New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-14
NIHILIsM NOT DEAD YET.
TIE BOMB EXPLOSION AT ZURICH AND THE
TERROR IT HAS STARTED.

Berne. Switzerland, March 81 q
The terrible and mysterious explosion wnien
took place Just fortnight ago IN the gloomy
valley Of Peterbach, about one hours Journey
nom Zurich. has had the effect Of bringing down
,,nou the city perfect horde Of Muscopite ponce
o6aoaal. and Detectives Of every kind. The IN
as4iyity of the Nihilists during the last Two
xevxs tius mainly to lack of funds, had iuieu
both the Russian Court and Governments IhVo "
feeling Of security and relief All tielr iofino'
terriers have, however, been revived win i IN
cressed intensity By the shocking disaster wni0a
resulted in the death OF the two most pro.niSin ~,
Rsssian students of the Polytechnlcai ocnoo.S
q zsrieh, the attendant circumstances OK "hlon
ciasly indicate the desperate ana dangerous
ea,ars eser of the men who have sworn to destroy
the Czar and overthrow hts Governments
M FISCHER. the chief of the Zurich police, who
a.s been intrusted by the Federal authorities here
Win the investigation of the case, reports that
she 6rst news which he heard Of the afair was
shroueh some peasants of the Zurehberg, VINO
said that o sanguinary duel had taken place
n their neighborhood between some foreign
stndspts and that the weapons used had been
explosive bombs M. Fischer immediately sum-
raoned D conveyance and drove out to the scene
II tho alleged encounter, where horrible spectacle
NET his eyes At the further end OF the dark
ma deserted Petefbach Valley the pine trees are
frterspersed here and there with huge rocks ana
bouIders. One Of the most enormous OF the iatter
had been split into at least q hundred fragments
~ The terrific force of the explosion, while on
The blnckened snow were two great stains OF
rea bJood, q mans foot and several other frag-
uhents OF a human body. Before leaving the spot
NJ. Fischer picked up from the ground small
bottle filed with black but odorless liquid
This he carefully wrapped up in his handkerchle1
and put In his pocket On reaching bis once
he at once sent out his men to. visit the various
foreign students, oil OF whose addresses ngure
on the police registers, fer the purpose oil nnolhg
cut who of their number were missing. He also
dispatched sergeant to the two hospitals TO
inquire II any badly wounded persons had been
treated there during the preceding twenty-four
hours Within half an hour the sergeant Ne
turned to inform him that two MORALLY wounded
Russian students had been admitted few hours
previously to the Municipal Hospital, and that
they were not expected to live through The night.
The Officer added that their names were Demsu
and Brinstein. .<
NJ. Fischer started violently on hearing the
SAttsr name, for he knew it to be that Of the
man who was regarded by his Russian Fellow
students as their leader, and by the professors
of the Polytechnical Schools as the most remark
sbic chemist in the city. The worthy chief of
police who, owing to his difficulties with the
German Government last year, hns acquired a
European reputation, at once set out Tor the
hospital On his way he was met by several OF
the detectives sent TO- make the round OF the
ssudents' quarters, who informed him that one
and all Of the young Russians denied any knowl-
edge Of the explosion, but that sixteen Of their
number had unexpectedly lift for Paris by the
n a. IL hoaai fal
NJ. Fischer Immediately realized that both of
the wounded men had but few hours to live.
Demsld was unconscious, his side being torn open
and his lungs lacerated. The injuries of Btinstein
were of Tar more terrible natufe, and bore 3
striking resemblance to those which caused the
death Of the late Gar. The whole of the lower
portion Of his body was literally blown to pieces,
and the surgeons were astoapded that he should
have survived so long. He was quite conscious
and able to converse, though in very faint tone
of voice. Realizing that not moment was to
be lost, M. Fischer at once began to question
the dying man concerning the origin and cause Of
his injuries At first Brinstein refused TO answer
y word, bat on the Chief OF Police informing kim
that il he persisted in silence, it would be his
duty TO place the whole body of students under
arrest, the Nihilist at length decided on making
the following remarkable statement:
He declared that for more than twelve months
no had been occupied in making experiments with
explosives. Having finally discovered the
chemical compound which he required, he had
then gone TO the most worthy and respectable
brass and metal worker in the city, and had
ordered about fifty hollow brass balls about
one and half TO two inches in diameter, explain
ing that he wanted them for the purpose Of Gaping
the spikes of the iron gate to his garden. On
wiz a hal hn had oyord fo ,te
intimate friends and confdants among the Rus
sian students, and had arranged that.they should
meet in the Peterbsch Valley early that -oorning
for the purpose of making experiments Brin-
stein, continued that they had all assembled
there at the appointed time and that he had there
upon attempted TO explode some of the small
brass balls above mentioned which he had
filed IN the laboratory at home with the
explosive compound he lad invented Owing TO
some defect or other the bombs had failed to ex-
plode. Much disguised, he. had thereupon at
tempted to ill one Of the brass balls on the spot
taking for the purpose o. small bottle from his
pocket Owing to the darkness Of the early
morning and also to the fact that his hands were
trembling from cold, he had poured too much into
the bah. drop had triciled on his hand, burning
Il TO the bone with such excrueiating pain that he
let the bomb drop to the ground A terrific ex-
pio$l0u phu then sahch p'"Vet Hni0n AN" ooiNiou
away his legs and shattered all the lower part Of
his body, and mortally injured his friend Demsli,
who wsss standing close by. Others Of the
studeuts had received slight desh wounds Az
soon ss shey had recovered from the shock, three
cs their number who were already extremely pro
c{cnt ia surgery set 70 work TO de up the arteries
~ BrfnsteIn and Densld as best they could,
thus preventing them from bleeding to death on
the spot. ~ e =
", Fischsr then sought to obtain from Brin-
stein some explanation as to the chemical com
uorfsson Of the explosive liquid which had wrought
kneh havoc; bnt the dying man obstinately re-
y,sed 70 make any response. At length, losing
{ pstiense, NJ Fischer drew the bottle which ne had
sound on the scene OF the accident from his pocket