Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-01-22
NUMBER %.

tiiul thOit duu OuL, Win IcrOClOuS glance
along the line, "To your knees, vile brutes to
your knees and beg for mercy, or there will not
be skin enough upon your backs to expiate your
crime"
savage chuckle the answer to this threat,
and the sergeant, with the frightfu tranquility
which indicates a settled purpose, said EVERY one
Of US knows the doom that awaits him. and is
prepared to sacrifice his life. When your sentence
is fulfilled we shall go before General Suroff, the
Governor of Novogorod; we shall lay at his feet
your belt, your orders and what remains Of your
body, and we shall say to him, General LEFT
was a tiger-we have slain him here are our
weapons, we await our punishment" And thus
saying the sergeant tore away the generals epau-
lettes and trampled them under his feet.
"These decorations belong not to YOU" he con-
tinued "a knout should be born by the execution
er Remember the soldier Betsakof scourged with
rods for having been moment too late in presen-
ting arms Remember that old subaliern who, for
spot upon his uniform, was ordered by you from
the ranks and struck upon the face with your whip
until the blood ran down MS cheeks. The unhap-
Ply man, frantic with rage and pain, lifted his hand
in resistance-and for this be was ogged and sent,
manned and dying, to Siberia"
The sergeant while he spoke had continued with
terrible composure to strip the general Of his
belt, his coat and his under garments He went
on =
That subatern, like myself, hore the name of
Guedenof; we were born in the hovel-he
was my brother"
Spite of his indomitable firmness the general
could not refrain from shuddering he listened to
this fearful accusation, eloquent in its calm
simplicity, so passionless in its vengeful brevity.
As for Solowova she had looked on at first with
vague wonder, unable TO comprehand the scene
that passed before her but when she saw the
general deprived OF his sword, his uniform torn
away, his form exposed, then she began TO conceive
the IF HE
that he was doomed to receive the degrading pun
ishment he had so often caused to be inflicted.
Seized with horror she rose TO her feet, clasped
her hands in duplication and shrieked aloud in
terror and despair.
Ivan, the surgeon-major, had till this moment
stood moiIonless and silent but he could not resist
the anguish of her he loved. He forgot the stern
excitement of the troops, the hopeessness of his
interference, and made step forward but the
loud ringing Of musket was heard, ivan threw
up his arms, turned on his heel convulsiyely and
fell 10 the ground corpse The bullet had pierced
his heart.
A gigantic soldier stepped forward from the
ranks, lifted the body, and bore il TO the window
where Solowova stood he threw it at her feet
and said, Nightingale this belongs to YOU"
White as a marble Solowiova gazed upon the
corpse OF her lover, bent toward it, wiped the bloody
forehead with her handkerchief, gave forth one
terrible cry and fell lifeless by lis side.
Meantime General LIE eff had been bound
to gun carriage, dragged through the ranks aud
scourged with rods, the torture of which was but
the beginning oil his punishment. He had scar
cely reached the extremity of the line when
voice exclaimed ito the ovens p
The unhappy general, though half dead with
agony, heard these words, and knew their hor-
rid meaning hundred voices repeated ITO
the ovens !"
A mortal paleness overspread his features his
courage gave way, he groaned and begged for mer-
cy. But the hurrah of the battalion drowned his
voice, and Sergeant Guedenoff, approaching him
once more, replied,
81 too begged for mercy when my brother fell
dying under the blows you ordered"
We will not pursue the hideous details of the
scene that followed, only adding that General
left and the superior officers of the battal-
ion, shut up in the ovens which the yengeful sold
iers took care to heat slowly, were literally baked
alive.
This crime presented ffightful originality and
it was deemed meet that its expiation should be
likewise. The tidings were borne to the Emperor,
and eight days alterward several battaons of artie-
ry marched through the streets of the ancient Rus
sian capital they had been preceded by Major
General who had won for himself in the Polish
campaign the title Of the Warsaw executioner One
of his aids appeared at the barracks of the mutt
neers and ordered them to parade the next morn
ing, in fatigue dress and without their weapons in
the small square at the Western end Of the city,
They replied by their Inyariabe karGehO (good,)
put on their long grey coats and their round caps
and their moustaches as for ordinary field day.
then pale, silent and with white lips but keeping
perfect order in their ranks they trayersed the city
between triple files of Cossacks, followed by the
terrified and mournful gaze Of the inhabitants. On
their arrival in the square they posted themselves
in solid columns, noiselessly aud without confu-
sion.
The drums beat-the bells of the Churches peal
ed forth solemn clang-the batteries of cannon
planted in the avenues that led into the square,
opened upon them deadly fire of grape shot
Each discharge was succeeded by shout, by
multitudious groan, with which were mingled the
wild songs Of those who prded themselves on dying
like men who knew no fear. Three hours the fire
was kept up; and when at its close the execution.
ofthis awful sentence rayersed the place through
lake of blood, they found but FIVE whom the grape
shot had not reached among these was the SER
geant GuedenoH. They all persisted under the
murderous blows of the knout. The sergeant
maintained his frmness and composure 10 the end.
Stretched on the fatal plank, he seemed uncon-
scious of the lash that tore his bleeding flesh and
addressing the execuioner, cody asked if his allot-
ted number Of blows would soon be completed
"They are finished now" said the executioner $50
much the BETTER" replied Guedenof "ior l am
very hungry"
MELAEoHoLY-Mr E. w. Bull of Hartford, well
known as the proprietor of the Good Samaritan