TORTURED BY NIHILISTS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1138, 22 February 1884, Page 3

TORTURED BY NIHILISTS.

The excitement in St. Petersburg over g the recent Nihilist assassination of Colonel " Sudekin was greatly intensified by tbe p final reports of the detectives and surgeons n who were depnleil to make a special iuvesti hj gallon into the causes of Sudeiken’s <leatb. a The official report state I that Lieutenant' colonel Sudeiken, woo wits at the time of ti his death Chief of the Department of the S Militaiy Governorship of St. Petersburg, was s-owly tortured until he made certain hj diselosurta, and then killed to prevent him " mt rming the Government that the Nihi- « lists possessed theexmrtedinformation. He * had long been the most efficient member i f , the Czar’s special force for the suppression of teriorism. He was engaged in the wot k of tracing Several of the recent assa-sina-ions to Jablonskt. Toe latter had men oy turns a Nihilist avenger, a Sioerian convict, a convert, ard a Government detective. a'Kl was at the time immediately preceding the v assassination supi osed by tbe police to I e 0 living in a sort of vacillation between the ? service of the Niniiiats and that of the ’’ Government. Jablonski, suspeciing Sndei- ~ ken’s intentions, placed himself in his way, f and eventually seemed bis confidents - and entered his employ us a spy. On Friday night (January 4) jablonski induced Sndei-■ " ken to accompany him to a house near the Newsky Prospect, where he said e ha-i a , room frdin which could he overheard the proceedings of -a secret society of Nihilists, . who were- to meet that evening in an adjoining room. Sudek in fell into the trap, and went to Jahlouski’s apartment. Ho reached the p'ace-at 6 o’clock, an- at about , 2. o’clock the fol-owing morning was found .j there dead, his body being literally perforat'd with dagger wounds. j What happened was this ; When Sndei . km had seated himself in Jablonski’s room t the latter excused himself or a mom nt, an 1 he was no sooner gone into the hall than the lieuWiant-coloiel realised the whole situation, but decided to remain in the lighted apartment an i fight rather than meet his fate in the daik hall. In a monvnt ‘ Jablonski returned to the room with a band of Nihilists armed to the teeth. Sudeiaeu was m citizen's cloth- s, and was unarmed,' J and he was at once attacked. He defended t himse f with the framework of a chair, but j was soon overpowered and bound. His cap tives then demanded certain police secrets j lespectiug a number of Nihilist leaders. These Sudeikcn refused to give. He was 1 thereupon subject to a process of torture by stabs and mutilations. After undergoing | these for upwards of an hour he weakened j and agieed to devulge the secrets. The first confession he made was received with ’ .distrust. He was compelled to sign a com- ’ mission authorising one of his tormentors to proceed to his apartments and there pro cure Confirmatory documents, the locaiio--and access to wh ch were given. A tiuoe was then had until ihe commission conspira- ] tor returned with most of Sudeiken’s'private ( m -moranda. These were found to contain ( nearly all the information desired by the assassins, and Sudeikeu was then put to . death. The Surgeons have decided that Sudeikcn , died at mi-inight, which was six hours after he »otered J.mlonski’s room. All his imjjortant private papeis have been found missing Since his death St. Petersburg has been practically placed under po ice search. Hundreds of residences have been searched, thousands of compromising documents have been found, sco es of arrest* have been made, and one of the most prominent Government officials in the city has tee-i proven to be in league with the Nihilists, hnt no traces of any of the papers of Sudeiken have been discovered. The Government are alarmed at the possible usewhich the conspirators may make of the iut >rmation they obtained by the assaaination. Tw-i of the Nihilist assailants of Colonel .Sudeiken were wounded while attacking the Colonel, and have since died.