The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-08
GERMAN CONSUL SAVES AGED
MAN FROM RUSSIAN CRUEL TY

Because d spottcr In the employ OF tie
Russian government gave false evidence
10 3hcaddartcrs against him, Augustus
Demb,oyskl. an aged l.atwl of German.
extraction was arrested and condemned
10 be shot without trial recently Mt Riga,
in1l,ssiu.
So tells letter from n relative In Riga
To John Penn native OF Lithuania.
Russia who resides at b15 East Marshall
street, this city. Mr Penn. whose maine In
hir mother country was Jonas Pcrkunus,
very kindly tranatctl a tie letter for
reporter of the Times Dispatch, and the
story runs as follows:
Dembrovskl. sixty years old and the
father or three sons, and daugllter,'
because OF his tbcrnlty 10 the poor and
prosecuted people Of Riga, had become
lsnown as the patriarch among them.
Il lie sy1npnthizcd with them In their sor-
rows and gave them money IN their
time OF poverty. lie was the arDitcr Of
their petty disputes, and settled every
disputed case fairly and With tho APP
Droval Of both parties Cases which
were legally under the Jurisdiction OF
tho court, were brought to him. ns he
was known to weigh out the Justice that
tho government denied.
Some years ago tho need of a. public
school was 80 crying, thnt Dembroyski
gave the whcrcwithnl to build one with.
For this, and because the government
had gotten on to the numerous cases
which had been settled In the old mans
household without the regular fees ncru-
Ing to the court deeds which could be
called crimes only In RUSSIA he was
seized BY the minions Of tho law on the
night OF February 81. and ordered to be
shot early the next morning
Feared the People
The arrest was made quitely. as the
police we'll knew the poor people who
had beef, the recipients OF the patrlarchs
time and money, would resist any attempt
to take him prisoner Their plan suc-
ccedcd SO we'll that none knew Of It
save the old mans children. who were
pcwcress before the strong arms Of the
government.
TO plead with the so >ernor that the step
was illegal was Intellectual. Leaving the
executive mansion. talking the matter
over among themselves. the trio OF sons
struck upon the idea OF seeing the Ger
man consul and OF Interesting him In the
affair, their father being the son Of a
German woman.
SO to the home of the consul they pro-
cceded. TO discover when they arrived
there. that The consul had been called
away to The town OF wilma the same day,
and was expected to return sometime
during the night. To one OF the brothers
was delegated the task, Of keeping a
watch on the house until the consul
should arrive. at which time he was TO
make known his mission t ohm and then
return to meet the other two in front
of the prison.
slowly the hours drag along for the lone
+ " wa tcher upon whose vigilance depend.
eds perhaps his fathers life. IT was pierre
Ing cold and the wind cut the cheek IKE
n knife. Seven hours he kept his Vigil,
and at last at o'clock tho next morn;
4 ing the consul drove up and entered his
house Den1brovski accostcd him and ln-5
formed him OF his fathers situation. a
. promise to- intercfcr frightened the poor
fellows heart. and weak and almost
frozcn he made his way to the prison
where his brethren awaited his coming.
The night had passed but little better
with them, Thrice they had been or
dered to move of, and yet at the immi-
mont risk Of being taken up. they. had
stood around. The wind cut into their
yory marrow A heavy fall OF snow
which had been on the ground for weeks.
made the earth cold floor to stand
,pon. They shivcrcd with the intense
cold. When the sun rose the next morn,
Ing 1t found thcm both more dead than
alive. and little fit to endure tho stirring
Incidents that followed.
1t was not very long after sunrise that
tho three reunited brothers heard the
sbarn. clear orders OF a sergeant Of In
fantry and saw small squad OF guards
filing out Of the prison, conducting some
ono In their midst whose hands were
lied behind his back. In the dim light
thcy?could not make out who 1t was. but