The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 17, 1925, Page 14

By L. LAYFULINA, NOTE—This episode is taken from real life. In 1919, in Orenburg the wife of the Commissary of Justice Bursiatzev, who was shot was also sentenced to death although she was a non-party woman. The only charge against her was: wife of the commissary of jus- tice. Her husband’s parents petitioned for mercy, pointing out that she was pregnant and that by sentencing her to death, a death sentence .was also passed on an unborn human being. The decision rested with the head of the army administration, General Du- toy, his decision in connection with this petition was: Sentence to be car ridd out after the birth of the child. . . . s § HE old woman’s face bore an ex- * pression eloquent either of hatred or of love. The wind was merciless in its force driving blinding dust into her eyes, and, as if mockingly played havoc with her new black Sunday skirt and with the ends of her shawl. She remained standing at the cor- ner,.her eyes fixed on a long building flanked by two sentry boxes and their despicable“ sentries. The street lay betwéén her and the house. But the old:'woman was not concerned with the traffic of this .street. People walked, drove, laughed, hurried, *talk- ed or were silent—she saw them as in a mist. YOUNG red-cheeked man in offi- cer’s uniform passed her. He looked at the old woman, his lips twitched as if in annoyance, he looked round and then approached her. The old woman was startled, and turned her inflamed eyes from the house. to- wards him. He asked awkwardly: “You are the mother of Commissar my HE old woman made a movement as tho roused from sleep. A smile of abject and painful supplication dis- torted™her face. Her eyes were like those of a dog begging a favor. She made one low obeisance after the other. “T am. his mother. yes, sir. Iam his mother. . TTP'HE officer avoided meeting the old woman’s eyes. It seems as if he could not meet her gaze. He recalled how three days ago this old woman and her husband had been to see him. She had thrown herself at his feet, and had wanted to kiss his officer’s boot. And the old man had stood with his head. bent and said imploringfy over and over again: “The only son sir, our only son, we are christians. We did every- yes, ” thing we could for him, educated him and even went without food to be able to do so,” HERE was a dull expression on the old. man’s face and he repeated the same words over and over again: “We did everything we could for him.” The officer thought then: “He seems to be worrying more about his sac- rifices than about his son.” The officer’ was counsel for the de- fense at the courtmartial, He had promised to do the best for their son just to get rid of them. He wast well- aware that they shoot without trial. “The sentence has already been car- ried out,” and yet the old woman is watching General Dutov’s house, what for? And then it struck him that the two old people were dressed in their Sunday clothes. This brought the following picture before his mind’s eye: These “chris- tian” people had put on their best clothes, not to offend the eye of the high and mighty, they had gone to the court, to the generals and colonels in their homes, to the Zemstvo (coun- try-estate),. the party committees, in fact every where where admittance could be gained. They humiliated themselves, they supplicated for their son. This last and fruitless humilia- tion filled the cup of, their life long humiliations, the officer had a sudden choking sensation in his throat. HE officer shook his head. He was brought up in an intellectual fam- ily: had heard much about humane- ness. This whole affair stirred hinr deeply and he was worried. “Why is she outside General Dutov’s house?” The old woman told him her- self, she said: “My son has left a wife, and she is too to be shot. they told me and my old man, Only think, sir, she is not yet nineteen .. . Mishenka was in his 25th year, and she is but nineteen. It is not her fault that he was a commissary. Just think of it—only 19 years old.” HE officer did not know what ts say. After a long pause, he said: “It is dreadfyl but what can you do, try to submit te it: she is the wife of your son, not your.daughter.” “For Christ’s sake, sir, do some- ihing for her. I have never seen her. Mishenka married her in town . It is not so much for her that I am asking mercy, but for the child. She is pregnant. She is soon to give birth to a child. Do not shoot her, let her live for her child.” UT you see. Laws must be observed. “Think of it sir, she is only 19% I have been told that she is non-party. She is with child, sir. + Misha’s child. . «+ She shed no tears, but her supplicant voice was like a sob. STATISTICAL BACKGROUND OF THE AGRARIAN QUESTION IN THE U. S. (Continued from page 1) —. Number of farmers’ automobiles, 110,- 600. Approximate number of farmers in each category of our classification would be (in round numbers): WOTROTG onc. ciscccsnsscsegecesien 260,000 Poor farmers .. «. 41,000 Middle farmers .. -- 94,000 Well-to-do farmers ......103,000 ...498,000 Conclusion. uF foregoing figures, which are in- deed only rough approximations of the social and economic stratification of the agrarian producers, are yet of great value as the approach to a &: » Total Totals by Divisions more exact estimate to be obtained when more information is av&ilable. At the same time they give a pic- ture, which for general purposes of estimating the fundamental forces in agriculture and their: direction of de- velopment, is entirely. sound as a working basis. Some of the more important aspects of this will be dis- cussgd in another article. For the purpdses of this second ar- ticle, we may sum up with a recapi- ulation of the figures by divisions, which give approximately the same numerical relations between the class- ification as that obtained in the first article dealing with agriculture as a whole. and Classifications, ‘ (In thousands—000 omitted.) Total Poor Middle Well-to-do Division Number Workers Farmers Farmers Farmers New England ... 