The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-06-14 00:00:00

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THE EXECUTION OF SOLOVIEFF.

On Friday in last week, Alexander Solovieff was
found guilty of endeavouring to overthrow the Govern-
ment and the social order existing in Russia, and of
having on April 2, 1879, attempted the life of the
Czar by firing several shots at him from a revolver.
The sentence was read to him on Saturday, when he
was condemned to the loss of all civil rights and to
stiffer judicial death by hanging. Twenty-four hours
were allowed for an appeal. The prisoner was ap-
parently unmoved, and made no remark.

Solovieff did not present any petition for pardon—the
term for which expired on Sunday at six p.m.—and on
Mor day morning he was executed in a field fta
joining the Great Prospect, in Vassili Ostroff, near
the Smolensk Cemetery.
He was brought to the place of execution from the
fortress in a cart, seated on an elevated position and
pinioned. He mounted the scaffold without assistance,
and surveyed the crowd on both aides of him, maintain.
ing the same undaunted firmness which he exhibited
at the trial. On refusing the last religious rites, be
was enveloped in a white dress, covering him from
head to foot, and he then mounted on a stool, and the
execution took place. Life appeared to be extinct in
four minutes.

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The death was certified by the medical officer, and
the corpse was taken away in the cart, escorted by
Cossacks and mounted gendarmes.
An orderly crowd of perhaps 6,000 persons, for the
most part drawn together by the signs of preparation,
witnessed the execution, the time and place of which
were not previously announced. Sentries were posted
round the field, with Cossacks and mounted gendarmes
in the rear. The scaffold was surrounded by a square
of infantry four deep. The line of the road was kept
by troops and policemen in the immediate neighbour-
hood of the field.

Some details of the account of the execution of Solovieff
from the Figaro may prove interesting to your readers
(says the Paris Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph). The
prisoner (says the writer)
was pale, but collected, and his ex-
pre salon was that of defiance. Round his neck was hung a
small black placard bearing in white letters the inscription
"State Criminal." He got down unaided from the cart in
which he had been conveyed to the scene of execution, and
looked fixedly at the scaffold, which he immediately after-
wards ascended. The authorities tonk their place in front
of him, and the troops presented arms whilst the sentence
of death was being read,-the hangman holding the prisoner's
sight hand the while. No sooner had tho bo..
read than the beating of thirty drums rendered all
other sounds inaudible But a pope, cross in hand,
was seen to advance towards the prisoner, and ad-
drets a few words to him. Solovleff merely smiled,
and made A sign of the hand snowing that he
did not desire the approach of the Russian priest. The
latter retired, blessing the prisoner, who bowed, turning his
head aside the while, and muttering the words, heard by the
hangmanalone, "I do not want him. It would be useless."
Solovieff was then covered with a long white dress,
to which a cap was attached for the head, his hands
were tied behind his back, a stool was brought, and
the prkoner stepped upon it. The executioner im-
mediatdy placed the rope round the neck of the
would-le regicide, and withdrew the stool. The cord
tightemd with a sudden jerk, but the drop, being
very slort, more than seven minutes elapsed before life
was extnct. During these awful moments the violent con-
tortion of the arms and legs of the miserable man gave
signs o the death struggle that was going on, but the
glganth crowd seemed more moved by curiosity than horror
at the icene enacted before them.

regiments were in red, the three next in khAkee, as
also the Sappers. The Rifles were in their green uni-
form, the 51st, and 17th in red. The Artillery, 10th
Hussars, and 11th Bengal Cavalry were in b'ue • the
Guides Cavalry in the wellknown khilree, which now
popular colour they were the first to introduce into the
native army. Drawn up in such extended order the
most was made of the troops, who loired extremely
well, bronzed and hardened by six months' exposure
and camp life.
A company of the 17th Foot was drawn up as a
guard of honour at the Ameer's camp, which is
divided from the British camp by one of those clear
and rapid streams which descend from the Sufed-koh.
The Ameer had sent on his own durbar tent, a mag-
nificent one as compared with anything in the British
o.inp ; but a street of our Indian army tents had been
pitched for the accommodation of his suite and were
gratefully ava lad of.
A Royal salute was given frow the heavy battery
(which had been left in camp for that purpose) as the
Ameer approached his camp, the last gun being fired
just as he alighted. The guard of honour of the 17th
Foot received the Ameer with presented arms as he
rode up, and then marched back to its own camp,
thus avoiding the smallest appearance of placing any
constraint upon the Ameer, who was left to the pro-
tection of his own infantry body guard, a rough-and-
ready looking set of men, dressed in imitation of our
kilted regiments. Everything passed off well, and
the Ameer could hardly fail to have been pleased with
the marked honour and respect with which he was
received.
At 4 p.m. Major Cavagnari and Sir Samuel Browne
paid the Ameer a joint visit of ceremony. . . .
After the usual inquiries after health the names of
the British officers present were mentioned to the
Ameer by Major Cavagnari, and a few formal ques-
tions were asked and answered. Then Major Cavagnari
presented to the Ameer a splendid " Khureeta,"
or letter from the Viceroy, which the Ameer
handed over to the Mustaufi. The Mustaufi
opened the handsomely decorated envelope with
due respect, and, advancing up to the Ameer,
proceeded to read it. It was addressed to " Ameer
Mahomed Yakoob Khan, Wali of Cabul," and I need
hardly say is the first personal communication which
has passed between the Viceroy and the Ameer. The
style and title by which the Ameer is addressed, are, I
presume, tantamount to a recognition by the Viceroy
of the Ameer's po.ition as de facto ruler of the country.
If this is correct, the receipt of the " Khureeta" can
hardly have failed to give the Ameer plea_-ure ; but
It Is remarked that he keeps his features under
wonderful control and appears careful that they shall
never betray his real feelings. The " Khureeta ' com-
menced with the Viceroy's condolences on the death
of the Ameer's father, and went on to introduce to him
Major Cavagnari as the British Plenipotentiary during
the approaching negotiations. After a little further con-
versation tea was handed rourd in a. service which it
surprised me to see at such a plaoe as Gandamak, and
the British officers took their leave, the Ameer shaking
hands with each of them. The Mustaufi and the
General attended them to the outside of the tent and
stood while they mounted their horses.

