Winter in St. Petersburg in 1839 was with strong thaws. Sentinel Postnikov, a soldier of the Izmailovsky regiment, stood at the post. He heard that a man was in the wormwood and was crying out for help. The soldier did not dare to leave his post for a long time, because this was a terrible violation of the Charter and almost a crime. The soldier suffered for a long time, but in the end he decided and pulled out the drowning man. Then a sleigh in which an officer sat was passing by. The officer began to understand, and in the meantime, Postnikov quickly returned to his post. The officer, realizing what happened, delivered the rescued to the guard. The officer reported that he had saved the drowning man. The saved one could not say anything, because he had lost his memory from the experience, but really did not make out who was saving him. The case was reported to Lieutenant Colonel Svinin, an assiduous servant.

Svinin considered himself obligated to report to Chief Police Officer Kokoshkin. The case was widely publicized.

The officer posing as a rescuer was awarded the medal "for the salvation of the dead." Private Postnikov was ordered to carve two hundred rods before the formation. Punished Postnikov on the same greatcoat on which he was whipped was transferred to the regimental infirmary. Lt. Col. Svinin ordered the punished to be given a pound of sugar and a quarter pound of tea.

Postnikov replied: "I am very pleased, thank you for paternal grace." He was actually pleased, sitting for three days in a punishment cell, he expected much worse that he could be awarded a military court.