Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-10
Parliamentary Idea Means Peace and
Safety.
RUSSIAN CHURCH IS DESIGNATED
Five Land Owners Are on Trial for
the Offense.
DOGS DEsPon THE SANCTUARY
Miscarriage of Justice Causes Execu-
tion of the Wrong Man for the
Murder of an Entire Fam
lily I'm Russia.
BY GEORGE FRAsoR.

ST. PETERSBURG, July Especial Dis
patch to The Bee)-The powers OF the
Duma are to be still further Increased and
It is not improbable that within a few wears
Russia will have advanced in the path OF
constitutional government until she Is
abreast of Prussia.
This is the opinion held by many who
are high in the favor of the car. II is
stated that his majesty has followed the
work OF the Duma with keen interest. He
is convinced that the fact that Russia is
less afflicted with active revolutionary
ideas than she has been for many years
is due in great part to the work of the
Duma and that a gradual extension OF
the parliamentary idea means safety, peace
and progress. Hence 1t is his intention to
extend the scope of parliamentary author
ity as rapidly as circumstances will permit.
1t is understood that he has so expressed
himself not only to some Of his leading
ministers, but also to nonofficial members
of the Duma.
Accused of Dissertation.
The upholdeEs OF orthodoxy have been
waiting with great impotence the result
of the extraordinary trial which has Just
been concluded at Mosyr, in the govern
ment of Minsk, with closed doors.
Five landowners and farmers, Polish
Roman Catholics. and two orthodox peas
| ants who accompanied them, were charged
| with Decorating Russian church by pull
ling up the flooring and shooting two
foxes which had made their lair on the
premises. In doing this they invaded the
sanctuary and covered with shot marks an
ikon of Christ, which was also despatched
with blood.
The church OF st. Nicholas. the Miracle
Worker, where the reservation occurred. IL
situated in wood some three miles from
the village of Rojistsha. 1t is old and tum-
bledown, the roof is described as rotten,
and only one service is held there annually,
1t being shut the rest OF the year.
Once Acquitted.
The charge against the prisoners dated
from December, 1906. They had already
been tried and acquitted on technical
grounds The Indictment described how
the prisoners went fox-shooting with a
number OF dogs and forced an entrance
into the church, Their footsteps and tracks
were observable on the snow, which mad
fallen through the roof on the floor OF the
building. There were blood stains in many
places. What had occurred was quite evi.
dent One of the foxes, on being driven
lTOIn InS nole unuer the cnurCus ndu udSlrC
towards the ikon screen, and the hunters
had fired at it as it made a leap on to the
ikon OF the Saviour. Twenty-Five sho
marks were found on the ikon itself.
The second fox unearthed in the cnurcr
was killed by the dogs
The court condemned the five laad
owners and farmers to terms of hard laool
varying between eight and four years m,
two peasants received less punishment
Murder MultipIies.
Some time ago a whole family was mur
dered at Potchep, in the southwest o
Russia. Two men named Cluster ant
Shmakhin were charged with the crime
and, although protesting their innocence &
the last, the former WAS hanged and tn
latter sentenced to long term of har
labor.
II was subsequently ascertained that Their
had been a miscarriage OF justice and IN
real murderers were arrested and tried b.
I, court-martial at Chernigoff and condemnc
to death This occurred on May 20. an
the three murderers were confined in Cher
, nigoff gaol pending the execution OF thci
. sentence. They had been strangled b
their companion with a twisted piece q
linen
: The three had drawn lots as to which c
= them should kill the two others and the
2 commit suicide. The man who lost fu
: filled the first part Of the bargain, put a
v the last moment shrank from doing ava
: with himself.