, 1923-03-11
Horrible Torture
of Women and
Men Testified to
by Socialists Who
Were Held in the
Kuban Prisons

general turmoil. Through the dirty
windows of the second story we were
able to see how the condemned pris-
oners were led out by their arms. fol-
lowed by Cheka agents with pistols
pointed at their heads.
In this way eight days dragged
along. Practically every one of us
had written a farewell note and man.
aged. by every conceivable means, with
the aid OF the attendants, as well
other prisoners. who were not con-
demned TO death. to get these notes
through to their destinations. Still
we had by no means settled entirely
with life. Every one OF us n a
spark of hope still glimmering in the
depths OF his heart. Perhaps this
was the only thing that prevented us
from dashing out our brains agains.
those thick. somber walls of the
prison. At times 1t even seemed to us
as If all this was merely done to
frighten us. Unfortunately. however.
II only seemed so. At $3.50 in tho
evening there resounded through the
corridor the sinister tramp of many
feet. The rusty bolt Of tho door
grated. Cheka agents with n lantern
IA . ~ 81 IA AAbAAa . W IAI SAAs
It is difficult to describe the feelings
of the prisoners at that moment.
Some became hysterical, crying like
little children: others changed abrupt
ly; with ashen faces, sunken eyes. the
tips of their noses sharp rs those of
corpses, they stood there staring va
cantly. like craven images. at the
Cheka agents. Soon. however. this
state of torpidity. having lasted but n
few minutes. gave way to the raven-.
Gus hunger for life. One want TO
livei And one is frantically trying to
hold on to life. 1t seems as II one
realizes during these minutes all tho
unfathomable beauties that life holds.
One feels as IL his heart were being
clutched by tongs of fire and fear
haunted looks full of the torments of
hell are cast at the dark cell window,
beyond which lies freedom. now so
priceless and dear. Like an animal
at bay one seeks escape. and the
racked, feverish brain work rapidly.
But the more one thinks of II the
more one realizes his utter helpless
ness. After n few minutes of hellish
torture one already feels tired. weary
in body and soul, rs If one had spent
an eternity At hard. forced labor. No
hope remains for salvation. n the
mere realization that the end of life
is near leads to n painful mental proc
ess, resulting in a state of complete
auathy, almost paralysis. yielding,
however, a few moments later to An
other paroxysm of feverish desire, but
this time the desire for death.
At this some one broke Into
a gay. lifting song. and we heard
laughter and joking. Some of the
doomed prisoners concentrated all
their attention on occupations hat
reminded but little of approaching
death. Gen. K~assinov. who had never
worried much about keeping his pipe
clean, now commenced carefully to
clean and to wipe 1t, as If he would
have to smoke 1t for many more years.
A Cossack. fully aware that he was
going to be shot within a few min
utes, spread calmly n kerchief with
some food, cut off a slice of bread and
bacon and proceeded imperturbably to
MUNICH IT, as IL he had not eaten any
thing in an eternity. Lieut.. Savenko
was singing. All this, however. was
done only in a state of pathological
excitement, automatically and uncon-
sciously. Only now. having myself
gone through all this. can 1 under
stand why some victims of the French
Revolution mounted he scaffold jest
ingly.
The victims were taken from the
cell in patches of ten. Each was
grasped by tho arms by two Cheka
agents and n third followed behind. a
loaded revolver ieveled at the head of
the prisoner. The slightest attempt
at resistance was cut short by a shot.
The shootings took place on the brink
of n pit, at close range. SO that the
head would be mangled beyond recog-
milton. The victims were shot in their
underwear. their upper garments
being appropriated by h execution
ers.