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NELSON, B.C, (CP) —
Thehopes of Canada's Or-
thadox Doukhobors were
realized Saturday when a
county court jury acquitted
their leader, John J. Verigin,
of three charges of con-

_ Bpiracy to commit arson.

A night’s sleep seemed to
help the jury. which had
begun its deliberations about
10:30 a.m, Friday but had to
adjourn that night . about
11:30 p.m. It took about an
hour Saturday morning
before they finally reached
their verdict.

Verigin, 58, originally
faced four counts but one
was stayed Wednesday
because an wunindicted co-
conspirator. had dis-

appeared,

Peter Astaforoff of Gilpin,
B.C., was convicted
Saturday on the two arson
conspiracy counts he faced
and William F, Evdokimoff
of the Nelson area was
acquitted on the one con-
spiracy charge against him.

A gasp of relief went up
from the 100 Doukhobors,
mostly Orthodox, crowded in
the tiny spectators’ gallery
as the jury sald it found
Verigin not guilty of each
count. Laura Verigin, his
wife of 26 years, and several

men and women in the denied the allegatlons when
audience began to weep he testified for two hours
‘Thuraday.

etly.

The crowd's silence ag the
jury's deelsions on
Astaforoff and Evdokimoff
were read was matched by
the lack of expression shown
by all three defendants.

Astaforoff, who defended
himself during the trial but

‘who did not question any

witnesses, will be
represented by a Vancouver
lawyer when he is sentenced
here Oct. 1

As the jury filed out after
being dismissed by Judge
David Campbell of Van-

‘couver, Verigin rose and

bowed to them.
“’'m grateful for Canadian
justice and the verdict of the

jury,” Verigin said in a brief .

statement outside court
while surrounded in a melee
of supporters and reporters.
He said his people have
serious problems ahead.
“We dedicate ourselves to
get to the bottom of this s0-
called conspiracy,” he added
ina reference to evidence by
several Sons of Freedom
Doukhobors that they con-
sider Verigin their leader
and that he ordered them to
burn various buildings.
-Verigin emphatically

All Doukhobors

said on trial too

BRILLIANT, B.C. (CP)
— All Orthodox Doukhobors
were being judged during hls
weeklon trial on charges of
conspiracy to commilt araca,
Orthodox leader John J.
Verigin sald Saturday af-
ternoon.

Verigin was acquitted
Saturday morning on three
charges of conspiracy to
commit arson — allegations
that had horrified members
of the Union of Splritual
Communities of Christ, of
which he is honorary
chairman.

“You felt you were on trial
as well,” be told about 800
happy members of the union
who had gathered here, “not
as a victory celebration" a
spokeaman said, “but to give
thanks.”

“To commit an act of
arson, burning, to commit an
act of forcin on another
(person) is ve a fe n
compatible with a true

bar," Ve said,

“Our people still hold to
the communal way cf life.
That is not to say we want to
destroy the free enterprise
syotem but if a way could be
found to share more
equitably. . that is what we
aspire to.”

Verigin also repeated a
eall to the provincial
government to establish a
comunittee “to deal with the
problem, ..to put and end to
terror and bombings and
arson.”

He said he “hopes the ex-
perience we have lived
through will open the eyes of
many sincere people to look
at the facts,"’ to get a proper
perspective of Orthodox
Doukhobors and not confuse
them with the violence of the
Sons of Freedom sect.

Freedomites, who draw
the Llon’s share of publicity,
preach the burning of

property ta dispose of
material goods and thus
achieve salvation, They also
frequently strip in public as
part of thelr protest, a
display which the Orthodox
members find extremely
disconcerting,

A third group is the
Reformed sect, made up
largely of former
Freedomites.

The Doukhobors first
came to Canada early this
century to flee persecution in
Russia.

“Assimilation (with
Canadian life In general) we
do not want because it means
the death of our culture and
heritage," Verigin thun-
dered to the applause of his
receptive audience, ‘‘We re-
fuse to die.”

“We will integrate with
each culture adding to the
beauty of this country.”

“Our main objective is an

end (to arson). We have been: -

the victims of this.”

We are alter to see that
these crimea are not com-
mitted. I believe there are
ways and means to do that in
a Christian way as provided
by the laws of the country.”

