Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-03-15
A RUSSIAN SACRIFICE
4 FATHER OFFERS UP HIS SON AZ
DID ABRAHAM OF OLD


Save the Boy from y Terribie death
r.nsticai Deed Of Pious Hebrew.
pathetic Deatiibed Of the Child.
Toward the close of day in late winter
Dmtri Kurtin sat ut the door Of his los
fzba reading. He was man OF about ntty.
tall. dark, emaciated, with narrow, high
forehead, piercing small eyes ana com
pressed lips the face OF a ira redemplor,
stern, forbdding, somber. ny the iading
afternoon light kurtin sat with bis DOCK
AN old SlavoDic Bible, inherited from his
grandfather. 1t was the eve OF 81. isaac.
and he was reading the history Of the an
ciept patriarch, reading and bordering,
reading aud praying. He had read ana re-
read the terrible story OF Abraham's inter
rupted sacrifice of his son, and the old He
brew tale seemed somehow to possess a
strange fascination for him, filling his
mind with awful thoughts that would
come surging in upon him, he knew not
whence.
He explained afterward that he thought
of the wickedness of the world and the ut
ter hoplessness of salvation coming TO men
had been for a long time weighing him
down with grief. That all men must
perish because of their iniqnity and dis
tapce from God was an idea that for weeks
had been taking friner bold Of him. What
could he doto prevent the inevitable doom
that was to fall on mankindt Filled with
this notion he sat and read the old story OF
Abraham and Isaac, aud theawful Thought
entered his mind that he and his wife and
son would be eternally lost unless they
found some means OF satisfying divine Jus
tjce, Jehovah jireh, Jehovah-jireh," he
would mutter to himself, lin the mountain
of the Lord it shall be provided
He would reason with himself: IF the
Lord asked me to offer up Grisha to prove
me, would be found wantings . Lord,
don't prove me; he is my only son, little
| Grisha But shouldst thou have 1t so, 1t
will be grand to hear thy voice saying, BE
cause thou hast obeyed my voice, and hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son
Grisha, that in blessing ! VIII bless thee
and make thy faith an example to the ma
tions and accept thy sacrifice to the bless
ing of the nations of the earth
THE INSPIRATIONS
| The correspondent translates a portion
of the statement made by Kurtin some
few days after this to the examining mag
istrate of the town of Vladimir: when
| IL became 100 udTk W Itfitl
izba and went to bed, but during the night
my sorrow so increased upon me that
could not sleep. and several times rose to
light more and yet more candles before the
holy icon. During the greater part OF the
night prayed on my knees for my own
and my familys salvation, all the time the
thought growing stronger and stronger
within my breast that little Grisha must
he sacrificed.
"He was Il sprightly, joyful child, and
clever beyond his years-such wise things
he would say sometimes. If | sacrificed
him would thereby save him from the
temptations of life from the temptation,
when he grew up, of forsaking the faith
and making shipwreck of his soul
| concluded to prepare for him sure
path to heaven Early in the morn.
ing, long before daylight broke upon the
world went out into the dark to the
garden behind the izba. knelt down and
asked the Redeemer for sign.
81 asked that if it be his will that | offer
up my Grisha, the desire to do SO should
come from the right side, if not, from the
left. You must know that, according to
our belief, angels give all thoughts from
the right side, and the devils all from the
left. After long praying the thought came
from the right side, and returned with a
joyful heart to the zba, for | now knew
that my sacrifice would lie acceptable"
THE SACRIFICE.
On broad bench in the inner room
Grisha slept with his mother, gentle
woman, loving her boy passionately and
admiring his precocious wisdom. kurtin,
fearing opposition from his wife, sent her
on some pretext to the neighboring village
Then, turning to his son, he said, Rise.
Grisha, and put on white shirt, that
may rejoice over thee" Kurtin afterward
explained to the examining magistrate that
in the society to which lie belonged it was
considered sinful to die in striped or colored
clothes.
When the boy had put on the white shirt
he was told by his father to lie down again
on the bench. kurtin folded up fur coat
and carefully placed it under his sons
head: then sitting down beside him he
drew knife from his sleeve and stabbed
him several times. The child was sinking
fast as the red dawn grew brighter and
brighter in the eastern heavens, sending
level beams through the little window of
the izba, and luridly illuminating this ter.
rible fanatic in the execution of his awful
deed
/ kurtin noticed the crimson light steal
J ing athwart the CHASTITY face of the fault
less sacrifice. He was awe stricken, tren
bled convulsvely, and, tottering to the
corner where the icon hung, he fell pros
trate on his face and implored the AL.
mighty to accept his Offering. Then, re.
turning to his still living son, he cried,
"Forgive me, Grisheuka, that | have made
thee suffer; it is all for thy good, little
boy"
The dying child, not yet unconscious,
murmured, "Goodby, little father" But
kurtin, not yet satisfied, placed the boy in
an easier position, and made him say,
God will pardon thee, little father"
DEATH OF THE FATHER
Then he lighted fresh candles before the
icon and prayed for the soul of the boy one
of those pathetic Russian prayers for the
dying, asking the child to try to repeat the
words after him. The poor little fellow
did so as well as MS trembling voice would
allow, and quaverng out the last word of
the prayer his terrible sutferings ended
When kurtin's wife returned home she
saw at a glance what had happened. Hor
ror stricken, she ran to the village elders.
The neighbors tiocked to the scene of the
fearful tragedy and found the murderer
lying senseless before the icon.
About fortnight afterward the gov
ernor of the state Jail of Vladimir invited
the doctor and the chief warden to u con
sultation on the state of prisoner con-
fined in the lunatic ward, who had refused
for days to take any food, and who passed
his days and nights i'll agonizing cries for