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lTsat-r.Vo rf IV A T3Ko Victim of Russian Persecution Writes
XVXlllVllO KJ JJiliO His Own Stnrv for Thf Rp a Traders
TIIK OMATTA SUNDAY BEE: MARCH 22, 1914.
PAIIT V.
A warder come and took away my
prison clothe, and brought me the old
blue suit which I waa wearing at the
time of my arrest, and which I had not
seen for tiro year.
"Make yourself comfortable," said the
superintendent, while I wits dressing,
"you hare nothing to worry about. The
truth will soon be told now."
When I heard him say this In quite a
kind voice I could scarcely believe my
pars. Was this the man who had all
alone treated me so shamefully?
He evidently had an Idea of what was
passing through my mind I suppose I
must have looked astonished, for he made
haste to add, In an apologetic tone:
"I see by the newspapers that there Is
no evidence against you, and that you
will be soon set free. "When that tlmo
comes I don't want you to think unkindly
of us. Remember. In prison we have to
do many thjngs we don't like."
I thanked him and left the cell with
my guard.
Before leaving prison, two of the po
llcoment took hold of me and took oft
my clothes until I was naked. Then
they began to punch me and pinch mo
all over until I cried from pain. One of
them put his . fUt In my mouth, and,
taking hold of my tongue, twisted It until
he nearly tore it from the roots. This
was to make sure that I had no poison
In my mouth.
I . nearly fainted with pain. They
roared with laughter. This treatment
went on every day during my trial.
Having redressed myself, I was told
to follow my guard, and after a walk
along some corridors, I found myself at
the prison entrance, where a prison van
was drawn up. As I was getting Into
the van I caught one glimpse of the
beautiful sky, which I had not seen for
so many weary months. The van was
surrounded by sol'dters in the courtyard
of the prison, and when the great doors
opened I could see from the small grating
many moro soldiers, and hundreds of
police and gendarmes pushing back a,
great orowd who tried to make their way
to the van.
There seemed to be more women than
men In the crowd. Most of them were
girl students. There must have been
many thousands In all. Many waved
handkorchlefs, and their hats, and I
heard them shouting my name. I was
overjoyed to find that I had so many
friends outside, and my heart became
much lighter.
All the way to the court the streets
were thronged, and I could see' cossacks
driving the people back with whips be
fore we arrived. Although I had lived
in Kiev for many years, this was the
first time I had seen the building.
As we entered the court, the thought
came into my head. "I must not fear.
God will help me. He will show them
the truth. Ho will not leave me alone
in this hour," And It was this thought
that kept me up during, the terrible time
of my trial, which now seems to me like
a nightmare.
Going up the stairs I met several stu
dents, with their "Black Hundred"
badges on their coats. They stood In
our way, and would not allow us to pass
for the moment
Walt . ft .moment,': they cried,, "ypu
dirty Jewt They will show you .here
how to Kill our Christian children!" 1
I was placed In a cell In which prisoners,
awaiting trial were kept It was very
small, with a wooden bench on one aide.
Four soldiers guarded me with loaded
rifles. It seemer hours before 1 heard
a voice calling:
"Bring in the prisoner!"
The four soldiers, with naked swords,
surrounded me,, and took m into court,
telling me to occupy the tiny dock, in
which for thirty-five days, and sometimes
nights. I was to remain.
My eyes first fell on the four judges,
all of whom were dressed in black, while
the president In addition, wore his chain
of office. At the back of tho judges, an
other forty or fifty officials filled every
available chair, and many were standing.
Among these I recognized all the prose
cutors who had come to see me, the
governor of Kiev, and the chief gen
darmes, who had me arrested, and dur
ing my imprisonment had frequently
questioned me.
Presently my eyes wandered around the
body of the court room, where I noticed
a number of fashionably dressed women
I wondered what they had come for.
All eyes were turned on me, and I felt
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V.:
A l'risuuor itusned to Court by Cossarks. A Sketch by Mr. Jolin Charlton, tho Distin
guished English Illustrator, Drawn in Russia, and Showing tho Brutal Methods of
the Russian Police with Their Prisoners. Bellts Tells How Thcso Banio Cossacks
Whipped tho Pooplo to Make AVay for Him When Carried 'Away for Trial.
very nervous. I Baw a great number of
lawyers walk In, and a warder told me
they were all against mc. This made
me vry much afraid. But soon after
ward I saw my lawyers come Into court,
and my confidence came back.
