The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-08-21


Yes. Wen, one evening, a watchman
comes to my door and ms seriously n
nounces to me that carpenters had ar
rived. and were putting up the gallows.
At first / did not understand. What's
that? What gallows? But the watch
man was so excited that / saw ct once
1t was for our two. ! wished TO tap and
communicate with my comrades, but
was afraid those two would hear. The
comrades were also silent. Evidently
everybody knew. In the corridors and
in the cells everything was as still as
death all that evening. They did not
tap the wall nor sing. At ten the
Waterman came again and announced
that a hangman had arrived from Mos
COW He said il and went away. l be-
gan calling him back. Suddenly I hear
Rozoysky shouting to me across the
corridor: What's the matter? Why
do you call him?' / answered some
thing about asking him to get me some
tobacco. but he seemed to guess, and
asked NE: Why did we not sing to-
night, why did We not tap the walls?
I do not remember what / said, but 1
went away so as not to speak 10 him.
Yes. Ii was a terrible night. listened
10 every sound all night. Suddenly. to-
ward morning. ] hear doors opening
and somebody walking-many persons.
/ went up 10 my window. There was a
lamp burning in the corridor. The
first 10 pass was the inspector. He was
stout. and seemed a ~resolute. seIf-satis-
fed man. but he looked CHASTITY pale,
downcast. and seemed frightened;
then his assistant, frowning but reso-
lutte; behind them the Waterman. They
passed my door and stopped al the next,
and ] hear the assistant calling out in
a strange voice: .Lozinsky. get up and
put Oh clean linen Yes. Then hear
the creaking of the door; they entered
into his cell. Then | hear Lozinsky's
steps going TO the opposite side of the
corridor. ! could only see the in
spector. He stood quite pale, and but
toned and unbuttoned his coat, shrug-
ging his shoulders. Yes. Then, as il
frightened of something. he moved out
Of the way. II was Lczinsky, who
passed him and came up TO my door. 4
handsome young fellow he was you
know. OF that nice Polish type; broad
shouldered, his head covered with fine.
curly hair as with a cap, and with beau
tiful blue eyes. So blooming, so fresh,
SO healthy. He stopped in front Of my
window. so that ! could see the whole
of his face. 4 dreadful, gaunt. liyid
face. 'Kryltzoff. have you any cigar
e@.aeGs I u--IaI - ~,ce hin e0-~a ~.
the assistant hurriedly pulled out his
cigarette case and passed IL 10 hin He
took out one, the assistant struck a
match. and he lii the cigarette and be
gan TO smoke, and seemed TO be think
ing. Then, as If he had remembered
something. be began to speak. 1t IS
cruel and unjust. have committed no
crime. Il ! saw something culver in
his white young throat. from which
l could not take my eyes, and
he stopped. Yes. At that momen
/ hear Rozovsky shouting in his
fine. Jewish voice. Lozinsky threw
away the cigarette ard stepped
from the door. And Rozovsky appeared
at the window. His childish face, with
the limpid black eyes, were red and
moist. He also had clean linen on. the
trousers were too wide, and he kept
pulling them up and trembled al over.
He approached his pitiful face to my
window. 'Kryltzof. it's true that the
doctor has prescribed cough mixture
for me. is il not? I am not well. I'll
take some more of the mixture No
one answered and he looked inquiring-
", now at me, now at the inspector.
What he meant TO say never made out.
Yes. Suddenly the assistant again put
IN a stern expression, and called out in
a kind Of ~squeaking tone: Now. then,
no nonsense. Let US GO ROzovsky
seemed incapable of understanding
what awaited him. and hurried. almost
ran, in front of him all along the cor
ridor. But then he drew back. and [
could hear his shril voice and his cries.
then the trampling OF feet, and general
hubbub. He was shrieking and sob
bling. The sounds came fainter and
fainter, and at last the door ratified
and al was quiet. Yes. And so they
hanged them. Throttled them both
with rope. 4 Waterman. another one,
saw it done. and told me that Lozinsky
did not resist. but Rozovsky struggled
for a long time. so that they had to pull
him up on 10 the scaffold and to force
his head into the moose. Yes. This
Waterman was a stupid fellow. He
said; They tod NE. sir. that il would
be frightful, but it was not at all fright
full. After they were hanged they only
shrugged their shoulders twice. Ike
this lie showed how the shoulders
conyulsively rose and fell. Then the
hangmsn pulled . bit so as to tighten
the moose. and it was all up. and they
never b~udged.'" And Kryltzoff re-
peated the watchman's words: Not at
all frightful.' and tried TO smile, but
burst into tears instead"
For a long time after that he kept
silent, breathing heavily, and repress-
ing the choking sobs.
"From that time l became a revolu-
zionist. Yes" he said. when he was
q~uieter and finished his story in n few
words. He belonged 10 the Narodovoltzy
party. and was even AT the head of the