Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-06-29
THE CARS TERRORS.
Pale as a Sheet and Trembling, for
Fear of Assassination.

PaIe as a Sheet and trembling, 10r
Fear of Assassination.
N. Y. Herald Interview with Lord Lotus.
evil you be good enough to fa-
vor me with your views of the so~
called Nihilist movement, as it
seems to be little understood
here 2"
Il have known the imperial fami-
ly intimately, and 1 would prefer
not to express opinions, that might
be misunderstood. However, l will
say that the so-called Nihilist move
ment is very much exaggerated. 1t
is certainly misunderstood so far as
it regards dynasty. The Nihilist
party, if it be permissible to use
such a figure of speech, can al
most be counted on the fingers of
ones hand"
''Is the army loyal?"
$50 long as the emperor can de-
pend on his army he is master of
the situation. l doubt if the guards
are in any way tainted with the
feelings of disloyalty, but the case
may be different with the line regi-
ments. Those which have been
down in Turkey have had certain
amount of liberty, and they have
come back with feelings of discon-
tent"
"Who are the Nihilists 2"
"They are but an infnitesimal
part of the population. The peas
ants are not among them. These
latter are intensely loyal to the
emperor. The Nihilists are what
you may call the literati. They are
the writer's, students and other
classes possessed of a fair degree of
education. These people are OPP
posed to the present system of
government. There are also a
great many of all the other classes
who are dissatisfied with the present
system of bribery and corruption
which exists in the government.
While these persons are not Nihi-
lists they would not be sorry if
Nihilism would bring about change
of system. The Importance attach
ed 10 the Nihilists as a party is
very much exaggerated. What
gives rise to the party at all is the
system of corruption and specula-
ton that exists in all the branches
of the government, including the
army. The Nihilists are audacious.
They are vindictive, and will stop
at nothing, not even assassination.
There is dOuble~engine moving
first, that of terrorism second, that
of retribution.
"Some people talk of insurrection.
But that is impossible so long as
the army remains loyal. The Nj
hilists exercise system of terrorism,
and in that very fact they show
Cheir weakness. They hold TO Rus
sian affairs about the same attitude
that the Communists held to the
French empire. If they were
greater in numbers they would
doubtless act and make demonstra-
ton of strength. Not doing so, but
exercising a system of terrorism IL
stead, is a palpable exhibition of
weakness. Their purpose, on OPP
portunity, is secret assassination. "
"When / was at ODESSA" inter
posed Lord Lotus eldest son at
this point, "the troops were fairly
compelled to barricade themselves
to save the emperor from the rage
of the excited populace. 1 was
looking out of a window at the en-
peror as he passed. He was as pale
as sheet and trembled percepti-
bly,"
"And l." calculated the younger
son, "saw pretty much the same
condition of affairs in Moscow"
"And this is the same Emperor, y
! said Lord Augustus, resuming the
thread of his interrupted converse
ton, in musing manner, "whom
have often seen pass my house il
St. Petersburg, unattended and fol.
lowed only by his carriage. Now
it is as much as life is worth to ap
pear abroad. Personally, the EN-
peror is kind-hearted. He acts
however, under warm impulses ant
freouently under bad adYisement