The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-22
THE KOVALEV VERDICT.

From the history of Ivan Kovalev and
his treatment in California it is hoped that
our people have learned lesson which
will abide with them. kovalev and a
number of his associates were desperate
criminals held in penal confinement on the
northern Pacific coast by Russia. They
escaped came to San Francisco, were
found here by agents OF Russia and de-
nand for their surrender to Russia was
made upon our Government. Instantly a
tremendous hullaballoo was raised in GER
tain quarters. principally the local sensa-
tional press. 1t was announced that these
men were Russian patriots whom the
Great White Car was bounding, because
they were opposed to the tyranny which
he exercised The matter went into our
Federal courts, where it was decided on
treaty grounds that Russia's demand
should not be complied with.
The desperate criminals were set at lib
erty. Enough had been learned to inform
US that besides being common criminals
they were possibly nihilists. Whether
these dangerous men really were nihilists
or merely posed as such in order to rouse
sym pathy on the score of being opposed
to the Cars government is matter of no
consequence 1t ought to have been suffi-
cient TO reflect that a nihilist, like an
anarchist, is an enemy of esta blished gov
eminent, and that therefore the nourish-
ing of the nihilistic sentiment in this
country is the coddling of an enemy OF
An rican institutions. There are nihilists
whose opposition to constituted authority
is confined to a desire to see the throne of
Russia overturned and a republic estab-
ished. Such desire is not incompatible
with American citizenship.
But Kovalev and his companions be-
longed to a very different order. They
represented the criminal type in its most
degraded and most dangerous form. Being
of the lowest and most depraved order of
intelligence, their harboring could not
possibly express an intelligent sympathy
for any political idea. To make heroes of
them was merely to arm them with greater
power to steal, murder and rob. And yet
they were transformed from a dangerous
menace to life and property into pictur-
esque martyrs to Russian despotism
Money was raised for them. They were
placed on exhibition and people f1ocked to
see them, glad to pay for the privilege
The end of the silly dream has come.
Desperate murders and other crimes have
been committed hereabout by persons
whose identity has never been discovered.
An old German and his wife named We
Der were brutally murdered at Sacra-
mento. A me reliant of San Jose named
Dowdigan was waylaid and assaulted one
night by armed highwaymen, but he had
the grit to fight and left one of the bandits
dead OH the field. After awhile the sharp
men of the law turned their attention to
the noble Russian heroes, and the outcome
OF it is that they are known to have MUIR
dered the Webers and assaulted Dowdi-
gan. What further mischief they have
done may never be known.
Kovalev, one of the surviving murderers,
has been tried, convicted and treated with
a verdict to the gallows.. The raw-head-
and bloody-bones of the mysterious third
section of course strutted and made faces
through the trial. The way for that had
been paved by the maudlin folly of San
Francisco. The next time that Russia
makes a demand upon US for desperate
thieves and murderers who have escaped
from her bastiles, it is hoped we shall re-
member that we have the lives and prop
ertV of orr own DpODlp tO repa ri