The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-15
By LEO TOLSTOy

By LEO TOLSTOF.
Seven death sentences two in
Petersburg. one IN Moscow. two in
Penza. ahd two in Riga -Four execu-
uons-UWo in khersOn. one IN wilma.
cne IN Odessa"
This, daily repeated in every news-
paper and continued. not for weeks.
not months, not for one year. but for
years. And this IN Russia. thar same
Russia where the people regard every
criminal as 4 man 70 be pitied. and
where TIL quite recently capital mr.
lshment was not recognized BY sav.
/ take up tOday's paper
Today. the 9Th or Nav II fs soma
thing awful The paper contains these
few words: To-day ia Evbe-so1 -,
the SJreloitzky Field. twelve peasants
were hanged for an attack made with
Intent 10 rob on a landed proprietor's
estate IN me Elizabetgrad district
Twelve Men Hanged.
Twelve OF those by waose labor we
live. the very men whom we have de-
praved and are stiu depraving by every
means in our pOwer-frOm The poison oe
vodka % the terrible falsehood OF a
creed We DO not ourselves believe IN
DIT impose on them Eith all our might
twelve OF these men. strarrled vritl,
cords by those whom they feed and
clothe and house. and who have de-
prlved and SIN continue TO dep-ave
tHeU- Twelve husbands. fathers sons
from among those on whose kindness.
industry, and simplicity alone rests the
whole Russian life. were seized. fmpris-
Oned- and shaekied. Then their hands
were tied behind their backs. lest they
should seize the ropes by which they
would be hanged. and they were led to
the galloWs.
Words Of God Of Love.
Several peasants similar 10 those WIN
are about 20 be hanged. but armed.
dressed in clean soldiers uniforms with
good boots on their feet and with guns
IN their hands. accompany the con
demned men Beside them walks a long
haired man. wearing d stole and vest
nents of gold or silver cloth. and bear
ing a cross The procession stops. The
manager Of the whole business SAYS
something; the secretary reads a paper:
and when the paper has been read. the
Icng-haired man, addressing those whom
other people are about 10 straugle with
cords. says something about God and
Christ
Immediately after these words the
hangmen dissolve some soap. and hay
ing sOaped the loops IN the cords that
they may tighten better, seize the
shackIed men, put shrouds on .5hem.
lead them TO a scaffold and 2iacS the
weL-soaped nooses round their necks.
Executions for simple Misguided.
men are pushed OF the benches which
are drawn from under their feet, and
BY their own weight suddenly tighten
the nooses round their necks and are
painfully strangled. Men, alive a minute
before. become corpses dangling from
a rope: at first slowly swinging and
then resting mOtiOnless-
The thing is awful
And this is not done once, and not
10 these twelve unhappy, misguided
men from among the best class OF the
Russian people only. but IL is done uR-
csasingiy for years TO hundreds and
thousands Of similar misguided men
misguided by the very people who DO
these awful things TO them
What is most dreadful in the whole
matter is that all this inhuman violence
and killing. besides the direct evil done
20 the victims and their families, brings
a vet more enormous evil on the whole
people by spreading dePravity--as FIRE
spreads amid dry straW-amOng every
class Of Russians
A short time ago there were not two
eXecutiOners TO be found in ali Russia
In the eighties there was only one. Not
so nowi
Hanging Business Investment.
A small shopkeeper in Moscow. whose
affairs were in a bad way. having Of
/ fered his services to perform The muir
/ ders arranged by government and re-
| ceiving a hundred roubles ESQ for each
( person hung. soon meuded his affairs SO
( well that he no longer required this ad-
ditiouaI business. ard is now CARRYING
/ on his former trade.
I In Orel last month an executioner
was wanted, and at once s man was
I found who agreed with the organizers
I Of governmental murders 10 do the
I business for fifty roubles per head
But the volunteer hangman, after max
I ing this agreement, heard that more
I was paid IN other towns, and at the
time OF the execution. having put the
/ shroud sack on the victim. instead ol
I leading him 10 the scamOld, stopped,
| ard approaching the superintendent,
Continued on Sixth Page)