Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1881 — The Nihilist Executions. [ARTICLE]

The Nihilist Executions.

London, April Id.—The following additional details of the excution of the nihilists have been received:

On Thursday Russok'olf asked for three wax tapers, such as are carried to church, a copy of the New Testament and one of the consecrated loaves made and sold by monks. When not praying he smoked cigarettes. In the course of the day he offered bis services to the government as a spy. Naturally enough he met with a refusal, for he belonged only to the outside circle and could be of but little use. Jsliaboff spent his.time in dictating page after page about the trial, and committing to paper what he would not be allowed to utter in speech. Sophie PerofFsky wrote to her mother to waste no time or trouble in assuaging the wrath of her father for what had been done. He would never forgive. Kibaltsclttech, the maker of the bombs, and in some respects thife most remarkable figure among tbe condemned, devoted his last hours to drawing up a memoir on the subject of his specific discoveries, which fie addressed to the high court of Justice. Iu the document he avowed his desire that his name should be immortalized, and he made a gift of his inventions to the state, on the condition that all the profit should go to the amelioration of the lot of the children of political criminals.

I hf execution took place at 6 o’clock on Friday morning, on Simonofsky Plain, the same spot which kjolodntsky was executed. Th« soaQold was a rough wooden structure, painted black, oonsistiug of a high platform, upon which were three posts, each with a chain and manacles, and one long horizontal beam, with iron rings for ropes, supported by two perpendicular posts. In front was a low platform for the officials. The large plain around was covered with snow l c *» which was melting in the w*Fin iun#hi W e. By 8 olc|aek many thousands «l people had collected around the plain and swarmed into the various streets leading to it. Teh thousand troops kept them back and formed two squares around the gallows. First were the Coesacks with couched lances, and then detaohmonts of tiie guard. The infantry was mturned In deep columus, leaving one side of the inner Bquare open for the passage of tbe condemned prisonersand ••cort r phe cortege entered the eastThe goiidem«e4 criminals were ■rated high in the centre of two

wheeled platforms, tijfbtly Btlftuwd to iron rods, with their backs toward the hones and haring on their breast largfe cards with words “Tsareoubiest” (murderer of the cur) in black and white. Surrounding them was a strong escort or Coasapka and infantry,- with drams and fifes playing a lively tane, and preceded by mounted gendarmes. The condemned persons were dreSeed in black and wore a sort of black hood, covering their heads and shoulders. On the first tnn.bril sat Russo kofT and Jaliaboff, both of whose features were nearly ooooealed bf heavy hoods. JellabofTs dark, piercing eves seemed to shine with even intensified brilliancy and defiance as he looked on the scene around him. On the second tumbril were seated Kibaltachitisch, Sophie Peroffsky and MichaikifT, the woman occupying the middle seat. Of these three the features of Sophie Peroffsky were alone distinctly visible, her extraordinarily high and broad forehead being unshrouded by the hood. Her t?lightlyflushed face betokened great mental excitement, but there was no sign either of fear or remorse. General Benacoff, with the executioner and his lour assistants were waiting under the scaffold.

The condemned were unbound and let up the steps. With the exception of Russokoff, who seemed very feeble, all showed remarkable firmness and resignation. Sophie Peroflsky appeared the calmest of all the five firisoners. They were then placed in font of the three poets, with-their heads hare, the women being in the middle. While the clerk of the senate read the sentences the civilians uncovered and the officers saluted. During this formality fiveprieste in purple caps mounted the scaffold and presented the cross, which all the condemned reverently kissed. The prisoners were then allowed to kiss each other, and a word or two passed between them, hut the beating of the drums, which now began and lasted until the execution was finished, drowned every other sound. The prisoners were then placed under the.beam./ Each prisoner’s head was oovered with a white hood attached to a kind of sack. Each one, beginning with Russokoff, was led to the top of i small stool with steps. The rope was drawn tightl around one of the supporting beams and the culprit was left to strangle by the stool being withdrawn 'from under. All remained firm and imperturable until the last moment. Russakoff alone appeared to faint before the stool was taken away. The formalities and the execution lasted altogether about twenty-five minutes. The bodies remained hanging twenty minutes aud were let down into five rough shells filled with shavings and were examined by the doctors. They were then placed in two carts and taken away under the escort of Cossacks to be ignominiously buried in a remote part of the suburbs of the city. With the exception of an accident to one of the ropes, which broke twice, the proceedings passed off quietly and without difficulty. They were watched in silence by fully one hundred thousand of the civil and military population of the capital.