Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1903-03-29
Sentenced to Siberia She Oaptivates High
Official aid Make, Escape
DUPt GOES THE JOURNEY IN HER STEAD
Renews Her Career in Austria and is
Imprisoned for winding
TITLED MAN WAITS FOR HER RELEASE
Declares He VIII Marry Her and
Take Her to PalatiaI Home,
where She Can Live
I'm style.

Copyright, 1908 by Press Publishing Coz
VIENNA, March 28.-(New York World
Cablegram - Special Telegram - Colonel
Schafrow, police commissioner OF Kron-
stadt, Russia, was found guilty February
Fl of corruption and counterfeiting de-
prived Of all rights OF birth and rank, all
orders and decorations of his position in
the army, ordered to return $1,000 to those
who had bribed him and sent to a military
prison.
In the women's prison In Stein. on the
Danube the person who caused this down
fail, Ryfka oppenheim, is eating her heart
out because she has been sentenced to
three years Imprisonment for fraud com
mitted in Vienna and Carlsbad. She is
only 27, yet her adventures would fill three
volumes. It is because she knows the
power OF her fascinations that she is i'm
patient to leave the prison while the charm
Of youth lasts.
Ryfka Oppenheim was born in log cabin
In Piotrokow province, Russia, the daugh-
ter Of a forest guard. She might have
stayed at home IL she had cared to make
herself useful, but she wanted to see the
world. She began by going to Lodbz. where
she got a place as maid servant in the
home OF a merchant named Stamovics. Her
masters only son, Rubin, fell in love with
her and eloped with her, after robbing his
father Of a large sum of money. While
this money lasted Ryfka learned to play the
fine lady. She took lessons in reading and
writing, in French and German, cultivated
her natural taste for music and dressed in
fashion. She wanted Rubin Stamovics to
marry her and return with her to her
fathers house. He refused and tried to
fashion. She wanted Rubin Stamovics to
and when he was asleep she poured sui
phuric acid in his eyes. Rubin managed to
send a message to his father. who avenged
| the blinded son by getting Ryfka arrested
and exiled to Siberia.
Conquest in Prison.
She was sent as a prisoner to Kronstadt,
to walt until party Of prisoners was
| made up to be transported to Siberia.
Though she was In Fort Alexander, shut of
from all the world except her jailers. she
fascinated a young officer of good family.
who bribed the Kronstadt police commits
sloner and secured her escape.
1t was Colonel Schafrow who got an order
! from the commander of Kronstadt for hef
removal from Fort Alexander to Fort
| Katherine, where there was better accom-
mediation for the lady Of quality they be-
| lieved her to be. Colonel Sshafrow con-
sented to have the young woman escorted
| by a sergeant to the Russian officer $
yacht, on which he pretended to believe
she was being taken to Fort Katherine, but
the yacht steamed at full speed OF twenty
knots for the open sea. The alarm was
| given. guns fired and a cruiser sent after
them. which soon came up with them and
| demanded their surrender.
The yacht stopped, made some pretense
for the big ship to approach it. then sud
denly went at full steam ahead. Ryfka
! oppenheim's new lover had given orders
in the hearing of the cruisers commander
who instantly had the guns cleared for ac-
! tion. The brave young onicer was swept
| from the yacht by the first shot. The
engineer and crew, knowing their lives
would be forfeited II the yacht was taken
! did their utmost and, aided by darkness
succeeded in reaching the southern shore
! Of Finland.
Marries q BegGar.
RyfkA Oppenheim left the yacht alone
and escaped attention by dressing as O
peasant. She had helped herself to SONS
Of her Russian lovers gold. which she con-
cealed about her person, and as soon al
she was across the Russian frontier she
dressed fashionably again.
She stopped in Crakow, Austrian Poland
| some time, to marry a beggar she met IN
the street. She thus became an Austrian
subject and the terrible danger OF being
delivered up to Russia was averted.
Then she went to Vienna, where she re-
sumed her role Of nne lady. took . house
In q fashionable quarter and sent out In
vitations to persons Of wealth and quality
In the summer she went TO Carlsbad
where she found many admirers and Away
had groups OF men Of fashion around her
Her luxurious style of living ran her s,
into debt that her creditors accused her o
fraud and she was sent to prison for thre,
years. although admirers offered to pay al
she owed.
A Hungarian nobleman is so much Il
love with her, 1t is said that he is pre-
pairing his house for her, and will MARI!