Chapter 21
PRUZHANY DURING THE 1863
REBELLION[1].
By M.
Volansky
According to the reports of F. Scatshinsky[2],
in January of 1863 a small division of rebels (TN: Poles) headed by Roman
Raguinsky arrived in Pruzhany, attacked the Kaznatsheistwo, murdered the guard,
stole the money and abandoned the city.
It seems that the first assault on a
financial institution happened exactly during 1863 rebellion in Pruzhany,
because, on February 6th of the same year, the Russian Ministry of Finance
ordered security systems in appropriate forms to be organized and installed in
financial institutions. Rebels stole
10.809 rubles.
On this issue, the Vilna General Governor
writes to the Ministry of Finance, that he had taken necessary actions so that
such a shameless assault...[3]
could not be repeated.
It happened really this way. Apart from
guardians, the Russian power offices installed a wide espionage net. It
gathered information and transmitted it to the Russian power, regarding any
non-allowed rebel movements, and also of violations of the civil population
especially Poles. On February 21 1863 the Vilna General Governor wrote to the
Grodno District Head Officer that landowner Semita ordered his comrade
Kiernoshitzky to drive by lateral roads near where Raguinsky's Division rested
in Shereshev before assaulting Pruzhany. The Stanavoi Pristov of Shereshev did
not notify the Grodno District Head Office previously of this fact.
The "Invalides" command[4]
was in Pruzhany. On April 3 1863 the Grodno Governor wrote to the Vilna General
Governor and said, "I previously received information on the rebels
assault on Pruzhany". A meeting with landowners was carried out in the
house of the Field Marshal with Mirovie Pasredniky to talk on different issues
and also to influence Jews so they would contribute money and absorb expenses
of the rebellion[5].
It is unknown if this meeting had positive
results among Jews. At any rate it was known that propaganda was carried out in
the whole country, and Jews could not avoid it. The Polish National
Government's report, written in Polish and Hebrew was known in Pruzhany.
What was the relationship of Pruzhany Jews
with the rebels, and their opinion on the rebellion? There is no official
information in this respect.
Nicolai Pruzanksy in his Memoirs tells that
the local Jews stayed neutral. According to his words when the rebels occupied
the city, Jews, although they supported Russia with their hearts, they did not
suffer any inconvenience in being governed by Poles. It is necessary to keep in
consideration the existent social environment at the moment when Pruzansky
wrote his memoirs; we should abstain from arriving at conclusions. What was the
relationship of the Pruzhany Jews with the rebels and what was their opinion on
the rebellion? Our answer is that there is not official information in this
respect.
On the Pruzhany occupation by the rebels,
Pruzansky tells the following, "In Pruzhany an Invalides command was
formed by some 20 people. Their task was to guard the jail and the Finance
Offfice. During one night, some 80 to 100 people assaulted the Invalides,
murdered two or three, stole some dozens of rubles from the Finances Office,
torn up the Russian eagle and stated that from that moment on Pruzhany belonged
to Poland."
During the evening, rebels hurried to
abandon the place, and the following day the Cossacks took them prisoners.
Some attempts to form rebels' groups in
Pruzhany district were carried out. One of these small groupings was formed in
April 1863 under the direction of Smulsky, but it did not enter Pruzhany. For some time Michal Zshukovsky was a
resident of the city and was the owner of a property near Malch. He was
designated by the National Government as Pruzhany District Head Officer (nachalnik poviatu)[6].
In September of 1863, a rebellion in
Pruzhany was completely liquidated. In the same month massive arrests began.
The Jail was not large enough to hold all the prisoners and they had to use
three private houses as jails. A commandant who settled in former Marshal
Shwaikovky's Palace assumed power in the city. The interrogation of prisoners
was carried out nearby in the house of Kudarovska.
Michael Birenboim and his wife
were among the Jews of Pruzhany who were taken prisoner. They were transferred
to the Grodno jail with another group of prisoners.