Two village robbers were condemned to death.  All the people of Semenovskaia and the surrounding communes were invited to the ceremony.  On July 6th, at midday, a great crowd of interested spectators arrived at the village of Loupia.  The organizers of the execution gave to each of the bystanders the opportunity of flogging the condemned to obtain from them supplementary confessions.  The number of blows was unlimited.  Then a vote of the spectators was taken as to the method of execution.  The majority was for hanging.  In order that the spectacle could be easily seen, the spectators were ranged in three ranks—­the first row sat down, the second rested on the knee, and the third stood up.[43]

The Bolshevik government created an All-Russian Extraordinary Commission, which in turn created Provincial and District Extraordinary Commissions.  These bodies—­the local not less than the national—­were empowered to make arrests and even decree and carry out capital sentences.  There was no appeal from their decisions; they were simply required to report afterward!  Only members of the Bolshevik party were immune from this terror.  Alminsky, a Bolshevist writer of note, felt called upon to protest against this hideous travesty of democratic justice, and wrote in Pravda: 

The absence of the necessary restraint makes one feel appalled at the “instruction” issued by the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission to “All Provincial Extraordinary Commissions,” which says:  “The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission is perfectly independent in its work, carrying out house searches, arrests, executions, of which it afterward reports to the Council of the People’s Commissaries and to the Central Executive Council.”  Further, the Provincial and District Extraordinary Commissions “are independent in their activities, and when called upon by the local Executive Council present a report of their work.”  In so far as house searches and arrests are concerned, a report made afterward may result in putting right irregularities committed owing to lack of restraint.  The same cannot be said of executions....  It can also be seen from the “instruction” that personal safety is to a certain extent guaranteed only to members of the government, of the Central Council, and of the local Executive Committees.  With the exception of these few persons all members of the local committees of the [Bolshevik] Party, of the Control Committees, and of the Executive Committee of the party may be shot at any time by the decision of any Extraordinary Commission of a small district town if they happen to be on its territory, and a report of that made afterward.[44]

VII