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At the same hour on Friday the Ameer returned the
visit of Sir Samuel Browne and Major Cavagnari. On
this occasion the whole of the Divisional Staff and the
general officers commanding the several brigades were
invited to be present. The Ameer was dressed in the
same simple and becoming costume which he wore when
he first met Major Cavagnari. He was, of course, re-
ceived with a Royal salute and by a guard of honour,
drawn on this occasion from the 51st Light Infantry.
Major Cavagnari's mode-,t double•poled tent was con-
verted into a durbar tent for the occasion. The
chairs were arranged in horseshoe form at one side of
the tent, and in this way etiquette was preserved,
which, I believe, required that the Ameer should not
occupy a prominently central place in a thither held
by the representative of the Viceroy. The Ameer
was placed on Sir Samuel Browne's right hand;
Major Cavagnari being on Sir Samuel's left; General
Da,iud Shah, the Mustaufi, and five others, the near
relatives of the Au&er, sat on tho Ameer's right. The
British officers Mut 20 in number, occupied chairs
indiscriminately on the right and left. After a few
formal questions and replies the officers present
were separately introduced by Sir Samuel Browne to
the Ameer, who shook hands with each of them.
Major Cavagnari then did the same office for three
members of the Press who had been invited to attend
the durbar. the Ameer repeating the name of the
Illustrated London News, and expressing his fami,iarity
, with that paper. Tea was soon after handed round,
and the Ameer then took his leave under the same
honours as he had been received with.
The Ameer is becoming very popular in the camp.
His dignified and composed demeanour on these public
occasions is much admired, and his entire freedom
from either a cringing or a swaggering air. Wonder
is expressed how one who has recently arrived at
kingly state should have acquired so soon the correct
kingly air.

was buried • in an unornamented shroud, lying in
his talitth, the scarf which is worn in pray6r, and
representing the abbe which Arabs in the Huly Land
throw over their shoulders to this day. In the borders
of this garment is a thread of blue, according to the
command in Deuteronomy. As the coffin was lowered
into the grave those present joined in the words, "May
he come to his appointed place in peace," and plucked
a few blades of grass before they left, saying, in
acknowledgment of the resurrection, "And they shall
blossom forth from the ruins like the dust of the
earth." There was a short concluding service in the
chapel, in the course of which the mourners joined
reverently in the Kaddish, the ancient Chaldaic prayer,
which has survived the decay of post-classical Hebrew.
It will be said every day for a year in memory of the
deceased by his sons.

The cemetery in which Baron Lionel de Rothschild
now lies buried was opened in 1873. Although but
a short drive from London, it is in the midst of rural
scenery, with lilacs and laburnums blooming in its
gardens, and surrounded by rich meadows sown With
buttercups and daisies.

Sermoqs in memory of the late Baron Lionel de
Rothschild were preAched in several of the London
synagogues on Saturday, and offerings were made not
only by the family of the deceased, but by a large
number of other members of the congregations. Sir
Nathaniel de Rothschild, M.P., the eldest son of the
late Baron, attended service at the Central Syna-
gogue, occupying the seat of the mourners at the door
of the temple. He was called to raise the scroll of
the law in sight of the worshippers, and said the
prayer Kaddish, which expresses resignation to the
Divine will. The Rev. A. L. Green preached the
sermon, taking as his text the words spoken to Abra-
ham—" Thou shall be a blessing." He spoke of the
personal care and attention which the late Baron
devoted to charity, and the insight which made his
large benefactions so useful.
The Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler preached a memorial
sermon at the Bayswater Synagogue. He dwelt upon
the unbounded benevolence, high-minded integrity,
and public spirit of the late Baron, which contributed,
not only to emancipate the Jews of England from
political disabilities, but to release them from the
more galling fetters forged by social intolerance and
antipathy of race.
The Rev. S. Singer, at the new West-end Syna-
gogue, referred to. tho same subject, and said that from
every synagogue in England a prayer would that day
ascend for one who had well fillod his place as a prince
in Israel.