Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-02-20
Pamphlet Detailing His
toric Crime Published
by Soviet
IS CAREFULLY CENSORED
Eleven Persons Slain
Late at Night in a
Cellar
(By Associated Prcss)


Ekaterinburg, Russia, Feb. 90
A bolshevist account of the execu-
tion of the late Emperor Nicholas
and his family which took place here
on the night of July 16, 1918, has
been made public in a pamphlet
written by P. Bykoff, former chair
man of the Ekaterinburg soviet.
1t was inspired by the communist
opinion that the story Of the execu-
tion should be told from the bolshev-
ist side. But apparently it did not
meet with the approval of the higher
officials, for, although it was pub
lished in the closing days of 1921, it
was Immediately withdrawn from
circulation. The book was printed
by the state printing department of
the ,Ural district government in this
city and gives general review of
the labor revolution in the Urals
The last chapter in it's records the
emperor's death and is entitled "The
Last Days of the Gar"
The book was obviously censored
carefully before it was published, as
it lacks many details of the execu.
ton which ordinarily would have
been given by eye witnesses. 1t at
tempts to justify the execution by
explaining that the Orenburg Cos
sacks were then threatening Ekat
erinburg from the south; the Czecho
Slovak forces were pressing in from
the east and letters had been receiv'
ed showing that plots were being
formed to deliver the imperial fam
ily to the counter revolutionists. Two
extracts from letters are quoted as
evidence of the existence of these
plots.
Emperor's Last Words.
According to Bykoff's account
the last words of the emperor wher
he and his family were led unex'
pectedly into the basement of THEN
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-
tiers (the Grand Duchesses, Olga
Tatiana, Anastasia and Marie) and
the little czarevitch and the remain
ing members of the household of II
were so stunned that they said moth
ing when Avdieff, the commandant
of the house, ordered them to line up
against the basement wall and pro-
nounced the sentence.
Bykoff says that firing squad of
four shot the former imperial family
with revolvers. The identity of the
members of the execution squad is
not revealed.
The pamphlet places the RESPONSE
bility for the execution of the Ro-
Imanoffs directly upon the Ural dis
trict soviet, which decided early in
July, 1918, tina tthe czar and his fam
i!y must die and entrusted the eXecu-
ton of the sentence and the destroy
ing of the bodies of Peter Ermakoff,
an old workman of the Upper lsset-
sky works.
Only Four Witnesses.
Avdieff, commandant of the house,
read the sentence, according to. By
koff's story, and there were only
four witnesses. But it is not indi-
Gated whether Avdieff shot or even
witnessed the death of the imperial
family.
There were no statements in By
koff's account which indicate that
the Ural district soviet carried out
the execution un1er direct orders
from Moscow.
The Romanoffs were in their or
binary clothing when shot. 1t was
not their custom to retire until long
after 10 o'clock at night. Conse-
ouently all were still dressed when
the i'll fated group of II was unex-
pectedly ordered to the basement
and shot.
Bykoff's story says the guards
outside the house and the public
were kept in ignorance of the shoot
ing by a noisy automobile outside
Continued on Page 81