The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-13

Geneva, Switzerland, September 10
The empress of Austria was assassi-
mated at the Hotel Beaurivage this ev-
ening, by an anarchist, who was ar
rested. He stabbed her majesty with
a stillettO
1t appears that her majesty was
walking from her hotel to the landing
place Of the steamer at about / o'clock
when an Italian anarchist named
Lucchoni, who was born in Paris of
Italian parents, suddenly approached
and stabbed her to the heart The en-
press fell, got up again and was car
ried to the steamer uncOnscioU.. The
boat started, but, seeing the empress
had not recovered consciousness, the
captain returned and the empress was
carried to the hotel Beaurivage, where
she expired.
The stretcher upon which the en-
press was carried to the hotel was
hastily improvised with oars and sail
cloths. Doctors and priest were i'm
mediately summoned, and a telegram
was sent to Emperor Francis Joseph
All efforts to revive her majesty were
unavailing, and she expired at 3
o'clock.
The medical examination showed that
the assassin must have used a small
triangular file. After striking the blow
he ran along the Rue des Alpes, with
the evident intention of entering the
square deS Alpes, but before reaching
it he was seized by two cabmen who
had witnessed the crime. They handed
him over to bOatman and a gendarme
who conveyed him to the police sta
ton. The prisoner made no resistance.
He even sang as he walked along, say
ing: Il did it," and She must be
dead" At the police station he de-
clared that he was a ''Starving anar-
chist, with no hatred for the poor, but
only for the rich" Later, when taken
to the court house and interrOgated by
a magistrate in the presence of three
members of the local government and
the police officials, he pretended not
to know French and refused to answer
questions The police searching
him found a document showing his
name to be Luigi Lucchoni, born in
Paris in 1873 and an Italian soldier.
A great crowd quickly assembled
around the hotel Beaurivage, where
the officials proceeded after in
terrogatng the prisoner. The police
searched the scene of the crime for the
weapon and the accomplices of the as
sassin. 1t appears that a bOatman no.
ticed three persons closely following
the empress, who was making pur-
chases in the shops.
The local government, Immediately
on receiving the news of her majesty 5
death, half-masted the flag on the Ho-
tel de Vile (the municipal offices) and
proceeded in a body to the Hotel Beau
riVage as a token of respect.
The excitement is increasing and
many of the shops on the Kursaal are
closed.
The assassin told the magistrate that
he came to Geneva in order to assassi-
nate another important person." but
had been unable to execute the project.
The reason of his failure he did not
give, but he declared that it was only
by accident he had learned of the pres
ence of the Austrian empress in Ge-
neva.
The wound was just over the left
breast. There was hardly any bleed
ing.
A priest was secured in time to ad-
minister extreme JUNCTION.
Berne, Switzerland, September TO-
Another account of the assassination
of the empress of Austria says:
After having been stabbed from be-
hind, the empress rose and walked on
board the steamer, where she fell,
fainting. The captain did not wish to
put off from the quay, but did so at
the request of the empress and her
suite, there being no apprehension that
she was seriously hurt. The steamer
was turned back before reaching the
open lake and the empress, uncon-
scious. was carried to the hotel on a
Stretcher''
The president of Switzerland and
other members of the government
were stunned with horror and grief
when the news reached the palace that
the empress, so beloved by all Europe
ans. had fallen a victim to an assassin
within the borders of their country
They Immediately arranged to hold an
extraordinary federal council on Sun
day morning in order to consider the
measures to take against the assassin
The latter must be tried according to
the statutes of the Canton in which
the crime was committed, which for
bid capital punishment and make life
imprisonment the most severe penalty
that can be imposed.
When the Australian minister, Count
Kuefstein, was informed of the TRACE
dy he hurried to the palace and was
met with expressions of the deepest
sympathy. So soon as a special train
could be arranged, the minister start
ed for Geneva, accompanied by the
deputy prosecutor general. who took
up the case at once, his chief being on
vacation. He will hold a preliminary
inquiry at Geneva tonight or as soon
as possible, and return tomorrow in
order to report to the federal council.
The federal authorities had been in
formed of the visit of the empress, and
they had notified the governors of the
cantons the empress expected to visit,