New-York tribune., 1896-01-13
4 DISAPPOINTED NIHILIST.
THE LAST YEARS OF SERGlCS STEPNlAk
A GLIMPSE OF HIS STRANGE
HOME LIFE.
From The Pan Mall Gazette.

/
Krachensili or rather Stepniak. as he called himself
Stennial, means literally nhabitant of the Steppe.
and hence outlaw In those days a mystery Eung
over him which has not been cleared up since lie
was then generally reported. among those who
knew 10 have been the murderer ot General
Mesent2cff and that fact alone made hin fdscinat-
ing personality. There was something fascinating
about the very circumstances of Mesentzeffs muir
der For the benefit of those who do not know who
MesentZeff was may well state mat General
McsentZeff chief Of gendarmes. was the mead OF
the hated third section OF the chanceerie OF the
Emperor Alexander II. The N!hilisis. who were
then in the beginning Of their activity warned him
that he would be made public example OF, ana
then Informed him that they had sentenced him to
death Tbereupon one day in full daylight, as he
was driving through the streets OF st. Petersburg
he was shot dead. In the confusion which ensued
a man was seen jump into a hackney sledgc
drawn by a white horse and was driven away with
lightning rapidly. No sicn of the murderer could
be found. THAT night at each of the Gates Of ST.
Petersburg a slcdge with a white horse was seen
TO drive out bu; tn, murderer not in II. He
disappeared. leaving no trace behind him. ana the
police were completely bafied. This occurred in
1871 or 1875. nearly twenty years ago ana Mes
entzens murderer has not been discovered.
Ii is believed that he escaped to Geneva. fore
Gathered with the famous Vera Xasouitch. and
lived subterrancous lie there. \ few years after
the murder OF Alexander II appeared LA Kossia
Soterranea" in Italian; II was subsequently trans
lated into English 't'ndcrsround Russia. ana
was Stcpniaks first book. Soon after It's appear
ancc he came to live in London. and one Sunday
he delivered address at william Morris's house
on the Russian poasantry. To ths meeting | was
taken and at its close introduced to S,epniak
He spoke English nuentlv and dramatically, but
harshly ard unpleasantly
A strange. uncanny looking Sicpniak
with rugged unprepossessing features large
mouth. a Icon!ne head. covered with a huge name
o. crisp. curly hair. and n small ragged beard
In those DAYS he was stout and fierce. with short
plump neck and remar rkablc hands-they were
large and energetic with big thumbs and short
fingers His eyes were small. lcaden and without
expression. He was accompanied by Nine Stepniak
a woman OF singular refinement and beauty. delicate
features ana graceful figure. sparkling black
eyes ami elegant ladylike hands. She is perfect
type Of a South Russian brunette complete con-
trast to him. Stepniak was very civil. gave me one
OF his enormous hands. and invited me- 10 his house
in ST Johns Wood
! went one Sunday night. II was small house
resembling the hut Of Russian peasant md
stood In It's grounds. As entered the garden
gate and walked up The gravel path leading TO the
house A watchdog commenced barking. The shut
ters ~ the windows closed. no Hight was visl-
BILE / rang the bell. There was small pccpholc
I'm the door. This WAS opened. and somebody p'cr"A
at me-. Then the shutters OF one OF the side win
lOWS opened ana SOlD"uOiN look"fi oNt mo
the darkness. Presently heard the removal Of
bolts and bars and an old woman let me In. Step
MAX stood near her. his hands kept furuVeiy be-
hind him. as though he had revolver ready 10
shoot an enemy. on re.osnzing me. he received
me with gen.a Russian hospitality. and took me
into his poorly furnished study. Stepniak seemed
10 dread being kidnapped by the ubiquitous em Sc
sares Of the car ami spirited away 10 Russia.
His wife and he lived on truly NihI!snc principles
one half of the house Was hers. the Other ns. and
they had a common room q sort OF neutral meet
ing-grounl. Just as TcAcrulshoVski advocated. In
this common room Nine. Stepnlak received me- with
a certain fierce dignity Tchakoysky. the N!hlis.
was also there. II was a melancholy party. ana
spent a miserable uncomfortable hour or $50. and
felt quite pleased % get out of the house alive
What impressed most during my visit was the
fact that In Of conversation the Emperor
was always referred 10 as "the fool St"pniak
seemed 10 cherish fierce and malignant hatred
for the Emperor. Il was horrible TO hear him talk
| Of him.
