The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-05-03
RUSSIA.
A ''Frightful State Of Affairs in the
Empire.

ST. PETERSBURG, April Ito p. m.-The
most stringent meas ures are being constantly
kept in operation to suppress every avenue of
news that might enable the nihliists to know
of any action on the part of their fellows. 1t
is thought nihillst activity may eventually die
out if they can be kept ignorant of the opera.
tions of one another. Every official of the
government shows on his part a condition Of
quiet, but absolute dread. of nihilisiic opera
tions. Every piece of we'll authenticated
news that happens to leak out from any
source shows that the nhilists are better or
ganiZed than ever, and that they manage, de-
spite all precautions of the government, to
maintain nearly perfect communication with
one another, and are engaged i'll some deep
and cautious conspiracy. Fresh plots are con-
stantiy coming to light, but the law officers
seem to be completely Daffled at every effort
of Investigation. 1t is now acknowledged on
all hands that the brains governing the move
ments OF the conspirators are of undoubted
superiority. The managers seem able to cor
rectly clrcumvent every action OF the govern
ment toward suppression and to forecast ev-
cry official movement. 1t has been asce1-
tanned that at the late imperial funeral the
very candles and tapers that had been at first
selected to burn around the czar's bier, and
to afford light to members OF the imperial
family during the ceremonies, were all filed
with nitro~gi iycnrine and other explosives.
But for the accidental discovery of this fact
| while one of them was being handled, during
which it broke, revealing its interior series
of most horrible disasters would have occur
| red around The dead cZal's very corpse. The
| two officers who made the discovery have
been literally rewarded. After the candles
and tapers had been removed and destroyed
and replaced, every effort was made to con-
ceal the discovery and trace the guilty parties
but without effect. The imperial palaces are
| now protected at every point under ground
against mines. The other day carriage
from the imperial palace was stopped by
peasants wagon and the peasants handed
some mysterious packages to the coschman
who secleted them. The police, however,
were made aware Of his action, and they ar.
rested him. lie is still prisoner. Nothing
cali be learned concerning the peasant, who
managed to escape. The officials are dumb
about the whole occurrence. Five professors
Lave been dismissed at Jassy for alleged CON-
pllcity with nihilist piaus,an twenty students
have been expelled for the same reason.
AT the execution Of the assassins Friday, it
was learned that the woman Sophie Pirotf-
sky, on the day of the tragedy, reg, lated the
movements of the other assassins. She dis
patched Russakotl and his accomplice to the
canal side, there to await the emperor
while she walked around to the bridge,
and thence, at a safe distance, was a spectator
Of tie tragedy whose operations she had
planned and cont oiled.
TIE measures adopted to control peasants
aud others coming to and going from the
capital, are productive OF the greatest incon.
venience. People who live outside of town
: and whose business takes them into it every
day, have TO wait their return at the barriers
, to inscribe their names, address, occupations
,, and destinations each trip and each way. The
anthorltles fear to take uny step to abridoe
the hardship, so great is the government /
uneasineSs about the movements of people
! even Of supposed loyalty. 1t has been pro,
: posed to issue regular time tickets OF entry to
we'll known people WHO must pass in and oul
regularly, but the government hesitates to dc
SO because of a fear that the passes might be
forged, transferred or stolen, and used to ad
nit conspirators. No one is trusted. All
persons not well known are watched. The
government processes to be willing to with
draw some Of its reprehensive measures, if il
= could be assured that the withdrawal would
, not prove dangerous.
, The government has remtted some of the
measures indicative of national mourning
and has decreed that pianos may again be
, played in the towns.
: The popular council, like the one at St
, Petersburg is to be established at Moscow
) Warsaw, kiev, Odessa and Charhoyi.