Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov was going to the Nizhny Fair when his journey began. He set out from his home in the Russian town of Vladimir to attend this fair, despite his wife's foreboding dream warning against the trip
. During the journey, he traveled with another merchant and stopped at an inn where they drank tea together before retiring separately for the night
. The next morning, Aksionov left early to avoid traveling in the heat and after about twenty-five miles, he stopped to have his horses fed
. Shortly after this stop, Aksionov was arrested under suspicion of murdering the other merchant and robbing him, a crime he did not commit
. Thus, his original destination was the Nizhny Fair.
