ROMANTIC CAREER OF A RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONIST.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 97, 9 August 1879, Page 3

ROMANTIC CAREER OF A RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONIST.

A Journnl called Land and Liberty, which assumes to represent what is called '■ the Revolutionary Government of Russia," gives a dramatic account of the capture, cscapp, re-capture, and couture, escape, re-cupt lire, and conviction of a revolutionist named Fomin. The Qovermuent (says the wiiter) has ground in its mill a new victim. On Fob. 22 (March 0), Fomin was sentenced to perpetual solitary eoiiHnoment in the central prison. Towards the end of June IS7B, Fomin took part in the attempt to release Voinorulski. Unsuccessful m escaping from the town in the morning, he remained of Kharkolf until 5 o'eloek in the afternoon, intending to go off about that time by train. Meanwhile the police had discovered tho inn whore he was staying with two of his comrades. The inn-keeper, with his servants, were sent to the waiting-room of the railway station to point him out. Suspecting nothing, Fomin was standiug ou tho platform, when ho was seised liy apoliceinan aud spies at once surrounded Fomin on all sides, leaving him no chance of snatehing from boireath hta paletot either revolver or dagger. Th» same day ho was transferred to the fortress ofKhaikoff. Two months passed. The local revolutionista began to dig a mine, starting from the ground in front of a house opposite the priso i. On the SUth of

Aug. news was revived from the pri-son-rs in the i.ii tretathai they, to tiii-ii-id-Were digging a mine. Th... bum »'., couipl.-trd. « junction between the t■. . was . effected, and the prisoner! c. . on F.miin to make hi-, escape in t,„ .. company. Fomiu consented, ami fouu | means to leave his cell. Ouly one day before the time fixed for the escape were the revolutionists of Kliurkoll'generally informed of the project. A "place of meeting was fixed, and a signal agreed U[ion. Ota the appointed night one of the revolutionist went to the place of meeting, and met the prisoners, who had escaped by means by thn mine, but among them did not see Fomin. He ■Opposed that Fomin must have gone to certain lodgings in the town of Kharkoit' Meantime, towards five o'clock in the morning, Fomin, after the other prisoners had escaped through the mine, himself passed out, but found no one waiting to meet him. '!'.. remain on the spot was otlt of the question, and u whs equally out of the question, to go to the lodging of any of his Mauds, for ho had uothing on but a shin. So he lay down for a time in a ditch : but towards six o'clock went again to the appointed place of meeting and again found no one thore Soon afterwards it liegan to get light and he was obliged to' disappear from the precinta of the town. On the third day he was found by Cossacks in the Serpentine wood, nearly dead of hunger. Two months passed. The revolutionists had meanwhile entered into relations with the secretary to the prison, Shaposhnikoff, about obtaining from him some of General Kavalinsky's blank forms, ordering political prisoners to be brought up for examination. The design was to forge Kavalinsky's signature on one of these forms, to go to the prison dressed up as gendarmes, and carry oft' Fomin. They promised Kaposhnikott' 200 roubles for the faithful execution of his bargain, and death in case of betrayal. Shaposhnikoff consented, and in a few ih\a afterwards the blank forms were handed over to tho revolutionist.-, and Kavelinsky's signature was duly forged. On tha 20th October tvo men wearing the uniform of gendarmes, appeared at the fortress. As the force of gendarmes on duty at the prison had just been increased, the arrival of two gendarmes with unfamiliar faces caitsed no surprise. But Shaposhnikoff had all along informed his superiors of what was going on ; and it was with their knowledge and connivance that he delivered to the revolutionists the blank forms. So just as the self styled gendarmes came up and exhibited an order of precisely' tho same kind. "Why," exclaimed the inspector, "what can this mean? Four gendarmes to guard one Fomin:" The next moment tho supposed genda.-n •:> were seized and disarmed. The t.au. day several searches and several arrest! were made at Kharkotf, and amongst those seized, was a student named Ephraimott', in whoso house the sham gendarmes had been lodging. Uy the stamps on the caps, the officials ascertained that the uniforms had come from KiohY; and they concluded that from Kietf had also come the persons who had entered into relationship with Shaposhuikoff. To determine this point Shaposhnikott', who meanwhile, had received a money reward for his services was despatched to Kietf'. Such was the prelude to the drama enacted on the 21st of Feb. at Kharkoff. Fomin h:is since been sentenced to perpetual seclusion.