He so far ingratiated himself into their
confidence as to obtain some knowledge of the general plan for the
freedom of Poland. Circumstances, however, created distrust of this new
and overzealous auxiliary; and the students refused to act with him,
or to receive the muskets the generals had provided for distribution.
Communication having now ceased between Petrikowski and the students, he
took lodgings in the next room to that in which they met to hold their
deliberations; what he overheard was communicated to the generals; and
ten students were in consequence denounced, arrested, and severely
flogged (by an arbitrary order of the grand duke,) to make them divulge
their associates. Though writhing under the whip of the executioner,
not a word escaped their lips to inculpate their friends, or impart
a knowledge of the schemes that had so long engrossed their thoughts.
The severity of the punishment may be conceived by the fact, that one
of the number died soon after its infliction. The students were kept in
solitary confinement, and their punishment remained uncertain; universal
sympathy was felt for their sufferings by their comrades, coupled with
an ardent desire to relieve them; but by this time danger threatened to
implicate a great part of their body, and it was ascertained that an
order to arrest a great number was to take place on the 30th November.
On the 27th November, an order arrived in Warsaw from the emperor, to
send to Riga with all possible despatch 42,000,000 of florins, equal
to 1,050,000l.
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