The Bolshevik soldiers then decided to gouge out the eyes of the five youths in punishment for their attempt to run away. Each of the victims was held by a couple of men in such a position as to allow the bloody torturers to do their frightful work. In all my experiences of horror this was the most horrible crime I witnessed.
One of the officers could not contain himself and shrieked:
“Murderers! Beasts! Kill me!”
He was struck with a bayonet, but only wounded. All the fifteen officers begged to be killed outright. But their request was refused.
“You must be taken before the Staff first,” was the answer. Soon they were led away.
The five martyrs were left to expire in agony where they were.
My heart was petrified. My blood congealed. I thought I was going mad, that in a second I should not be able to control myself and should jump out, inviting death or perhaps similar torture.
I finally gathered strength to turn round and crawl away, in the opposite direction, toward the woods. At a distance of several hundred feet from the forest it seemed to me safe to rise and run for it. But somebody noticed me from the mine.
“A spy!” went up in a chorus from several throats, and a number of soldiers set off after me, shooting as they ran.
Nearer and nearer the pursuers came. I raced faster than I ever did before in my life. Here, within another hundred feet or so, were the woods. There, I might still hope to hide. I prayed for strength to get there. Bullets whistled by me, but firing as they ran the men could not take aim.