Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-30
The Greatest Criminal Trial ~,
Record.

In the whole history of criminal iur;g
prudence there has never, probably. beer
anything equal to the gigantic trisI
which was concluded at Moscow IN
Russia, on the 21st of November. and in
which were arraigned 500 prisoners, mn
ward of 200 of whom were convict
and sentenced to cruel penalties. Anon
the accused were persons of every sta.
ton in life-gray-h men and youths
men and women among the latter SOM
highly accomplished and prepossessiDg
in appearance. All the prisoner
were charged with one of the gray
est Offenses in the criminal code Of
Russia-that of counterfeiting. Thai
code says: ''The person that counter
feits the coin or currency Of the Imna.
rial Government shall suffer death.
Notwithstanding this rigorous prov
sion, Russia has been flooded for many
years past with many well-eXecute1
cOunterfeits Of the Government 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 gull
ty parties. Changes in the appearance
Of the Treasury notes did not do much
good either, for so vast is the extent Of
the Russian Empire that it takes the In
perial Government six months 10 CON
municate its DEGREES to the remOtest paris
of the country.
At length, in last July, a curious acci-
dent gave the government the long
loOked-for clew, which led to the discoY-
cry of an association Of criminals of b0th
sexes, banded together for the purpose
of circulating the spurious currency. AMI
which extended from the bleak and frog
en- shores of the White sea to the N0lga
and the Black sea. In the course Of
the two following months, 5000 men
and women were arrested. but. after
preliminary examination. .. 800 Of then
were discharged. and about 500 werr
held for trial Among the latter war.
six Frenchmen Of St. Petersburg. who
had been caught printing the counter
felt notes. and a comparatively large
number Of women. The prisoners were
all conveyed To Moscow. where they
were confined in the vast vault under
meath the Kremlin Palace. Criminal
law in Russia is barbarOus at best. anE
the male prisoners were heTded tOgather
like as many hogs. They received tha
cOarsest of fare, and straw was their
only couch. The women were treated
but little better.
On the Goth of October the trial wa.
opened in the large hall of the krem.in.
which holds nearly 5000 persons. Tn
proceedings were pr0tracted fOramonta
and the prosecution succeeded ia eytah-
fishing the guilt Of over onc-thirl % tie
accused. Two hundred and three q
them were found guilty. among them
about fifty women Sentence Of death
was passed upon six French printers. and
the other convicted parties Were coll
condemned to hard labor in the gold
mines Of the UraI mountains for life. o-
for ten years. The doomed men and
women burst into piercing shricks and
hOwls; and well they might. for In th-
case of the former, the sentence included
baTbarOus hOgging and branding on the
forehead with a red-hOt iron: while til
women, some of whom We're Of refined
descent. shuddered at the idea Of hay
ing TO do the most fmcnial work for life
or ten years at the station houses. where
the keepers of the male prisoners reside.
In their despair. some Of the uufOrtu-
mates threw themselves upon the ground,
ana their piercing cries. mingled with
the clanking of their chains, produced 81
truly horrible effect. The excitement
and frenzy of the condemned grew from
minute to minute more intense. and the
judges. in order to restore quietude. had
10 call in the soldiers. who, with their
kantschubs. beat the prisoners right and
left. and then dragged them back 10 tho
vaults Of the kremlin.
The Iowa and Minnesota division,
Of the Milwaukee and st. Paul railr0a5
have been cleared Of the snow drift
and trains are now running. The roa.l~
in Wisconsin have also been cleared