Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1890-02-15 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

POLITICAL PRISONERS IN SIBERIA.  ANOTHER HORRIBLE TRAGEDY.  Brief and, as yet, incomplete information has just reached some of the Russian refugees in Paris concerning another and horrible tragedy which has occurred in the far east of Siberia. Some time ago, says a Times correspondent, Madame Nadyda Sihida, a lady teacher in the 'Egli Schools, was condemned to penal servitude. It was found that some copies of the Narodnaia Volia, the Russian revolutionary organ,had been published in her house. This lady,a refined and highly educated woman,was detained in the Kara prison, where of late many political prisoners sentenced to hard labour have been sent. It appears that last November, Madam* Sihida was provoked by the Director of the Kara prison. There is no information given as to the nature of this provocation, but it was evidently very serious, since, and in spite of the grave consequences likely to ensue, Madame Sihida retorted by slapping the Director on the face. Infuriated by this affront, the Director ordered the unfortunate woman to be stripped and flogged. Such infamies were not perpetrated on ladies or rank and position even in the time of the Emperor Nicholas. The humiliation of this barbarous form of punishment so afflicted Madame Sihida that, in her distress and her fear of other tortures the future might hold in store, she poisoned herself. No sooner had Madame Sihida killed herself than her friend and fellow prisoner, Madame Maria Kovalevskaia, wife of Professor Kovalevskaia. also poisoned herself. Persistent rumours add that other women destroyed themselves after the flogging of their companion, but of this there is as yet no certain evidence. A few tildes from the women's prison at Kara there is the men's political prison, and the inmates of these two prisons have contrived to establish secret but constant communications. It is supposed that when the men heard of the flogging of Madame Salida and her subsequent suicide some sort of commotion took place, and this of course was likely to be followed by violent and brutal suppression. In any case, the Procurator, whose functions are somewhat similar to that of an English sheriff.the colonel , of the Gendarmes, and the surgeon of Chita were summoned in hut hamte to Kara. At first the Governor of the province, residing at Chita, did not seem to realise the full importance of what had happened and refused to disturb himself. Two days later, however, he suddenly left Chita and proceeded in great haste to Kara. From all this it is inferred that something very serious must have happened. Full details are anxiously expected; and, if the secret means of communication with the outer world established by the exiles are not discovered, these will reach us Olor,'‘..  While a young man named Flint, son of the bailiff to Mr. E. Foster, of Woodbury, Tempsford, Bedfordshire, was engaged in the fields one day last week he suddenly heard the humming of bees, and on looking round he was astonished to see a splendid swarm of bees which had alighted on • shrub. The youth, whose father is an amateur farmer, obtained obtained a hive and secured the whole swarm, which is said to be a fine one. It was subsequently presented to a labouring man residing is the neighbourhood