Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-15

of all ,e&ecutioners, I am just as
good a revolutionist" as any of you,
and If the revolutionary people have
| imposed on me this sad duty, am
bound by my conscience. l demand,
comrades, that you pass a resolution
confirming the lawfulness of my acts.
1 hope that you understand that it is
better to deprive one dangerous indi-
vidual of his life rather than sacrifice
thousands of useful lives.p
"I move TO discontinue your speech
CQmrade Hangman," broke in the
condemned man.
"And by what right. Comrade Ex-
ploder of Powder Magazines. do you
constitute yourself the chairman"
replied the executioner vehemently
Chairman, chairman! Let's elect
chairman, came from several parts
| of the audience. The election pro-
ceeded fast. 1t took only half an
l'hour and the condemned man had the
office thrust upon him of secretary
of the meeting. g..
| At this point an unfortunate di-
| vergence arose among three of the
soldiers and workmen's delegates.
| One of them, a Minimalist demanded
! the instant execution of the prisoner;
| another, a st-Revolutionary-
| Internationalist, suggested getting
| explanations from the government;
the third, Maximalist, proposed
that they should release the prisoner
and in his stead execute the execu-
| tioner as a servant and agent of the
! counter-revolution.
The drummer got up to declaim
against the third suggestion, but
| after his first sentence he began talk
| ing, not to the point, but to demand
! the transfer of all the land without
/ purchase to the masses. \ vote of
cloture was invoked to cut off his
speech.
A very eloquent speech followed by
! the secretary of the garrison commit
| tee, although it was not much to the
| point. He said the revolutionary
! government was now organized, that
| there was no reason to fear German
| spies or explosions at powder maga-
zines, and therefore, in the name OF
! the garrison, he called for the dis
| closure of all secret treaties.
| Condemned Man Walks on
| The chairman here turned the dis
! cussion to the actual subject, putting
| two questions to vote-first, the fate
in store for the condemned prisoner;
! second, the fate in store for the exc
| cutioner.
| The voting showed a two-thirds
| majority in favor of executing the
sentence, whereupon the condemned
man expressed dissatisfaction as to
| the accuracy of the voting and de-
| manded a formal division of the
! house. Thus the matter was carried
! to the prison courtyard and the yeas
and naysswere requested to line uE
ON opposite sides of the gates. The
| result was still the same, for when
they looked around for the secre-
tary who was also the condemned
prisoner, he was nowhere to be seen
/ 1t was explained that he had voted
by marching out at the gate and had
failed to return subsequently.
| After some discussion the meeting
decided that the disappearance of the
prisoner had disposed of any neces-
sity of further discussing question
No. 1, and that there remained be-
fore the meeting only question two
I namely the fate in store for the exc
! cutioner.
This time the vote was unanimous
and the following resolution was
! passed:
IN consequence of the fact that
the revolutionary people on February
% to March IL gained it's freedom
not in order to down civil liberty; also
in consequence of the fact that Exc
cutioner Demochkin neglected to exc
cute sentence on the condemned man
the assembly has dcided to condemn
Demochkin to three months impris'
onment. Long live the selfdetermi-
nation of the peoples on the basis oi
| Russia federative and indivisible!