The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-12
In EMPRESS MURDERED.
Empress Of Austria Victim 0
ASsaSSin'S Knife.
CRIME AT WHICH EUROPE
STANDS AGHAST.

Murder Occurred in Geneva and an Afai'an
Anarchist Was The Murderer-Crime
Was Part of a Far Reaching Plot,
Geneva. Switzerland, September 10
The empress of Austria was assinateo at
Hotel Beaurivage yesterday by an anar-
chist, who was arrested.
Ii apears that her majesty was walking
from her hotel to the landing place OF the
steamer at about one o'clock, when an
Italian anarchist suddenly approached
and stabbed her to the heart.
The empress fell, got up again and was
parried to the steamer unconscious. The
boat started, but seeing the empress had
not recovered consciousness, the captain
returned and the empress was carried to
the hotel, where she expired.
The wound was just over the lett
breast. There was hardly any bleeding.
A priest was secured in time to admins.
Ter extreme JUNCTION.
The stretcher upon which the empress
was carried to the hotel was hastily i'm
proyised with sail cloth octros and
nrissts were Immediately summoned ana
!. telegram was sent to Emperor FRANCIS
Joseph.
All efforts to revive her majesty were
unavailing and she expired at three
o clock. The medical examination snoWeG
that the assassin must nave uSeu siiaii
triangular tile.
After striking the blow he ran along
the Rue des Alpes, with the eVloen6
intention of entering the Square de
A lpes, but before reaching IL ne was
seized BY two cab-men :gho had witnessed
the crime They handed him over to
n boatulan and gendarme, who con-
veyed him to the police station. The prls-
oner made no resistance. He even sang
as be walked along, saying: =! ala IT,
and ssShe must be dead At the police
station he declared that he was ''starv-
ing anarchist, With 10 hatreo lof inc
noor. but only for the rich. -
T,arer when taken to the court house
and interrogated by magistrate III the
presence Of three members OF the LOCAL
Government ana the police ofnclais, ne
pretended no5 to know French and re-
fused to answer questions. The police on
searching him found document SHOWING
his name to be Luigi Leschenl, porn III
Paris in 1878, and an Italian soldier
A great crowd quickly assembled
around the hu.el Beaurivage where the
o1Tioials proceeded after interroRatlng
the prisoner The police searched tine
scene of the crime for the weapon ana the
accomplices of The assassin. 1t appears
that u boatman yesterday notlceo tnree
persons closely following the empress,
who was making purchases in the Shops.
The local government, Immediately on
receiving the news of her majesty osagn
half masted the flag on the Hotel oe vine
(the municipal offces) and proceeded IN
body to the Hotel Beaurivage as token
of respect. The excitement increasing,
many of the shops in the Aursaal were
closed.
came to Geneva in order to assasslnate
another important person" but mad been
unable to execute the prolect. Inc reason
of his failure he did not give, but declared
taat 1t was Only by accident no had
learned Of the presence OF the Austrian
empress in Geneva
The assassin, while being Intercepted
By the magistrate, said ne came 10
Geneva with the intention of killing the
Duo D'OFleans but the latter had
already left. Auccesi Tor Laccheni) fol-
loNed the Duke to Eyian, about 70 miles
north west OF Geneva on the LAKE., where
he YVES again unsuccessful he then re-
turned to Geneva and learned from the
papers of the presence of the Austrian
empress.
Yesterday he logged her footsteps but
found no opportunity to carry out his
purpose, though he watched the Hotel
BeHurivage all day.
This aIternool about 30 he SAID, he
saw the valet Of the empress leaving the
hotel and going toward the Landing.
He inferred from this that the empress
was going to take the steamboat; ana ne
hid himself behind p tree Oh the quay
with the file concealed in his right
sleeve.
In a few minutes the empress. accom-
panied by her lady of honor. appeared,
and the assassin struck the file home.
Lucessi confessed that he has been an
anarchist since he was Is years old.
"If all anarchists did their duty as
have done mine" he said, bourgeois
society would soon disappear. he adj
mitted that he knew the crime was use
less, but said he committed 1t for the
sake of example.
In spite of minute searching the weapon
of the murderer has not been found.
Dense crowds still surround the Hotel
Beauriyage at a late hour this evening.
OFFICIALS NOT INFORMED.