The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-08
A NIHILIsT's REVENGE.
Secured High Position So as to .Ex.
pose His Governments Cruelty.

A Russian nihilist arrived in Phila-
delphia recently whose adventures and
escape form a thrilling narrative. The
man, whose name is Nicholas Ivanhoe
lived at Stavropol until seventeen years
OF age, at which time his father. who
was a. lawyer, undertook the defense of
d man whom the government officials
supposed TO be a nihilist, but against
whom they had no direct proof. The
man was being tried for murder. IN
enaeaVoflng to acquit his client he
displayed more than professional
warmth and interest, and, unfortunate
~, spent his own money freely in his
attempt to save the man. who was
however, convicted to pay the extreme
penalty of the law
The convicted man became ineensed
at the lawyer because he had not
cleared him, and when on the soaffoid
took dying revenge of ihgratitude and
deception by declaring that his lawyer
had done all in his power to clear him
because he was, like himself, a aihf-
hist.
This was all that was needed. and i'll
was not many days before the lawyer
was arrested and thrown into prison.
A hasty trial followed, and the unfor-
t0nate man was convicted and sem
fenced to be banished for life to the
far-away island of Saghalien.
Nicholas went to st. Petersburg To-
try to make his living. There he found
men, who, like himself, had grievances
against the g9yernmeft. They we're nj
hjlists, and he Joined them. To him
the creed that he had adopted reppe-
serted only possible means Of obtain
ingsa justtfevenge, He lived in ST. Pet
ersburg for three years, and during
that time he became connected with
the press. He worked hard and saved
bis small pay. With the money that
he accumulated he studied the art Of
photography and bought himself a cam
era and outfit.
1t was in December, 1880, that he
landed upon the island of saghalfen.
The first person that he met there was
man named Kirpff, who, like himself,
was a nihilist. He was familiar with
the country, and when Ivanhoe inpart-
ed to him the object Of his coming to-
Saghalien he told him that it would
be impossible for him to obtain posi-
ton such as he desired.
Kiroff advised Nicholas to go to Nj
oolaievsk, which is at the mouth of
the Omogoon river, in Siberia, just
across the Gulf of Tartary, which is
several hundred miles wide and which
separates Saghalien from the main
land Thther he went and obtained
employment as sailor on one Of the
vessels that ply between that port and
Sagha1ien. The vessel upon which he
sailed was one of the government
transports used to carry the exiles over
to Saghalien Thus he became acquain-
ted with some of the jailers and assist
ant jaileFs who guarded the prisoners
After he had worked as sailor for
two years. he obtained the position OF
assistant jailer at Alexandrovskll,
which is the name of the town upon the
island where the prison is located So
well did he perform his duty and with
such apparent Indifference did he strike
prisoner over the head whenever one
Jagged on the march, that he made
favorable impression on the CHIEF jail
err.
He was placed in charge Of one OF the
wards in the prison. His duties were
to lock uD the. prisoners when they re-
turned from the mines at night and TO
take them out in the morning. He
also had to feed them every morning
and night, and he was required to
make two rounds every night to each
cell in order to see that all of the pris-
oners in his ward were secure.
One of the first things that he discov-
ereQ was InaL MS IAtneT ildu Ddtu klllcp
a few months prior to his obtaining his
position. He was one of those that
worked in the coal mines. and one day
he had been crushed to death by the
falling of a car that was used to raise
the coal from the pits, Ivanhoe made
up his mind to stay at Alexandrovslxii
and to secure everything that would be
OF help to his one object In life-the
exposing of the tortures and crWelties
that were being indicted on the unfop-
tunate people that were confined in the
prison.
After two years sojourn upon the ISL
and, he was promoted to be a fun jailer,
and in his new position he had access
to the torture chamber. He made a
careful study Of everything about him,
and every night It was his custom to
compile lot of notes of what had hap
pened during the day. Daily he record
ed the death Of one or more Of the un-
fortunate wretches who had found lib
erty and freedom in death. Many of
these died from disease contracted for
lack of medical attention. many, COM
pletely worn out and only half fed, died
beneath the horrible torture that was
inflicted upon them. More than once
Ivanhoe saw some poor creature utter
his last groans upon the fogging board.
These barbarous tortures he was forced
to witness. and when some prisoner