Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-01-28
A Great Criminal Trial.

Marriage and Death Notices, when not exceed
ing eight lines fifty cents
A Great Criminal Trial.
In the whole history of terminal jurisprudence
there has never, probably, been anything equal
to the gigantic trial which was concluded at
Moscow, in Russia, on the 2lst Of November.
and in Which were arraigned 500 prisoners, up
ward OF 200 of whom were convicted and SEN
tenoed to cruel penalties. Among the accused
were persons Of every station in life-gray-
haired men and youths, men and women
among the latter some highly accomplished and
prepossessing in appearance. All the prisoners
we're charged With one of the gravest ofenses
in the criminal code of Russia-that of counter
feiting. That code says The person that
couuterfeits the coin or the currency OF the lm-
perial Government shall suffer DEATH:
Notwithstanding this rigorous provision,
Russia has been flooded for many years past
with we'll executed counterfeits of the Govern
ment Treasury notes. The prompt execution
of several who were caught in passing the
spurious currency did not check the evil, and
for the last three years it became so great that
the Minister of Finance was almost in despair.
Offers of the largest rewards did not lead to
the detection of the guilty parties. Changes
in the appearance of the Treasury notes did
not do much good either, for so vast is the ex-
tent of the Russian Empire that 1t takes the
Imperial Government SIX months to communl-
cate its DEGREES to the remotest parts OF the
country.
gave the government the long-looked-for
cow, which led to the discovery Of an associa-
tion of criminals of both sexes, banded to-
gether for the purpose of circulating the
spurious currency, and which extended from
the bleak and frozen shores Of the White sea
TO the Volga and the Black sea. In the course
of the two following months, 5000 men and
women were arrested, but, after preliminary
examination, $500 of them were discharged,
and abont 500 were held for trial. Among the
latter were six Frenchmeu, of St. Petersburg,
Who had been caught printing the counterfeit
notes, and comparatively large number OF
women. The prisoners were all conveyed to
Moscow where they were confined 10 the vast
vault underneath the Kremliu Palace. Crlmi-
nal law in Russia is barbarous at best, and the
male prisoners were herded together like as
many hogs. They received the coarsest LOT
fare, and straw was their only couch The wo-
men we're treated but little better.
On the Goth OF October the trial was opened
in the large hall of the Kremlin, which holds
nearly 5000 persons. The proceedings were
protracted for q month, aud the prosecution
succeeded iu establishing the guilt of over one
third of the accused. Two hundred and three
Of them were found guilty, among them about
fifty women. Sentence of death was passed
upon six French printers, and the other con-
victed parties were condemned to hard larbor
in the gold mines Of the Ural mountains for
life. or for ten years: The doomed mem and
women burst into piercing shrieks and howls;
and well they might, tor 10 the case OF the
former, the sentence included barbarous hog
ging and branding on the forehead with red
hot iron; while the women, some OF whom were
Of refined descent, shuddered at the idea ,ot
having to do the most menial work tor life or
ten years at the station houses, where the keep
ers Of the male prisoners reside. In their des-
pair, some of the unfertunates threw them
selves, upon the ground and their piercing
cries, mingled with the claDkipg Of the chains,
produced truly horrible effect The excite
ment and frenzy Of the condemed grew from
minute to minute more intense, and the Judges,
in order to restore quietude, had to call in the
soldiers, who with their kautschubs beat the
prisoners right and left, and then dragged them
back to the vaults of the prison.
THE Snow SToRM.-A letter to the New
York Herald, dated Winona, Minnesota, gives
additional particulars of the terrible effects Of
the great snow storm in that section. We ex-
tract the following;
One of the saddest incidents is reported from
Fort Ridgely. The schoolmistress discharged
her scholars, telling them to run home. Some
escaped with but slight injuries, but seven OF
the little ones lost their way IN the blindlng
drifts and were found dead, one with his books
under his arm and his little foot lifted for
step-a step which had proved step beyond
the cou6ues of life. Two others were frozen
to death in each others arms; tears which the
bitter cold or the near approach Of death, bad
wruug from them, standing in little beds OF ice
on their innocent cheeks. Hugh Jones,
teacher, near New. Ulm, kept the forty scholars
of his school in the schoolhouse from Tuesday
till Friday, risking his life, like practical, un-
selfish hero, every day in . two mile tramp
through drifts four or FIVE feet deep to get food
for them.
A stage left Madela for St. James, having
eight passengers and driver. On Wednes
dey morning, not having arrived, search was
made for it. 1t was found on the road, the
corpse on the seat, with the reius in his hands,
and eight bundles of robes and clothes in the
bottom of the sleigh, each of which contained
asoulless lump of icy aesh
Mr.. A. K Jenkins, of the Cleveland Ohio,
Bridge Company, who was experimenting the
building of an iron bridge at Rock Rapids,
Iowa, was travelling by stage thence to Sibley.
Arrived at the latter place, the other passen-
gers disembarked. He did not stir. They
called him, they touched him, and 10 death
had ridden with them for some time, and the
body was already rigid.
At Oshawa, about hundred yards from the
railroad station, we're found two horses hsr-
messed to cutter, 10 which, sitting bolt up
coats. They were frozen stiff. and dead
John Hagameyer of Elizabeth, started to go
from his house to his blacksmith shop, $50
yards away. He was found two miles distant,
frozen to death.
"A St. Paul correspondent writes to the New
York World - "A sad case is reported of
young couple who were on their way from Can
ada, the BRIDES home, to that of the bride
groom, near Fergus Falls, in this State. At