99 35 57 65 Middle Atlantic . 235 70 104 251 BH. No. Central. 550 176 ~ 382: 526 W. No. Central... 590 130 369 én So.) Atlamtie s..ecsccocrrses+-2200 7 1020 625 280 296 E, So, Central. 6 ie = © I 507 260 290 W.3S0, Central. 4808 "810 508 285 285 Mountain ,.. Gat 29 * 108 111 Pacific 260 41 94 103 TOtal ...ccarorssorseresses — 4,499 2,121 1,879 a GENERAL DUTOV’S ACT OF MERCY The officer’s lips twitched, he frown- ed and asked: “But what do you want?” “I want to present a petition to Gen- eral Dutov, I was told that he can save her, altho sentence has been passed. They will not let me” see him. I have been waiting for him for three days.- If he comes out of his house I will throy myself at his feet. Yesterday he came out, but I was not quick enough, was afraid of the sol- diers. He went off somewhere: in his motor car. It is difficult to gain ad- raission to such people they are so well-guarded. . .” HE officer hesitated and then said: “You will not gain admittance to the general. Give me your petition, I will deliver it to him.” The old woman positively trembled with grate- ful excitement; she took a big sheet of paper from her bosom and gave it to the officer. I, IERHAPS the powerful and healthy cry—“I want to live,” had been stifled, for she could not hear its voice any longer. She had grown in- different; it seemed as tho she had lived and suffered 70 years, not 19. She could only feel the heavy burden she was carrying, and only thought ortured her: to’ lie down and be com- lortable. Yesterday, she was beside nerself, she had cried and s@bbed. They had given her General Dutov’s decision. In answer to her petition to let hér live for the sake of her child, the general had written: “Sentence to be carried out after the birth of the child.” She did not know any details, but the general had said: “like father, like son, but we are cultured people, and can allow the child to live.” HE did not know this,. but she knew something which did not trouble the general. A child whose mother suffered mental agony whilst earrying it, a child born in prison cannot. have a long lease on life. To- gether with -Dutov’s resolution she had received news that Michael’s father had had a stroke. fhe old wom- an is still alive, but how long can she last, after all this trouble? Who wants the child, why should it live? What does it all matter? She had no tender feelings, nor pity for the un- born child. General Dutov wished to preserve its life, but she will not be there. She will be shot, bit what of it? “Her only thought was to lie down somewhere comfortably. If she could only sleep, but sleep would not come. Suddenly she remembered a sentence in the letter which Michael ‘had writ- tten just before he died. “It pains me that you are still’a mere girl with no experience of life. which gives courage. You have not yet found your place in the world, and I have brought about your ruin. Will you find consolation in the thought that we are right...” Just now her mind is vacant, ruin seeins to be everywhere., All of a sudden a 1900 Panna ct Riana Tada Yt lt cA A A A Dn en RSS ES 25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ACADEMY OF MUSIC -:- FEODOR CHALIAPIN "=== TICKETS for this series of 3 Sunday night concerts NOW ON SALE ~~ at GIMBEL’S TICKET OFFICE, 9th and Market. ents fierce feeling of hatred takes posses- sion of her. Such as she are not for- given, They have made the child the executioner of the mother. As soon as it is born, she will be executed ... This thought electrified her. Her eyes began to take note of the dirty walls of the solitary ‘confinement cell, the, window with the iron grating, she heard the| heavy lagging foot steps in the passage. This is her last abode. As soon as she gives birth to the child, she will be killed. The child was stirring in her vomb. It was as if the unwilling executioner was knocking, was reminding her of his presence. She felt a choking sensation in her throat, but she could not cry. Sud- denly, an unexpected wave of tender- ness took possession of hér. “My child’. ..,our.child.., It will be born and someone will tell it how it had tormented its mother ' It will have only delayed the inevitable end, will have only prolonged her agony.” ND then a vain hope came to her. Perhaps they will come... Our people will come and will drive the others away .... But hope soon de- serted her again: “No, I will not live to see it, my hour is near, news from outside is bad.” She felt again the whole weight of the burden she was carrying. She threw herself face downwards on her bed. If she could, she would crush it so, that it could not move. It carries death with it. Why. doesn’t the end come at once? And She writhed in agony and fierce hatred: AMNATION . .. damnation .. - But whom was she cursing? She did not know, Probably she. was ” cursing both, the general and the child. Dutov’s act of mercy had robbed her of her last joy—the joy of motherhood. — { LAST LECTURE ON RUSS POETRY BY MAYAKOVSKY GIVEN TUESDAY, OCT. 20 Tickets for the second and fast lecture of the famous Russian poet Viadimir. Mayakovsky, are for sale at the office of the DAILY WORK- ER, 1113 W. Washington Bivd., the Workers’ House, 1902 W. Division St., the Freiheit office, 3118 Roose- . velt Rd., the Russian co-operative restaurants and by worker cor. respondents of the Novy Mir. The Walden Reak Shon 307 Plymouth Court (Between State and Dearborn Just South of Jackson) 1925 aan the SINGING SECTION of Frauen- ictankon Miter? stuetzungs-Verein “Fortschritt” Sunday; October 18, 1925, at 4 o’clock sharp at Northside Turner Hall, 820 N. Clark St. Tickets, in advance, 50 cents—at the door, 75 cents. Broad & Locust St. PHILADELPHIA “Violinist ‘America’s Foremost Pianist -