, 1923-03-11
WITNESSES Story of Prisoners
Emotions as Others Are Shot

This order was promptly executed
Citizen Rahitianski. who vas spared,
furnished tho following gruesome de-
tails:
THE prisoners were taken out OF
their cells in groups of ten. When the
first batch was taken away we were
told they were going to be only eX-
amined. and we did not feel wor-
ried. But when the second group was
taken out we knew already that they
were going TO be shot. They were
butchered like cattle in a Slaughter
house"
As the official papers of the Cheka
had already been packed up, prepared
TO he evacuated. no formalities could
b. observed in these executions. and
it was due to this fortunate fact that
Rakitianski was enabled to say his
life. Each prisoner was asked what
the charge against him had been.
Noticing that those who were held for
violating that order against staying
on the streets after s p. NJ. were be-
ing separated from the rest. Rakitian-
SKI, although actually imprisoned on
a charge of being an ex-ofiicer. an
nounced that he had also been ar
rested on the street at a late hour.
and thus he was spared.
Nearly all of the agents. with the
president of the Cheka at their head,
took part in the shootings. The exc
cutions at the prison were carried out
by n certain Artabekov. These eXecu-
lions lasted the whole day n night,
driving the neighborhood frantic with
fear. About 1000 persons were shot
that day. Who they were. and why
they were shot, remains a mystery.
Executions were carried out in
patches. October 80. 1920. they shot
50 persons. among them Morozov,
Glaskov, Ganko and others. Novem-
Der 6 more than 100 were shot, in
GLIDING The former member of the
Rada local Parliament of the Kuban.
-Translator's note), Engineer Tur-
ishtchev. K~alishevski. Bogdanov. the
Manevskis (mother and daughter),
Miss D-omhravskaia. who vas cruelty
tortured; four young Cossacks from
the stanitsa of Poltavskaia charged
with having deserted from h army,
and others. December % they exc
cuted 1874 persons. among whom were
DR.. ~Shestakov. subjected TO mental
torture; the Baroness Maidell, Gram
matikopulo, Lieuts Savenkc n
1vanov, Gen. kossinov, the working
man Aniko. the student Annenkov,
the Cossack Dubrovik. &C. january "a,
1891, 30 persons were put to death.
among these being the Rukavishnikovs
Gather and daughter) (the latter
managed to conceal and swallow po-
tassium cyanide before she was exc
cuted), Oganessiantz. the I~shtchenkos
(~cossacks), Yurchenko. M~onastyrny.
Kutniak, Diachenko. Makarenko, IN
chenko, zviagin. officer Yakovenko
and others. February 5 they shot %
persons, among whom were Padalka,
Taray-Magura and others.
How, It may be asked. is the trial
itself conducted IL capital punishment
is dealt out so freely? To this 1t must
be answered that tho trials are car
ried on in the most primitive manner
n mainly by absolutely ignorant
people. The investigator is usually a
mere hedgling or a young girl. They
stop at nothing to either extort n con-
fession of guilt or to get the prisoner
so confused as 10 cause him to con-
tradict himself I'm his testimony. The
following two rules are firmly estab-
lished and followed consistently: first.
the prisoner is kept strictly Isolated
from The outside world so rs to make
It impossible for him to obtain witt
nesses 20 prove his innocence; and
secondly. IN the eyes or the Cheka
investigator n person who has been
arrested IS presumed to be guilty
Unless he can prove himself innocent,
Therefore, practically the whole in
vestigatlcn IS restricted to the exam
inatlon OF the prisoner by the inves-
tlgator. The latter writes his opinion.
based on uch an examination. and this
opinion is considered. largely IN 81.
formal aspects rather than on the