlHlLlST.
Tho Remarkable Story Of Sophia Guns
burg and Her Plots
wB DESIGN AGAINST The CARS LIFE.
Nan. She Employed to Accomplish Her
rurpose-A Band Of Admirers 9""'"
20 do Hor Bidding Her Sentence


-, vas none. writes the St Petersburg
-...,,n. lent Of the London Daily Telegraph.
, have lust had a long conversation with one
D, che dicnataries who played the part of
49,. irrv. and counsel for the Crown dur
o.slo brief ceremony. which began by vol
..o~, confession. and ended IN conuemna-
.'., IN 3cath and the details communicated
/ '"i r, which are worthy Of implicit Gre
ny ' throw strong If lurld light upon
p,.s,an Nihilis,s IN particular ana the nus
~ character generally, and II properly
mn bv /Olaistc Teallst would make "A
80. sensational novel
~rb. -inolcader of the conspiratOrs, and now
a. chief of the prisoners ls-as IS frequently
.Leca.o IN Russian pOhucs-a woman IN TINS
t-...,.,s a woman OF excellent education, OF
,,l Of ravashing beauty, and of un-
...-to3 courage b woman IN many respects
$3.50 90 the celebrated Sophie PerOvskv
ssn, directed the operations that eliminated
", the foul murder of the late Emperor,
.-t,,r She SD soon afterwards followed 10 the
--s,e This person, sophia Gunsbufg 10y
Zane narrated the eventiul story OF her
80 o-ed life 20 her unsympathetlc Judges,
ca narrated 1t in a most calm, unmpas-
rei directive way which the most impair
tsl AZ historians might well envy
JEwEss BY BIRTH.
Che was Jowess by birth, she said, and
"a boon brought up in the Pale of settle
In, ont.ide of which Jews are not allowed
d. ,,sva.r at large Her parents had gwen
Vie hest education that was TO be had
do the unfavorable public and private con-
It,or- in which their lot was cast. Natural
.,..,rde and the oppression that stimulates
',., ~ does not crush. effected the rest. and
,ne Sophia Gunsburg became q sort of
f.ursb Hvpatia of the Pale. The religious
.rI ..,~al principles. however. lnstllled into
e. b,. ler mother and her early teachers. were
49,, crashed away by the surge of daily life
~0Ued on in the narrow channel of the
p,-e wreckng Young hopes and burylng
ie,tuatc desires She saw some OF the most
..-,r.,ble men and women of her nation COM
r're5 daily % barter their religion for mess
n no,tage or for still less. the barren right 70
- for IT, She grew accustomed to the
,rft and I'M time the finer moral fibre OF her
.-tr-e was eaten into by the cancer of
hatred hatred for the Government, which
.Ie deemed responsible for tins cruel perse-
cutau unparalleled since the days Oh ihe
ms. -vrannical of the Roman Caesars. Alter
Isr-nJ Graduated in the ordinary establish
vents of intermediate education, SOPHIA lett
her hirthplace. To- which she refuses the name
~ fe+Ier,aDd and went abroad 10 breathe the
bracine air Of freedom.
In Geneva her vague lnclnauOns ana tent
denotes were gradually nodded into periec-
system Of cruel, COld-blOOded revenge, Whicu
las scarcely its parallel IN history. 1t was IN
that historic town that she meditated and
brooded over the wrongs inflicted by Russia,
until nj last She Matched a plot. the bare out
lines of which make one shudder. and when
was certainly more worthy of fury III human
shape than Of q beautiful maiden standing
upon lifes threshold with all the JOYS ana
pleasures Of existence before her. Holding
The Government responsible Tor the lnnumer-
able evils that deuge the country, she APP
piled the autOcratIc principle 10 the extent OF
admitting that the Government is the Gar
and the Gar She Is determined 20 Stay. such
was the object Of the plot
MANS SHE EMPLOYED.
The means She intended TO employ in order
b attain il were to the full as abominable as
the end in view She resolved TO gather to-
gether % elect band of young men, and daz-
cling them by the almost irresistible charms
Of her beauty. 20 administer 10 each, unknown
O. the other, a solemn oath binding HIM 10 DO
her bohests and TO assasslnate the Emperor
on a day and in themanner fixed by her She
was determined that If one failed another
should take his place, and still another after
him. until at least the foul deed should be
done The Emperor's successor too, unless
he struck out new line of policy, was 70 be
stamped ont of existence in the same ruthless
WAY and thus Red Terror was TO struggle
with White until the evils complained of We're
either abolished or intensified 10 such an ex-
tent that the most phlegmatic Russian peasant
could DO longer endure them.
SUSCEPTIBLE VICTIMS.
Sophia Gunsburg had no trouble in attract
ing % sufficient number of lOVe-sick young
Russ Sis who were smltted by her Deauty and
grace or made enthusiastic by her eioquence.
Size sacrificed without hesitation or regret all
thata pure woman holds dearest In life N
order % maintain her hold over these young
Cau.ues. She was not. however, wholly
monster. nor was she exempt from all human
weaknesses She herself fell IN love, eperdu-
me1t .n love. with an educated young Rus
sau whose plramOur She became. Dut whom
she never initiated into her political plots. So
that be continued down 10 the moment OF ms
arrest ID complete ignorance OF the part sAe
was p.a ing as regiclde.
One of the unsuccessful attempts on the
Cars life chronicled in the Daily Telegraph
% tie early part IF last year. WAS the work OF
one of Sophia Gunsburg's body guards, and
lad she not been arrested when she was,
the present year of grace W uld probably
have been the last OF the reign Of Alexander
III.
NEITHER MODESTY NOR REM0RSE.
When the prisoner had finished the impress
Give discourse containing the history of her
rr and crime which had been occasion
A{ Interrupted by The questions and re-
1.e- NJ the presiding dlcnltmcs. the presl-
dent asked her whether she felt no COM
junction for the abominable deed resolved
and attempted to execute. no remoIse Tor the
cynical way in which She had Invested her
self VI all feminine modesty. Her reply was
an emphatic negative. which rang through
,le hall like the peal of musical bell t0llng
W Tie death Of youthful BRIDE. and was
quickly followed by the solemn sng-song or
lle Judge prouOunclng the sentence OF ~
lmL4us death. Her companions We're con-
ltuled % various terms of hard labor III the
A.ir--a sentence surprising IN severity the
most painful Kind Of death all except one.
,er over who because perfectly ignorant or
Ger criminal plans, was finally released. after
L- lg lucusled in solitary confinement for
elg,h OF time sufficient 10 make him wish
ira release into the life Of this subunary
World or into the next. The Emperor. when
l.i0-m 3 of the death sentence. committed u
lL.. Imprisonment for HE
INTERVIEW WITH HER MOTHER.
Sopias parents are still living in the Pale,
slG VIXEN her old mother heard of her con-
ormaauon she offered 10 abandon Judaism
h-- become a Christian In order % obtain tine
letlLll authorization to leave the Pale of
Srlieucut and come 10 St. Petersburg TO see
Lel -cariy-beoyed daughter, who had gone
~ Tar astray from the path Of duty since last
lle' had met The interview took place
IL" oa}s ago 40 the fortress, and no more
A'aiir,udng spectacle was ever before VIII
messed by Tho phlegmatic Jail officials, whose
"9 ieI Ike ram.
he trembling mother approached her