News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-03-23
THE NIHILIST TRIAL.
The Sentence OF the PrisOners-The
Closing Scenes.

The Sentence OF the PrisOners-The
Closing Scenes.
A dispatch to the New York Herald,
from st. Petersburg, gives the closing
scenes in the Nihilist trials as follows !:
When the Court commenced sitting, the
tribunal submitted to the defense the
sixty-three questions to which it was to
reply. Counsel for hedefense remained
In consultation for about three hours.
They signifed their acquiescence with
the exception of two alterations which
the tribunal allowed. After adjoining
for dinner the tribunal again entered
into deliberation at six o'clock. During
the recess it had become known that
the advocates for the defense had quar-
relied. They We're still disputIng vFo-
lentiy when they re-entered court. Ine
tribunal resumed its sittings at quarter
past eleven. Then there occurred a
curious incident. The President, who
maintains strictly the exclusion of the
public, perceived two strangers in court.
"Who are those people ?" he asked of
the huissier. The latter replied that
they had been introduced by M. Nabo-
koff, Minister of Justice. "Expel them,"
reioined the President, "we know no
Minister here. l alone am master in
this hail." A few hours before the
President had had one of the Emporer's
aides camp, Colonel Nestowich, ex-
PEELED for attempting to sketch the de-
PENDANTS and another person for trying
to take down the sixty-three questions
put by the prosecution. Only twelve
people were present during the last
days proceedings, counsel and accused
of course not included. Among them
were Prince Schkowskof, Prince Deme-
doff, of San Doanto, and the Minister
of Justice.
AWAITING THE SENTENCE.
The prisoners were brought into court
escorted by gandarmes. They appeared
quite unconcerned, and several evident
ly had difficulty in refraining from ban
tering the judges. I need not give you
the details of the sixty-three questions
to which they were called on to reply.
They were mere outlines of the charges
few exceptions all the questions were
replied to afirmatively. The sentences
were then passed on the prisoners.
Nothing worthy of remark occurred
while the sentences were being read.
The prisoners listened calmly and made
no sign. When, however, they were
asked whether they had anything to
add to their defense, Teterka turned to
Merkouloff, the informer who had de-
nounced Emilianoff, and struck him in
the face Terentieff's answer to the
President was a cough and a burst of
ironic laughter. The sentence will be
read over to the prisoners once more on
Saturday. There is no appeal from the
decisions of the judges, as the Senate
is the supreme court. They will, how
ever, be submitted to General Ignatieff
for his approval. The prisoners may
then petition the Emperor for pardon.
1t is rumored that AlexandrOf, Emil |
ianoffs counsel, will be transported for |
having used seditious language in his
address.
Hessy Helfmann, whose removal was
announced lately, died in the fortress OF
st. Petersburg several days ago of i'll
ness contracted during her accouche-
ment.
Those of the Nihilist prisoners who
were sentenced to be hanged are as fol-
lows: The woman Lebedef, and Mix
hailoff, Kolotchevitch, Trigoni, Baran-
nikoff, Soukhanoff, Klototchnikof, Is |
saieff, Emilianoff and Merkouloff, all of
whom were convicted of completely in
the assassination of the Czar. The |
rest of the prisoners were sentenced to
indefinite terms of penal servitude, ex-
cept Lustig, whose tenn is four years.
Just before the Nihilist prisoners were
sentenced one of them struck Merkoul- |
off (who testified against several of the
others, in the hope of escaping SEN
tence of death) on his ear, saying
"Take that from your fellow prisoners.
1t is reported that the sentences OF
death will be committed to penal servl-
tude. The addresses of the counsel for
the prisoners were excellent. NJ. Alex
androff, the well known counsel for
Vera Safsauvitch, defended Emilianoff
in brilliant address. He said the pris-
oners were honorable and respectable,
but in certain respect diseased. He
felt that if only regicide were excluded
from their doctrines he and many others
would fully share them. He said he
was bound to bear witness that no tor
ture had been practiced to extort con-
fessions from Emiianof, but COM
planned of the hateful system OF con-
ducting preliminary examinations in
political cases by gendarmes. The Pres
ident, interruping, remarked that the
Assistant Procurator General was pres
ent at these examinations. M. Alexan-
droff replied that the Procurator wa
probably hand in glove with the gems
darmerie.
Vn nuandary