Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-09-06
GIRL TERRoRISTS,
The Gar Is in Greatest Danger
from Female Assassins


from Female ASsassinS
The Gar of Russia never God in
greater danger of asSass snation than he
does to-day. Disafection IS so widespread
and the terrorist propaganda has entered
50 many walks of life that for aught he
knows one who is the nearest to him may
have taken an oath to remove him. Per
maps he stands in greater danger from
women than from men. for to women have
been delegated some of the most danger
Gus work of the crew of assassination. As
far back as 1870 women of good family
began 10 assume nihiliSt leadership and
became even more fanatical than the
men. Some of them proved absolutely
fearless and regardless of their own lives.
They cut off their hair and as men studied
in the colleges, particularly along the line
of chemistry. until they became expert
makers of deadly explosives. Young WON,
en- of the highest rank dressed themselves
as peasants and sought mental employ
ment that hey might be emiSsarieS of nj
hiism.
The Princess Tomborskoie was found
working among waSherwomen spreading
the propaganda. and the universities be-
came mere training schools for such as
she. Many of them have been sent to
Siberia
One of these women leaders was Nine.
Catherine Berschkovsky. n member of an
arlstocratic family, who was imbued with
revolutionary ideas from her youth. She
lectured to the peasants till silenced by
the government. Then. under various Dis
euises, she travelled about until 1871.
when she was arrested and sent to ST.
IBERIA with some 800 others. She was
TIE first woman to be sentenced to hard
labor in the mines. She escaped. but was
recaptured and kept a convict till 1896.
In the recent outbreak of transformations
women and girls have committed many of
the most daring attacks on officials of
the regime. The instance most familiar is
that of the killing of Luzhanoffsky. chief
of the secret police. by Marie Spiridonova
who has been called the second Charlotte
Corday. She is only II years old. After
shooting the official she was subjected to
such inhuman cruelty by the Cossacks,
who sent her at last to the hospital with
a fractured skull and many frightful
wounds on her body, and there was a
great outcry throughout all Russia against
such barbarism.
Recently one of these fanatical women
committed suicide because her plans at
assassination had failed. She was Bar
bara Printz of Moscow, daughter of Lieut.
Gen. Printz. Among her friends at school
had been the daughters of Gov. Gen.
Gaulbars of Odessa. These young ladies
sent her an Invitation to pay them "A visit
She told her superiors among the nihilists
OF the opportunity presented by the invi-
tation. and they commissioned her to kill
the governor general. She went to Odessa
and was daily visitor at the palace of
the governor. though part of the time oc-
cupying a room at a hotel. Friday she
started from the hotel to go to the gov
ernor's palace. having in the meantime
learned the easiest means OF gaining en-
trance to his presence. Beneath her cloak
she carried a bomb. Accidentally she
dropped the bomb on the street and it ex-
ploded with terrific force, but she was, not
injured Knowing that any further effort
at assassination would now be fruitleSs,
she returned to the hotel and killed her
self with IL revolver.