Finally, in the early evening, his deputy minister of the interior, Trepov, telephoned his office, forwarding a message from General Kakhanov. The information it conveyed was, however, mistaken. Kakhanov stated that the squadron had surrounded the Potemkin that afternoon and that the mutinous sailors had lowered their battle flags, apparently surrendering without a shot being fired. The relief that Nicholas felt was tempered by a demand for vengeance. He wrote an order to Chukhnin directly onto the transcribed note: "After a most prompt investigation and court-martial, the execution of the sailors must be carried out in front of the whole squadron and the city of Odessa." Nicholas felt that the embarrassment and trouble the sailors had stirred up over the past few days warranted this public reckoning. In St. Petersburg, the Potemkin story had spread despite his censors. At a city concert hall, some workers had interrupted the performance and demanded a song be played in honor of the sailors.
