St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-06-09

ourselves, and life went on as before.
Yes. Well, one evening, watchman
comes to my door and mysteriously an
nounces to me that carpenters had ar
rived, and were putting up the ga1low.,
At first / did not understand. Whass
that? What gallows? But the watea.
man was so excited that / saw at onuw
it was for our two. I 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
watchman came again and announced
that hangman had arrived from Mos
COW. He said,it and went away. I be-
gan calling him back. Suddenly [ hear
Rozovsky 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 me: Why did we not sing to-
night, why did we not tap the walls 2
I do not remember what / said, but |
went away SO as not to speak to him.
Yes. 1t was terrible night. listened
to every sound all night. Suddenly, to-
ward morning, hear doors opening
and somebody ng-many persons.
went up to my window. There was
lamp burning in the corridor. The
10 !, inc Ia
stout, and seemed resolute, self-satis-
fled man, but he looked ghastly pale,
downcast, and seemed frightened;
then his assistant, frowning but reso-
lutte; behind them the watchman. They
passed my door and stopped at the next,
and I hear the assistant calling out in
a strange voice: 'Lozinsky, get up and
put on 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. I could only see the in
spector. He stood quite pale, and but
toned and unbuttoned his coat, shrug-
ging his shoulders. Yes. Then, rs if
frightened of something, he moved out
of the way. 1t was Lozinsky, who.
passed him and came up to my door. A
handsome young fellow he was you
know, of that nice Polish type; broad
shouldered, his head covered with fine,
curly hair as with cap, and with beau
tiful blue eyes. So blooming, so fresh,
so healthy. He stopped in front of my
window, 50 that could see the whole
of his face. A dreadful, gaunt, livid
face. 'Kryltzoff, have you any cigar
ettes?' wished to pass him some, but
the assistant hurriedly pulled out his
cigarette case and passed it to him. He
took out one, the assistant struck a
match, and he lit the cigarette and be-
gan to smoke, and seemed to be think
ing. Then, as if he had remembered
something, he began to speak. It is
cruel and unjust. [ have committed no
crime. l. saw something quiver in
his white young throat, from which
I could not take my eyes, and
he stopped. Yes. AT that moment
I hear Rozovsky shouting in his
fine, Jewish voice. Lozinsky threw
away the cigarette and stepped
from the door. And Rozoysky 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 all over.
He approached his pitiful face to my
window. sKryltzoff, it's true that the
doctor has prescribed cough mixture
for me, is it not? / am not well. I'll
take some more of the mixture No
one answered and he looked inquiring
ly, now at me, now at the inspector.
What he meant to say never made out.
Yes. Suddenly the assistant again put
on stern expression, and called out in
a kind of squeaking tone: Now, then,
no nonsense. Let us CO. Rozoysky
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 shrill voice and his cries.
then the trampling of feet, and general
hubbub. He was shrieking and sob
bing. The sounds came fainter and
fainter, and at last the door ratified
and all was quiet. Yes. And so they
hanged them. Throttled them both
with a rope. A watchman, another one,
saw it done, and told me that Lozinsky
did not resist, but Rozovsky struggled
for long time, so that they had to pull
him up on to the scaffold and to force
his head into the moose. Yes. This
watchman was stupid fellow. He
said: They told me, sir, that it would
be frightful, but it was not a all fright
full. After they were hanged they only
shrugged their shoulders twice, like
this He showed how the shoulders
convulsively rose and fell. Then the
hangman pulled q bit SO as to tighten
the moose, and it was all up, and they
never budged.' I" 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 / became a revolu-
Zionist. Yes" he said, when he was
quieter and finished his story in few
words. He belonged to the NarodovoItzy
party, and was even at the head Of the
disorganizing group, whose object was
to terrorize the government SO that it
should give up its power of its own ac-
cord. With this object he travelled to
Petersburg. to Kiey, to Odessa and