For 300 years, society has become much more humane. But - not more trusting to the victims of an incomprehensible force.
The large number of identical "childhood" stories cited by us does not convince materialists, the two thousand-year history of the church with the devil's obsessions and the temptations of the Saints is nothing for them: a miracle has not happened to them personally, which means that it cannot happen at all.
Finally, my difficult investigation about the poltergeist in Marax came out, and the reaction of society can be reduced to the question: "Today is not April 1st?"
“There was nothing there, but people came up with three boxes?”, Colleagues ask.
"Yeah, but in the 80s the newspaper went to the BAM without stopping to such a thing …", - the most benevolent are speaking …
The large number of identical "childhood" stories cited by us does not convince materialists, the two thousand-year history of the church with the devil's obsessions and the temptations of the Saints is nothing for them: a miracle has not happened to them personally, which means that it cannot happen at all.
Especially for non-believers Thomas, I will retell a story published in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, which is a presentation of court documents of the 18th century (I am amused that skeptics will believe the classics of Russian journalism).
On August 26, 1737, the Tomsk boyar son, respected man Alexei Meshcherinov, appeared in the Tomsk provincial office, that is, the mayor's reception office, and brought with him his 12-year-old courtyard girl Irina Ivanova, a Kalmyk woman. He stated that Irina was spoiled for the fourth year: in her womb she has a devilish obsession that “speaks clearly out loud in human language”.
Promotional video:
The governor's name was Stepan Ugryumov, he ordered podyachy Komarov to interrogate the girl in front of witnesses, who happened here a lot: the boyar children of Stepanovs were visiting from Krasnoyarsk to Tobolsk, the cathedral priest came to serve the akathist …
Podyachiy "asked the devil":
- Who are you?
He answered in a childish, googly voice (remember the poltergeist "Alyosha". - US)
- The crafty one, planted in Irina's womb in the soup (such soup, cabbage soup) by Vasilisa Lomakova, who is the fourth year.
Irina's face remained motionless, her mouth closed.
Everyone was stunned, they sent for the serf girl Vasilisa and found out: once Irina asked Vasilisa to eat, she put a bowl of cabbage soup and said: "Crack, the devil is with you."
This turned out to be enough for the evil force.
The girl was sent to the Tomsk maiden monastery under arrest in the abbess's cell, a Cossack sentry was assigned to her, and a report on the emergency was sent by courier to Tobolsk, to the Siberian Chancellery.
On September 1, that is, five days later, the foot guard Cossack Translators marched to the voivode and said that the other day he was standing at the cell, the devil from Irina's womb was pouring swearing words at him, and then Abbess Dominika Vlasyeva appeared, Irina lay down on the bench, writhing, smoke came out of her mouth, the devil, in a googly voice, said goodbye to everyone and to the abbess: “Mother, forgive me,” he asked to open the doors, mucus flowed from the girl’s mouth … it came out like a wet crow,”and, they say, the devil is no longer in the womb.
They sent it to Tobolsk again, what news!
From there he was sent to St. Petersburg, the case was examined in the Secret Chancellery. Gathered a meeting of the Senate (no kidding!).
And they prescribed: the girl Irina, her owner Meshcherinov, the abbot of the monastery Raphael, who led the interrogation of the driver Komarov, the mother of Irina the serf Marina, incidental transit witnesses of the Stepanovs boyar children, the guard Cossack, the abbess, the cell attendants, in a word, everyone, everyone, everyone - to take Tobolsk.
And torture on a rack.
Irina was pulled up. The first time she answered, as before: spoiled cabbage soup, the devil spoke.
In the second, there was a grumbling in my stomach, but there was no devil in sight.
All the others testified that in fact they had not heard anything, the voivode made them sign a message about the miracle by force, the guard Cossack did not see the smoke from Irina, but passed on the story of the abbess, etc.
But what about the governor Ugryumov, he also signed the protocol of interrogation of the devil in Irina? Such a big man couldn't be wrong?
Once again Irina on the rack. What a surprise: the girl admitted that she herself was imperceptibly responsible for the devil, with her tongue, and she herself cursed the Cossack with foul language.
And only Abbess Dominika Vlasyeva, 72 years old, did not back down, and showed how it used to be: a gooey voice - she heard, saw how the governor Ugryumov came to Irina's monastery and conducted conversations with the devil on topics about which the girl could not have an idea. I didn't see a wet crow. What a parallel with the behavior of the Kolpashevo priest.
Then all the participants in the trial were in prison for a year, while the post carriage rode to St. Petersburg: we have long distances in Russia! On March 15, 1739, the verdict came:
The Kalmyk girl Irina has to tear her nostrils out and forever be sent to prison on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
To whip her owner, Alexei Meshcherinov, mercilessly and send him to a distant Siberian city, whip Irina's mother, take a fine of 300 rubles from the governor Ugryumov … Well, and the rest: fine and beat. For falsely reporting a devilish obsession. To exile Abbess Dominica to the monastery.
Moral of the story?
The complete identity of what happened in Tomsk in 1737 and in Marax of the Tomsk region in 2018 showed that Russian society regularly paints eggs and stands with candles for Easter, but still ferociously and obstinately does not accept anything that does not fit into the material picture of the world.
Be there at least twenty official witnesses: the rack (crossed out) administrative resource will shut everyone's mouths.
But humanity has grown tremendously over the course of almost 300 years. The 12-year-old girl Irina, whose nostrils were torn out of her guilt - someone was talking next to her.
A 14-year-old boy Igor Yakovlev was told: "Be quiet, you fool, you will go to the orphanage."
And then, changes for the better.
ULYANA SKOYBEDA
