The record-union., 1895-11-19
NO DEFENSE MADE FOR KOVALEV.
Sudden Ending Of a Somewhat Sensa-
tionaI Trial.
To be Argued To-day-The Prisoners
Statement Denying His Guilt at
Last Made Public.

God is my witness that I have not
committed any murder
These are the words uttered by Ivan
H L. Weber, in the statement made by
him on Friday last to his attorneys,
and which our eXcitable evening con-
temporary insists upon calling con
fessiOn." If that is confession of guilt,
it IS certainly novelty in that line.
The shock which our highly esteemed
neighbOr suffered when it discovered
last week that it was two or three days
behind in getting the news, must have
ratified it. However, if it can find any
consolation in adhering to its dogmatic
assertion that the words quoted con-
stitute a confession, it would be cruel
to find fault with it.
But the prisoner did make a state
ment, as the Record-UniOn Informed
the public he was expected to do. And
that statement was very cunningly de-
viSed and well-eXecuted attempt to
make the public (and of course the
jury believe that Kovalev himself is
simply a weak minded, gOody-SOody
sort of fellow, and that the worst that
fallen in with bad men.
kovalev goes on to tell about his es-
cape from Saghalien, a Siberian con-
vict station, his arrival in California,
and his falling in with party of Rus
slams in San Francisco. Then he tells
of his WanderingS through a portion
of the State with StcherbakoV, Zak-
rewsfky and Levin; how StcherbakoV
Levin and himself went from Sacra-
nlento to Stockton, LoOmis and other
places; how the other two were always
planning burglarieS and robberieS, and
how his own sanity nature reVolted
v heneVer a LOB" was proposed. Re
ferring to a plan laid by StcherbakoV
to burglariZe a place in this city, hOV-
alev says:
"As it was repulsive to me I asked
them to postpone, and proposed TO them
that should they wish to go and commit
the burglary, they should not commit
murder. but if necessary, tie up the per
SON. They, however, decided to attempt
the burglary, but it was an unsuccesS-
ful one
Kovalev had nothing to do with it. oh,
no. 1t was always the other fellows
who were turning tricks, not he!
His story ('confeSsion" as our be-
loved neighbor will have it, recalls thac
told of the sutler who had grown rich
during the war and who met in New
York an ex-Confederate Colonel who
twice had saved him from being shot
as a spy The eX-sutler had much TO
say of his big cothing stores but when
the seedy Colonel suggested that of
course his old friend would trust him for
Z suit of clothes, the man whose life he
had saved gave him the CLASSY eye
Colonel Chones," he said, you must
oxkuse me- Ofe de stores vas mine. all
vat is in 'em vas yours; but Ife got d
bardner, unit his name vas Levy, unit
he's a -"
And so it appears to have been with
this creature Kovalev. He Travelled
about with thieves and cutthroats, puc
his own soul revolted at their acts
Coming down TO the Weber tragedies,
he ''cOnfesses'' to this:
''One evening StcherbakOv asked ne
to go and view store which he in
tended to burglariZe. / went there and
stood little After awhile we
climbed over the fence and hid our
selves in the shed on the hay. Stcher-
bakov went upstairs and / saw the old
man fall from under his ak. The hOr-
rible sight stunned me, for I did not
know, nor had the least idea that
Stcherbakov would do anything of that
sort Stcherbakov then called me mp.
I went up and then did every thing by
his direction and under his control
II then saw the other victim fall We
soon went to the hotel, cut open the