The record-union., 1895-11-22
Olga Gordenko and Kovalev.

| Eds Record-U Union: AS l am dis
charged from the ruling of the court,
consider myself free to give my views
and impressions of the facts in the trial
of Kovalev The experience was very
trying on me- but 1 thought my duty to
Kovalev and the community was to find
out the truth of the case, whether
| guilty. and in which degree, or limo
! cent If guilty, / felt that it was a duty
| to the community that the man should
be punished. With that object in view
| | went to Sacramento and used all my
| influence to have him admit his guilt or
! innocence, in which l succeeded. He
made a confession to me, in which he
said he was there, but did not COM
nit the murder, but that TcherbakOy
did it, and that his conscience troubled
him to such an extent that he wished he
was dead
After l had secured a full confession
| from Kovalev l asked him if he wanted
me to have it brought before the court
| If so. / would do it; if not, / would keep
it secret, but of course l would not help
him prove his innocence, but | would
pity and do all | could for his comfort.
Here | will say that very few people
have any sympathy for criminals or
bad characters, but l pity bad people
more than the good, for | think they
need more sympathy, and sometimes
s. mpathy will reform them.
He said he wanted everybody to know
it. so | wrote it down and had it trans
lated and told the defense that /
thought it their duty to give it to the
jury, and thereby comply with the wish
| of the defendant. But they refused, say
| ing that their duty was to prove him in
nocent Not being lawyer, | could not
understand this sophistical logic, nor
! could | be made to understand it, and
/ think that such ideas with the lawyers
are great mistake and an evil to the
| community.
| Rev. Mr. Goodwin, in his last Sunday
| sermon. says: THE mission of the law
yer is not to shelter the evil-doers, but
! to see that punishment BETTING their
crimes is given" / ask all good, sensi-
| bic, law-abiding citizens of this coun
try if Rev. Goodwin wasn't perfectly
right.
| wanted to go on the stand and give
the confession, and the defense could
bring up all the excusable circum-
stances in the hope of saving Kovalev
from the death penalty, for l believe
that he does not deserve it; but they
would not listen to me, and all my
| pleading was in vain.
They got the Judge to put me under
| the ruling of the court not to make the
that | was under the control of the de-
Tense. but the defense was acting as
my conscience did not approve. They
| tired to convince me that it was to save
| their reputation, and even yet l cannot
| see how their reputation could be saved
| by concealing the truth against the
defendants wishes.
! The whole affair weighed so heavily
! on me that l went to Judge Johnson
| for advice. and he relieved me very
much by saying that the responsibility
was not with me, but with the defense.
The defense finally agreed to have
! KOvalev take the stand, at the same
| time protesting that he did so against
! their wishes. This with a great
amount of talking. which the defend
! ant could not understand, ratified the
poor fellow till he did not know what
| he was doing. KOvalev is a broken
down man, and he said to me that he
| was guilty and that was all he wanted
T. saw. | ask all sensible people if they
can understand why the defense did
not want me TO take the stand and
| give the confession, as the defendant
wished? Nor did they want the prose.
cution to subpoena me.
| / do not want to be understood as
saving that the defense did not do all
they could for Kovalev. l think it was
a very able defense but l do not agree
with their principle that a lawyer must
defend his client at all hazards. l think
that if the lawyers would adopt Rev
Goodwin's principle it would be a great
benefit to the country. By furnishing
the criminal element Of the community
we obtain peace and order.
In conclusion, / would say that l was
treated in true American style, except
that Jailer Beckley acted with me
IN the fashion of the Third Section
OF Russia. during my stay in Sacra.
mento. and l shall always remember
Mr. Johnson and Mr.. Ryan kindly.
II it had not been for their moral sup
port l doubt if / could have stood the
ordeal I came home completely worn
out. and the worst of it was I could
/ not accomplish my duty by helping
Kovalev to present his case in true
light.
Now. if people find fault with me
| they should remember that we are all
liable to mistakes. and believe in my
sincerity to do my duty and nothing
else. OLGA GORDENKO.
Glen Ellen, November 10Th.
| Enforcement of Laws.
FTNt.