The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-07
FOURTEEN DIED WITH LEADER
FIGITITE'S STORY OF KILLING
OF LIEUT.. SCHMIDT.
Norodny. Russian ReyOlutlonlst, in New
York. Receives n Letter Describing the
ExecutIon-The Men VINO Would Not
Fire We're Killed for Their Refusal.

Fire We're Killed for Their Refusal.
Ivan Norodny, Russian revolutionary,
head Of the attempt at mutiny In Cron-
stadt last year and Minister of Domestic
Affairs in the abortive provisional Govern
nent in the Baltic provinces, has arrived
IN New York a refugee and Is staying at
the "A Club" in Fifth avenue. He escaped
from Russia in the disguise Of an army
surgeon early in January with a 80 900
rihle price on his head. That price has
been collected, by the way, and Norodny
doesn't know whether he has a price on his
head now or not. There is a game in it,
such a game as should persuade any one
that the Russian people are ready for self
government.
About as soon as Norodny got away
q man bearing "a remarkable resemblance
10 his published description appeared in
st. Petersburg and Haunted himself before
the police. Him the head con man pointed
out to the police az Norodny. He was
arrested at once and damning proofs were
found on his person. He protested loudly
that he was not Norodny but could bring
no witnesses to prove it.
The case seemed SO strong that the au-
thorities 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
head con man in putting up that game
still proof is not really needed in Russia
Just now. At any rate, the prisoner walked
out a free man. hiked of somewhere and
divvied up. II, therefore, you see a Russian
policeman coming, don't turn Norodny
over to him You might not get your
money,
Norodny. a Little Russian and an "intel-
lectual, " 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 Riasner, who was an eye witness
to the execution Of Lieut.. Schmidt OF the
Russian Navy on March 10 at Otc hakoff.
Norodny has been studying English
FOR only three weeks. Being a Russian,
he has caught nearly the whole vocabulary
Of the language, but his pronunciation
is ~Karnaygiesk and he gets twisted on
ldioms. His translation of the letter was
free, therefore. This is the substance
Of it:
i saw the assassin Of Grand Duke Ser
sius hanged; yet that was as nothing for
horror with this shooting. My pen re-
fuses to move when l think Of it.
AT 4 o'clock in the morning he was led
nut on a little island. together with the
l. H. Ill h,~,
His struggle to the end was to save the
three sailors. On the way to the island
re begged for permission to send a tele-
gram to st. Petersburg taking all the
responsibility and exonerating the sailors.
The Admiral refused that. Then let me
OF least die like an officer he said. DO
not blind or bind me-
They granted that. and decided that.
tince he could zee and the others would
die blind, he should be shot first. Schmidt
was placed with his back against the hill.
Thirty men Of his own command, many
of whom loved him. were told off to kill
Inn. 1t was being done for an example,
ind the autocracy spared no horror.
Now the Admiral feared that these
ren might not shoot at the word, and
behind them he stationed 200 men, with
'oaded 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, l am
certain that he would have begged them
10 Ere if they loved him, since his end was
inevitable.
Schmidt walked like a soldier to the
SPOT. All the way he spoke necessarily
10 the soldiers who walked to right and
eff. oxhorting them to rise for humanity.
A priest approached 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. | want a glass Of water! You
will not refuse that to a dying m AM 1t
seemed a strange request, but they granted
II. Hardly were the water bearers out of
range when he raised the glass high above
his head:
ITO the people Of RUSSIA! he cried. To
The Russian people and the Social Revolu-
tom
Those were his last words, for the officer,
seeing it all now, cried:
-'Fire!'
Only sixteen of~the thirty men in the
firing squad fired. The rest lowered their
pieces, overcome by the sublimity Of this
pledge in the face Of death,
The Admiral kept his word. The sixteen
who had fired we're ordered rapidly out OF
line; the fourteen who failed were kept in
place. their backs toward their death.
'Fire!' said the officer Of the 200 m en-
behind.
Probably not more than half OF tn EN-
obeyed, but it was enough. The fourteen
fell as one man. Then they proceeded
with the butchery of the three condemned
soldiers.
The men had fred for the most pa TT
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 a 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 execution
on that account
1T appears said Norodny, that the
Il