Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-05-11

verses, after which he was conducted
back to his imprOvised prison by thu
guard, where he was detained until the
following morning, when he was agaiI
brought befor WOlinslli. More dead thar
alive, he threw himself at the feet o.
the count and begged for mercy. FOi
reply he received ten additional blow,
with a cane, then his hat and swoTt
were given to him, and he was at liber-
ty to 90 home
TredjakOwski reached home covered
with blood. One Of the results of the
brutal treatment he had received wa.
the loss of an eye; but the results tC
WOlinski were destined to be still more
serious.
Artemy Petrowitsch Wolinski, born
in the year 1851, was of an old Russian
noble family that ranked as one of the
first in the empire. He was early given
a position in the body guard Of Peter the
Great, where he had abundant OppOrtu-
nifty to become acquainted with the en-
perOT and his policy. He belonged to
the progressive school, of which the EN-
perOT was the brightest ornament.
His talents soon led to his promotion.
In 1715 he was appointed am bassadOT "a
Persia, with the military rank Of colon
el, and in 17lS he was adiutant general
and governor of the province of Astra-
khan, whose people he plundered and
oppressed without mercy.
After Catharine !. assembled the throne,
WOlinski was appointed to the govern
Orship of Kazan, with the rank of ma
iOr general. His administration here
differed from that in Astrahan only in
the greater bOIdness of his rObberies and
the greater frequency his crUelties.
Under the Empress Anna he used eve
ry means in his power to get a position
at court, and was eventually successful.
In May, 1872, he received the place OF
equeTy. This gave him abundant OPP
pOrtunity to cultivate friendly relations
with Biren, the all-pOwerful favOrite of
the empress, who finally made him gen
eTal-in-chief i'll January, 1875.
Like most people who are in ill-health,
the empress was very capricious. New
amusements had to be continually de-
vised for her, one of which was the
Fools Marriage in the arrangement
of which Count Wolinski-wh0 by this
time had been appointed to the position
in the cabinet-tOOk, as we have seen,
an important part.
We left TrediakOwsIi at the moment
when, covered with blood and with the
loss of an eye, he had regained his liher-
ty. He Immediately addressed a memo
rial to the Academy, which brought the
| facts concerning the ill-tTeatment he
. had received at the hands Of Wolinski
to the knowledge of that minister's en-
emies. He next appealed directly to
/ the empress herself for satisfaction. As
nothing further came of the affair for
| the moment, WOlinski had good reason
to think it would soon be forgotten
The favorable Temptation Of the Tur-
/ kish war was the theme that just at this
/ time occupied the public mind to the
/ exclusion of everything else, and all
were busy with preparations for celebrat-
! ing it with becoming sOlemnities. This,
/ however was but transient lull that
delayed for only few weeks the storm
that was gathering to burst upon the
cruel favOrite.
WOlinslIi had many enemies, who in
censed the au-pOwerful Biren against
him by representing that the attack on
the secretary in his palace was a person
al affrOnt and an outrage upon his ducaI
dignity. This led to Wolinki's using
language to Biren, in an unguarded mo-
ment, that was highly insulting. The
duke resolved to destroy the man who
dared to defy him, and determined that
he should eXpiate the outrage with his
blood.
He presented a long list of accusations
against WOlinski to the empress, and
demanded that she should decide be-
tween them.
Either he or I must fall said Biren
and from this resolve he could not be
moved.
This sealed the fate of Wolins1i From
this moment he was doomed man.
One Of the principal charges against
the minister related to the incident that
occurred between him and the secretary
of the Academy in the ducal palace. The
empress begged that she might be allow
ed time to consider before deciding in so
important a matter, but BiTen threw
himself on his knees and again repeated
that either he or WOlinski must fall
He even threatened to leave st. Peters
burg. This decided the matter.
WOiinsli was forbidden to appear at
court, and soon afterward was placed
under arrest in his own palace.
A commission was appointed to GN-
anime the charges against the minister
After the first hearing he was himself.
convinced that he was lost To the
charges already brought against him his
enemies added that of high treason and
conspiracy. He was first conveyed to
the prison of the admiralty, but was
soon after removed to the fortress. AS
he denied the accusations, he was put
to the rack, and after the torture he re-
ceived eight blows with the knout, which
were so well laid on that he lost the use
Of his right arm in consequence of them, !
and was no longer able to sign the pro-
tOcOls.
The sentence of the court was terrible. |
It was that WOlinski should have his |
tongue torn out, and then be impaled |
alive; that his accOmplices should be |
beheaded and quartered that his three
children should be banished to Siberia
and that his estates should be confisca- |
ted,
The empress hesitated to sign the
death warrant. EITHER he or II With .
tears in her eyes Anna finally acceded
to the dukes demands; she, however,
lessened the severity of the death SEN
tence.
On the morning of June q, 174O, Wo-
linski, in the fifty-eighth year of his
age, ascended the scaff0ld. His right
hand was Grst cut off, and then he was
beheaded. Two Of his alleged accom-
plices were also beheaded, and a certain
Count NIusiin-Puschkin had a piece of
his tongue cut off.
Such were the tragic consequences of
Z H. I ,