Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-07
Was Minister of Domestic Affairs in
Baltic Provinces.
ASSASSIN OF DUKE sERGIUs
Lieut.. Schmidt-His Execution Graph
icaIly Described-Last Words for
Russia and Revolution.

their hearts
The refugee is Russian and his name is
Ivan Norodny. He was head and front of
the attempted mutiny in Cronstadt last
year and was minister of domestic affairs
in the abortive provisional government in
the Baltic provinces. The New York Sun
tells all about Ivan and his stunts.
Mr. Norodny, who, besides his Ian has
a long line of consonanticai breakers,
tells of the hanging of the assassin of the
Grand Duke Sergius and the execution Of
Lieut. Schmidt of the Russian navy.
A Price on His Head
Ivan escaped from Russia in the dis
guise of army surgeon early in January
with $4,000 ruble price on his head That
price has been collected. by the way. and
Norodny doesn't know whether he has
price on his head now or not. There Is a
game in it, such game as should per-
suads any one that the Russian people are
ready for self-government.
About as soon Norodny got away a
man bearing d remarkable resemblance to
his published description appeared in ST.
Petersburg and Haunted himself before the
police. Him the head con man pointed out
to the police as Norodny. He was arrested
at once and damnfng proofs were found on
his person. He protested loudly that he
was not Norodny. but could bring no wit
nesses to prove 1t.
The case seemed so strong that the au-
thor ties paid the full amount of the re-
ward and the head faker walked out of
sight OF the police. Three days later the
assistant faker brought absolute proofs to
show that he was not Norodny. There was
no proof that he connived with the mead
con man In putting up that game-stili.
proof is not really needed in Russia Just
now. AT any rate. the prisoner walked out
free man. hiked off somewhere and div
rfaf I'm tlnyxa ~ara IT,.
policeman coming. don't turn Norodny over
to him. You might not get your money.
Norodny. a little Russian and an intel
lectEal. told again the story OF the trouble
on the Black sea and the Baltic He Is Just
In receipt of a letter from an attorney
named R,asner, who was an eyewitness to
the execution of Lieut. Schmidt of the Rus
stan navy on March 10 at Otchakoff.
Norodny has been studying English for
only three weeks. Being Russian he has
caught nearly the whole vocabulary of the
language. but his pronunciation Is Karnay-
giesk and he gets twisted on idioms. His
translation OF the letter was free, there
fore. This Is the substance Of It:
The Shooting of Schmidt.
Il saw the assassin of Grand Duke Ser
gius hanged; yet that was as nothing for
horror with this shooting. My pen refuses
to move when I think OF It,
AT o'clock In the morning he was led
out on little island together with the
three common sailors who died with him.
HIS struggle TO the end was to save the
three sailors On the way to the island he
begged for permission to send telegram to
st. Petersburg taking all the responsibility
and generating the sailors. The admiral
refused that. Then let me at least die Hike
an officer he said. DO not blind or bind
me-
They granted that and decided that,
since he could see and the others would
ho oh Iz-
was placed with his back against the Hill
Thirty men of his own command. many of
whom loved him. were told off to kill him,
1t was being done for an example and the
autocracy spared no horror
Now the admiral feared that these men
might not shoot at the word and behind
them he stationed 200 men, with loaded
rifles trained on every man of the firing
squad Their orders were to shoot Instantly
any man who failed to fire. Schmidt did
not know this; had he, / am certain that
ne would have begged them to fire II they
loved him, since his end was inevitable
Schmidt walked likeea soldier to the spot
Al the way he spoke necessarily to the SOL
diers who walked to right and left, exhort-
ing them to rise for humanity. A priest ap-
preached him.
NO said Schmidt kindly. I believe in
no God except the good of humanity Then
he stepped into his place.
THE officer had drawn his sword when
Schmidt called out:
Wait! 1 want glass of water! You
will not refuse that to a dying mani 1t
seemed strange request but they granite
Ii Hardly were the water bearers out OF
range when he raised the glass high above
his head
g To the people of Russiar he cried. TO
the Russian people and the social revolu-
tionr
His Last Words.
Those were his last words. for the officer,
seeing it all now, CRIED
"sFirep
"Only sixteen OF the thirty men In the
firing squad fired. The rest lowered their
pieces, overcome by the sublimlty of this
pledge in the face of death
1.-THE admiral kept his word The sixteen
who had fired were ordered rapidly out of
line. the fourteen who failed were kept In
place. their backs toward their death
FireP said the officer of the 200 men
behind
Probably not more than half of them
obeyed, but 1t was enough. The fourteen
fell as one man. Then they proceeded with
the butchery of the three condemned sol
diers.
1.-THE men had fred for the most part at
the breast of Schmidt. and not at his head.
He had dropped the glass as he fell, but
his right arm was still raised high over
his head In toast to the Russian people.
what a day was this comrade in the
history of Russia:
Riasner was attorney for Schmidt during
his trial. and was admitted to the execu-
ton on that account.
ut appears, said Novodny. that the
American people are under the impression
that Schmidt was leader In the Kniaz Po-
tcmkin affair. That Is not true. He was
never near that trouble. At the time he
had two months leave and was working
among tile Baltic provinces.
1.-The general mntiny. led by Schmidt, was
under preparation, and the ships were all
to be captured at once when friction arose
between the officers and men of the Po-
temkin and that mutiny was on. BY keep
ing the men in ignorance by various devices
they held things safe Had Schmidt been
on the Potemkin sire would never have fall
ed, for all she needed was guiding hand.
Schmidt was arrested later.
The, Mutiny at Cronstadt.
81 led 5000 men for one night In the
mutiny at Cronstadt. This is how 1t hap
pened.
I'VE had the 10000 men In garrison there
honeycombed with revolution. There were
many groups in every company and leader
In every group. 1t was al ready. but We
wanted to test 1t, and the imprisonment of
sixteen sailors in the fortress there was a
great opportunity for there was great In
dfgnation over II.