National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-10-17
A Bloody InsurrcctIon.
A Page from Russian History.

largo cities OF the empire, To unturl the
standard of revolt among such regi-
men,s of the army as were known to be
disahected toward the new czar.
At st. Petcrsbuigh, two regiments of
tho imperial foo.guards, under the COM
mand Of Colonies Braganof and jesse
huriea, left their barracks, and marched
upon the principal government build
ings. The State Chancel!erie fell an
easy prey to them, but at the building
Of the War Department. which resem-
bles small fortress, they met with n
determined resistance.
Nicholas, the new czar, who was be-
leved by the conspirators 70 be at
Tsarskoe Zelo, had returned during the
night, and, upon hearing Of the revolt,
collected five squadrons of the Dragons
and Cossacks Of the guard, and two
sections Of the light artillery, with
which he made sudden and furious
onslaught upon the insurgents. The
latter offered heroic resistance but,
being moved down with grapeshot, as
they were, they finally had to surren-
der. Many of the soldiers and officers
were slain by the Dragons after they
had thrown down their arms. Several
conspirators had hurried through the
streets, and in loud voice called upon
the people to rise in arms against the
new czar. But the people paid no at
tention to them, and the Cossacks, who
secured the city after the suppression
Of the insurrection, had no difficulty in
resisting them.
OF the military prisoners, all the
les tnnn1 nNlnaru cnyt fn thu
ortress of Schlusselburg, where they
were thrust into the subterranean dun
geons. The civilians were confined in
irons in cells at the Krasnikoy Jail.
An investigation was at once set, and,
through torture, the names Of the ring
leaders among the two regiments Of the
guard were easily ascertained. They
gave as the most active among them,
the two colonels, and beside, Majors
Sikoff, Toalirog, Pokiss, Captains "a
gar, Brohany, Cezoe iroff, and Lieuten-
ants Tengen, Schenck, Virgizy, and
Buclot. The officers themselves reso-
lutely refused to give any information.
On the 26th of December the High
Commission, composed of sixty high
civil and military dignitaries, assem-
bled at the large hall Of the ministry of
justice in order to try the conspirators.
The czar and most of his male relations
were present at the opening of the court.
The venerable General Gortschakotf
presided. The prisoners were led in,
all of them heavily ironed. Colonel
Braganoff, upon seeing the czar, shout
ed to him in sneering tone, "German
dog German dog But no notice
was taken of this insult, and the trial
commenced. The proceedings were so
summary that the whole trial did not
last more than five days. Late in the
evening of the 31st of December the
court pronounced the following terrible
sentence
"All the commissioned officers caught
with arms in their hands shall snffer
death by shooting, except Colonels
Braganoff and Jesehuriez, whose
tongues shall be torn out of their
mouths by the public executioner,
whereupon they shall be hanged until
they are dead the Second and Fourth
regiments of the Foot Guards shall be
decimated the civilians shall receive
next day was New Years, in the new
calendar, and so the sentence was not
executed until the I'd of January, 1926. |
st. Petersburgh, as may be imagined,
was in state of intense agitation from |
early dawn on that eventful and mo-
mentous day.
Immense crowds thronged the streets,
and frequently were dispersed by the
mounted police. At ten o'clock the
sixty-four doomed officers and nineteen
civilians were led out upon the Newski
Prospect, where the execution was to
take place. Colonels Braganoff and
Jesehuriez were dressed in suits of
coarse brown linen, and the executioner
placed them under the huge gallows
which had been erected for them. Both
Of them manifested remarkable forti-
tude, which did not disconcerf the exc
cutioner little. With visible embar-
rassment he told the two brave conspir-
ators: 81 must now tear out your
tongues" Colonel Jesehuriez allowed
him to open his mouth and to seize his
tongue with large steel forceps. The
vast concourse of spectators uttered
cries of horror as the executioner vio-
lently pulled it out The tongue, bleed
ing and horrible to look upon, came
out. Jesehuriez, uttering heavy
groan, sank to the ground, while a
steam of blsod poured from his mouth.
He was Immediately picked up by the as
sistant of the executioner, who strangled
him on the gallows. Braganoff proved
less ,ractable The executioner had to
force open his mouth, in doing which,
he broke the front teeth of the unfortu-
nate man. Five minutes afterward,
too, had breathed his last.
Next the officers, who were to be shot,
we're led forward, with their backs
turned toward the Neva river. Twelve
Of them were selected to die first. They
met their fate bravely. Shouting, "Long
live Russial" they received the volley
Of bullets which twenty-four picked
rifiemen fred at them. Five fell dead.
The other seven had been but slightly
wounded. Three more volleys were re-
1uired before all of them had been put
out of their misery. -Four times more
this terrible scene was re-enacted. At
last all of tie victims were dead. They
lay in large heap. The immense I
crowd of spectators was shuddering. {
But now followed still more thrill
ing scene, but fortunately it was not to
md in butchery like the one we have I
ust described.
Fourteen hundred soldiers, without '
lrms, were marched out in order to be
lecimated J
Nothing could be more frightful than l
he spectacle which these poor victim !
n their intense anguish and uncertainty |
presented. For none of them knew I
which were to suffer death, and which |
we're to be spared. They looked with '