South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-09-14
The NihHIst.s Story.

cracking OIL Tue open nrc, as 1t laugh
cd and cracked upon the wide hearth
within, aud the moan Of the night
wind roaming the lonely waste with.
out. broke the silence, while we stead.
lily pulled at our pipes; then Thomp.
son. the host, arose and began to brew
q fresh jug Of Flip, and the West Vir.
glnian, Dcstrarn, turnci to his COM
panion and said:
Alex, it's your turn. Give Us a
Russian story, full 10 the brim with
horrors. A bear hunt upon your IL
llmitaole steppes, 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 Nihi.
li=tic trials S. -.
The mau to whom Destram spoke
shivered, and his strong face, dark
aud deeply cut, twitched little, while
his eyes CLEANED. lie hesitated mo-
ment, then carefully laid his pipe up
on the rough table, and halt.turning.
replied:
'Gentlcmen, il it is my turn will
speak. and rs my friend has suggested
the subject, although it is not pleas
ant one to me, will tell you n tale OF
my home, Russia. and ofmyself,a Nihi-
list. Ii 1t seems strange, then grant
me that strange things, and horrible
ones, may happen even in Christian
Europe, and IN this nineteenth GEN.
fury. 1t is word for word true
We drew nearer the speaker and
listened intently. 4. Russian story
told in Colorado, for our cabin was
far up the spurs Of tho Rockies, in the
western portion of the State, and tEe
story, the history Of Nihilist, was a
new and strange treat for American
ears
six years ago WAS living in Oar.
nowsky, in the province of Rubin, in
the southern part OF the greatest o.
European empires, q young man hap
! py 10 circumstances would allow, and
at the time OF which | speak doualy
happy and contcn'cd in my little
school; for [ WAS teacher, and had
just made the sweetest and prettiest
girl in the village my wife. Marie
Cardiff was mine, won from q score of
suitors by love alone, for | had little
money and | was content. Chief al
mong thcinconsolable ones was the son
of an eX.army ocicer, Louis Lodiski
bv name, n handsome but unprinci-
pied fellow, who for years Lad been
infatuated with Marie. However,
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 lie.
For three years I was al rest
Then came the great cloud that to-day
ovcrhangs my native land, and its
DARK shadow fell across even my hum
bic threshold, had been St. Pc,
tcrsburg student, anil when the
strange monomania Of communism,
silent ana deadly, crcpt over the ma
ton, 1t found in me al easy prey, and
| became a Nihillst, sworc to the ter.
rible oathS, and linked myself body
and soul to their unknown aud horri-
bic purposes. | shudlci now as | re-
member.
There was circle formed in our
town. and two months after | had
joncI 1t, there appeared one night Il.
i"ohg Us, commissioned from the
grand circle at Moscow as oar chief,
Louis L)dljii, | bowed before him.
but wncu saw the fierce light of BAT
He'd passion aud eager revenge CLEAN
in hls hated eyes, brightly as when |
last saw him, then the rejected sutton
OF my wife, knew and felt for the
first time into what horrible pit |
had fallen; for, free as / was before
the world, III secret | was bound by
my VOWS, the sorf and slave OF my
bitter enemy But of ali this my
wife knew nothing, except that her
old lover was III town
For a time there was little work
Tor our society, but it so happened that
toward the spring new quartering of
soldiers was made in our town, under
the charge Of Colonel Jeikoff, a tried
and true officer Of the Governm ert.
and one VINO had several times incur.
red the displcasure of tho Nihilists.-
Hardly had the troops become settled
when a sealed dispatch was received by
LodIski from the grand circle at Mos
COW, containing the death warrant of
the Colonel, and in drawing lots for
the one TO act rs cxecutioner the same
devils luck wheel. had first dragged
me into this conspiracy, or some trea.
cherry OF my chief, east the dread du.
ty upon me.
by the rules OF our order, unques-
tioning obedience, at the price of ones
life, must be given to all DEGREES by
the person 50 chosen, and knew it
yet the word murder famed before
my cy =, and my heart stood still, as
| held the fatal lot in my hands. And
even as | gazed, dazed and dull. up.
on my comrades about me, whose