The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-03-16
A NIHILIsT's STORY.

~ L
For a little after the Colonel had
cease 7, no one spoke, and only the crack
ling of the open fire, as it laughed and
crackled upon the wide hearth within,
and the moan of the night wind roaming
the lonely waste without, broke the sill
pnce, while we steadily putfed at our
pipes; then Thompson, the host, arose
and began to brew fresh jug of flip,
t. his companion and spoke:
Alex, it's your turn. Give us Rus
sian story, full to the brim with horrors.
A bear hunt upon your llllmltable
steDpes. a wolf chase along the VOlga, a
COSsack fight in the south or Tartar
raid upon the north; or better still, tell
US of your own Nihlllstlc trials.
The man to whom Destram spoke
sbiypred. and his strong face, dark and
Jpeplv cut, twitched a little, while his
eve cleaned. He hesitated a moment,
then carefully laid his pipe upon the
rouph table, and half turning, replied:
"Gentlemen, if it is my turn | will
speak. and as my friend has suggested
the subject, although it is not apleasant
one to me, l will tell you tale OF my
home. Russia, and of myself, NlhlllSt
If it seems strange, then grant me that
strange things and horrible ones may
happpn even in Christian Europe, and
i'm this nineteenth century. 1t Is word
for word true.
We drew nearer the speaker, and list
ened intently. A Russian story told in
Colorado. for our cabin was far up
among the spurs of the Rockies, in the
western portion of the State, and that
story. the history of a Nihilist, was new
and strange treat for American ears.
six years ago l was living in Darn
oyysyv. i'm the province of Rubin, in the
southern part of the greatest of European
empires. Young man happy as circum-
stances would allow, and at the time Of
which | speak, dOubly happy and con-
tented in my little school, for L was a
teacher, since | had just made the sweet
est and protest girl in the village my
wife.
marie CarlOff was mine, won from a
score of suitOrs by love alone, for | had
little money, and | was content.
"Chief among the discOnsOlate ones
was the son of an eX-aTmy officer, Louis
LOdiski by name, a handsome but un-
principled fellow, who for many years
had been infatuated with Marie. How
ever, when our coming wedding was an
nOunced Louis left the village, and |
was spared his scOwl and muttered
threats, and soon forgot him in the joy
of home life.
"For three years was at rest. Then
came the great cloud that to-day over
hangs my native land, and its dark
shadow fell across even my humble
threshold. | had been a st. Petersburg
student, and when the strange mono
mania of communism, silent and deadly,
crept through the nation, it found in me
an easy prey, and | became a Nihilist,
swOre the terrible Oaths, and linked my
self body and soul to their unknown and
horrible purposes. l shudder now as l
remember.
"There was a circle formed in our
town, and two months after had joined
it there appeared one night amongst US,
commissioned from the Grand Circle at
Moscow as our chief, Louis LOdiski.
II bowed before him, but when | saw
the fierce light of baffled passion and
eager revenge gleam in his hated eyes,
brightly as when last | met him, then
the rejected suitOr of my wife, knew
and felt for the first time into what a
horrible pit | had fallen; for, free as L
was before the world, in secret l was
bound by my vows, the serf and slave Of
my bitter enemy.
But of all this my wife knew nothing,
except that her old lover was in town.
"FOr a time there was little work for
our society, but it so happened that
toward spring a new quartering of sol
diers was made in our town, under the
charge of Colonel JalikOff, tried and
true officer of the Government, and one
who had several times incurred the dis
pleasure of the Nihilists. Hardly had
the troops become settled when sealed
dispatch was received by LOdiski from
the Grand Circle at Moscow, containing
the death warrant of the Colonel; and,
in drawing lots for the one to act as exc
cutiOner, the same DEVILS luck which
had first dragged me into this conspiracy,
or some treachery of my chief, cast the
dread duty upon me.
''By the rules of our order unquestion-
ing obedience, at the price of ones own
life, must be given to all DEGREES by the
person so chosen, and knew it; yet the
word murderer famed before my eyes
and my heart .stOOd still, as l held the
fatal lot in my hands.
"And even as gazed, daZed and dull
upon my comrades about me- whose
stern, white faces reflected the horror OF
my own, the whisper of our chief hisseC
warningly through the air the single
word:
"Bewarer
with cry of lost soul 1 fled from
the room.
There remained three days of grace
The ukase of the Grand Circle, with 6
perfection of cruelty, granted the slave
doomed to execute their diabOlical com
mands three days mercy. At the end Of
that time the condemned must have
ceased to live, or the slave would become
the victim instead.
''0f the first day, have no remem
brance. 1t did not consist of hours, but
of moments, each separate and distinct
of ideas only born to die. In a word
for the first tWenty-four hours | was
crazed. The second day found me COO
and helpless. 1 made my plans. Obey
must for my wife's sake and my own
Jelikoff must die that we might five.
"FOr five hours | debated where to dc
the deed; then, still uncertain, walked
IN the verge of the town, and rs walked
some one joined me-LOdiski.
Tomorrow said he inquiringly.
Tomorrow 1 returned. ut must
darpd