It is generally admitted here that the political outlook in Russia is, on the whole, better than it wan before the revolutionary movement began but the one black spot which cannot easily be explained away is the great increase in the number of executions. On the last day of June three were executed in Odessa and three in Ri on an average: in Russia, out as arulo for murder, tat for burglary or armed assault; these crimes being sometimes the outcome of revolutionary attempts'and sometimes the outcome of hunger. The disznst caused here almost universally by this policy of slaughter is extremely great, as. the Russians are opposed to the death penalty and quite unaccustomed to it Up to a few years ago executions were practically unknown in Russia; mnrderers—including parricides and multi-murderers—being sent for life to Saghalien and, until the outbreak of the revolution, the only execotions which old people here could remember were those of the men and women who assassinated Alexander LI in 1881, Exactly why Russians hold these humanitarian views it is not easy to ascertain, but the Greek religion may have something to do with it, as the modern Greeks manifest the rame intense hatred of executions, also as in Greece, the popular hatred of bloodshed on' the scaffold extends even to the public execationer 50 that in both countries only the most degraded criminals can be persuaded to act in that capacity in order to save their own lives, Meanwhile they are always in danger of being lynched by the mob or assassinated by the friends of their victims, so that they have to live in a jail or fortress practi cally as prisoners for The horror of the hangman's position here is shown by the fact that a few days ago the public executioner in Rieff went mad and tried to hura bim-self alive. He had been sentenced to penal servitude for life for a crime which had bad nothing to do with politics, had been induced to act as the public executioner, and had been provided with special quarters in a police station. After his first execution be rigi
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