Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-06-25
AN OFFICIAL CRIME.


BY an accident, one of those tragedies
that are made possible by the secret and
innermost machinery of Russian govern
mcnt has just been revealed.
A young, innocent, beautiful and we'll
born girl has been done to death in prison
under circumstances of the foulest brutal
ty. The man through whom the crime
came to public knowledge has gone to ST
IBERIA, and that is all the attention Rus
sian justice pays to the matter.
The victim was Marie Wietorwa, a stu
dent Of pedagogics, aged % years, and the
daughter Of q councillor of state living
in st. Petersburg He is a man of wealth
and education
His daughter was girl of uncommon
intelligence. twas her desire for informa-
ton concerning all sorts of things that led
TO her pitiablc death. Russians have had
innumcrablc lessons that ignorance is the
only safe condition for "a private person,
but they do not seem to have learned it
! thoroughly
In the first week of February Marie was
seized, without warning or explanation, by
order of the chief Of police She was re
turning from college with party of other
! students, when Il detachment of mounted
"blucs as the prison guards are called
appeared. They called a cab and ordered
her in. For moment she protested, and
one Of them dismounted, picked her up
and threw her into the carriage She was
| then driven to the fortress cathedral of
/ st. Peter and St Paul This building
consists of IA fortress to which political
prisoners are committed and u cathedral
sod
imperial family and occupies one of the
larger islands in.the Neva.
The news Of the arrest reached the girls
parents only through the other students
NJ Wjetrowa used every influence in his
power to secure a speedy hearing for his
daughter, but the only favor he obtained
was permission to visit her for five min
utes every week under the closest super
vision
The charge against Marie Wietrowa was
that she had in her possession numerous
specimens of nihilistic literature This
charge could not be denied The girl had
been engaged in a study of this literature
At the time of her arrest she had with her
some nihilist pamphlets.
But NJ. WjetrOwa declared he could
prove that his daughter had obtained the
books and pamphlets purely out of curiosi-
W. t1lc llttu III uSSDClAllOil vi tNtu ~ Ill
pathy with the authors. She was IA girl
of very wide reading, especially in politi-
cal science, but had no association with
any political movement. she was merely
preparing for her profession as a teacher
In difference to these statements the
chief Of police had Marie removed to that
part of the prison whore suspects only are
confined. There they are forbidden to
spc:.,. 10 OF communicate with any person
or to engage counsel They are kept in
cells on small rations and await in igno-
rance the decision which will send them to
Schluesselb burg, the Russian bastile, OF to
Siberia.
On the first three Thursdays in Febru-
airy NJ. WjetrOWa was allowed to see his
daughter. On these occasions two blues
with loaded rifles stood beside her, and the
father was similarly guarded. Had he at
tempted to ask any questions concerning
the charges against her, he would immedi
ately have been led out.
When Wjctrowa presented himself at the
prison gate on Feb. 20, he was told that
his daughter was i'll and that he could not
see her On Thursday March I, and on
March IL he received the same answer.
He was of course in IA state of cruel anxiety.
Then a rumOr spread that Marie Wjetro-
wa had died in prison. Nothing certain
could be learned, but the vague rumor
persisted in the city of silence and mystery.
Her father was told by the keeper every
time he went to the gate of the prison that
60 714-Marie's number-could not be
seen. Only that and nothing more could
he learn at the prison.
At last, in the beginning of April, Coun-
cilor Wjetrowa was Informed by the
daughter of one of the tax commissioners,
an official of the highest Importance that
Marie had died on Feb. "a. The tale bearer
had overheard this fact in conversation
between her parents
1t was not, however, until month after
this that the true and horrible story of the
death of the poor girl came to the ears of
the heartbroken parents. 70 understand
how this tragedy could have happened it
is necessary to know something of the sys-
TEN and discipline of the fortress of St
Peter and St Paul
The prison guards are selected with
great care from the army. On entering
the prison service they are required TO take
the following OATH
"In the name of the Father Son and
Holy Ghost,
81, -, -, gendarme in the car s
body service, hereby swear to act solely
under the orders of my superiors and to
follow their commands implicitly III the
treatment of prisoners or in the perform
ance of executions. Neither religion, race,
age nor sex shall ever deter me from my
duties. In the performance of the said
sacred duties 1 shall consider neither ia.
ther mother, wife, sister, brother, child
nor any other relative. l will arrest, bring
to justice and execute any or all of Them
when commanded to do so, and will give
information if ! know that they are con
spring against the life of his majesty the
car.
81 swear that will follow the instruo
tions given me regarding the detection OF
plots against his majesty the car, though
they be entered into by my superior off
GERS or comrades.
Il swear that whatever do or see In
this fortress l will reveal to no person, not
even to priest, on pain of Punishment, "
etc
Obvfo,relxv ar,h al