Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-30

| the "Narodnaya VOLTA" and other products Of
the free press" forty five copies Of revolu
scripts Containing seditious matter, evidently
| ready for the press; proclamation .'To the
brave Cossack army, and sundry letters: lastly,
epeT on ofgeo aha
unanswerable nature OF the evidence, did not
attempt denial for his own part, but only used
eve every 20 clear hs friend oy asserting that
had been laid there by him shortly before the
search, In her absence and without her knowl-
several Of his companions had refused V the cas- as.
distance OF the counsel proffered him by the
court,-he maintained this point as earnestly
as his denial concerning his completely In the
catastrophe a he Winter Palace
The next important disclosures were male at
the lodgings of another active accomp.iee,
searched a few days LATER on the 10th (4th) OF
found in his possession it was evident that this
person-an inferior clerk In some government
ofiice.was chiefly employed, probably on &C.
count OF his skill In penmanship, In the manu-.
facture OF those false documents with which
agents were so lavishly supplied. A complete
set OF the necessary materials and implemen e.
graph signatures OF high offlcIals were ds-
covered In a large leathern trunk, besides num-
Der OF proof sheets and papers similar to those
accompaniment of dynamite oblgato. More
over, the owners connection with the secret
press was made patent by the presence of
OF the "Narodnaya VOLTA"
But the final and most tragIcal "tug OF war"
came 10 pass lew weeks later, on the 30th
Qsthl OF January, 1880. when the police de-
arfleS, on the revolutionary printing office
1tself, after having first, by long and patient
spying and ferreting. ascertained beyond thu
In private lodging kept by one OF those ficti-
tious couples who form so conspicuous feature
o OF these strange times The scene which en-
less task to try and elicit anything like a con-
slstent, orderly narrative from the mass of frag-
mentary, individual evidence given by the
olHerent actors. Their statements are not con-
Trajectory. only vague and confused; like those
OF men who have been engaged in action too
exciting and too rapid to cable to account for
IL mlnutely In cold blood, aDreS coup. SO much
Is certain: the door was not opened in obedi-
ence to repeated summons, and had to be
broken open; the police, when they at length
fronted by utter darkness, silence, and clicking
revolvers violent blind scuffie ensued, in
which ABOUT sixty shots were exchanged,
At last there was cry, 1--WE surrender" "How
many are your" was asked. 'Five" answered
female voice. Another was heard in angry
fe ea. "CoWards!'' was 1t not agreed
skuik behind and leave US women In the front"
In another moment, and after some struggling
on the part. Of the men, four persons two OF
them women, were secured and bound, while
SIX reVolVers were picked up from the floor
One OF the police officers, advancing into the
other rooms to look for his fifth prisoner, was
greeted on the threshold OF the furthe3t one by
a double report; and when lamp was at last
brought In lit must be remembered that our
private houses are not lit with gas), he
mattress on the floor, shot through the head
evidently an act Of suicide, committed as q last
resource against surrender Both balls, from two
the right temple through the same Opening
almost simultaneously, leaving a black and
caroonized edge around the wound, but had
In two different places, Through an opening
just above the left ear. and another in the
crown OF the head. When the prisoners had
without further disturbance, the first thing.
that was discovered, thrown INTO q corner Of
the room where the dead man lay, and wrapped
IN some oId mating, was the Identical auger
MOSCOW railway mine. The rest OF the booty
made up most formidable inventory: print
Ing Press s 10 perfect WORKING order about p
"Narodnaya VOLTA" heaps OF forged docu-
ments,-passport blanks, certificates of differ
ent kinds, etc:...together with everything ne
cessary for the fabrication OF those documents,
some dynamite OF course, two pamphlets on
the preparation OF the substance, several plans
Illustrating the process OF blowing up rap
IDLY advancing train, and many Other.things
besides the six reviewers and three daggers'
This was certainly sufficient to Justify the ac-
cusation In affirming that "Ghese lodgings con-
central agency for the manufacturing OF false
papers and supplying there With all persons for
Whom II became necessary to assume an Illegal
position, as well as laboratory for the prepa-
ration or dynamite and other explosive sub
stances"
The separate charge against the prisoner
Presnfakof-given In the Act of ACC Is ltiou
under the head OF ARMED resistance to the
agents CT The law, as expressed by two shots
ilfec ey the prisoner, wouGdtng one ana caus-
Ing the death OF the other OF his captors"-pre-
SCENTS no particular interest or compile alton,
and may therefore be dismissed with the brief
remark that the prisoners guilt was amply
proved. 1t remains to record the sentence.
PRONOUNCED late In the evening Of the seventh
hvlatkoysky, Presniak0fT and three more. 1t
was death by hanging; for the remaining eleven.
Punishment to Siberia in different grades OF
severity, with or without Imprisonment and
nara LABOR, and for terms varying from fifteen
10 twenty years. At the same time the latter
prisoners were recommended to mercy. and
considerable communications proposed for all. 10
its final form. the sentence condemned only
Two to hard labor In the mines for fifteen years.
OF the rest, some were sentenced to hard labor.
not In the mines but in state factories, for four
or less remote parts Of Siberia; while Drigo and
one other escaped with very mild sentence.
SIMPLY onllg1ng them to reside hereafter In the
government government OF Tomsk, the most western, and
Degradation was passed alike against ALL In
connrm1ng the sentence of the court, the EN-
peIoT luItner cOmmuted the death penalty OF
three OF the five condemned prisoners to exile.
with Imprisonment and hard labor for life. TO
Kviatkovsky and Presniakofr, however. the
imperial mercy did not extend, and they SUI
fered death on the 10th (4th) of November.
within the wall OF the fortress.
1t is but fair to state that, throughout this
long and fatiguing judicial procedure, the
treatment towards the prisoners was uniformly
consider ate and polite, the mode of addressing
and questioning them scrupulOusly courteous:
also, that the counsel for the prosecution In
their speeches not only evidently stroVe to re.
main within the strict bounds OF impartial
justice, but repeatedly showed a leaning to-
wards len1ency. Thus, in referring to one of
the female defenders OF the printing o11ce,-a
woman OF the peasant class who had lived there
ostensibly as cOOk,-the orator parenthetic ally
expressed hope that the judges would Ind it
not inconsistent With their duty to visit her
with the l1ghtest possible punishment In con-
siaeration of her ignorance, almost even Of
reading and writing, and of her utter want of
culture amounting to stupidity, and accom-
panied by partial DEAFNESS All this Ia In keen
Ing with the serious and digni1ed spirit In
which our lawyers since the great judicial re-
1or1 regard their profession. That compound
OF unSeemly virulence, ferocious vindictveness.
ana DomDast1c phraSeOlogy which under the
rfQutsn"'re, Is the disgrace OF French Criminal
courts and the glory OF an aspiring prOcureui.
az rOt.-or de Temporary, or de la repubifg,te.
as the case may be.-is utterly repugnant to the
Qeeply humane bent of the Russian nature
Russian p1'0cureur would scorn to dig into the
past life OF an unfortunate prisoner In order
Cr1umDlaQtlY to drag tn 1iphf hfa m mar trIujo1