The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1892-04-29
MURDER WAS THEIR TRADE
A Gruesome Story From the Bus
sian Frontier.
Unsu.pectlns Travellers Killed by Two
Brothers and Stripped Of Their
valunbies- Supposed to Have
Killed Forty Men.

New YORK, April GA dispatch
from ST. Petersburg snys that the
brothers Koulikovslsy, who were re-
Gently arrested near Bielostock, Rus
sian frontier town, charged with the
murder of number of Russian emf
grants. appear to have carried on for
some time past n wholesale traffic in
robbery and assassination. They lived
in village named Monki, the older OF
the two being the father of family,
and the younger time-cxpired soldier.
The wife of the former-quite young
woman, and the mother of two chill.
aren-is charged with aiding and abet-
ting the two brothers in their diabol.
tcal plots.
The story of their crimes is one OF
cold-blooded meditation and ruthless
cruelty. Living near the frontier. and
being intima tcly acquainted with the
movements and regulations of the
frontier police, the Koulilsovsleys
developed somewhat extensive
traffic in smuggling across the
boundary intending emigrants, fugi-
tives from justice, deserters from the
army and others not furnished with
the requisite passports. During the
prevailing distress, however. the pro-
fits accruing from this nefarious in
dustry, at no time particularly certain,
seriously declined, and the smugglcrs,
en- boldened by the success and impun-
ity which attended their operations,
conceived the idea Of killing the per-
soma who had recourse to their SER
vices, in order to possess themselves of
their money and other belongings
They selected chiefly as victims
small farmers desiring to emigrate to
Brazil, these being Invariably provided
with their passage money, and an out
At of some kind, however slender
The system employed was to welcome
the travellers with effusive hospitality,
and every assurance OF safe conduct
across the frontier at point secure
from observation on the lar of the
authorities. Under the pretext that
this prosecution was necessary
to diminish the risk of cap
ture, the emigrants were con-
Quoted toward the frontier one by one
The path lay through dense forest
While one brother acted rs guide, the
other went in advance, and lay In wait
In secluded part of the wood. When
the appointed spot was reached the
two brothers, at q prearranged signal,
simultaneously fell upon the unhappy
traveller who had entrusted himself to
their guidance. To knock him on the
head and strip him of all he possessed
was then an easy matter.
At first the assassins made q point OF
burying the budies of their victims,
but, their crimes remaining unde,
tected, they grew more reckless, and
contentcd themselves with dragging
the corpses aside into the brushwood
or leaving them lying in the snow. II
this way they are believed to have
made away with some thirty or forty
persons Five naked bodies have al
ready been found, and it is ex-
pected that when the snow
melts and the woods can
be thoroughly searched many
more ghastly discoveries will be made
So far as the police have been able tc
ascertain. the last victim was belated
| peasant who sought shelter in the
Koulikovsky hut. In the middle OF
the night when fast asleep he was put
| to death in n most horrible manner fol-
the sake OF small sum of money he
had about him. The elder brother
took a large pot of boiling water an6
poured it over the sleeping mans face.
Koulikovsky then. assisted by his wife
and brother, compressed the victim.
throat until life was extinct and the
| body, having been stripped, was hid
den away among some straw in the
stable 1t was accidentally discovered
there by a neighbor before tho mur
derers had found convenient oppor
tunity to carry it into the forest
The inquiry which was then instituted
led to the disclosure of numerous othe
crimes OF the nature above described
and these are still the subject of polio,
investigation. The elder koulikovsk,
and his wife were arrested on the spot
The younger brother nbsconded, bu
was subsequently captured in tn,
woods, and tho three miscreants ar,
now awaiting their trial in the prison
at Bielostocl. They haye not yc
made any confession.