Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-20
PHLET TELLS
HOW EX-EMPE ROR
MET HIS DEATH
Former Soviet Official Gives
An Account of the EXeCu-
ton of Car Nicholas and
His Family.

Ekaterin0urg, Russia, Feb. 10
(by the Associated Press) A boil
shevist account Of the execution of
the late Emperor Nicholas and lis
family, which took place here on
the night of July IS, 1918, has been
made public in a pamphlet written
by p. Bykoff, former chairman of
the Ekaterburg soviet.
1t was inspired by the communist
opinion that the story of the ex-
ecution should be told from the
bolshevist side. But apparently it
did not meet with the approval of
the higher officials for, although it
was published in the closing days
.of 1921, it was Immediately with
drawn from circulation. The book
was printed by the state printing
department of the Ural district
government in this city and gives
"a general review of the labor rev.
olution in the Urals. The Last chap
ter in it records the cmperors
death and is entitled, The Last
Days of the Car"
Censored Carefully.
The book was obviously censored
carefully before it was published,
as it lacks many details Of the eX-
.ecution which ordinarily would
have been given by eye witnesses.
1T attempts to Justify the eXecu-
ton by explaining that the Oren-
burg Cossacks were then threaten
ing Ekaterinburg from the south;
the CZecho-slovak forces were
~ ia, I1+
ters had been received showing
that plots were being formed to
deliver the imperial family to the
Observation-Disclosures TWO extracts
from letters are quoted as evidence
of the existence of these plots.
According to BykOffs account
the last words of the emperor when
he and his family were led unex
pectedly into the basement of their
prison and told that all the Roman
offs must die were: But are we
not to be taken anywhere ?"
The empress and her four daugh-
ters (the Grand Duchesses Olga,
Tatiana, Anastasia, and Marie),
and the little czarevitch and the
remaining members of the house
hold of eleven were so stunned that
they said nothing when Avdieff
the commandant of the house or
dered them to line up against the
basement wall and pronounced the
sentence.
Bykoff says that a firing squad
of four shot the former imperial
family with revolvers. The iden-
tity Of he members of the eNecu-
ton SOU, is not revealed.
The pan Vhlet places the respon-
sibility for the execution of the
Romanoffs directly upon the Ural
district soviet, which decided early
in July, 1918, that the car and his
family must die and entrusted the
execution of the sentence and the
destroying of the bodies to Peter
Ermankoff, an old workman of the
Jul per-Issetslly works.
Only FOur Witnesses.
Avdieff commandant of the
house, read the sentence, according
to Bykoff's story, and there were
only fou. witnesses. But it Is not
indicated whether Avdieff shot or
even witnessed the death Of the i'm
.perial family.
1HeIe were iO HAdlCIlSIlto ~
Bykoff's account which indicate
that the Ural district soviet car
Iried out the execution under direct
orders from Moscow.
The Romanoffs were in their or
binary clothing when shot. It was
not their custom to retire until long
after 10 o'clock at night. Conse-
quently all were still dressed when
tie Inflated group Of eleven was
unexpectedly ordered to the base
ment and shot.
Bykoff's story says the guards
outside the house and the public