, 1881-05-11

drawn sword during the absence of the
Judges to deliberate. All the doors are
strictly guarded by tall helmeted gen,
darmes, and unusual vigilance is apparent
all through the buildings. The Procureur
Murayief and his assistant sit at the end
of the judicial bench close to the distin.
guished officials, and the clerks of the
Court at the other end, 9 the prisoners.
At each end of the dock stand two gen.
darmes with drawn swords, and in front
of the prisoners sit the counsel for the
defence, The Court, composed of Sena-
tors, marsbals, nobility, and civic mayors
wearing their chains of Office, entered at
IL o'clock. The prisoners were then
brought in between gendarmes and placed
in the dock in the following order:-
Risakof, OF medium height, fair complex
ION, large hairless face, deep set eyes under
q heavy brow, protruding lips, long fair
hair brushed back over his neck Michailotf,
tall, strongly built, and fair. with incipient
beard and moustache, and long hair RULED
over a large forehead, his expression quite
that of a Russian peasant, and decidedly
the calmest Of all the prisoners the Jewess,
Hessy Helfmann, the smallest stature OF
all, dark frizzled hair, plated behind,
rather a repulsive and troubled look, with
an occasional smile when conversing with
her fellow prisoners, Kibaichich, the Re
voIutionary chemist, tall and thin, with
sharply cut features, wild expression OF
eyes, small dark beard and moustache, and
long lank hair of the same colour falling
from a retreating forehead; the notorious
lady, Sofe Perowskaja, of small, delicate,
though good figure, small pale features,
and fair hair tidily arranged in chignon ;
and lastly, the agent of the Revolutionary
Executive Committee, q tall, thin, fierce
looking man, with regular features, an
abundance of dark hair thrown back
from a prominent forehead, beard and
moustache. q rather disturbed but deter
mined physiognomy. The proceedings
began by reading the act Of accusation,
a copy of which was in the hands of each
of the accused, and the clerk had not got
far when Jelabof rose and objected to dis
closures of the late GOldenburg being
introduced as evidence, at the same time
asking the Court to produce evidence of
G~oldenburg's death III prison. The Court
retired for half.sn.hour to consider this
request, and returned with a decision IN
the negative.
The reading of the act of accusation was
then continued and lasted till 2 o'clock,
after which followed the answer of each
prisoner in turn to the charges cited In
the act, guilty or not guilty. l should
have mentioned that all the prisoners were
attired in black. The first called by the
President to speak was Risakoff as first in
order, and he went into a long, rambling
explanation of his conduct, uttered i'll an
almost ~inaudible voice. Although &C.
knowledging his guilt, he e~ndeavoured, it
seemed, to show that he belonged more to
the faction represented by the secret print
called the Black DiUisiOn than to that OF
the VIII of the People, and frequently re-
ferred to the influence which Jelabotf had
had over him, at which the latter often
scowled and knitted his brows as though
in anger. Like his compeerS, who followed
him, Risakof was more than once told to
confne his discourse to the crimes laid at
his charge. Michailoff next began q long
Justification of his cOnnexion with the
Revolutionary party. He would only
avow his membership of the wOrkingmans
branch Of that party. lie himself a work.
ing man, wished to describe, in spite OF
the President, who is remarkably cool and
forbeaIing, what fearful conditions OF
poverty and distress beset the workman's
path in Russia and drive him into the
ranks of the discontinued. He had work
ed in various workshops in st. Petersburg
for II kopeks per day, and lived i'll nothing
but dirt and misery. Various remarks on
the peasants land being oyerhurdened
with debt showed that his thoughts were
chiefly occupied with the grievances OF his
own class. Hessy Helfmann said, in a
II>--~ e. %h~