The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-12-25
MANY EXECUTIONS
CAUSE TROUBLE

st. Petersburg, December N,-(Special.)-
The recent revelations concerning the
/ Wholesale executions. ordered COURTS
martial, have started a crusade against
capital punishment which is giving the
government serious trouble and which.
despite all efforts to suppress it is grow
ing rapidly. The very efforts to suppress
the movements has given 1t a bitter tinge
which is distinctly dangerous.
| Thirteen members of the Central Trade
unions committee at Petersburg have
been arrested on a charge Of attempting
to organize a workmen's demonstration
against capital punishment
. Student demonstrations against the
streets and squares in Moscow recently.
The gatherings were dispersed by the
groups and mounted police and 1S1 ar
rested.
1t is estimated that not less than 5000
men and women have been executed by
order of these courts-fnartial. many Of
them after farcical trials at which no ev-
idence of guilt whatever has been pre-
sent.
|
lions is very bitter and widespread.
Tolstois grave at Yasnia Poiiana is
likely to become one of the chief places
of pilgrimage in the empire. Since the
funeral large numbers of peasants arrive
there daily. They come mostly on foos,
and many are now on the way there,
tramping from places far distant
At the grave many hundreds may be
seen on their knees chanting and kissing
the soil. The pilgrims are allowed to
pass through the rooms which Tolstoi
occupied, where nothing has been dis
turbed. There is deep resentment at the
Holy Synod's action in forbidding memo
rial services in the Orthodox churches.
There will be some lurld pages Of secret
service in the revelations shortly to be
given to the world by M. Menchikoff, for
=. years sub-chief of the Russian secret
political police. who has recently resigned
and quilted the country.
| The romance of q beautiful spy named
I.eonidova is but one chapter of the rev.
Citations he intends to make. Leonidova
| lived at Moscow. In order to avenge her
self on a rival who had taken away her
lover she denounced her as terrorist
/ The rival w as arrested and disappeared
The denunciation was received by Men
chikoff, who enrolled Leonidova among
his force of spies; while receiving 100 rou-
| bles a month from the secret police she
acted as secretary to a socialist organi-
ga ton whose members she stirred up to
acts of revolt. at the same time denounc-
ing them to the Russian authorities.
Then she fell In love with a journalist,
to whom she confessed her secret At
this moment M. Menchikoff went over to
the revolutionaries, to whom he gave
list of his collaborators. Leonidova was
denounced in the terrorist newspapers,
and she and her lover left Russia for
Paris to protest their innocence, but did
not go further than Berlin. There they
separated, the lover going off to Amer
lea. She returned to Russia, where she
| tried to poison herself, but after long
Illness she has now gone to Paris to re-
habilitate herself.
| King George received the Duke of Orle-
/ ans at Buckingham Palace and also ar
ranged to visit him at Wood Norton
which is striking significance.
The Duke is the Bourbon Pretender to
the Throne of France. He has a pow
erful following in France, albeit his fam
| lily has at last held out the handof for
giveness by receiving the Duke. The
meeting was OF course, the flrsl tndt nau
taken PLACE between his majesty and the
4 Duke for many years. 1t was arranged
i at the suggestion of the Marquis De
Soveralx, the popular Ex-Portugese AM
bassador. The Royal Family could not
tolerated he Duke for several years be-
cause of the fast that In 1890 he sent a
letter complimenting Russian artist who
had lampooned English royalty. IS IS ~
Prince vladimir Teropakoff, penniless
nobleman, has sacrificed his life at Mos
COW in an attempt to win strange wag-
err. Count Waldigs wealthy land owner,
made a bet with him that he would not
! drink gallon OF liquor at a draught. The
/ princes reward, IL he accomplished the
feat, was to be the title deeds of a valu-
able estate.
The prince ate nothing all day with
the exception of a salt herring and in the
| evening in the presence of the count and
four witnesses, he raised the gallon Jar
to his lips and drank steadily until he set
it down empty. The title deeds of the
estate were handed to him, but hardly
had he received them when he sank to
the ground and died in a few moments.
mr. n ~ vr nTTHRNHTT mr.