Evening star., 1922-06-09
TRIAL Of a RUSS
TRAITORS" BEGUN
Moscow Court Guarded as
Anti-Soviet Leaders, Some
Women, Face Bar.
By the Associated Press.


MOSCOW. June 9.-The hatred of
Europe's moderate socialists for the
Russian communists and the latter's
reciprocal feeling crystallized yes
terday at the opening of the trial
here of thirty-four members of the
social revolutionist party.
Leaders of the Second Interna-
uonaie and other European socialist
organizations appeared as counsel for
the defendants. who a!c accused. with
other things, of betraying the Rus
Sian revolution, of assisting kolchak
and Denikine and OF engineering
plots TO assassinate Lenin. Trotsky and
other bolshevik leaders.
The defendants are divided into
three groups, the first being headed
py Aneram K Gotz, responsible MEM
Der of the central executive commit
tee or the social revolutionist party.
who was one of the principal aides
to kerensky. and Dinitri Donskoi
accused as the party's representative
on all military committees and of
being in touch with Gen. Ludendorff
In this group is d woman. Eugenie
NJ Rather, cashier of the party.
Reds Defend Second Group.
or seven persons, including Lydia
konoploya and NJ. Semenoff-Fasilieff
who were. 1t Ia alleged. actually
charged with the task OF killing the
bolshevik leaders. but who turned
informers. These are being defended
by eminent bolshevists as counsel
The third group comprises a num-
Der of the members of parties al
legged to have been familiar with the
plotting, to have sheltered the plot
ters or to have been otherwise i'm
plicated.
At the opening of the trial ths de-
PENDANTS raised the objection that
as all three of the judges were COM
munists, il was improper for them
to sit in judgment upon their po-
litical opponents. The objection was
overruled. after a forensic battle. in
which internationally famous social
lists took part.
Some of the prisoners also entered
the fray. hurting objections and in
terjections in Russian. French and
German.
The defense also objected TO the
prosecutor on the ground that he
was prejudiced, being head of the
supreme revolutionary tribunal. and
also because his wife assisted in the
investigation of the case.
Belgian Socialist Counsel.
Emil vandervelde. Belgian So
cialist, once member of the Belgian
cabinet. and president of the Second
Internationale, is one of the leading
figures in the counsel for the defense,
and was foremost in pressing the OBJ
jections to the judges and prosecutor.
He declared ii was ivident that Bell
gium and Russia had different con-
ceptions Of justice.
N. Vandervelde' bold challenge
was answered by the srizzled kry-
lenko. NO wonder we haze differ
ent conceptions Of justice" he de-
clared such justice will Belgium
have only when her ministers are
placed on trial. This case is oeins
tried under the system OF justice
We fought for"
NJ Piatikof, the presiding Judge,
in overruling the defendants obJec-
tions, said: "Of course We are not
impartial, but -sur partiaiity As IN the
interests of NE revolution. But al
the same time we are not party
to the court; our business is to listen
10 the facts"
Troops were on duty in every part
of the building where the trial is
being held.