Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-03-19
LAST TRIAL OF RUSSIAN NlHILISTS.
A GRAPHIC NARRATIVE.

The well known ''nihiiists" (chrisJened by
| Tourgueniffe for all eternity, the boiStercus,
| pugnacious, ranting, yet talented and compar-
atively harmless boys OF twenty and thirty
| years ago, have been succeeded by another and
| far more dangerous generation,-boys also,
most of them. but who have developed the
quiet, dogged resolutions, the merclless, I'M
swerving sequence of thought and act, the un.
reason ming self sacrifice which lie at the core O,
the Russian nature when powerfully aroused.
The earlier ones contented themselves with
general fault finding lin many cases with but
700 much reason, with noisy denunciatlons of
everything and everybody. from existing social
piluclpAes 10 poetry ard ladies' fancy work.
WIN sweeping and ctten ludicrously absurd
negatlonS OF all that is not positive science or
s oels improvement Not SO the latter, the
so-CaileO socialists, for that name begins
very generally TO supersede the old one Their
predecessors much aired grievances instead OF
esdporatlng In more OF less violent talk have
WIN them settled into q dark purpose, which
they pursue literally to the death,-tO their
OWL ueaLn most frequently, sometimes also 10
mat OF their selected victims. They take the
IlsR ana pay the forfeit manfully, Stuobornly.
The many criminal state trials OF the last three
years nave amply shown that Russia has been
visited by a vlfulent paroxysm of that form OF
political alteration which made so great a
patriot and so pure mau as MaZZni ali adyo.
cate OF political murder, and armed the gentle
hand OF the romantic. teuder-souled boy Sand
Wild tne assaSslns dagger. Two months ago
Oh the 18th (4thl OF November, the execution OF
TWO important leaders OF the deadly secret or
gannallon called 1.-The terrorziDg traction"
atoned for the long series of murderOus at
Iempts against the EmperOr'S person which fol
l0Wed the assassination OF Prince Krap0 kin ia
February, 1879. The trial which preceded, con-
quoted before the ST: Petersburg military court
was On SO unusually large scale, involved so
many points and persons. and resulted in such
vast and Important revelations, that au account
or the judicial proceedings On this momentOus
occasion U0tDfprpSttDO
lean readers, and may shed light on some of the
questions concerning which the intelligent
curiosity OF the cultivated public of this cOun-
try has long been awakened.
On the 9Th OF November {25th of OctobeD Of
last year sixteen persons were brought to trial
for heavy political offences bsrOre the Sc,
petersburg. military court. Great and unusual
precautions had been taken to insure an undis-
luIoeo course TO the judicial pro ceilings. Tie
general public were not admitted; tickets were
distributed; and 1t was noticed by an eye.Wit.
ness that although the audience was SO numer-
Gus as to I'LL the hail, 1t was composed of per-
sons wearing the military or civil uniform,
ordinary garb OF private gentlemen. Although
the reporters OF The press were admitted tue
several dailieS and weeklies had been notified TO
ABSTAIN from publishing their own reports from
shorthand notes as is usual In such eases. and TO
limit themselves to copying the full length re.
port which would appear In a series of numbers
or The daily Government Gazette. The sixteen
prisoners entered the court escorted each by two
genSddTh.es, and took their places In a calm
and dignifled manner. In spite OF great differ
ences In their social rank, education, even race
and religion. one characteristic feature was
common TO all,-they were very young: all.
WIN one exception. under thirty, one half
uDoer twenty-five. There were three women In
Jhe numDer,-g1ElS OF twenty-one, twenty-five
ana tWenty-three years OF age. The single eX-
ceptlon was one Mr.. Drtgo aged thirty.one. a
landnolder and business man OF good standing,
VINO was merely an accessory to the revolution
airy party with regard to certain money mat
tiers. From the personal facts and antecedents
concerning the prisoners, given In curt and dry
phrase by the Act OF Accusation, 1t appears
lndU OF lne sixteen men Two never received any
education at all, and seven did not compleye
their education, but left the University. or the
Iechnologlcal Institute, or Teachers Semi.
