The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1881-04-16 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE CZAR'S MURDERERS.  Six persons have been sentenced to be hanged for having been concerned in the conspiracy of which the recent murder of the Czar of llnssia was the outcome. During their, trial, which was concluded on Saturday last, they conducted themselves with great fortitude, not to sal. bravado, and several of them received their sentences with cynical smiles and contemptuous indifference. The prisoner Itisakoff confessed his guilt with regard to the crime of the lfitli March, but denied that he belonged to the Narodnaja party, the members of • -which, he said, were confined to parsons having revolutionary antecedents which _ _  he did- not possess: The accused litTchailoff described himself as a member of the Russian social revolutionary party, although not belonging to the terrorist faction. Kibaltchick said he served the purposes of the party solely by his technical knowledge and scientific advice, and dwelt upon the causes which drove the Socialists to adopt their system of terrorism. Amongst these was the prosecution by the Government of peaceful propagandists. All the explosive substances employed by the party had been manufactured by him with the assistance of other gersons. Peroffskaja, the female prisoner, confessed to having  been a member of the Narodnaja Vella party, and an agent of the revolationary executive committee, and laid stress upon the purely passive part played by the woman Hellmann. Jebjaboff let fall various hints respecting the orgaization of the revolutionary party, and admitted his participation in terrorist proceedings at Alexandrovst, where an attempt was planned on the life of the Emperor. With reference to the crime of the 18th ult., the prisoner declared declared himself to be the organiser of the whole plot. He had also assisted in digging the mine in 'Little Gardenstreet. The Public Prosecutor described in warm terms the revolutionary doctrines and evil deeds of the accused, and demanded an equally severe punishment for all the prisoners. He concluded by pointing out the unshaken fidelity of the people to the Imperial Throne, and the absolute failure of the efforts of the terrorist party in this respect. The accused listened unmoved to the speech, Jeljaboff and Kibaltchick taking notes during its delivery. Jeljaboff addressed the court in his own defence, his speech being several times interrupted by the presiding judge on account of its defiant tone and advocacy of revolutionary theories. After one of the interruptions he created a great sensation by' fiercely, demanding to be heard, on the ground that he was a Russian and had a right to speak as to the state of his own country. It may Le mentioned, as a curious illustration of the extent to which caste prevails in Russia, that on account of the female prisoner Peroffskaja baing of noble birth the sentence against her will be submitted to the Emperor for his consideration. The Nihilists have issued two proclamations, the one addressed to the people of Europe, and the other to the Czar of Russia. They are not, in themselves, unreasonabie. "We impose," the conspirators observe in one them, "no conditions—those which are necessary to substitute peaceful labour for revolutionary agitation were created by history, not by us. We do not impose these conditions, we merely recall them to mind, and in our opinion they are two —(1) A. general amnesty of all previous political offenders, for they were no criminals, but mere executors of a hard civic duty; (2) the convocation of representatives of all the Russian people for a revision and reform of the private laws of the State according to the will of the nation. We think it necessary, however, to remind you that the sanctioning of supreme power by the popular will can only be rendered valid by thoroughly free elections, held in the following manner :—(1) Representatives of all classes and conditions, without exception, in proportion to the population; (2) no restrictions to be laid on electors ; (8) elections and electioneering to be completely unshackled, and the Government, therefore, to grant as follows : Full liberty of the Press; full freedom of speech; full right of public meeting, and full freedom of election programme." If the Czar is a wise man, and has the courage to set the prejudices of a corrupt and profligate aristocracy and a venal and tyrannical official class at defiance he will not treat those manifestoes with contempt, but perceive that his own personal safety and also the welfare and stability of his country depend upon his Government being made a strictly constitutional one. But those by whom he is surrounded are so wedded to the vicious traditions of the past, and are such firm believers in the efficacy of coercive powers, that there is not much ground for confidence on this point.