Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-27

shut up and in darkness. After knocking
for some time at the kitchen door they
learned from the cook within that she
could not open because IL was locked from
the outside. Thu policemen forced the
door and when they got into the generals
bed room a terrible sight met their eyes.
The general lay on the bed with a broken
skull and on the floor was his wife. with
several wounds on her head. The latter
was still conscious and able to say that
the murderers were soldiers. Near the
house the police found a sapper's Ratchet
and on the outskirts Of the wood a sol
dier's boot, a blood-stalned shirt and a
regimental permission to leave. made out
in the name OF Nicholas L~auszkin, a SOL
der in the Second battalion Of sappers. A
few minutes later Lauszkin and another
soldier, Lucyn, appeared in the barracks
without having attempted to remove the
traces Of blood from their clothing. Lausz-
kin. in reply to questions. said he had been
to see his wife, who served as cook to
General Bykowski. and Lucyn admitted he
had also been there, because he was en-
gagged to be married to the generals house
maid. Both men and the women were i'm
mediately arrested and confessed to hav-
ing stolen rs roubles Csls) from the room
" ~ ~ ~ WV
The quartet were tried by court-martia
a few days afterward. The most remarka-
Bile part of the story is the reasons each
one gave for committing the crime. Lucyn
said he had behaved like a wild beast, but
thai he did it because he was drunk, and
begged for time to confess his sins to God
before he was punished. 1t would take a
long time, he said, as he had a great many
things on his conscience. His betrothed,
the housemaid. said she did not know why
she had helped to murder her master and
mistress, because they had been very good
to her; she thought it was because the
cook and her husband went into the room
to kill them and she did not want to be
left alone. The cook and Lauszkin said
they did It because It was near Easter
time and the priests always said that who
ever confesses and repents of his sins at
Easter time is forgiven. They meant to
go to church and confess the next day.
The manner in which the soldiers left
traces of their guilt and walked into the
barracks a few hours after the crime is
quite in keeping with their certainty that
they would not be punished for their
crimes. To their amazement they were all
sentenced to death by hanging.
Peasant and Insurance.
One Of the mos. curious forms in which
the credulity Of the Russian peasant mani
tests itself is his faith in the insurance
agent. This man is cooked upon as a great
boon In the village, until there has been
a fire. Adam Pysk, a well-to-do man, in
sured his farm buildings. One hot after
noon during a heavy storm, lightning SET
fire to the COW house. He made no eff
fort to put the fire out, letting it burr
until a land guardian "a sort of country
p~oliceman), who happened to be passing
insisted upon his doing so under pain OF
sending for the gendarmes. Neither did
he make any effort to save his three head
Of cattle, one of which was suffocated, and
the others burned to death.
When the agents arrived at the scene
OF the catastrophe, Pysk told them, with
a broad smile on his face, that he had
let everything burn up because he knew
the gentlemen were going to pay for it.
But, as a matter of fact, he had only in.
sured himself for 500, whereas he hac
allowed the fire to destroy $500 worth Of
property. 1t was some time before the
agents could make him understand this
but when he finally grasped the situation
his language was more forcible than po
lite. Now he goes about on market day
from one friend to another, advising then
not to have anything to do with insuranc,
agents because they are thieves, first Dor
rowing your money, and then, when yol
burn your stuff, refusing to give 1t back
Many peasants share his opinion, and on,
was heard to back him mp by declaring:
For my part I only insured to set fir
to my stuff, for what is the good of pay
ing them money If you don't get anything
out Of it?" IVAN PETERHOF.