Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10

6S8ASSk7
nate tho King and Queen Of Spain may give
pause to those liberals who
Liberty Va fan to distinguish the differ
License. ference between liberty and
license: who fail to under
stand the hesitation of the Gear of Russia
to acquiesce In the demand of the douma
that all criminals and prisoners should be
amnestied: that freedom must have no
more Victims Freedom, forsooth. for the
savage anarchist and bomb-throweri The
demand Of the douma viii be scarcely
deemed sane or reasonable by the world at
this moment. The terrible drama enacted
at Madrid may inspire charity for the czar.
confronted by the social and political an
archy at st. Petersburg.
It Il Justice to Nicholas II to recall the
efforts Of his grandfather. Alexander IL.
known as THE Gar Liberator.' to free
Russia His labors were rewarded by as
sassination.
Alexander III Nieolaieyitch assembled the
throne in 1855: he emancipated the serfs.
and among other reforms. which should
have gained for him the love OF his people
he created public trials. justices of the
peace. the organization OF assemblies elect
ed by provinces (zemstvos). the reorganiza-
ton of universities, the development OF m
struction generally, and, finally. modera-
but the anarchist deIifes to the emperor the
merited pseudonym of THE Gar Liberia
tor" In 1857 whilst engaged in the great
work of reformation of the very abuses
which the nihiist affected to of1er as
pretext for his nihilism. he was followed to
Paris, where, in returning from the exposi-
ton with the Emperor Napoleon he was
shot at the would-be regicide. Berezov-
ski, and later, the 18th of March, 1881. ne
was asSassinated by bomb thrown on a
signal given by woman named Sophie
Perovskai. This vicious. perverted creature
vampire rather than woman.giorlned by
Ivan Tourganiev in poem entitled Seuii,
holds a high place In the red calendar
of the anarchist.
Sophie Perovskai belonged to an aristo-
cratic family into which there had crept
perhaps a vicious streak through the Ba-
roumOsski an adventurer ennobied by the
Empress Elizabeth Petrowna.
Born in st. Petersburg in 1858. the daugh-
ter of high functionary. she left the pa
ternal roof when seventeen
a Woman years of age. Victor Ttssot,
Assassin. in the attempt to trace the
ferocity which developed in
the woman says: "If Sophie Perovskai's
father, vice governor. had treated her
mother with that gentleness which one
should show to all women-he was brute
who knows? the bomb had not been thrown
under the carriage of Alexander II and
the destiny of Russia had been modified"
The grain of sand" of PASCAL The bene-
fits of religion and the family traditions
were entirely wanting, and at eight years,
scarcely knowing more than the alphabet
Sophie was but little else than a savage
The name of God, says Tissot, was never
mentioned in the home of the Perovskai-
not that they were unbelievers, but be-
cause neither of the parents had the
time from their official functions" Later
Sophie, left to herself, came to frequent
nihilists' clubs and saw there mystic
students with short sighted glasses, pale
faces and cheekbones that denoted con-
sumptives; effeminate shadows, which
cause one fear and almost make you i'll ;
student girls with mems faces, short hair,
corsetless, low voices, dirty teeth-such
were now the brothers and sisters of
Sophie. Around plate of ham, a saladier
of behring's and bottles of beer these
dangerous dregs of society assembled
All of them had in their mouths words
of fraternity and love, dreaming of I'M
alterabIe peace. joy and sunshine without
clouds, but convinced that these things
were to be acquired only by violence.
With ingenious smiles they perpetrated
during the night salutary conspirations.
.Assassinations, bombs and mines became
for them salvation. If they crucff1ed So
ciety present 1t was to save society fu-
ture. Not a doubt stopped them in their
frightful work of judge and executioner.
THE most of the friends. of Perovskai
was those escaped from Russian prisons, or
the Siberian galleys, In fear of the scat
fold: constrained to live in hiding, they.
were at the mercy Of meeting some one who
would give them up to justice. every one
carrying with him some instrument to kill
or to kill himself rather than return to the
Russian prison. Nicolas Tschaikovsky was
the chief of that dread band whose pass
word was Vharod! Go with the people!"
X
The band was militant, 1t opened secret
schools, printed addresses clandestinely,
losing no opportunity to
Militant propagate. 1t became for
N,b;I,sm fact a pact of people. re-
fusing to eat bread that they
had not gained by daily labor. Kropot-
kline says that among these young people
were rich proprietors, living three four
in the same room on ten to twelve cents
day"
In 1871 Sophie's father abandoned her
as one who had forfeited all right to rec
ognition, but the mother received her in
the house disguised as beggar. When
arrested several times the father caused
her release.
We come now to the epic period of nlhi-
ism, when on the 5th of February, 1873,
Vera Zassulitch. in shooting General Tro-
poi. inaugurated period of blood Hence
forth during four years until the 18th of
April 1881, during her execution, Sophie
Perovskai was in all of the enterprises-
throwing of bombs ambuscades, assaults
by knife or pistol. What romance this
singular destiny! The fabulous imagina-
tfoa and inventions of Gaboriau and Du-
mas. sr, are simple playthings by COM
parsou with an existence under assumed
names, DISCUSSES resembling those or the
operetta and with the perspective of the
prison in Siberia or the scaffold. On the
list of December 1879, Peroyskai partici-
pated in the attempt of Hartmann to blow
IN the imperial train. On the 18th of
March 1881 she gave the signal with her
veil to throw the bomb which Killed Alex
ander II.
Sophie Perovskai could have escaped. but
SchaeIba iof was arrested and this fend.
who passed as being without soul or hui
manity. allowed herself to be taken that
she might share the serfs fate. SOPHIE
had become insanely enamored of Schaei-
batof! She was the first woman to be hung
in Russia.
Prime Minister Goremylxin has the cour-
age of his convictions. The council, he de-
eiared as late as the 4th instant. was of
the opinion that 1.-The douma is wholly with
ont its powers in debating the action of the
coIncil of ministers but the douma Is en-
tilted 10 a share of legislative functions
which are prescribed by the fundamental
laws The ministry. he continued, would
draft its own bills for the Improvement
of the conditions of peasant life, irrespec-
tive of any impossible project the douma
might discuss.
Count Witte before his departure. COM