The Cordova daily times., 1918-09-14
HERO EXECUTED AND COWARD|S
 GIVEN LIBERTY

NEW YORK. Sept. 14.-Bolshevik Justice" killed Captain Schastny, pa triot and hero, and saved the life of | Dibenko. coward traitor and drunken ! officer
 The stories of the two men bring out so clearly the quality of mercy" of the Bolsheviki that they are re- lated together:
 Captain Schastny was brilliant young naval officer He was a Social ist revolutionist of the conservative wing. When the Germans landed troops in Finland and began their ad- | vance on Helsingfors, where nearly the entire Russian Baltic fleet was stationed at the time, Captain Schastny. with the personnel of the fleet reduced to one-eighth and none Of the ships being ready to put to sea, was given command and re- Quested by the sailors to do his best 10 transfer the fleet to Kronstadt and ! thus save it from falling into the hands of the Germans For a while [ the sailors thought they would be un- able to move the fleet from Helsing- fors in time and had begun to make i preparations to blow 1t up. When ha arJ of nf, hn, published a proclar2At Jn stating that the blowing up of the Baltic fleet by the Russian sailors would mean the execution of as many of them as might be captured
 The Germans wanted to seize the Baltic fleet and thus make good all the naval losses they suffered throughout the war. The only thing left was to transfer the fleet to kron- stadt Under the able and brilliant command of Captain SChastny this was acCOmplishde in time. When the Germans reached Helsngfors they found most of the Russian fleet had gone
 Some three months later Trotsky. Polshevik war minister, called Capt Schastny for an alleged conference to Moscow. As the captain entered Trotsky's office the latter walked out, summoned two Red Guardsmen and ordered Schastny put under arrest.
 Trotsky accused Schastny of en- gazing in counter.revolutionary con spiracies against the Bolshevik gov. ernment, of attempting to rouse the sailors of the Baltic fleet. among Schastny was very popular, to revolt against the dictatorship of Lenine and save Russia from German and other foreign domination.
 Schastny was put on trial. kri- lenko former commander-in-chief of the Bolshevik armies" was prescott ing attorney. Trotsky was the only witness In a dramatic three-hour speech nt utIldHutu lht tAtNuNiOll 'A Schastny Among other things he said:
 Captain Schastny has performed q brave task, but, like every counter revolutionist. Captain Schastny had no right to engage in counter-revolution- ary conspiracies against the Soviet government. He had no right to play with the fate of the fleet
 A sailor in the court room could rot stand for the latter.
 How about your playing with the fate of Russia?" he cried
 Captain Schastny Russian patriot, republican and savior of the Baltic feet, was executed. His last words were:
 "One must know how to die bravely in revolution"
 A few weeks prior to the execution of Captain Schastny another man. high in the councils of the Bolsheyik government, chlef COmmlsSary or the Baltic fleet, was also on trial. His narhe is Dibenko. He was accused 0: cowardice. drunkenness and con duct unbecoming revolutionary leader. At his trial 1t was proved that when sent at the head of detach- ment of 2,000 Baltic sea sailors to stop the German advance on Narva, in February, he got drunk and ran way, leaving his men in the lurch. Such cowardice is certainly punish able by death, especially by any self respecting revolutionary government. But Dibenko. the coward and drunk ard, was a Bolshevik. He was found guilty and simply expelled from the Bolshevik party. He Is alive today and is engaging in silly braggadocio and in robber raids up and down the