Since then / have frequently met Siepniak and
found HIN a modest simule-mindod. unostruiatloss
man. who lived a NE % extreme poverty and yet
found means help his poorer brethren. lie
carried out his views in practice ana shared what
little he had with others lie work'I extremely
hard and injured his health by H. of course ne
WAS a fanatic In his press campaign against auto
cracy e. Is difficult to understand what goOl hc m
agined he doing. poured forth the yais ~
Russian Storinc!oud" and "The Russian Peas
antry" but these works were too obviously prcju-
diced % conyinc" his readers ana th,ir 'H'.t on
Russian public opinion WAS MI. In fact. during
recent visits 20 Russia have often heard from Rus
slams IN sympathy with IN" revolutionary party.
perhaps rr,ouionisis ihcmsclvcs. that Siepn.ak
ha. lost touch Win modem Russia lis 3ru'.cs
In The Times aud ne books i"itit't TO- p's.f,9
those he wrote in collaboration with Nj. Wcsitll.
@ h ia i ,nlist any ronsiierabic amount u
sympathy on his side. ln his Russian Siormcloui'
he ma lntainci that the autOcracy was standing
menace 10 the peace OF Europe, ana seemed 10
preach a kind % crusade against H.
als,rjbns 'o practicai use lie was no Aiazzini
BESIDES the times were against him. The ncart
and those who aymplih.zel with IL in Russia fclt
the uscieseness and hop"rssncss OF sicrhcing ih'l
lives for it, Il had done no good. The muir l'r OF
Alexander ~ had not inahsnrat'i a happ, ~ era
on the contrary it had set The clock OF tussiAn
progress back 4 whole generation II NOT more.
Stepnak must. Therefore. be- regarded "a. a dlsap-
pointed man. who wore out his days fretiins ";cr
Inc futilty Of his efforts bring about rovOlu-
ho ho'', ,,oId nave eailv gone back to Russia II he
had thoucht he could have done his country a
service b. killing somebody. i'ui his party Thought
| Of A roru!9r network of refugees. revolutionary
propa gandists. HIS correspondence was volumnous
even in bulgaria but as said before, accomplished
| nothing I'm my opinion the venom OF his hatred
clouled his mind. and TO certain extent hampercd
| him H. was certainly wanting IN the calm phlo-
! sophie breadth Of Prince krapoikin. and he ga not
| Thus he pneI like a casel caEle IN latter days
he had grown thin AMI haggard; prop2anly his
must have ombittercd him more than all was the
| SAD backslding Of many OF the most promising
| OF his party. such Inkhomiron. for Instance.
| whose book. Russia. Social ana Political was
| one Of the scverest indictments Of thr pr'sen,
| regime and who subsequently recanicd and is
| now Of the most rabd Of roicLonarlos, AMI
| leader writer OF the "MOscOw Gazette"
! The truth must be told the Russian revolutionary
party iS dying from sheer hamilton. Russians are
! dsgusted with II. 1t promised much ana did 50
little Besides. the aristocracy has been too strong
for IT, and has crushed It completely. II was in
| sympathy neither with the Ignorant peasant nor
| the man Of culture. Stepniak was one Of the las'
| Of the Mohicans. and even ne had sadly fallen OF
| The atmosphere OF English public opinion is in-
| fcctous We are all so tolerant. 50 easy going We
| have such faith in gradual measures. I'm patience.
| ana in Justice. are cheerful ana plausible.
| such hypocrites. The fanatcal revolutionary re-
! uures a more rarihcd atmosphere. But in step
| niak's last book. King Siork and King Log" We
stu nld some Of his old fire. some OF that in
| tolerant and unimagnative cYagg"raton for which
| Stcpniak was always distinguished. But IT burns
/ Nlrn En.li.h lreDlnln and 1