The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-01-07

PETROGRAD. The provincial newspaper Priasovsky Krai publishes an amazing account of the escape oi Russian military prisoner who had been sentenced to be executed fol selling military secrets to Germany and plotting explosions in two powder factories which caused the death of 5000 persons.
 When squad of soldiers and gov. ernment agents had assembled to watch the hangman do his work, the condemned man startled them with a proposal that, instead of executing him, they would give him a vote of approval. In the debate which ensued the eXecutioner narrowly escaped hanging in place of the prisoner. The convicted man was elected as secre tary of the meeting and escaped while the vote whether to kill him or tlH executioner was being taken. The meeting then voted to sentence the executioner to imprisonment for fail. ure to do his. duty.
 Smiling contemptuously, the pris. oner was led to the scaffold. When the sentence had been read, he raised his hands and demanded to be heard
 Mo-" objected the prosecuting at. torney. Tt is too late now. You should have spoken before, at the trial"
 One of the squad of soldiers step. ped out and said in tone of amaze ment:
 What. Why too late? Is not speech free! Thank God, there's no Czarist regime to keep our mouths closed. Speak, Comrade, speak,"
 The condemned man began: Com rades! Do you know who has con- demned me? A court constituted en- tirely of lower middle-class capital. ists, inspired by the imperialists of the allied countries. The prosecutor, oo hAoW eUoOIutClyt Woo q udoQuC- rading Kornilovist! Comrades, shall not Democracy itself speak? Shall it not say Hands off the creators and inspirers of the Internationale?
 Comrades! Can you possibly rec ognize decision of this counter-revo- lutionary, anti-democratic court as binding on yau?"
 "Bravo." shouted guard. Let me also speak"
 The condemned man yielded the floor to the guard, who began:
 Comrades! Can anything be more atrocious than for us to permit the hanging of this man. who speaks as an apostle and champion of. the h. ternationale? Comrades, I propose vote of want of confidence in the executioner."
 T demand the right to speak," said the executioner.
 "Comrades!, solemnly protest against this universal condemnation of all executioners. am just as good a revolutionist as any of you, and if the revolutionary people has imposed on me this sad duty, am bound by my conscience. demand, comrades, that you pass resolution confirming the lawfulness of my acts. hope that you understand that 1t is better to deprive one dangerous indi- vidual of his life rather than sacri- flee thousands of useful lives.
 T move to discontinue your speech, Comrade Hangman," broke in the con- demned man.
 And by what right, Comrade Ex- ploder of Powder Magazines, do you constitute yourself chairman% replied the executioner. vehemently.
 Chairman! Chairman! Let's elect a chairman" came from several parts of the audience. The election pro- ceeded fast. It took only half an hour, and the condemned man had the office thrust upon him of secre- tary of the meeting.
 At this point an unfortunate al. vergency arose among three of the Soldiers and Workmen's delegates. One of them, Q Minimalist. demanded the instant execution of the prisoner: another, a Social-Revolutionary-Inter- nationalist. suggested getting explana- tions from the government; the third,