New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-14
THE GEAR ASSASSINATED.
Continued from First Page.

political and not criminal offences. Dur;
the Tho the .vs Gear s cT%
the great reforms of his reign. On the
morning the Socialist tinsmith was beheaded
OF Police, was stabbed to the heart
in st. Petersburg and one of his subordnates
was shot The Chief of Police Of. Kew was
at Riga there was conflict between the Nihists
and the gendarmes 4t the St. Peters Peters
were emeutes among the students, and at Odessa
the conviction of seven Nihlllsts, who had
fired upon the police, caused not The secret
police were unable to lay bare the Nihilsts plots.
REIGN OF TERROR
The anomalous condition OF society in Russia con-
tinued to excite the commisseration of the world
during the year 1870. On the night of March 81
notices were posted throughout st. Petersburg
warning the Gar that his life only spared on the
condition of his introducing reform measures On
April ii an attempt was made to execute the iudg-
ment of the Nihilists' Revolutionary Committee
Alexander Soloveff, a schOOlmastcr, met the
Gar near the Winter Palace aud fired
three shots without hitting him. The would
be assassin was seized after he had fired
at his pursuers and vainly attempted to poison him
self. This bold crime, coming soon after the at
tempt to shoot the Chief of Gendarmere in the open
street, threw the Government into panic. Ukase
was issued placing the six districts of s.. Peters
burc Kbarkoy Odessa Moscow, Kiev and Warsaw
under martial law, thus meeting The DaIbarism of
assassination with the baTbaTlSm OF military
despotism The centres of population were
T1d into was spsp;ced n Of onTay wa
doomed TO Siberia; every householder was treated
like prisoner and the press was forbidden to crll
else the conduct OF ofhclaS. or even 10 PUBLISH 1he
news of the day.
The area of disafection. however, widened, and
the immense number OF fires during the sl1ing ana
Ai1o tod hiatt bn exchanged
the dagger for the torch On the I'd OF December
they made attempt to blow up tine rail-
way train upon which the Gar was ap-
ever, had OGcrtaken and passed the baggage trdn,
and thus escaped the de eXS.pn Tbs
outrage occurred at the time the sovereign was
contemplating important reform measure
the cOnvOcation of body Of unofficial advisers
to assist him III the Government. These connexions
were not TO be invested with executive tunc-
tions but were to be chosen III part Dy the direct
This was an approach to National PaTa-
mentary system. Other reform schemes
were under consideration, but the brutal acts OF the
Nlhllists prevented any change IN the iron-DOund
system Of repression. At the close OF the year the
Nlbilists had concluded not TO waste then energy
10 striking down all who opposed them. This was
the only encouraging feature III the situation al that
time.
During the same year of 1879 Russia was engaged
in her conflict with the Ickke-luCCmanS. The
expedition was fitted out at a cost of o.OOOUOO
r0ubcs but WAS turned back after leaving ichIh-
islar. utterly dIsOrganlzei by the climate and He
enemy. The attempt on September To capture tie
1rkke stronghold at Dengh lcpc was an utter
failure The enemy rcpulScd every attack, ana
finally assumed the offensive with 50 uuch NlgOf as
to compel the Russians TO retreat during thr
night. OF the 80, 900 men who left the sea only
140O remained in line
During he SAme year the Weihaula district o. lie
Noga was afflicted with the plague, but The TdYa%eS
of the disease were confined to tLihly populated
TIE WINTER PALACE EXPLOSION,
On the l7th Of February, 1850, there was an ex-
plosion of dynamite underneath the Imperial dining
room of the Winter Palace in ST. Petersburg, result
ing in the death of twenty soldiers Of the Palace
Guard. The explosion occurred at the regular
dining hour, but the Gar and his guests. among
whom were the Duchess of EdinbGr-h and the
Prince of bulgaria. had been delayed. and thus
escaped. On the following day 100 persons.
supposed to he concerned in the plot.
were arrested. Among the number were 90
officers and 10 court officials Of all rank.
IbIs ncfaIiOus attempt to take the life OF the Car
led HIM 10 surrender for time his absolute powers
and 10 make the son of an Armenian merchant, Cen
eral Loris McikOh, virtually Military Dictator OF
all the Russlas. The Imperial ukase Of February
~ established a Supreme Executive Commission.
with General MehkOtl as ITS head. The other MEM
Der, were appoitcd by HIM, and the Commission
was invested with direct authority over
all political tTIhundIS ana INONlitlAl CIV
crnors, and was given authority to adopt any
measures it might deem expedcnt for the protection
of the Empire. Such surrender of authority as
this ukase implied unprecedented III modern
history Some new crime a. atrocious "a the Winter
Palace explosion was apprchcndcd Oh March ., the
twenty-Gfth anniversary Of the accession OF the
Car to the throne, and great precautions were
taken to insure his safety. The day passed with
no mshap, and was celebrated with great pomp
in St. Petersburg and with more or less dcmOnstrL-
ton III other parts of the Empire On the following
dav. however, a NihilIst, Maladyesky by name
ATTEMPTED to assassinate Count LOris Melik0i but
he was discovered before doing any harm.
The powers withswhclr General Melikof was in
vested were so wisely employed that the public
security was restored. and on the 22d Of August the
Commission was dissolved. General MellkO1 was
at once MADE Minister of the Interior, with auto
cratic powers. The object Of this appointment
the suppression Of the Outrages Of the Nihilsts
and the reorganization of the State Police. General
Melkoff had exclusive control over the domestic adj
ministration. Under his direction a great number
of arrests were made. These followed by sew
eral State trials. and some one person was made
responsible for nearly every one OF the mysterious
crimes which dciied for long time the vigilance
OF the police. General MtliEoh achieved signal
the authority of the Gar bnt he did not succeed
entirely in reforming the system OF arbitrary arrests
and police tyranny. This, perhaps not possible
or advisable under the existing circumstances. Tie
State trials were concluded ut St. Petersburg NOvem
Der 10, number OF Nihlllsts being condemned to
death.
THE DEATH OF TIE EMPRESS
Early last year the Empress Maria returned to st.
Petersburg from Italy, and on the Sd of June she
died after long illness. In October, four months
after the death Of the Empress the Car contracted
a norganatic marriage with the Princess Dolgorouki,
with whom lie had been on terms of intimacy since
1869. When his family heard of the contemplated
marriage efforts were made to prevent it, or at least
70 DELAY it until the year of mourning was at an
ond The Gar, however, insisted on executing