It seemed to me that there was a quar
rel between tho lawyers right at the
start, ' as to whero they should sit. I
think mine must have won, because they
laughed and looked very happy. Ono of
them beckoned to mc, and told ' me to
take a seat at tho other end of the dock,
just against them.
I shall never forget my feelings when
I saw the.' jury come In. I had hoped, to
find them of the better elasB. ' It sremcit
to me, that the ordinary moujtk could
not possibly understand the complicated
questions I had been told were to come
up. When I saw- that ten of them were
peasants, and looked .thorn sitting, in
their rough .dress and long hair, my
hopes again began to fade.
Just in front of me I noticed a gentlo
man in the uniform of a general, his
chest being nearly covered with medals
He reminded me very much of my old
colonel. My thoughts went back to the
days in the army, and I wished heartily
that I was living them over again.
I had another look at tho general. I could
not boo his face, but I at once decided
that so important a man must be against
me. But when he looked around and I
caw his countenance I thought Imme
diately that this must bo a very good
man, ohd I was sure that he would stand
up for me. I found afterward that It
was Dr. Pavlow, the czar's own physi
cian. Ho turned out to be my most powerful
friend in court. His testimony proved
that a man like myself, with no medical
knowledge, could not possibly have killed
the unfortunate boy, Inflicting such ex
traordinary wounds. It was discovered
later that the man whom many suspected
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for other articles of value or even for cash.
of having committed the murder was ac
customed to slaughtering animals.
At last the court seemed to settle down,
and I heard tho president's voice saying
In Bussinnr '
"Bellts, how old are you""
In a trembling voice, which scarcely
seemed to bo my own, I told him.
"Are you a Jew?"
"Yes; your excellency," I replied.
Other questions followed, tho last ones
being dovotcd'to finding out whether I
had confidence In my lawyers, which, of
courso, I hod. Then followed the rcad-
lng of the Indictment, which lastnd three
days. J,, remember that my - name was
only ; mentioned, once, and then,., only, on
the last page.
At last, the evidence started. I heard
tho mother 'of Yuschlnsky, Prlchodko, tell
how her boy left home and never re
turned, a
Then "'era Cheberlak was called.
I could not help feeling nerfous and
excited. Although I did not know all
that she was going to say, Vet, from what
tho prosecutor had told me whlje I was
In prison, I knew her story was sup
posed to be right against me.
She began by telling the judges and
Jurymen that the boy, who would have
been an Important witness If he had not
died under suspicious circumstances, had
been playing with his little friend
Yuschlnsky, near tho brick works.
Suddenly, sho said, a Jew with a black
beard rushed out and seized her boy,
dragging him Into the grounds of Zalt
zeff's brick works, and Yuschlnsky was
never seen alive, again.
I knew this to be a pack of lies, but
all the same I could see, watching tho
faces of the jurymen closely as I did,
that her story had made a deep Impres
sion upon them. Everyone in court was
excited, which Increased when she was
confronted with the police officer who
was present when her son died.
This little boy had
been in hospital ill.
He took a turn for
the worso and the
doctors feared for his -life. At this mo
ment tho mother appeared. and insisted
on taking him home. The doctors pro
tested, but she Insisted.
Because he "was to be auoh an Important
witness, the police did not let him out of
sight and one of them accompanied tho
pair home. Shortly after their arrival
the boy became so bad that his death was
feared. The poor boy himself realised
this, and called for a priest.
"Father! Fatherl" he cried, "come
quickly. I want to make a confession."
The priest come, but the woman step
ped between them. Excitedly she put
lief bands to her mouth and signalled the
boy not .to speak. J
"Jonlat Jenlal" she screamed, "tell the
police officer that I am Innocent of this
murder. Tell 'them that I know nothing
about it"
But the boy, In a soft, heartbroken
voice, said:
"No, mother, I cannot, I cannot Leave
me alone," and, addressing himself to
the police, In his gentle voice be called
out:
"Father! Fatherl Come, come qulokly!
1 must tell you the truth!"
He never had the chance. Cheberlak
rushed at him, pushing aside the priest
and police officer, and seized him in her
arms. She caught him up to her, show
ered kisses upon his mouth,, so that ho
could not speak, and thus 'the boy died. I
have often wondered what this boy
would havo said had he been allowed to
speak.
While my counsel, Mr. Maklaklow,
brother of the minister of the Interior,
was describing this dreadful incident, I
foil fainting to the floor.
