Resurrection - Leo Nikoleyevich Tolstoy (interesting novels in english .TXT) 📗
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Kartinkin, with a key given her by the said Smelkoff. In the
portmanteau opened by the said Maslova, the said Botchkova and
Kartinkin saw packets of 100-rouble bank-notes.
3. On the said Smelkoff’s return to the lodging-house Mauritania,
together with Lubka, the latter, in accordance with the attendant
Kartinkin’s advice, gave the said Smelkoff some white powder
given to her by the said Kartinkin, dissolved in brandy.
4. The next morning the said Lubka (alias Katerina Maslova) sold
to her mistress, the witness Kitaeva, a brothel-keeper, a diamond
ring given to her, as she alleged, by the said Smelkoff.
5. The housemaid of the lodging-house Mauritania, Euphemia
Botchkova, placed to her account in the local Commercial Bank
1,800 roubles. The postmortem examination of the body of the said
Smelkoff and the chemical analysis of his intestines proved
beyond doubt the presence of poison in the organism, so that
there is reason to believe that the said Smelkoff’s death was
caused by poisoning.
When cross-examined, the accused, Maslova, Botchkova, and
Kartinkin, pleaded not guilty, deposing—Maslova, that she had
really been sent by Smelkoff from the brothel, where she “works,”
as she expresses it, to the lodging-house Mauritania to get the
merchant some money, and that, having unlocked the portmanteau
with a key given her by the merchant, she took out 40 roubles, as
she was told to do, and that she had taken nothing more; that
Botchkova and Kartinkin, in whose presence she unlocked and
locked the portmanteau, could testify to the truth of the
statement.
She gave this further evidence—that when she came to the
lodging-house for the second time she did, at the instigation of
Simeon Kartinkin, give Smelkoff sonic kind of powder, which she
thought was a narcotic, in a glass of brandy, hoping he would
fall asleep and that she would be able to get away from him; and
that Smelkoff, having beaten her, himself gave her the ring when
she cried and threatened to go away.
The accused, Euphemia Botchkova, stated that she knew nothing
about the missing money, that she had not even gone into
Smelkoff’s room, but that Lubka had been busy there all by
herself; that if anything had been stolen, it must have been done
by Lubka when she came with the merchant’s key to get his money.
At this point Maslova gave a start, opened her mouth, and looked
at Botchkova. “When,” continued the secretary, “the receipt for
1,800 roubles from the bank was shown to Botchkova, and she was
asked where she had obtained the money, she said that it was her
own earnings for 12 years, and those of Simeon, whom she was
going to marry. The accused Simeon Kartinkin, when first
examined, confessed that he and Botchkova, at the instigation of
Maslova, who had come with the key from the brothel, had stolen
the money and divided it equally among themselves and Maslova.”
Here Maslova again started, half-rose from her seat, and,
blushing scarlet, began to say something, but was stopped by the
usher. “At last,” the secretary continued, reading, “Kartinkin
confessed also that he had supplied the powders in order to get
Smelkoff to sleep. When examined the second time he denied having
had anything to do with the stealing of the money or giving
Maslova the powders, accusing her of having done it alone.”
Concerning the money placed in the bank by Botchkova, he said the
same as she, that is, that the money was given to them both by
the lodgers in tips during 12 years’ service.
The indictment concluded as follows:
In consequence of the foregoing, the peasant of the village
Borki, Simeon Kartinkin, 33 years of age, the meschanka Euphemia
Botchkova, 43 years of age, and the meschanka Katerina Maslova,
27 years of age, are accused of having on the 17th day of
January, 188—, jointly stolen from the said merchant, Smelkoff,
a ring and money, to the value of 2,500 roubles, and of having
given the said merchant, Smelkoff, poison to drink, with intent
of depriving him of life, and thereby causing his death. This
crime is provided for in clause 1,455 of the Penal Code,
paragraphs 4 and 5.
CHAPTER XI.
THE TRIAL—MASLOVA CROSS-EXAMINED.
When the reading of the indictment was over, the president, after
having consulted the members, turned to Kartinkin, with an
expression that plainly said: Now we shall find out the whole
truth down to the minutest detail.
“Peasant Simeon Kartinkin,” he said, stooping to the left.
Simeon Kartinkin got up, stretched his arms down his sides, and
leaning forward with his whole body, continued moving his cheeks
inaudibly.
“You are accused of having on the 17th January, 188—, together
with Euphemia Botchkova and Katerina Maslova, stolen money from a
portmanteau belonging to the merchant Smelkoff, and then, having
procured some arsenic, persuaded Katerina Maslova to give it to
the merchant Smelkoff in a glass of brandy, which was the cause
of Smelkoff’s death. Do you plead guilty?” said the president,
stooping to the right.
“Not nohow, because our business is to attend on the lodgers,
and—”
“You’ll tell us that afterwards. Do you plead guilty?”
“Oh, no, sir. I only,—”
“You’ll tell us that afterwards. Do you plead guilty?” quietly
and firmly asked the president.
“Can’t do such a thing, because that—”
The usher again rushed up to Simeon Kartinkin, and stopped him
in a tragic whisper.
