Statement

17 May 1936

Once again I ask representatives of the workers’ Krest’ianskaia Gazeta to urgently look into the criminal political case involving the heinous murder of the teacher Galina Mukhartova, about whom I told you in the letter you received on 26 April 1936. I received a reply from you on 29 April in which you reported to me that the case had been turned over for investigation. But three weeks have gone by already and we don’t know anything, while the enemies of Soviet power, like People’s Investigator Kozopoliansky and People’s Judge Vakatov and principal Barvin, are celebrating their heinous victory. They are cocksure that we ignorant kolkhoz farmers cannot get justice, and therefore they fearlessly commit Crimes. When we turned over their copy to the Kalinin Court, it was suitable, then afterward they realized the copy was not in order, and when mother traveled to the Kalinin Court on 28 April 1936, this copy could not be found at the court, and some completely different, fabricated testimony was there instead. The Copy said that Rudochenkov removed Mukhartova from the noose by himself, while the Kalinin papers had him along with Silanova removing Mukhartova. When mother heard all of this nonsense and said that these are all lies, and crying bitterly before the court, said that there is proof that her daughter was murdered in broad daylight on the job, but you can’t get justice, then the Kalinin Court refused to consider this case and left it in its previous form without taking any action. And so, workers’ and peasants’ government, everything is clear here. It is bad enough that the enemies botched the case in Rzhev, and they planted fake papers in Kalinin as well, and therefore I, Mukhartov, hand over to your justice these three fine fellows as traitors and enemies of Soviet power People’s Investigator Kozopoliansky, People’s Judge Vakatov and principal Barvin, and I ask the workers’ and Peasants’ government, as soon as you get this letter, to immediately remove these bandits from their jobs and severely punish them with a Proletarian court for the fact that these Bandits did not [sic] deliver their blows against the very heart of the revolution. . . .

Also Representatives of the workers’ Krest’ianskaia Gazeta here is a short biography of my life. I, citizen Stepan Mukhartov, am from a poor proletarian family, just like my dead sister Galina Mukhartova. I am forty years old. At the present time I am working as a trackwalker for the Yesipov Station one kilometer from my village. In 1919 on the front lines against Kolchak I was willing to give up my life for Soviet power and shed blood when I was wounded. After recovering I was in the revolt in Smolensk Gubernia and we performed our duty with honor there. Now, comrades of workers’ and Peasants’ power, when such a crime has been committed before my eyes and the Investigator and the people’s court botched and played down the whole case, I am outraged to the depth of my soul by these people’s behavior. These people, while enjoying the trust of Soviet rule, have openly embarked on the path of counterrevolution. They were cocksure that no kolkhoz farmer would dare to write about them what I, Mukhartov, wrote, because they have attacked a person with an open heart, who is ready to die for a just cause before the Proletarian court and Soviet rule in order to see the enemies found and punished. I am the undersigned Mukhartov, give me an answer, will you come or not.