The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-06-26
The Nihilist Terror.

from fear of assassination. The extent to
which this dread exists may be.seen from the
following extract from St. Petersburg
letter Of the 9TH ulIimo
The Cars journey to his palace by the
summer sea-in the Crimea-was guarded
by more devices than the commander of an
army would take in pushing through hos
tile country. All along the line OF railway
to the Black sea troops we're formed eche-
Ion; guards and patrols of cavalry were
stationed every fifty feet guards with Or
ders to let no sort OF vehicle approach the
track on any pretence whatever. To guard
the night, heaps of fagots were placed along
the way at regular intervals. These were
saturated in turpentine and set in fame to
render ambush impossible. Many days were
required for those preparations, which ex-
hausted as much money as the getting mp
defense against invasion.
| For thirty-six hours before the departure
of the Imperial train from St. Petersburg all
traffic was suspended in order that no one
might see the measures prepared to protect
the Cars life. St. Petersburg saw the pre-
ventive measures taken in the city with con-
tempt and Indignation, while the hints OF
tie precautions along the railway line were
for time disbelieved. But they cannot be
longer doubted, as the Golos has briefly
noted the fact that extraordinary measures
were taken to guard the Emperor's precious
life. Yet If it were against the Nihilists all
these precautions would have been in vain,
since only the night before the Cars depar-
ture from the winter palace proclamation OF
the ''secret government" was found on the
inside of his very bedroom door, where his
own eyes were the first to fall upon it in the
morning before the Imperial chamberlains
could have chance.
1t is said that the son OF the first grand
chamberlain put it there, and the evidence
pointing to this is that this official has mex
plicably retired to his estates on the Dneip-
er. 1t would be inexact to say that public
opinion is much moved over these curious
and inexplicable things, for-thanks to Gen.
Gourko's insensibility to public opinion, no
general expression OF public opinion can
be carried on, for no one is allowed to talk
in the streets in groups OF more than two,
and in your houses the walls literally have
ears, and, what is worse, informing tongues,
whose wagging brings in golden harvest
if they wag in the Gourko symphony.
The list of the arrests during the fortnight
are only guessed at. No newspaper is per-
mitted to publish them. 1t is only vaguely
known that besides scores OF high military
officials, police officials, and even high court
officials, there are number Of ladies Of high
rank placed under close surve illance,an one
or two put in the prison of st. Peter and St.
Paul. The high government personages,
public, military and others, never appear in
the streets as of yore, They pass swiftly in
close covered vehicles, with cavalry guards
gathering along on each side. Business is
and has been at stand still-partly through
the affected terror of the officials and partly
through the virtual embargo which the ukase
puts upon the rights Of assembly, for whoev-
er entersa shop must give ountersign, to
indicate his business, his address, and what
not.
Meanwhile to show the Nihilists how q
strong hand can work without trembling,
Lieutenant Dabrovirve, who shot at gend-
arme at the time of his arrest for alleged
completely in the nihilistic assassinations,
was taken out on the glacis of the fortified :
lions the other morning and shot. The
precautions taken to carry out the eXecu-
ton do not indicate the contempt for the
for the strength of the nihilist forces nor
the extent of its influence which the dec
larations of the junto would lead the world
to suppose.
To show the ruling forces how ineffica-
cious their measures, General Drenteln, the
chief of the infamous 'sThird section,'' was
given loud hint the other evening. He was
holding an ssiron-clad'; reception that is to
say, all access to the palace-both by win
| dows and doors-guarded by double lines of
soldiery and police inside. During the even.
ing, the general, who has become very acute
since he so barely escaped taking Oft, no.
ticed uniform, some of the ornamentation
of which surprised him. Half in curiosity,
half in suspicion, he approached the person
bearing it and asked him to what regiment
he belonged, his name and his papers. The
stranger calmly put his hand in his breast
pocket, but the general, remembering the
significance Of thir gesture, arrested the
strangers arm, and, as he was surrounded
by policemen in disguise, the officer was ir
an instant pinioned.
Not minute. too soon, for instead ct the
papers he was supposed to be getting in his
bosom, he had his hand on the butt OF Pis-
toll, and in minute, had it mot been for hi
guardians, Count Dreuteln would have beer
murdered in his own parlor in the sight O.
his family. He received a note th'
next morning to the effect that the business
had been entrusted to clumsy and inexpe
rienced hand, and that if he would have pa
thence his time would como
. If you are venturesome enough to leav
| your house and pass toward the militar.
barracks the sight that meets you will Civ
: YOU the impression OF besieged city NOR
than the capital of country at peace witt
+ the whole world. In all the arsenais tn
8 ammunition and arms seized from famllie
not authorized to have arms in their posses
sion are piling up hour by hour. The SO
e diery are constantly on guard, at least thos
e who are not packing these accumulatin
heaps of ammunition.
= At night the great lines OF the city pull
i. lie streets lie in sombre silence. Hardly
e football after dark. The troops are on patro
:, the great fortress on the Neva that guar(
the outer line OF the city is put in state I
: war. The outer gates are closed at 8, and
i one caa enter the city on any pretext wha
:; ever. All this, to suppress mere s'han'
= full Of dissatisfied conspirators ~ These col
spirators have not apparently lost their hea
fer the embassies of all the nations repre-
y sented in Russia have received s'officiaP' M
=, tice from the ''secret government of the Ru
# sian people, that hereafter they-the au
1T bassadors-wil be informed Officially
y all ssexecutions ordered and carried out b
y, ~ the revolutionary committee 1t is the san
es old tragedy-old as human wrong-huma
10 ,,a,,ur,t;on ,o;soovarnment and TYRANNY