The president moved the hand with which he held the paper and
placed the elbow in a different position with an air that said:
“This is finished,” and turned to Euphemia Botchkova.
“Euphemia Botchkova, you are accused of having, on the 17th of
January, 188-, in the lodging-house Mauritania, together with
Simeon Kartinkin and Katerina Maslova, stolen some money and a
ring out of the merchant Smelkoff’s portmanteau, and having
shared the money among yourselves, given poison to the merchant
Smelkoff, thereby causing his death. Do you plead guilty?”
“I am not guilty of anything,” boldly and firmly replied the
prisoner. “I never went near the room, but when this baggage went
in she did the whole business.”
“You will say all this afterwards,” the president again said,
quietly and firmly. “So you do not plead guilty?”
“I did not take the money nor give the drink, nor go into the
room. Had I gone in I should have kicked her out.”
“So you do not plead guilty?”
“Never.”
“Very well.”
“Katerina Maslova,” the president began, turning to the third
prisoner, “you are accused of having come from the brothel with
the key of the merchant Smelkoff’s portmanteau, money, and a
ring.” He said all this like a lesson learned by heart, leaning
towards the member on his left, who was whispering into his car
that a bottle mentioned in the list of the material evidence was
missing. “Of having stolen out of the portmanteau money and a
ring,” he repeated, “and shared it. Then, returning to the
lodging house Mauritania with Smelkoff, of giving him poison in
his drink, and thereby causing his death. Do you plead guilty?”
“I am not guilty of anything,” she began rapidly. “As I said
before I say again, I did not take it—I did not take it; I did
not take anything, and the ring he gave me himself.”
“You do not plead guilty of having stolen 2,500 roubles?” asked
the president.
“I’ve said I took nothing but the 40 roubles.”
“Well, and do you plead guilty of having given the merchant
Smelkoff a powder in his drink?”
“Yes, that I did. Only I believed what they told me, that they
were sleeping powders, and that no harm could come of them. I
never thought, and never wished… God is my witness; I say, I
never meant this,” she said.
“So you do not plead guilty of having stolen the money and the
ring from the merchant Smelkoff, but confess that you gave him
the powder?” said the president.
“Well, yes, I do confess this, but I thought they were sleeping
powders. I only gave them to make him sleep; I never meant and
never thought of worse.”
“Very well,” said the president, evidently satisfied with the
results gained. “Now tell us how it all happened,” and he leaned
back in his chair and put his folded hands on the table. “Tell us
all about it. A free and full confession will be to your
advantage.”
Maslova continued to look at the president in silence, and
blushing.
“Tell us how it happened.”
“How it happened?” Maslova suddenly began, speaking quickly. “I
came to the lodging-house, and was shown into the room. He was
there, already very drunk.” She pronounced the word he with a
look of horror in her wide-open eyes. “I wished to go away, but
he would not let me.” She stopped, as if having lost the thread,
or remembered some thing else.
“Well, and then?”
“Well, what then? I remained a bit, and went home again.”
At this moment the public prosecutor raised himself a little,
leaning on one elbow in an awkward manner.
“You would like to put a question?” said the president, and
having received an answer in the affirmative, he made a gesture
inviting the public prosecutor to speak.
“I want to ask, was the prisoner previously acquainted with
Simeon Kartinkin?” said the public prosecutor, without looking at
Maslova, and, having put the question, he compressed his lips and
frowned.
The president repeated the question. Maslova stared at the public
prosecutor, with a frightened look.
“With Simeon? Yes,” she said.
“I should like to know what the prisoner’s acquaintance with
Kartinkin consisted in. Did they meet often?”
“Consisted in? … He invited me for the lodgers; it was not
an acquaintance at all,” answered Maslova, anxiously moving her
eyes from the president to the public prosecutor and back to the
president.
“I should like to know why Kartinkin invited only Maslova, and
none of the other girls, for the lodgers?” said the public
prosecutor, with half-closed eyes and a cunning, Mephistophelian
smile.
“I don’t know. How should I know?” said Maslova, casting a
frightened look round, and fixing her eyes for a moment on
Nekhludoff. “He asked whom he liked.”
“Is it possible that she has recognised me?” thought Nekhludoff,
and the blood rushed to his face. But Maslova turned away without
distinguishing him from the others, and again fixed her eyes
anxiously on the public prosecutor.
“So the prisoner denies having had any intimate relations with
Kartinkin? Very well, I have no more questions to ask.”
And the public prosecutor took his elbow off the desk, and began
writing something. He was not really noting anything down, but
only going over the letters of his notes with a pen, having seen
the procureur and leading advocates, after putting a clever
question, make a note, with which, later on, to annihilate their
adversaries.
The president did not continue at once, because he was consulting
the member with the spectacles, whether he was agreed that the
questions (which had all been prepared be forehand and written
out) should be put.
“Well! What happened next?” he then went on.
“I came home,” looking a little more boldly only at the
president, “and went to bed. Hardly had I fallen asleep when one
of our girls, Bertha, woke me. ‘Go, your merchant has come
again!’ He”—she again uttered the word he with evident horror—
“he kept treating our girls, and then wanted to send for more
wine, but his money was all gone, and he sent me to his lodgings
and told me where the
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