Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-30
DOOMED WOMAN
TELLS HER STORY
MILE. SPlRlDONOVA JUSTiFIES
RECENT ACT
Sentenced to Be Hanged, Statement
Is Given to the World Con-
cernina Conditions in
Russia
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
ST. PETERSBURG, April 29.-The
following Is the justification made by
Mile. Spiridonova, the girl who mur-
dered Luzhenoffsk, chief of the gen
darmerie at Tamboff, to the court
martial that sentenced her to be
hanged. The story, which is in every
respect remarkable, follows:
"Yes, I murdered Luzhenoffski, and
l desire to explain my deed. l am a
member of the social revolutionary
party. The discomfort of the people
with the existing regime turned into
revolution, armed resistance to the au-
thorities, attacks on officials and of
open collisions with the troops in the
streets.
Used Guns and Bayonets
"Instead of meeting the needs of the
people the government used guns, bay
onets and bullets, but they did not
succeed.
"Then they invented the manifesto
of liberty. But at the same time they
also invented alleged popular demon
stration by the organization of the
Black Hundred outrages. The mani
festo was only piece of strategy and
nothing else.
Murdered 200 Men
"The horrors of the reaction were
worse than anything which had pre-
ceded. Over 200 men were murdered
under the guise of executions, the i'm
telligenza' were crammed into pris-
ons, every association which opposed
the government was closed, the press
was gagged, the armed uprisings were
suppressed with machine guns and the
police everywhere informed upon,
guilty and innocent alike, in their eff
forts to paralyze the liberation move
ment.
1.-THE bureaucracy deliberately cre-
ated conditions which made 1T impos-
sible for the peoples indignation to
reach the supreme power and the Off
cial reports were filled with tran
quillity, happiness and peace"
Did Splendid Work
"In the suppression of the disorders
the work of the bureaucracy was es-
pecially splendid, 1t should be written
in history in golden letters. L won't
speak about the 'pacification' of the
peasants in many of the provinces.
IT won't even speak of the whole of
the province of Tamboff but will con-
fine myself to the bloody work of Luz
henoffski. Villages which he visited
were left looking like Bulgarian villages
after Turkish raids. In the village of
Pavlodar ten men were killed by his
orders, Shcherbakoff, three of the fam
ily of Zetizeff, Ostrovitinoff, Dubrovin
and others.
Had a Good Education
young Pavelzeiteff, through the self
sacrifice of his family, had received a
good education. He was an honest
clean, enthusiastic young man. He
used to say, all of my learning and
knowledge I will bring back to my VIII
lage for distribution among my broth
ers.
"His friend Ostrovitinoff,, when Luz
henoffski arrived, went TO him as the
delegates of the peasants and Luz
henoffslxi replied to their requests with
volley from his Cossacks. For four
days Zitseff and Ostrovitinoff were tor
tured--tortured until they died.
Alexander Dubrokin was social
Democrat who had come to the village,
not to persuade the peasants to attack
the land owners, but to return to their
homes and try to restrain their elemen-
tary passions and organize themselves
for the betterment OF their condition
and the realization of their necessities.
Dubrokin Arrested
"He was arrested and without any
investigation of what he was doing
was put upon the rack and died under
the inquisition. Disguised as sight
seers some of his relatives finally
managed to persuade the keepers TO
show them his body, but it was un-
recognizable. 1t was literally a mass of
meat, bones and bloody rags.
Forty Wounded
"In the same village OF Povlodar forty
were wounded. In the BerozovsSy viii
lage a peasant named Clemenoff was
tortured into insanity, and in the viii
lage of Jeskee two others lost their
minds. Besides the shootings, beatings
and slow death by torture, other meas
ures of pacification We're used such
as the destruction of the PEASANTS prop
erty and grain, the firing of their
houses and the violation of their
women.
81 forgot to mention that Luzhenoff-
skis method of procedure when he ar
rived in village was to order the
peasants to assemble and undress and
then go to his dinner and leave the
poor devils shivering on their knees