Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-12
THE FATAL KNIFE.
Far More Dangerous in the Hands Of Resicides
Than Firearms.

How much more fatal the knife has
been to the monarchs of the Old World
than pistols, guns or even bombs has
been shown once more by the method
employed by the Anarchist Lucchesi
to kill Empress Elizabeth In the New
World, it is true, the pistol has been
more effective, two Presidents of the
United States as we'll as number of
chief magistrates and dictators of the
South American republics, having been
laid low thereby But in Europe the
aim CT the assassin, as a rule,
has been bad, and a long list OF
unsuccessful attempts TO kill Old
World rulers by means of firearms
could Zoe cited. Thus the anarchist
who couple of years ago endeavored
in vain to kill King HunIbeu-t while
tine latter was driving to the races at
Rome made use of a pistol, and the
would-be assassins of King George of
Greece, less than year ago. made USE
of gun. Queen Victoria has been on
several occasions shot at, but never
once wounded, while King Amadeus.
as well as the late King Alfonso of
Spain, repeatedly had their lives at
tempted by regicides armed with pis-
tolls, invariably escaping without any
injury. Car Alexander II. was shot
at at least twice without being hit
once by the Schoolmaster Solovieff. dit
st. Petersburg. and on the other occa-
sion by the Pole BereZewski, at Paris.
Plus TX, King Louis Philippe of
France, the Kings Milan and Alexan-
der of Servia, the late King of Holland.
Napoleon III, the present Kings of
Denmark, Wurtemberg and Roumani.
and Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria have
similarly remained unframed when
shot at. and in fact the only Old World
ruler that l can recall having been
even wounded by shot was the old
Emperor William, when fired at by
DR.. MODELLING.
With a knife, however, it is entirely
a different thing. and the assassins
who resort ITO cold steel as a means of
accomplishing their nefarious designs
are invariably far more dangerous
men than those who content them
selves with firearms, for whereas the
man who uses a pistol or a gun
against a monarch can hope TO effect
his escape the murderer who draws
faces certain capture and probable
death. Indeed it needs a rare dose of
courage and desperation to assail Old
World rulers with a knife, for they are
usually well guarded. When one re-
fleets how much easier it is to protect
the chief of a state, crowned head or
great parsonage against an assassin
armed With a poniard, who is COM
PEELED to literally throw himself upon
his victim in order TO accomplish his
object, than from murderer armed
with a gun or pistol, who can shoot
from behind a hedge or tree from a
window or from a roOftop, without
even being seen. lit is difficult to under
stand why the knife should have been
SO much more efficacious in connection
with regicide.
Thus, President Carnot like Empress
Elizabeth, succumbed to a dagger be-
ing well-nigh disemboweled by the
knife of Cesaro. The Emperor of
Austria retains on his left shoulder the
scars of the terrible knife wound which
he received some Al years ago, While
| old Queen Isabella of Spain bears ike
wise horrible scar caused by the saw
age thrust with which the priest
Matino endeavored to murder her In
1852. King Humbert would have been
| stabbed to the heart at Naples by
Passanante ten years ago had not his
| prime minister, Carroll. thrown himself
| in front of his sovereign and received
| the knife in his own body, deluging
| both the King and Queen with his
| blood. King Milan's predecessor on
| the throne Of Servia was cut to pieces
| by assassins in the pay of Prince
| Karageorgevitch while walking in the
| gardens of his suburban palace, near
| Belgrade. Napoleon ILLS life was
| thrice attempted by Italian assassins
armed with the same kind of triangu-
! lar file used by Lucchesi to kill EN-
press Elizabeth, the regicides being in
| each case betrayed on the very eve OF
| the time appointed for the perpetra-
| ton of their crime These peculiarly
| formed stilettos, found concealed about
their persons, bore engraved on the
hits the word, Remember" destined
| to recall to the mind of the Emperor
the oath which he had taken when as
| a young man ne joined the Carbonari
| conspiracy to endeavor to secure the
| freedom of Italy. The object of the
| triangular form of the weapon was
| that the lips of the wound made there
by should close of their own accord,
and the bleeding be entirely internal,
and therefore beyond the powers #
the surgeons to arrest.
Stambuloff, the Dictator of Bulgaria
was literally carved to fragments I'M
der the very windows of the palace Of
Prince Ferdinand, who owed to him
his throne, and who has left his assassins
UNPUBLISHED to this day. The sovereign
Duke of Parma, Bourbon father of thu
present ex-Duke of Parma, was mur-
dered with daggers by assassins, who
effected their escape to this country
one of them dying in a Philadelphia
hospital only a few years ago. The
predecessor of the present Prince of
Montenegro. Prince Daniel, and Lord
Frederick Cavendish, nephew of Mr.
Gladstone. brother of the Duke of
Devonshire and Irish secretary, sue
cumbed to the knife, as did also Due