Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-02-28 | Page 2 | 21 Ex-Russian Leaders Face Doom in New Purge

21 Russian Ex Leaders S Face Doom in ill N New ew Purge Pur e MOSCOW Feb 28 AP The AP-The The two leading soviet newspapers and both edited at various times by Nikolai Buch- Buch arin indicated today that death awaited him and twenty others who are to go on trial Wednesday in the latest episode of Joseph Stalin's purge of enemies of his regime The stage was set for one of the most sensational of Russia's recent series of trials of fallen soviet lead lead- ers Treason and murder were the main charges The list of defendants defendants defendants defend defend- ants was larger than in any of the previous Moscow trials Pravda communist party organ said the accused would pay dearly for the lives of Maxim Gorky the famous writer Menz- Menz hinsky once head of the secret police police police po po- lice and Valerian V V. chief of the first year five-year plan The deaths of these three previously previously previously laid to natural causes were in part the basis of charges of a treason murder-treason plot on which the 21 will be tried before a military tribunal the government organ said nothing and nobody will save them Implying that Gorky had been poisoned used the metaphor The snakes snake's bite was fatal to the lion Davies ies Interested Joseph E E. Davies retiring United States ambassador to the soviet union was expected to follow the trial with unusual interest since one of the defendants N N. N. N Krestinsky former farmer assistant foreign commissar was the first soviet official to re re- re him when he took the Moscow post A former premier a famous former former former for for- mer editor three prominent physicians physicians physicians and five former cabinet members members members mem mem- bers were included in the group In addition to murder the accusations accusations accusations included Conspiring with foreign powers to dismember the soviet union plotting to assassinate Lenin and Stalin inspiring the as assassination assassination assassination as- as of Sergei Kiroff and putting putting putting put put- ting to death the writer Maxim Gorky and two others previously supposed to have died of natural causes Confessions Probable Although officials failed to make such an announcement it was assumed assumed assumed as as- that the defendants who allegedly allegedly allegedly al al- al- al were linked with the exiled Leon already had confessed their guilt Russian public trials have never been ordered without confessions beforehand In view of at the the- accusations which the government declares have been substantiated death before a firing squad was considered a matter of days for most if not all the de de- de- de Among the most prominent of the 21 were former Premier Alexis I I. who succeeded Lenin and held office for nearly two years