Grave of Jooseppi Musto

Today I woke up before 5 am and decided again to go for a walk before hot temperatures. I did 9 km walk in the countryside roads and forest. This old grave is near my home at my home forest and beside the railway. Below is a historic background for this single grave in the forest.

Jooseppi Joosepinpoika Musto, born on January 1, 1884, was a Finnish tailor and laborer whose life intersected tragically with the upheaval of the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Known locally as “Juosi,” Musto became affiliated with the Red Guard, though his involvement was limited to minor duties such as standing watch at the Kansola bridge.

Prior to the war, Musto had endured a miscarriage of justice: he was imprisoned for two years for a homicide he did not commit. His release came only after the true perpetrator confessed on their deathbed.

In late April 1918, as White forces advanced and Red resistance collapsed, Jooseppi and his brother Antti were arrested. Despite their minimal participation in the conflict, they were detained and interrogated at Lauritsala Manor. Alongside a third, unidentified prisoner, they were transported toward the Laihia district of Lappeenranta.

At the Pontus excavation site, the prisoners were ordered to stand on the eastern slope. Realizing their fate, the brothers attempted to flee. Gunfire erupted—Jooseppi was struck and killed, while Antti managed to escape and remained hidden in the forests of Kansola for four months.

Jooseppi’s body, along with that of another executed prisoner, was left at the site. Later that day, a sawmill worker discovered the remains and, with a neighbor, buried them. According to local lore, Jooseppi appeared to his mother in a dream, assuring her the grave was acceptable if a priest would bless it. This blessing was carried out, and Jooseppi’s grave became one of the few individual burial sites for Red Guard members.

A memorial cross was erected, later enclosed with metal posts and chains. In 1931, during railway construction, engineers altered the track’s path to preserve the grave. Heavy stones were placed to reinforce the embankment near the site.