The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-06-23
AN OFFICIAL CRIME.

tnhU arc maue possible by the secret and
innermost machinery of Russian govern.
ment has just been revealed.
A young, innocent, beautiful and well
born girl has been done to death In prison
under circumstances of the foulest brutali-
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.
Tho victim was Marie Wjctorwa, a stu
dent of pedagogics, aged 90 years. and the
daughter of councillor of state living
In ST Petersburg Ho Is man Of wealth
and education.
His daughter was girl of uncommon
intelligence. TWAS her desire for informa.
tion concerning all sorts of things that led
to her pitiable death. Russians have had
innumerable lessons that Ignorance is tho
only safe condition for private person,
but they do not seem to have learned Ii
thoroughly.
In the first week Of February Marie was
seized, without warning or explanation, by
order of tho chief Of police. She was re-
turning from college with party of other
students, when detachment of mounted
"blues '-as the prison guards arc called
Appeared, They ga.lli!ssd . cab and ordered
her IN. For o moment she protested, and
one of them dismounted, picked her up
and threw her into the carriage She was
then driven to tho fortress cathedral Of
st. Peter and st. Paul. This building
consists of fortress to which political
prisoners are committed and cathedral
used as mausoleuln by members of the
imperial family and occupies ono of the
larger islands in the Neva
The news of the arrest reached the girls
parents only through the other students
M. 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 tho closest SUPER
vision.
The charge against Marie Wjetrowa was
that she had in her possession numerous
specimens of nihilistic literature. This
charge could not be denied The girl had
been engaged in study of this literature.
AT the time of her arrest she had with her
some nihiliss pamphlets
But NJ. Wjetrowa declared he could
prove that his daughter had obtained the
Doohh uhh FslliphicVS lIuiSiy puV VI SVIlusl-
ty. She had no association or even SYM
pathy with the authors. She was 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 where suspects only are
confined. There they arc forbidden to
speak to or communicate with any person
or to engage counsel. They are kept in
cells on small rations and await in igno-
rance tho decision which will send them to
Schluesselburg, the Russian bastile, or 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 Wjetrowa presented himself at the |
prison gate on Feb. 25, he was told that
his daughter was i'll and that he could not
see her. On Thursday, March 4, and on
March / he received the same answer.
He was of course in a state of cruel anxiety.
Then a rumor spread that Mario Wjetro-
wa had died in prison. Nothing certain
could DO 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
10, 7l4-Mario'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-
,ilor Wjetrowa was informed by the
laughter 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
his that tho true and horrible story of the
leath of the poor girl came to the ears of
The heartbroken parents. To understand
low this tragedy could have happened it
s necessary to know something of the sys-
EN- and discipline of the fortress Of st.
Peter and st. Paul.
The prison guards are selected with
sreat caro- from the army. On entering
he prison service they are required to take
he following ontb:
III INC naluo OF tna faller, SOD ana |
holy Ghost,
II, -, -, gcndarmo in the cars
,ody service, hereby swear to act solely
lnder tho orders of my superiors and to
ollow their commands implicitly in the
reatment of prisoners or in the perform
nee of executions. Neither religion, race
go nor sex shall ever deter me from my
uties. In the performance of the said
acred duties l shall consider neither IA
her, mother, wife, sister, BROTHER child
or any other relative. will arrest, bring
0 justice and execute any or all of them,
phen commanded to do SO, and will give
II know that they arc CON
piring against the life of his majesty the
Ear.
VI swear that will follow the instruc-
ons given me regarding the detection Of
lots against his majesty the car, though
,ey be entered into by my superior Off
ers or comrades.
II swear that whatever do or see in
ais fortress will reveal to no person, not :
ven to priest, on pain of banishment," I
&C.
Obviously the last paragraph quoted,
hiding the guard not to reveal anything '