The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-02-21
Religious Persecution I'm Russia.

From the London Timesl
On the 7th of December a singular
trial took place at Odessa. The accused
a Russian peasant, called Strigoun, was
charged, under the penal code, with
having dared to assert, in the presence
OF numerous witnesses, that the ikones,
or holy pictures of the orthodox church,
are merely idols, and that those who
pray before them are idolaters." The
moving spirit in the prosecution was
the orthodox priest of the village OF
Ignatovka, whittier he had been special
~ sent by the eparchial authorities to
combat the heresy with which it is in
fected, the locality in question being
one of the headquarters of Stundism
according to the law, the jury had to be
composed exclusively OF members OF
the orthodox church.
The prisoner was man of good pres
ence, his bearing composed and digni-
fed, and his face denoted high degree
of intelligence. His language abounded
with old Slavonic words and idioms,
owing to his much reading of the Bible,
which is written in that language. His
voice was sweet and powerful, and he
spoke with great power and effect. He
denied the offense imputed to him,
saying that he considered it his duty to
accord to the belief of others that re.
spect which he claimed for his own.
He ascribed his prosecution entirely to
the hatred of the priest, who desired to
put him in prison.
The witnesses contradicted each 9TH
er. Those called by the prosecution were
mostly women, gave their evidence with
great fervor, as if they were performing
religious duty, and were unanimous
in affirming that Strigoun had de-
nounced picture-worship as idolatry.
The Stundist witnesses said exactly the
contrary. According to them Strigoun
had made no offensive remarks whatev-
er. He simply read the Bible before
an assembly of peasants (the Mir,
which had called him to inquire what
hehad to say in answer to pamphlet
written by the priest, containing some
charges against the Stundists. But
Strigoun's adversaries took the Bible
from him and threw it out of the win
dow. One of these, a woman. was
drunk. Strigoun himself stated that
the priest had exhorted the witnesses to
swear what he told them. The state.
ment was confirmed by female Stund,
| ist, who said further that the priest had
spread a rumor that the Stundists had
bribed local magistrate to decide in
their favor case in which they were
| concerned. 1t came out in the course
of the proceedings that the priests jeal
ousy had been reused less by zeal for
orthodoxy than by the fact that Stir
goun himself acted in some measure as
priest, baptizing neophytes, blessing
marriages, and performing other sacred
functions, thereby depriving the other
of portion of his fees.
| The prosecution was undertaken by
| the government, and as Strigoun's ad
vocate had been warned that he woulC
not be allowed to go into the principle
of the questionable right or wrong o.
picture worshIp-or touch in any way
on religion, he was able to make only s
poor defense, and could say nothing te
stir the feelings of the jury. Moreover
all trials In which the orthodox faith il
concerned are conducted with closed
doors, and the local papers being under
the preventive censorship no facts cal
be stated or observations made to which
the authorities object. The verdict was
Guilty and the court, giving the
prisoner the benefit of extenuating cir
cumstances sentenced him to three
years and nine months imprisonment
Strigoun is a well known Stundis
leader, and his name has been severa
times mentioned in the Russian reviews