As for the greater part of the trial, I
do not know even now what It was all
about, For days many Important people
came and gave evidence about th ritual
practice, but I understood nothing of
what they said. I used to ask one of my
lawyers whether they were for or against
Momlol Rollls.
mc, and
this
was as much as I ever
know.
It was the story told by the Journalist,
Brasul Brouihkovsky, a Christian, which
aroused my keenest Interest and which
brought me almosV to a state of frenzy.
It was this story that gave me light on
so many things that I had not before
been ablo to understand.
Mr. BrousHkovsky sold that after the
murder ho, eji a Journalist, was closely
In touch with tho facts and tho names
of nil thaso supposed to be Implicated.
When he found that the enemies of
Jewry were maklhg use of the crime for
tho purpose of arousing the passions of
the mob frgatnst the Jews ho docldcd to
look for tho real murderer.
It did not take him long to find out
that it was impossible for ma to have
ljeen guilty. Hln first step, after having
seen all the police officials and the wit
nesses In the, Earlier Inquiry, was to make
himself thoroughly acquainted with per
sons who knew tho boy Yuschlnsky well.
He got acquainted with the boy's "mother
and step-father and got closoly la touch
with the criminals living In the district
where the crlmo was committed.
He visited tho place where the body
was dlsoovered and also the houses of
all those whom he thought might havo
been connected with the murder. As a
result of all his Inquiries his suspicions
fell on the woman Cheberlak and her as
sociates. 8lr months after tho murder new facts
came to light A neighbor of Cheber
lak's camo forward and declared that on
the night of the murder she heard some
terrible screams from a boy, which
lasted several minutes. After that there
w&b dead Silence,
Moreover, this woman said, neither
Cheberiak'a husband nor her children
were In their house that night. And, she
went on, curiously enough some dogs a
few days later dug up some rags soaked
In blood. Next morning those dogs were
found hanged.
This led to the previous careers of
Cheberlak and her friends being Investi
gated. This was not difficult. On the
Perhaps you own a number of things which have
lost their interest for you and which you would gladly
swap for other articles if you knew of someone with
whom you could strike a good bargain.
MuiKACro of Revolutionists hy Russian
Soldiers. Men ItalonRlng to tho "Rlnck
Hundred," the Antl-JewUh Organi
sation Described hy nellls, Are
Picked Out for Such Out
mrcs and Are Trusted
to Kill nt Many
lows as Ios-
, slhlo.
19th of March, 1011, the day before the
murder, the pollco had arrested a gang
of thieves with whom Cheberlak was
known to have been associated.
Mr. Ilroushkovsky was able to prove
that two or threo days before this there
had been a quarrel between Yuschlnsky
and the children of Cheberlak, and the
former threatened to tell the police about
the woman Cheberlak and the gang of
thieves. And, In Mr. Broushkovsky's
opinion, thero, was no doubt that this led
to TTe boy's murder by the gang, they
evidently being afraid of his talking.
Many believe, when Cheberialt's son lay
dying and begncd to make his confession,
It was the truth about the murder which
he wished to toll.
With all the facts that eventually camo
Into his possession, Mr. Braushkovsky
was ablo to reconstruct the scene of the
murder. He says thnt Yuschlnsky was
enticed to Choborlak's house, where tho
assassins, tho remaining members of the
gang, Ivan I.atlshov, Teter Slngaevsky
and Boris Boudzlnsky were awaiting hlra.
The boy was dragged to a small bed
room by tho men. Cheberlak and an
other woman kept watch. Youschlnsky
was gngged-lt must have been during this
tlmo that the screams were heard and
tortured. Slngnevsky held hi arms and
legs. Boudzlnsky, a butcher by trade,
inflicted the curious wounds on his tem
ples and nil over his body. Latlehov ob
tained tho rags, and with the utmost dare
Wiped away tho traces of blood.
Tho body wns drained of, 'the blood,
the skull was pierced and wrapped In a
carpet. At this moment the foul work
was Interrupted.
A knock was heard at the door. Che
berlak went to answer It A visitor stood
outside one oKcheberlak's friends had
called. Cheberlak naked the friend to
have somo ten in the kitchen
When she left the body was placed in a
bath, Noxt day, wrapped In a cloth, It
was placed In a stable, and a day later
burled in the cellar. That night the as
sassins loft for Moscow where they com
mitted another robbery, but were caught
and brought back to Kiev,
Loft alone the some ovenlng in the
houso, Cheberlak was overcome by the
thoughts of the crlmo. She went to the
same woman who had callod while the
murder waa In progress, and asked her
to spend the night with her In her house,
as she was haunted by "tho ghost of
the murdered boy,"' the murder now being
public property.
