, 1923-02-25

windows we saw them pulling ma
chine guns into the yard. Markov.
the valiant Cheka soldier from the
front who had replaced tire former
Commandant Liakhin, had the prison
in a state of military preparedness
within half an hour, armed himself
TO the teeth. prepared a supply of
hand grenades and treated such a
panic among the poor prison dwellers
hat their teeth were simply chatter
ing. within an hour We were al
ready informed. thanks to our nne
tons. about all hat had happened
and were waiting with bated breath
for something terrible to follow.
In the morning the papers printed
the details. together with the cate
gorical statement of the authorities
that this thing lad not at all been
the work of the Underground an
archists," that the White Guards,
playing the part of anarchists. had
tried to "stab the revolution in the
back" and so forth. If I may antici-
pate, 1 should like TO point out that
the most careful investigation. as
well as tie confession of the persons
arrested in his connection, have
shown beyond doubt that the explo-
oAOAl AAhh bNNAl NAAA9'A ~ AAAS "AA
nrchlsts and a group OF the Left Wing
Socialist evolutionists (the so-called
C"herepanov group, and from the
Red Book of the All-Russian EX-
t~raordinary Commission, which, how
ever, was confscated Immediately
after II had been published, 1t is mani
fest that there was not ever a trace
of White Guards anywhere in this
affair, but that there was, indeed. a
certain "Manya" OF the All-Russian
Extraordinary Commission implicated.
According to the story told by Zak-
harov, the commandant Of the Mos
cow Chcka, Dzerzhinski. pale as death
and in great excitement, arrived at
the Moscow Cheka and issued an order
to shoot. according to the prepared
lists. all Constitutional Democrats.
Gendarmcs. representatives of the old
regime and all kinds OF princes and
counts confined in the Moscow pris-
ons and concentration camps. Thus.
by a mere verbal order of one single
individual. many thousands of people
were doomed to immediate death. OF
course there is no way of estimating
accurately Just o many victims
they succeeded in shooting hat night
and the following day. But even at
the lowest calculation the number of
victims must be figured in hundreds.
There's one estimate OF 10000 on
the following day this order wRs coun-
termanded through the intercession of
the All-Russlnn Executive Committee
and the Central Committee OF the
Russian Communist party.
At noon OF September 26 the first
group was taken from the Butyrid and
driven straight to the Pctrovski Park,
where they were shot. The cellars OF
the ChelJa, where people are generally
executed. were evidently busy with
their own work" so that there was no
room for the ButyTH victims. Among
this first group were Maknrov, Dol.
Eoruki, dresser and T]atishtchev. Ma.
laToy remained firm TO tho end. Thoy
camc for him Just before dinner, near
IL o'clock. To that fatal with your
things. to the city," he answered
calmly. Il have been ready for n long
time" Slowly. methoGIcally, he packed
his belongings. laying aside tho better
thinEs to hIvo them sent to his starry.
Ing family In ~IctIoErad. and com.
monCed to tnke leave from, his cell
mates, who were fairly oycrawcd by
his courage. They them urged lIm &
write a farewell letter t. h.a FANNY
Muny had tears ia thc,F cYCs. Even
the hardened ard Callous ChSNn agent.
did not hurTy him. As Is usually ;hs
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