, 1923-02-18

This IS tie second of a series OF
articles on the reign of terror in
Russia conducted by the Cheka, the
BotShevist organization, for the
suppression of counter-reVoIution
The articles are by Socialists who
were in the prisons.
Once Pankratov called. in company
with his friend and future successor.
Zhukov, at n shoemaker's to try on
a new pair 81 boots. He had scarcely
managed to put on ono boot when a
special messenger entered the" shop
telling Pankratov he was wanted at
the Cheka. Asking Zhukov to walt
for him Pankratov left: but some
forty or fifty minutes later he returned
and continued in business like fashion
the Interrupted work Of trying on his
new boots. In the meantime he had
shot a
Stopped Buying Boots
To Go and Shoot a Man
On another occasion he was called
out to the Cheka directly from the
Korsh Theater. He had to take a cab
and drive to Lubianka street, while
his companions wen home leisurely.
One or n and a half hours later
Pankratov also got home. having
managed to shoot three bandits.
He lived on the fat Of the land.
He drank. ate and gambled a great
deal. and sometimes he would lose
heavily. He was lever short of
money, for his income was large and
steady. Not TO mention the high
salary he was being paid, he appro-
priated most of thc belongings of the
executed victim. Things OF cheaper
quality he would sell. those OF better
grade he Would wear himself. He also
look whatever valuables he happened
to find on the corpses. But most OF
all h was Interested in gold teeth.
Som of his victims had their mouths
full OF them. And Pankratov used
70 break them off regularly from the
still warm gums.
For his difficult and Troublesome
work Pankratov was pampered and
kept well fed by the Cheka. In addi-
ton to the regular Cheka ration he
used TO receive n daily extra ration,
including wine. meat and white bread,
and was entitled to additional mate
rial rewards for each executed person.
AS he was a good manager" he
never failed, after each working"
day. accurately to compile his list Of
requirements" to be submitted to the
office.
Thus Pankratov lived IN plenty OF
abundance. with no cause to complain
of his fate. Gradually, however. he
began to feel tired and to suffer from
nightmares. And that was
just the time when there were to be
some wholesale slioCt!2Ss. He began
10 feel that HI would go mad. that he
could not keep 1t up much longer.
He felt scared and decided to give up
the position. Fortunately" there was
Zhukov, a reliable and worthy sue
cessor. Pankratov left. 1t was said
that he had retired to some Soviet
farm as superintendent,
With the name of this executloner
are associated in~terminnble streams Of
human blood, indescribable crueltles.
and such moral torture at the last mo-
ment as to stagger and paralyze the
senses of the u~nfortunates going to
their death!
Pankratov knew how to repair his
victims for their last minute and was
a past master in the technic OF
shooting. BY cruel beatings, or
threatening, vile oaths, or one of those
sinister looks OF his feverish eyes. as
the case may be. he had the power
10 turn even the most desperate BAN
dts into passive and submissive Crea-
lures who. as II in a trance, would
follow his orders. hurrledly, almost
automatically. undress, afraid to dis
obey even his slightest command, and
await the fatal shot. their perceptive
FanTTNlaa nWoRffrn11u IRn ulrHnIVr
OF these last hours and minutes
of prisoners condemned to death we
shall treat in the lines which follow.
The Ship of Death and
How Inmates Met Their End
In the rear of the main building
containing the suite Of investigators
cabinets there Is a one story wing
that used to house in former times this
archives OF the insurance company.
To the right OF the entrance there
Is a large, peculiarly built room.
Along its four walls runs a narrow
gallery with ratings. and instead OF a
floor there Is an open space all the
way down 70 the basement. connected
with the upper part by a winding iron
stairway. This Is that mysterious and
dreaded Ship" in whose hold" the
doomed prisoners are carried TO the
fatal shore OF Death.
In one OF the stone walls OF this
"hold" are two small chambers which
have been turned into cells. In these
cells the fear Crazed victims await
their last hours On earth.
The Ship" is nearly always silent
and dumb. The Head walls of the
hold" permit no human voice to pene-
trate from the outside. and the paint
covered windows OF the upper story
allow scarcely any daylight to filter
through. Hero there f. no day or
night. for tho electric light s. kept
burnIug t~wrnty-four hours. There Is
neither space nor timo here. for I'm
tho oppressive clutches Of iUis crlIly
every minute fruua Ike lnmutUDls
eternity. llrl" nH ties with lro ar,
severed. rar chat only stairway ieudlrg
lU Tie woril OF the = ms SIS guarded
b. "airH,I scu'-.CF. aud The Victim