Together with another woman, they
went to Cheberiak's house, but they did
not remain all night. The former was so
wild in hor manner, and in such a
hysterical stole, that they feared to re
main and quickly left.
Next day, the members of the gang
who - had been arrested a week before
were released and went straight to Cheb
erlak. They told her that Yuschloaky
imi not. after all, the cans of their ar
rest. This statement seemed to make
Cheberlak mom agitated still. She left
the house and went to a small lodging
house until a day later th body was
removed to the brick works, whither It
was taken by n certain Vltka Brltl, and
was discovered by the police on March 11,
On the 21st the mother received an
anonymour letter signed "Christian," and
stamped Klev-Cherson. The letter was
dated March 20. It waa written as a
letter of sympathy t6 the unfortunaU
woman, and denounced the crime as a
ritual murder committed by Jew. And
here I, the strange" fact. Later, one of
the witnesses nt my trial received a let
ter from Cheberlak. written for her by
Mandtelevaky, one, of the gsng. Th
handwriting was that" of the letter re
ceived by Yuschlnsky1 mother on this
occasion
The sensation caused by BronshUovsky'a
story when irlatod In court can be Im
agined, I stood amazed as such a talt
of vllllany. Poor Mr. Btoushkovsky! Ho
also suffered on my account!
It seems that when I had been In
prison only a few months he laid thece
fnets before the prosecutor, Fenenko,
and the other authorities. But they re
fused to take notice of them or inves
tigate further. Since I have been re
lented he has been sentenced to twelve
months' Imprisonment on a charge of Itie
mnjeste. It appears that he omitted to
take off his hat while the national
anthem wss being nlaved. On nM
obviously trumped-up chsrge-trlod with
out a Jury-he was cbndemned for what
he did for me.
Mr. Krnsovsky, the ex-detecllve who
sided him, suffered also. First of all he
was dismissed from his post for not con
ducting the Inquiries on the antl-Semltlu
lines demanded by the authorities. The
proceedings were commenced against him
for spreading 'libels' when he published
the above disclosures, Moreover, many
newspapers were confiscated for stating
that my esse needed revision,
Bearing theso facts In mind, It Is easy
to Imagine what became of the evidence
of Slngnevsky, Boudzlnsky and Cheberlak
the witnesses as to fact against me - .
when my counsel began to quettlon them.
Tholr story toppled like a houte of cards.
I knew that If a fair vordlct wns given
I must be acquitted and my heavy bur
den seemed to fade Into the air.
All tho hopes that I had formed fell to
nothing while Prosecutor Wlpper was
making his address to the jury. I could
understand every word he said. Evidently
ne ma not mean to, speak above the heads
of the moujlks of the jury, men with lets
education than myself.
I wondered whether he could believe all
he was saying. Throughout, he did noth
ing but Insist thnt Jews used Chrtttlan
blood, snd ho even wept when he tald
this. He looked to me like a man acting
his part. He said scarcely a word about
the facts of the murder. Tho entire
speech was one long attack on my race.
If ho spoke of Yutohlntky, he spoke of
hln as a saint, and If he mentioned me
It waa always as "that murderer." Even
I could see that he had no facts to go
upon. Ho was trusting to a passionate
attnek upon me, and, my rce to obtain
my conviction. Unfortunately t could sea
that It was telling with the jjury.
I felt my doom was sealed. After this
there seemed nothing for t but a verdict
of guilty. "Surely." I thought, "th
Jurymen will not dare to go against hint."
But this was not all. Next day ha was
followed by Mr, Zftmltlovaky, who, I am
told, Is one of the Black Hundred, as
well s a member of the Duma. He spoke
just like Mr. Wlpper, but he was mora
violent still. v
I did not know how to keep still dur
ing his speech, I felt Ilka appealing to
the jury, men like myself, not to listen
to such lies. But I managed to keep
calm.
The finish of his speech made ra cry
with shame, as he sold':
"Jurymen, there is no other murderer
than Bellts. He is the man who dragged
the Unfortunate boy to his doomt "You
are. roil ButtlansI I leave It to you to
give a real Russian verdict"
I could not sit quite still under this. I
Jumped up and shouted)
"God strike me dead If I hare dens
this!"
Mendel Belli will conclude his story
next Sunday.
1
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