River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-04-22
HARTMANN.
The Story He Tells OF The Moscow st.
tempt ON the Cars Life.
London standard.

following: 1t will be recollected that
after the release of Hartmann by the
French authorities he came to this
country. We have to-day received
| from Hartmann the following authentic
version of his attempt to take the Cars
life by blowing up the train on which
the Emperor was travelling to Moscow.
| He seems TO be medium-sized man of
| the better working class. His manner
| is somewhat reserved. He has devoted
| his life to the Russian revolutionary
or Nihilist cause, and had prior to the
| Moscow affair been concerned in many
Of the desperate deeds directed by his
party. He was once arrested and
| thrown into prison at Kieff, but the
revolutionists held his services to their
cause to be of such value that an extra
ordinary plan to effect his release was
concocted. A Russian officer went one
morning, with eight Nihilsts dressed
as soldiers to the prison where Hart
mann was confined. and, producing an
official document, told the Director,
Wladesti, that by Gen. Todleben's
orders the prisoner was TO be surrender
ed to him the plan succeeded, and in a
few minutes after emerging from the
prison Hartmann and the Russian
officer (who is now selfexiled) were
driving towards the frontier. Hartmann's
account of the Moscow attempted
regicide is as follows:
"Of course my real name is neither
| Hartmann nor Mayer, [ haye used
many aliases while carrying out our
plans. Ny true name, however. is by
no means unknown TO high Russian
officials and members of the Third
Section, and even TO Loris Mefikof After
conducting propaganda in different
parts Ct Russia last summer which led to
my arrest and escape from Kit fl Prison
| was detailed to carry out The Cars
execution. | have a practical knowl-
edge of military operations and the
force OF explosions, and i suppose it
was on that account | was selected to
conduct the attempt. Going to Mos
COW | hired small house few miles
outside the city, and situated within
some forty yards of the main line of
railway. The house was IN wretched
condition. | was dressed az q laborer,
kept quiet, and went about for some
time AS if attending to my place. At
ter satisfying myself that all suspicion
was averted, | set to work, aided by two
companions, one OF whom has long
been my colleague. The nearest house
was hardly visible, and in the evening,
while two stood on the watch, the third
undertook to dig little trench with
spade in the frozen ground. The trench
was dug but spade deep and wide, or
five inches by five inches. 1t ran from
the railway to the small clubhouse at
tached TO my dwelling. In the trench,
as we proceeded with it, four insulated
wires were laid, and every night as we
finished our work we filled the trench
that mad been cut, carefully removing
all traces of excavation. The trench
was dug along furrow in the open
field. The dynamite we made our
selves in the house, and put it into four
strong iron TASKS, each Of which held
little over an English pound. When
everything was nesrly completed, our
plan all but fell through, owing to the
failure of the Moscow electrician,
whose suspicion was aroused, to deliver
the batteries to fire the mine. My
comrades and myself were almost in
despair, when but few hours before
We had congratulated ourselves on the
completion of our task. The TASKS
containing the dynamite had been
safely wrapped up and laid i'll a deep
hole dug between the metals and be-
meath one of the wooden sleepers. My
resolve was soon taken. | sent my
comrades away to friendly peasant,
some twenty miles off in the south, and
set myself out to secure the batteries.
With some little difficulty persuaded
tue electrician to intrust them TO me,
and / at once returned and
passed the night alone in the
| solitary house on the steppe.
The wires / soon connected, aud all was
in readiness for the coming train. The
car, had been warned to expect,
would travel by the goods train, SO you
see / at least did not stupidity blunder
about the train. My explanation is
simple enough. We were kept thor
oaghly informed by official friends of
the ears movements. We received
warning that, pursuing his usual Gus
tom, he would leave the official train,
in which figure representing the car
would be seated at window of the sa-
loon-carriage, while the car himself,
expecting thus to escape all danger,
travelled disguised as railway servant.
A telegram told me all was right and
the car was coming, and as the train
passed fired the mine, hoping to see
the emperor blown to the winds. The
wreck of the train was blown away
from the house, but to my chagrin |
soon learned that the car, thinking
himself safe from danger, had changed
trains a feWJTniles off, so as to enter
| Moscow in state. | at once set Oft in q
sleigh and rejoined my friends. We
remained quietly within twenty miles
| of the scene for one week and then
travelled to Kherson, going thence to
friends at Odessa. Here we all shipped
for Turkey on board the Italian steam
er Florentina, / being III fact employed
as an engineer. From Constantlnople
we took passage for France by way OF
the Levant. On arriving in Paris |
went about with my friends. When
walking in the Champs Elysees, Feb.
IA, the mouchards, who had been fol-
lowing us, came up. Three of them
seized me and | was arrested. My
companions succeeded in knocking
their captors down and escaping, and
was taken to Maz3s. My friends went
to M. Cemenceau, who advised them
to employ Enelehart, municipal coun.
seller, which they did, and eventually
was conducted by m0uchdrd tor Calais
and put ON board the steamer for
Dover Although expelled from
Frarce no official paper was issued
MY friends waited in wine shop in
the Avenue Vincennes for my release,
and, without making themselves
known, accompanied me to London"
In response to several questions
Hartman said he espoused the Nihilist
cause because no means but force
could avail to secure some degree of
freedom for the toiling Russian mil
lions againss whom brute force was
used by q cruel, selfish car and his
myrmidons that they might revel in
the fruits of their labor. He held his
life light ifhe could further the proleta-
rians' cause. For himself, he despaired
of being of further use to his party in
Europe, and he meant to emigrate to
America in few days.
The Member for Midlothian.
New York World.
Mr.. Gladstones electoral experience
y l.. i