nary, or other schools or colleges in the .firsT.
second or third year OF the course. Alexander
kV1atkoySky, aged twenty the most
prominent among the prisoners, was one of
great natural parts and moral powers From
Inc nfSt moment, the general attention was
centered on him, and his personal appearances
sn un9s desGri1sd oy the correspondent OF the
intp,,. ent face; long dark blonde hair and q |
f1l heard IT,, 'oe set OF features expressive of
great energy ana .SOWer OF Will. He both bears |
himself and speaks Wen 'nu Will rao Ease Sc ne
tuoe or leader among his compau.. |
position which they ali seemed tacitly 20 az
knoWleoge, as though from long and haoitual |
difference. and 10 which he was fully entitled, |
as proved oy the disclosures OF the trial, from |
the part Which he has played In the troubles of |
the last three years. Ii was remarked that |
although he appeared to have surrendered him |
sell from the first, and With the utmost phlIOS-
opny. 10 tate against which he knew that not |
llt ahieSt defence could prevail, he was uure- |
anXlCa5 TO shield his followers and |
Lever missed an opportunity OF taking the |
hole bame upon himself and exonerating |
them nom this or that charge, on the ground |
OF haV1Lg been used by him as Dlini tools, aat |
kept III ignorance Of his purposes.
tai JIol
consumed oy The reading or the Act or ACCUSE |
tlon. That this document Should have grown |
10 SO unusual a bulk Is not TO be wondered ar, |
since I cover d space OF Two years and |
Contained a detailed relation OF all the criminal
acts perpetrated in that interval by nelnbers
OF Tie ultra sociallstic party, IN which all the
ana personally participated. The act was |
divided under ten different heads comprising |
the following offences: participation In the |
murder OF Prince krapotktn. the Governor OF |
attempt On the Emperor's life in April of the |
same year; n the aliSt1c-reVolutionary con- |
sentlon which took place at Lipetsk. In The
following June, and at which the subse0uent |
attempts were planned, It being at the same |
Time resolved to use dynamite instead of or1i- |
nary weapons; In the ensuing three fold muir
0erouS attempt In November, 1879, by means Of |
ds Mantle mines laid under railway tracks |
at three different places, OF which one proved |
useless, as his Majesty changed his route at the
iaso nondent anoaner TOOK no effect from IN
Known causes, PROBABLY unSklilful MANAGE
meht, ana the third did by its explosion caISe |
the destruction OF the imperial train. but did |
cot endanser the Emperor,s person, owing to
his having passed the spot a sseW moments be-
fore In an ordinary train; in the laying Of q |
powerful dynamite mine under one OF the i
apartments In the Winter Palace, resulting in
the terrible explosion OF the 18th (5th) OF FeS- |
ruaTy, 1850, which caused the loss or eleven |
lives, and more or less severely injured nfty- |
SIX persons. Furthermore, several OF the pri5- |
oners were accused OF organizing and enter |
tanning an active secret press In the capital |
Tor the purpose OF printing and spreading |
abroad revolutionary prOclamationS flying |
numbers OF seditious and Uerroristtc papers as |
also OF forging passports and other documents: |
the same prisoners being, moreover, accused |
OF having offered armed resistance to the |
police, who surprised them In their hiding |
place With the press In fun activity. The pris1
oner, Preeniakof, was charged besides with |
having fired at two persons who aided dis |
gulSed policeman In arTeSting him On one OF |
the pubic streets Wounding both and causing |
the death OF one. Lastly, all the prisoners |
were accused OF belonging to the secret |
society or the tic-reVolut1onary party |
whose object Is by sedltion and Violence 10 |
suovert the state Institutions and social order.
and which has manifested its existence by q |
long series OF the heaviest political offences
Iney We're also all charged with three excec.
IONS with having lived under numerous al |
sumeo names, supporting their aliases by
forged passports and other documents willis
the prisoner Drigo was accused of having sun.
pied the observation-disclosures marty with
The FUNDS necessary for carrying our their verv