During the rally,. the
audience was segregated-
men and boys sitting on one
side of the hal) facing the
centre aiale, women end
girls all with kerchiefs over
their heads, on the other side
in the traditional manner of
a serious meeting or a
gathering to worship.

They sang hymns in
Russian, banding for ate
hymns y sang ore
Verigin's speech and sitting
for the ones later.

They sang without accom-
paniment but the sonorous

ony swelled like an
organ recital filling the
spartan eiling hall with
a deep, vibrating sound.

Presley admitted
being pill taker

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)
— A drugged Elvis Presley
once apologized to fellow
musicians for: using pills,
says a longtime backu
singer for the rock 'n’ ro

Gordon Stoker of The
Jordanalres quartet said

toured with Presley for 15
years and sang backup for
his recordings.

“Stoker said in an In-
tervieww during the
weekend that Presley said he
had not been in the mood to
sing. Presley then ac-
knowledged he had taken

’ pills to get high, Stoker aald.

“He put hisarms above hia
head and said, ‘I’m way
here’,” Stoker recalled.
“When he ai Ls
was the first time we knew it
(pill use) for sure. He had
never made mention of It

accused Dr. George
Nichopoulos of Memphis,
Presley's doctor, of in-
discrimina tely reserving
drugs for ey, singer
Jerry Lee Lewis and 14

Tha ation of Tilatelet.

Attorney Hugh Stanton of
Memphis, where. Presley
lived, entered the case
ureday, And on Friday,
olfictals at Baptist Hospital
in Memphis said they will
review Nichopoulos’s
practice at the hospital
during the last two years.

Presley died in 1077 at age
42. Shelby County Medical
Examiner Jerry Francisco
ruled later that Prealey died
of heart failure. He reaf-
firmed that ruling last week.

Stoker said Presley used
pills since-the late 1950s, but
did not appear to abuse them
until around 1970.

PRANK COST PLENTY

STOCKHOLM (CP) —
Thousands of canned school
lunches for export to Saudi
Arabla and worth about
$6,000, had to be destroyed

the producers, Bjuy of
Sweden, because of a prank

by two employees. The two |
filled several cans with peas,
one

malze and paprika ai

with detergent Instead of
date-and-nut muffins. A
spokesman for Bhuv said it
would have been im ble
to locate the cans that had

been tampered with, and the
entire shipment was
scrapped.

small radical religious sect
centred at Gilpin, just out-

side Grand Forks, who
preach burning of property
to dispose of material goods
and thereby tc achieve
salvation. Their bombings in
the 19508 and 1960s, repeated

The Sons of Freedom is a

hee

burnings of homes and other
buildings and frequent
public displays of nudity
have attracted much at-
tention much to the chagrin
of the larger, unoblrusive

Orthodox sect led by Verigin.
A third group, the
Reformed Doukhobors, led
by Stephan Sorckin, is made
up largely of reformed
, Freedomites and is centred

i

TERRACE-KITIMAT

daily herald |

SECOND SECTION

‘

_ BUSINESS DIRECTORY

rs ee

The Herold, Monday, September 17, 1979, Page 9

Doukhobors see leader acquited of charges

at Kreatova, B.C,, formerly
one of the main Freedomite
areas.

Verigin was charged with
conspiracy in connection
with fires at the home of
Sorokin, the old Grand Forks
post office and the com-
munity hall of the Union of
Spiritual Communities of
Christ (or Orthodox Doukho-
bors) in Grand Forks.

The trial featured
demonstrations and Russian
hymn-singing and frequent
displays: of nudity by the
Freedomites

The stripping led to the
arreat of 19 women and two

. men but no charges have

been Iald.
During the trial, Peler

Savinkoff, a Freedomite,
said Verigin had ordered
him to set fires under the
threat of a seven-generation
curse that he said he was
afraid to disobey.

He also said he considered
Verigin to be his leader.

Another witness agalnst
Verigin, Olga Hoodicoff,
testified that Verigin had
told her to burn the house of
Sorokin, who is her step-
father.

Verigin denied the
allegations when his turn
came to give evidence.

The Doukhobors came to
B.C. in the early years of this
century after fleeing
religious persecution in
Russia. ;

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