Democratic messenger., 1881-03-19

The Story OF his Assassination, after
Five Attempts upon his Life had
Failed

1 tive AStCAhpts uPon HIS AhAc nau
Failed.
All the official dispatches received in
relation to the ASSASSINATION of the Gar
of Russia agree as to the following
facts The Czar was returning in a
covered carriage from the Michael
Palace about eleven a. M, Sunday, with
his brother, the Grand Duke Michae i.
His escort consisted Of quarter troops
of Cossacks, and several officers of the
household accompanied him in sleighs.
As the carriage was passing along the
banks of the Ekaterinofsky Canal, and
at point immed ately opposite to the
imperial stables, bomb was thrown by
a man who was standing behind knot
of pedestrians who had stopped to see
the Emperor go by. 1t exploded with
a terrific crash right under the body of
the carriage, the splinters flying across
the street, but doing no injury beyond
tearing away the back part of the car
riage. The driver, who had drawn up,
descended from his box, and the Cossack
escort, which was few PAGES in the
rear, at once galloped up.
AT this time there were not more than
twenty persons present. The Gear, on
hearing the crash, at once raised the
window, opened the door and jumped
out, and while he was drawing his fur
! cloak about him a second bomb was
thrown from the knot of lookers-on, ex-
ploding right at his feet. The smoke of
the first explosion was still hanging about
and when the second bomb struck the
pavement dense cloud enveloped the
carriage. There was howl of pain and
anguish from the Cossacks, some of
whom were killed and more. wounded by
the flying splinters, and three or four of
the lookers-on fell also. The crash
brought a squad of police, who were Just
going on duty in the imperial stables.
As the smoke lifted, the Gar was seen
lying on his back beside the wreck of
the carriage, his legs torn and shattered
and blood pouring from CHASTITY wounds
in his thighs. His cloak ard wearing APP
parel were literally torn from his back.
He was deathly pale and his cries to the
officers of the household for help were
scarcely audible. Colonel Diorjebky, of
his suite, who was badly injured by the
second explosion, which had shattered
his sleigh, raised the Emperor from the
ground and with the aid of Cossack Off
GERS, lifted him into sleigh and con-
veyed him into the Winter Palace. The
bombs were simply thick glass balls
filed with dynamite.
Meanwhile the Cossacks and the po-
lice had charged upon the knot of peo-
pie from which the two bombs were
flung. Several persons pointed to
man in the rough sheepskln garb of
peasant, and declared that he had thrown
the first shell. This was confirmed by
the Cossacks, who saw him hurting it.
Colonel of Police Archemaff seized him.
The man struggled desperately, and, rs
the now dismounted escort closed upon
him, drew q revolver as though intend
ing to shoot the Grand Duke Michael
(whose escape from death by the second
explosion was little short of miraculous).
but his hand was struck down, and in
an instant he was thrown to the earth
and securely pinioned, the police put.
ting irons upon him and the Cossacks
binding him with ropes. A large body
of military and police had gathered by
this time aud active search was made for
the other assassin. There was a cry
that he had run into the Imperial
2
guarded, while the police secured the
yards of the buildings /; but no trace of
him could be found.
Ten minutes after the first assassin
was arrested his fellow -conspirator fell
into the hands of the police. He had
run from the scene in the confusion
that followed the second explosion and
concealed himself in an old building
standing in lane near the western
wing of the Imperial stables. A Gordon
of police and Cossacks had been drawn
around the stables, so that escape was
impossible. The police routed him out
of his hiding-place, and he was bound
and sent off to the dungeon in the Pal
ace of Justice under an escort of Co.'S
sacks. He admitted his guilt, and on
being told that his accomplice had also
been arrested, said they were ready to
die at any moment. He inquired If the
Gar was dead and ON the police refus-
ing to answer the question, gleefully
exclaimed: ''Ah, know by that that
we have succeeded. Long live the
people |" The police refuse to give the
names or any particulars relating to
the prisoners, and the reports current
in the streets are mere guesswork.
That they are Nihilists is. however.
beyond doubt. Both are young men
and apparently of good birth and edu-
cation.
The first announcement st. Peters
burg had that the work of the assassios
was complete was the firing of minute
guns, the toling of the church bells and
the hoisting of the national flag at half
mast upon the dome of the Winter Pal
ace and the turrets of the principal
buildings. A minute later and flags at
half-mast and inverted flags (the latter
is the old Russian custom) were droop-
ing from the flag on the houses of
the nobility and gentry and Court, gov
ernment and municipal official, and the
long roll of kettledrums muttered the
tale in every street At 4:30 p. m. an
extra of the Official Messenger was IS
sued containing the following announce
ment: Gods will has been done
At 1926 O'Clock this Sunday afternoon
the Almighty called the Emperor to
Himself. A few minutes before his
death the Emperor received the sacra-
ment." The widest excitement pre-
vailed in the neighborhood of the Palace,
but the people ON the street as n rule
received the news in sullen silence.
There was no weeping or lamentation
except among the soldiers, by whom he
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