“...The trial took place in 1927 in the city of Semipalatinsk, the capital of the wild steppe expanse. Witnesses walked hundreds of miles of their own free will. Crowds moved from the villages to look at the legendary “beast”. The Lunacharsky Theater could not accommodate all the people, and many witnesses waited outside to be summoned to court. Our whole country followed this process, newspapers published detailed transcripts of the speeches. At rallies, people demanded the most brutal execution for Annenkov - without trial or investigation. The prosecutor himself turned gray with horror while leading this trial...”