Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-01-10
III Il S IL N TINEI.
A Great Trial.
FIVE HUNDRED COUNTERFEITERs OK
TRIAL At ONCE.

FIVE HUNDRED COUNTERFEITERS ON
TRIAL AT ONCE.
In the whole history of criminal iurispru-
dencs there has probably never been ANYTHING
equal TO the gigantic trial which was courl,l-
ded nj Moscow, in Russia, ON the 81 II of No
vemher and in which were arrai lrpcd FIVE
hundred prisoners, upwards Of two hundred
9t whom were convicted and Sentenced 10 cruel
penalties. Among lie accused we're oersons
OF every station in liie-gray haired men and
youths, men aud women; among the latter
some hiehly accomplished aud prrpossessing
III appearance. a! the prisoners were charged
with one o. the giHvcst uiltuscs in the crini-
nal code OF Russia-thHt Of conuterftitiup -
The code says "Ihe person that couutc, reils
The coin or currency Of the Imperial Govern
inent shall suffer death - Notwithstanding
ms rigorous provision inssia has been flood
I'D FOR several years past with wtll-rxccutrd
counterfeits of the Goyernmea, Treasury notes
The prompt execution Of several who were
canght 10 passing The spurious currency did
not check the evil, and Tor the last three wears
IL 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
Euilty parties Changes in the appearance Of
the treasury notes did not do so much good
either, for so vast is the extent Of The Russian
Empire that it takes tie Imperial Government
six months TO communicate lis DEGREES 10 the
remotest part of the country.
~ length in last July, a carous accident
gave the Government the iung-lUolled for clue,
which led to the discovery of an association OF
criminals Of both sexes, banded together for
the purpose OF circulating spurious currency,
and which extended from the bleak and frozen
shores Oi the White Sea To tie Tulga and the
Black Sea. In the course OF the two follow
Ing months three thousand men aud women
were arrested, but aftera preliminary exami-
nation twenty-five hundred of them were dis
charged and about i've hundred were held for
trial Among the latter were SIX Frcncbmen
of St Petersburg, who had been caught print
ing the counterfeit notes, and comparatively
large number of women. The prisoners were
all conveyed TO Moscow whore they were con-
fined in the vast vaults underneath the kren-
lin Palace. Criminal law in Russia is barbar-
ons at the best, and the mile prisoners were
hcrded together like so many hogs They re-
ceived the coarsest fare and straw was their
only couch. The women were treated but lii
tie better
On the 10th Of October the trial was opened
in the large hall Of the kremlin which holds
nearly five thousand persons The proceedings
were protracted for a month, and he prosccu
ton succeeded in establishing the guilt OF
nearly one-ihird Of the accused Two ham
drcd and three of them were found guilty,
among them about fifty women. Sentence Of
death was passed upon the six French printers,
and the other convicted parties were condemn
ed TO hard labor in the gold mines Of the UraI
Mountains for ifc or for ten years The
doomed men and women burst into piercing
shrieks and bowls, and well they might, toI
in case Of the former, the sentence included
harbarons iogging and branding on the fore
head with red-hot iron, while the women
kome Of whom were Of refined descent, shud.
dercd at the idea of having to do the most me
NAL work for life or ten years at the station
houses IN their despair some Of the auforlu-
mates threw themselves upon the gronnd and
their piercing cries mingled with the cl.tnking
Of their chains, produced truly horrible eff
feet. The excitement and frenzy of the con
'demned grew from minute to minute more in
tense, and the Judges in order to restare qni-
ctudc, had to call in the soldiers who with
their kanischuPs beat the prisoners right and
left, and then dragged them back % he vaults
of the kremiin