The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-11
A RUSSIAN
EXECUTION
Fate of Three Who Plotted
Against the Life of
the Emperor.

An eyewitness has given the follow
ing account of the execution of Nau-
moff, Nikitenko and Siniavsky, the
three rien condemned to death for COM
plicity in the recent plot against the
Car of Russia, the existence of which
still is regarded in ST. Petersburg with
a great amount of incredulity:
Eat o'clock in the morning small
steamer belonging to the Neva river
police started from the landing stage
adjoining the Lietny Saoi Summer
garden), towing a large barge behind
| it. The Public Prosecutor (Procuror)
was on the steamer, accompanied by
the Secretary of the Court-Marshal, a
| Colonel of gendarmes, who formerly
served in the Schlusselburg fortress,
and boasts that he is used to hanging
those blackguards;' young official
delegated by the Department of Po-
lice, a military Captain and an uncouth
looking lad of 10, who had volunteered
his service as hangman.
''On the large barge were placed the
three condemned, with a convoy of
100 soldiers. The steamer proceeded
down the Neva in the direction of
Kronstadt. It's occupants were very
lively. The Colonel of gendarmes told
stories, the official asked for a piece of
the rope with which the prisoners were
hanged, because it brings luck at
cards. the hangman proudly declared
that he belonged to the Union of Rus
sian Men and that he delighted in
hanging revolutionaries, etc.
'At about o'clock the steamer land
ed at spot called Lissy Moss (Fox's
Nose) on the Finnish coast, opposite
Kronstadt. The prisoners, surrounded
by the soldiers and followed by the
officials, marched to the place of exc
eution, about mile and half distant
from the landing place. They stopped
at a small square grass plot resembling
a tennis lawn. In the middle of this
the gallows were erected, and near it
was a little platform upon wheels.
The Colonel of gendarmes directed the
proceedings.
when the prisoners saw the gallows
Naumoff asked whether he could see
priest. A priest approached him and
began to speak to him. Naumoff said,
I don't wish to confess to you. Give
me your cross, want to pray. The
priest took off his cross and gave it
to the prisoner, who, holding it, fell
upon his knees and prayed earnestly
for a few minutes.
1.-The officials present were evidently
impressed by Naumoff's demeanor.
When his prayer was ended the rep
#resentative of the Department of Po-
lice, with marked courtesy, motioned
him toward the gallows with the re-
mark: please step this way
obviously, it was intended to con-
fer a privilege upon him by allowing
him to escape witnessing the agony OF
his comrades by being hanged first
Then followed a terrible interval. dur
ing which the interminable death SEN
tence was read over to the prisoners.
Whenever the name of the Car was
pronounced the soldiers, according to
custom, instantly uncovered their
heads. The prisoners omitted to do so,
whereupon the executioner roughly
struck their hats off.
''Naumoff was executed, the two
others standing by with uncovered
eyes. Nikftenko's turn came next. The
cruelty of reading the sentence was
once more repeated, but the remaining
prisoners maintained a fearless and
dignified composure.
when Siniavsky was pronounced
to be dead the hangman endeavored 30
take the wedding ring from the dead
mans hand (the prisoner had been by
special permission married the day be-
fore his death), but the officials inter-
vened."-Baltimore sun.