Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-05
In FEAR OF NIHlLISTS
Singular Precautions Taken aft a
Funeral by the st. Petersburg
Police.
The Barbarian of Russia HaS Never
Been 0utGene.

Although open threats OF violence
against the ear by the nihilists are not
being made In the present reign. as in the
time OF Alexander IL, the police consider
themselves bound TO exercise the utmost
vigilance IN safeguarding the person Of the
sovereign. An illustration of the ex-
treme5 to which they carry this is the talk
Just now of Russian society, and as have
had the details from one Of the persons
concerned IN the affair, its authenticity
may be considered beyond question. 4
few days ago the burial service cook
place of the Belgium ambassador, Count
de Dudzeele, and was attended by the
elite of St. Petersburg society. Among
the mourners was very old friend of the
counts, who was astonished on reaching
the church to find a ticket of admission
demanded by the policemen. He ex-
planned that he had been specially
invited by the family and that
no tickets had been issued, upon
which the policeman said that
the car having expressed his
intention OF attending orders had been
issued by the chief of police to allow no
one to enter the church whose identify
was not established by ticket of admis-
sion. AT this j1ncture the countess her
self drove up, accompanied by her daugh-
ter, but was also denie2 admittance. the
policeman saying in derision, in reply to
pOstulatiOns, that 'any woman could
pass herself off as the Countess de Dud-
zeele, and that, "if she really. was the
widow of the ambassador she should have
provided herself with a ticket" It was
quite in vain that it was pointed out that
alongside the coachman was sitting the
functlonary with cooked hat and feathers
whose presence is q peculiar feature of
the households of ambassador here. and
who always accompanies the carriage
when Official visits are made. At last.
finding the policeman obiurate, the
friend to whom have referred went off
and searched for some one of the head
officers of the police, who, after some ar
gument, consented to allow the widow to
enter. None the less, the regulation was
enforced in many other cases, and one
we'll known lady, the Princess Mestchersky
also an old friend of the family. was
ruthlessly turned back by the police.
Another princess only managed to get in
by waiting patiently In her carriage until
someone in authority should arrive. At
length general OF the czar's suite, with
whom she was acquainted, drove up, and
he escorted her into the church. It need
hardly be said that this conduct of the
police has excited good deal of indigna-
tiOn among the sufferers, but it is ia
miliar feature of the cars movements
and the police excuse themselves on the
ground that that they are bound to take
every precaution to protect the person
of the sovereign from the nihilist attacks
As for the czar, he seems to trouble
himself very little about precautions, and
it is fact that characterized the late en-
per0r during the last few gears of his
reign. Still, he never walks openly in
the streets, as the late emperor did even
after being fired at by SoIoviff, nor have
the plots against him up to now been of
that bloodtnirsty, diabolical character
that marked the "Reign of Terror" At
present the car resides in the Anitchkoff
palace, on the Novsky, the surroundings
of which are well guarded by soldiers or
police. Quite swarm OF superintend-
ents and other superior police officers are
kept on duty day and night in the 7icin-
ity, and in front of the palace no one is
allowed to finger. The car frequently
drives out IN an open sledge; but, al
though he may seem unprotected, the
route he intends to take is always well
manned with police. The latter have not
yet got over the lesson taught by the late
emperor's death. [ know of no more
melancholy spot than that on the Gath
crime canal, where gloomy boarding en-
closes the fatal spot where the nihilist
caught Alexander II. as if in trap. The
quay is narrow and but slightly frequent
ed by the public. Oncs the emperor
reached it, escape was hopeless. The
nihilis's with theirssbon1bs blocked every
avenue, End o. the bridge commanding
vieR of the quay stood Sophie PeroYsky,
ready to give the signal for the assassi-
nation by fattering her handkerchief. In
and about the city that fatal Sunday were
disposed as many troops as England en-
plovs TO govern the whole of India: and
in tfe leading thoroughfares the police
we're sWarming as usual like flies; but
these and the other mighty forces of
autocracy were impoteat the moment the
emperor entered the chain of regicides
the nihiIists had posted round the place
of the assassination. Since then the police
have made it their aim TO never leave the
sovereign unprotected, and from their
point of view the interests of the general
public are of no importance compared
with the fulfllment of the task.