A Herzen Reader

i. Muravyov did this to discourage radical young women from continuing to display distinctive hair styles and wear unconventional clothes (Verhoeven, The Odd Man Kara- kozov, ii4-i7).

♦ 85 +

The Bell, No. 22i, June i, i866. The previous month Herzen had written an article on the atmosphere in Russia; however, as indicated below, he destroyed it when a letter full of fresh information arrived. He sent a French version of the article "From Petersburg" to his son for placement in other periodicals, so that the fact that Karakozov was not part of a conspiracy would become better known in Europe (Let 4:265). The case records were only made partially available to the public at the time, and some of the information from Herzen's correspondent appears to have been incorrect; Karakozov had received electro­therapy once in Botkin's St. Petersburg clinic in March i866, but having experienced great discomfort, he chose not to undergo further treatment (Verhoeven, The Odd Man Karakozov, i4i).

From Petersburg [1866]

Finally, a letter from Petersburg. I relate its most important section:

The most outrageous and groundless arrests continue. No matter what the cost, they wish to frighten the sovereign and convince him that his meekness and placid nature have allowed a plot to mature that now encompasses all Russia, and that decisive measures are required. The evil caused by the denunciatory journals is boundless. At first the whole of society was ready to believe that if not today then tomorrow an immense conspiracy will be revealed; everyone was ready to aid the police, and at the forefront were the Guards officers. The secrecy with which the case is being handled, after Muravyov's promise of openness, dampened the ardor of many, and they began to suspect some intrigue. But the deed is done and the push has been given. Trepov¹ expels everyone from the police who, according to his understanding, is incapable of maliciously persecuting all that is young and lively, and teachers are being expelled from schools if their

students behave in an unduly familiar manner during lessons. There are a huge number of spies here, many have been sent to Moscow and to the provinces and abroad, especially to Switzerland (welcome!). Muravyov has doubled their salaries.

Karakozov does not acknowledge himself to be Karakozov and does not recognize his cousin who acknowledged him. Muravyov de­manded that Chernyshevsky be brought back from Siberia, to which the tsar did not agree. Among well-known people who have been ar­rested: Blagosvetlov, Eliseev, Evropeus with his wife and brother, Kova- levsky, Sleptsov; many young ladies and women have been arrested (nihilists). Among the latter several have been released and given a yellow ticket, which is given to prostitutes.

"Have signs of any society been uncovered?" Muravyov was asked by an acquaintance. There is no society, but there will be if the harm­ful tendencies are not destroyed. Muravyov searches for these tenden­cies everywhere, even abroad. He wishes to drag into the business of April 4/i6 not only the unmaskers, negators, and nihilists found here, but also those who are abroad. It is said that an auditor at the medical academy, Belsky (or Belgin), a healthy, handsome young man, while under arrest became ill, and was sent to a secret section of the military hospital. Last Saturday, April 30 (May i2), at 9 in the morn­ing, he hung himself in his cell. On the wall he had written: "On Muravyov's orders I was flogged."

They say that Karakozov has been tortured in many innovative ways. He answered firmly at the first session. At night the question­ing began again and went on without a break for three days. They do not dare torture him by surgical means; they claim that the sovereign had not ordered it, and therefore they have resorted to new means that do not leave a trace and to science. At first they placed him in some kind of case, but Doctor Edenkauer said that he would either die or go completely out of his mind, and therefore the learned doctor advised them to replace the case with an electrical shock. (Edenkauer was elevated on April i6/28 to the rank of privy councillor!) The unfor­tunate patient became ill, stopped eating, and they say he is close to death. Many insist that he died May 2/L4 (?). (What will Muravyov do, find a fresh Karakozov?).

On the day the shot was fired, Countess Ridiger said to the em­press that she had been hearing for some time there would be an at­tempt, that she had heard this from Pototsky and had told Annenkov, who did not believe it. Pototsky has been imprisoned and went out of his mind (this fact we read in The Times). Muravyov's party and The