The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-24
MURDERED BY COURTIERS.
Girl Bound and Drowned Near the Palace of the
Bulgarian Prince.


The most remarkable story of mur-
der that has been revealed on the Eu-
ropean continent since Stambuloff's as
sassination has. says the Sun, been un-
ravclled slowly In Budapest, Vienna,
Sofia. and Philippopolis III the last
six weeks. Unlike the plot against
Stambuloff. 1t belongs outside Of the
domain of politics. 1t is largely a story
of love and hate in the ordinary rela-
tions of society. Nevertheless it teaches
the same lesson as did the political
crime, regarding the bdrbaric life In
the hest society of race that is sup
posed to he pant of the civilized world.
The two murderers in tho last crime
are Il caotoin in the Bulgarian army
and the prefect of police in Philippe
polls. The man who hired them TO kill
Is a Bulgarian major already gazetted
MS the first adtutart of Ferdinand Of
Coburg, the reigning prince OF Bulgaria.
The scene Y. the murder was stones
throw f'om the summer home of this
prince. Yet the whole power of the
bulgarian government has been put
forth to suppress the facts and to save
the three guilty officers from punish
ment.
Only tn RESPONSE TO pressure from
Budapest and Vienna have the J3ulgar-
ian police slowly traced the plot of the
crime. First 1t was announced by them
that Anna Simon q Hungarian girl Of
% yeats, had disappeared, and probably
had been murdered. Then they ac-
knowledged that she had been mur-
dered, but asserted that the murderer
had escaped, After repeated threats
and demands from Budapest. where the
girls parents lived. they admitted that
Capt Boitchcff, her former lover might
be the guilty man, although they could
find no evidence against him. Finally
they were forced, about two weeks ago,
to arrest Boitcheff, and the whole
shameful story. which had seemed SO
insignificant when mentioned briefly in
the newspapers came out That story
follows:
ENTICED ON THE STAGE.
Anna Simon was the daughter of a
royal Hungarian official. Not far from
her home In Budapest Vas cafe
chantant, whose manager was attract
ed by her beauty when she passed his
resort twice daily, on her way to and
from school. Five years ago last
spring, when she was In her seven
teenth year, he induced her to leave
her home to sing and dance on his
stage Her father took legal steps to
force her to return home, but the man
ager of the cafe chantant thwarted him
by hurrying her off with a travelling
company of music-hall performers to
Belgrade. There she was known as
the beautiful Hungarian" She car
ried her reputation to Sofia with her
and in the Bulgarian capital soon had
as many officers at her beck and call
as there We're commissions In the gar
rison. While singing in Phiippopolis,
the second city of Bulgaria in size and
trade. she met Captain Boitcheff. She
fell in love with him, left the stage to
live with him, and, surprising as it may
seem, never wavered in her faithful
ness to him through all the devious
courses which he pursued up to the
hour of her death.
Anna Simon lived with Boltcheff and
his mother That Mrs. Boitcheff thus
countenanced the relations of her son
and the singer does not seem to have
excited any comment in Philippopolis.
nor do the Austrian and Hungarian
newspapers seem to think the fact at
all noteworthy. However, Boitcheff
vowed he would marry the girl. When
ne visited her parents at Budapest, he
gave MS word as gentleman and
officer that he would make her his
wife as soon as he should be promoted
ana receive pay enough to support a
Wlfe' BY marrying her then, he assert
eu win truth, he would embarrass him
SER financially so as to be beyond hope
vi promotion. Mrs. Boitcheff, who
had learned to love her sons mistress.
protested by letter her determination
that he should keep his pledge,
In 1885 the captains mother died. In
the same year a shoe manufacturer 6
uaushter moved to Philippopolis as the
Wlte or the Bulgarian chief of tele-
graphs. She brought her husband a
dower OF lOo,O 900 francs, given her by a
former friend" This fact, too passes
without comment in the Austrian and
hungarian press, The wife of the chief
or telegraDhs hated Anna Simon, who
mad outranked her socially in their ma
tive city, although both had moved oc
caslonally in the same circle. She had
girl friend, daughter of Major George
Pope, whom she decided to marry 10
Boitchen, to the discontinue of the
ed upon his ambition and jealousy 10
ALLEVIATE his affections from his mis-
tress. Mrs. Boitchef's death had robbed
Anna Simon of her only ally. She was
unable TO hold her own against The
plotters. Boitcheff decided to get rid
OF her. With the aid of two brother
officers, he hired the house in which she
was to be killed, and hired the assas-
sins who were to kill her He had ar
ranged to make Miss Pope his wife
He wished the other woman out of the
way. In Bulgaria such situation
means either murder or suicide.
ASSASSINS IN WAITING.
Boitcheff had the assassins waiting
in the hired house on the outskirts OF
Philippopolis. He drove out to the
house with Miss Simon. AS they ap.
preached 1t his heart failed him. Hel
devotion to him caused him to repent
and, ordering the driver to turn back
he exclaimed:
There, Anna, is the house in which
you were to be killed, but the murder.
ers will wait for us in vain. / love yol
TOO much"
He then promised her to get divorc,
from Major Pope's daughter soon aftel
marrying her. The marriage was nee
essary, he explained, to secure his pro
motion to rank in which he coulC
support wife properly. Major Popt
was a power at court, and would OBJ
tain his son-in-law's promotion quickly
and easily. Soon afterward Boitchef
was married.
Il allowed him TO be married." Mis-
Simon wrote to her parents, "Ht
DrOmlRAd that hn NNniilh nnf q al