Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-03-19

| originated in his mind independently of any
lnstigation. and that he would yield the execu-
decide to adjourn OF forego it, he would t seps-
rate himself from them and act On his own re-
| sponsioility. at was his idee me" said KvIa-
tkovsky, when questioned on the subject.
Nothing now remained but to settle questions
OF preliminaries and details, OF which the
| , most urgent was to give secret warn
| ing 10 1.-THE Illegal parties"-as they are ex-
| pressly named from the fact of their living
illegally under assumed names and with false
papers-to leave the city at once, so as to in
SoIse as few persons as possible In the coming
tsted attempt was committed by Solovion On
tne I4tn ~ OF April; that he failed, and paid
lor ms fanatlcism with his life.
but py far the most thrilling pages In Gold
ehoerg S narrative are those In which he de-
| scribes, with the ufe-llke vivfdness of an eve
Mitness inc mining OF the railway track on the
plos1on OF the 1st OF December, O9 OF Now
AT the convention held by the leaders OF the
socla SOFA party az Ltpetsk, In the preceding
June, and whose dolngs and resolution deserve
a separate paragraph, the regicide question
had oeen amply discussed II was settled ln
the ailrmittve, Whether only Theoretically
nnu coe ad or In definite form, as TO
of no material importance. Enough
that very soon after the convention SEP
members WITH dorseo m sfabpoPrp p2@iaea O.
purpose and an almost Incredible reckIessness
of danger and detection, set 10 work 70 carry
a
final, and, as they confidently Imagined. I'M
erring coup. The revolver was discarded for a
surer and even more deadly agent-dyR lm,te
A sufficient quantity-three p0uds, about one
utactured In st. Petersburg, and sent off to
Moscow under the care OF two passengers, who
suspecting that the box labeled cookery
contained anything else, and On arriving In
MOSCOW left It, as directed, In the luggage
room room tn called for by the person to whom
rnI
check. Three pouds more were taken to Khar-
koH oy Two OF the conspirators, who carried It
simply In their trunk. This trunk they kept
veEed first to the lodgings OF student, ana
lastly to those of lady friend. botn OF whom
belonged to 1.-THE party" yet were not In
formed OF the contents OF the trunk part OF
Which was afterwards carried as ignorantly by
third person TO odessa and there safely re-
cefVed. That no accident should ever have
happened In all these peregrInation5 seems
almost miraculous. But the manufacturing and
transporting OF dynamite was the least part of
the undertaking. Much the most Gifflcult task
was me long and wearisone mining process.
the difficulty being greatly increased by the
inexperience OF the laborers the scarcity and
1mpeIIectfon OF the tools and the necessity of
submitting to countless discomforts In order to
indispensable to avoid a detection ALWAYS Inn.
mtnent at the best. Nor would 1t have been
possible to achieve even the preliminaries
without the assistance OF the female 8ssociatps
an assistance which was rendered with
unremitting cheerfulness, unflagging presence
OF mind and absolute self-devotion. Golden
beIg shared for time the exciting life and
labors Of his Moscow friends. And If. as is
often aVerred, some OF them had been drawn
into the current of sedition and conspiracy
mainly by certain adventurous RESTLESS
ness OF spirit, craving for release from
the tame routine OF modern life, surely they
must have been amply satisfied. Such a
state OF constant alarm, perpetual watchful-
ness; hair-breadth escapes, familiarity with ]
peril even 10 the bunting OF the keen edged
sense OF danger, is just what we look for In One
OF Coopers Indian stories or a highland tale,
modern. orderly, civilized community
thoroughly and cunn1ngly had the enter
prise been devised to the smallest details A
house situated in close vicinity to The track
had been purchased under the name OF one of
The OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF course,-Who
settled In 1t with one OF the young women who
shared the secret and gave herself out as bis
Wife, and few companions, male and female.
Several more took possession of furnished lody-
ings hired in the city itself by another SUCH
fictitious couple, and used to come over for the
permanently SO many inmates Besides it was
deemed advisable not to affront the Won
6eo vne6 Wapu IL pb sEag bes neghSo
narrow quarters. The city-lodglngs, more |
over were to facilitate communications, aud
In case OF need. to favor concealment and
flight. The direction Of the work was entrusted |
to the nominal owner of the house, known |
under the nickname Of 1.-The Alchemtst." A
suDterranean gallery had to be conducted TO
the track, passing under the embankment.
one or more openings were to be bored through |
the track itself, and iron pipes containing dyGa-
mite were to be inserted into the holes. The |
distance was somewhat longer and the labor |
SIDES and roof OF the galley, dug In
the soft earth by hand and shovel, were
prevented from falling In by boards, |
which were placed tliangularly tentwise,-a |
niece work which
comfortable twist Of the body, since In no place
was there sufficient height 10 stand up. The |
whole stock Of tools consisted OF two shoVels |
ard SORT of scoop, like that used OF grocer5.
to smooth the sides OF the gallery before placing
the boards; the auger or bOrer and the pipes |
lay In readiness. They had been ordered in
OF tier destination. The former was after |
ward sent TO ST. Petersburg, where it turned up |
In the secret printing Office, and served as one
OF the most convincing items or evidence. The |
rails,-an ingenious contrivance OF 'the |
der the hatch or shaft cut ia one OF |
the rooms on the ground floor and raised By |
means OF ropes, worked from above by species |
OF roughly constructed wlnd-lass. The greatest |
difficulty was how to dispose OF the earth and |
rubbish At first Ii was spread out and smoothly |
trodden down in the yard; then they began to |
FIJI the cellar with 1t, and lastly, took 10 shovel
ling IL Into the laraer On the ground floor which
at one time was crammed SO tightly that the |
walls gave way and boards began to fail out OF |
them, Difficulties increased as the work ad- |
vanced. wooden post on which they Stun |
bled gave them very much trouble Stones |
greatly DISTRACTED their advance as they neared
the embankment. In one place water ooZed |
through the top OF the vault and threatened an |
inuL dation, SO That 1t had to be pumped out: and
once the work was interrupted for Two days. |
Lastly, and in spite or ventilation pipes laid |
Ia every convenient place, the air grew more |
and more oppressive and scarce not TO mention |
the danger OF being buried under eTumbing /
masses OF earth-e danger which became so |
great that "Jhe Alchemlsl" always carried pol |
son about him. TO ensure himself a prompt and |
painless death, should the expected catastrophe |
really come TO pass. The fatigue the hardship, |
and the suffering must have been terrible TO |
men for the most part unused to manual LABOR |
Yet this seditious household seems to have been !
by no means gloomy one. Its members were |
united; the self imposed duties were discharged |
with enthusiastic emulation. Only one proved |
''a Wretched workman, and so lazy that he was |
discarded," another as In bad health, and for
that reason was sent of On some easier GRAND,
not without taking with him small stone from
the gallery 'as keepsake" One OF he youngest
members though miSerably Ill all the while,
and probably consumptive. was the most Jude
fatigable laborer OF all. His deep conviction
Of working for the good OF bis country sup
ported him through hardship and pain. But,
even aside from the ultimate object, the we'll
known benefcent eXhilarating power OF ocor6,
the actual process OF labor in itself, independ.
emily OF every association or ambition, must
have made itself felt In heightened pulse and
genial flow of spirits. These fauaticai young