The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-04-15
MOSCOW TRIAL.
OF BRITONS IS.
FIERY SCENE.
Further Charges of EspiOn-
age and Sabotage Are
Made in Testimony
EPITHETS HURLED
IN THE COURT ROOM
Bv EUGENE LYONS

The Soviet prosecution last night
introduced evidence in the trial Of
six BritOnS on charges Of eSpion.
age, bribery and sabotage, seek
ing to prove the defendants had
worked out plans for the complete
paralysis of vital power stations
i'm Moscow in case of war.
LeOnid SukhOruchkin, head OF
the exploitation department ct
the Moscow Electric Station. teS-
tilted that the six men. repreSen-
tatives of the British MetrOpolr-
tan-Vickers Electrical Co.. Ltd,
had schemed to paralyze the sta
lions and cut off power TO the
Kremlin. other government build
ingS. barracks and principal fac
tories.
Their plot, he said, was TO have
been carried out So aS to cripple
Moscow as soon as war was de-
clared. presumably between the
Soviet Union and Great Britain.
Sukhoruchkin. also assistant
chief engineer of the Moscow
Electrical Trust. who has been ar
rested in connection with the case.
said William II. Thornton, one OF
the accused British representa-
tiveS. had worked out the plans in
collaboration with him.
Thornton denied the charges.
The Russian testified that as
early as 1880 he discussed with
Thornton the technical prOcedur"
of crippling the stations feeding
power TO the KremliD, Gpu Use
cret poRce). radio stations and
other important military and eco
monte stations of the government.
Thornton denied everything en-
phatically including the allegation
that he had paid Sukhoruchkn
brides of $500 and $50 roubleS,
together with coupons for the Tor
eign trading stores.
The witness, a cOlorleSs technt-
elan of 80. said he tempered with
turho-generatorS and delayed as
sembling jobs on Thornton'S or
derS.
His testimony during the eve
ming. session came as 4 climax L"
a day filled with melOdramatic
touches as the trial of the six
Britons proceeded through its
third day in the beautiful blue
room of what under the Cars was
the Moscow Mobiles club, but nov,
rs October hall. is headquarters
for the trade unions.
II followed another bribery
charge when the evening session
convened after the dinner-hour
recess. made by Y. l. hivert, an
engineer one of the II Russian
prisoners on trial. He testified
that he had succumbed to Thorn
tons kindneSSeS, dinners ara
"other Establishments" and even
tually collabOrated with him OH
espionage. accepting 500 roubIes.
The attacks ut the evening SEES
sion were directed mainly at
Thornton.
Peter Oleynik, one Of the Rus
sian employees of the Metropob-
tan-YickerS company, declared on
the stand that Thornton had char
acterized Charles Nordwall, one
of the British defendants, as five
minues from u BolShevik, IN
warning that Nordwall was not to
be trusted. Nordwall smiled bu,
said nothing.
He. however. sought to stress
that ne was pro-Soviet. disclosing
that a few months ago he was
awarded prize of 1000 roubleS
for "shock brigade work. at the
Yevka station in the Donetz ba-
sin.
Oleynik claimed NOrdwall had
ignored defects in the Metropoli-
tan-VickerS equipment on various
Jobs, but the latter pleaded he had
been unaware of it and also that
accidents could not be foreseen.
The session brought the smoul-
dering anger of central figures IN
the trial into the open earlier n
the day, when bitter charges and
equally bitter denials were hurled
hack and forth across the court
room.