Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-02-16

Won Mitschka. He lit a cigar-not a
German one-and smoked for some
time In silence.
"Did the Prince tell you how we
| managed TO kidnap himY' he asked,
| after a long pause.
mo. There was little time, and we
had other things to speak Of
And YOU have no curiosity on the
%subjecty'
Indeed, l have. For weeks ] pom
dered the mystery of his disappear
ance. without ever being able 10 guess
ut a theory that would account for the
facts. That IN ablebcdied man, a man
Of courage, and n soldier, should nave
been abducted from his OWL bedroom,
in a house full Of servants. II IN q
city so well guarded ms st. petersburg,
seems to me nothing shor or miracu-
lous. He must either have been ue-
ceived into going OF his W accord, or
he must have been kept quiet in pass
ing through the streets IN Such Il way
as to rouse no suspicion in the minds
Of the police who were on duty. con-
fess, | should very much like TO know
how it vas managed"
'You will keep the matter secret II
tell You All II:
Il hesitated a moment. but was al
ready so deep IN the confidence OF the
conspirators, that IL seemed hafuly
worth while to boggle over another
promise of secrecy, so | gave II.
II had rather you had heard the
Princes experience from his own lips.
said Won Mitschka: but it Is scarcely
worth while TO waste n day in having
.-u;Ar,y yxwstI, 1fVyn for fhnf
purpose. | can tell you exactly what
he would have said to you, If you had
asked him how 1t was that he fell into
orr hands"
what would he have said?'
''Ihat his coachman was a Nihilist,
or in the pay of our committee, m
had BETRAYED him. But it would have
/ been n mistake"
II can quite believe that, for ques-
toned Alexander Romovitch, and
/ ] believe him to be a thoroughly-honest
man, and incapable Of betraying his
master. But | don't see what Romo-
witch could have to do with it. He did
not even sleep in the house, and the
Prince was either kidnapped in his
bedroom. or enticed, in some way, 10
leave it, and then leave the house.
THAT is your theory
II think he was enticed from his
house. either by the hope of exploring
some Nihilist haunt, or tmore likely In
the expectation Of meeting some Wo-
/ man he fancied himself in love with;
and was attacked and bound In the
house he went to"
you are entirely wrong. But let me
ask YOU this: | suppose you made
Yourself acquainted with the inc
movements on the night when he DIS
appearedT'
.Oh, certainly. He dined at home,
and alone. About ten nj nutes to elev-
en- lie left the house. to go to the ball
at the French Embassy, using his own
! carriage. Several people met and spoke
to him there. / have interviewed them
myself. and they all agree that he was
in good health and spirits then
"He left the ball room about half
past two. and drove straight home.
His steward saw him and spoke to him
OH his return, and noticed nothing I'M
usual in his appearance. From the
hall he went straight to his bedroom
and that is the last any of his friends
saw of him, till | saw hirl to-day"
"Hunlph! Would it surprise you If l
were to tell you that the Prince V
returned from the ball that night at
ALP
'What! He didn't return? Then are
Romovitch, the steward! 1t is not pos
siblet'
"No: they are not telling lies. But
they told you. not what they saw, but
what they thought they saw. The
Prince never went back to the house
after the ball. One of our number,
who closely resembles him in height
and general appearance, was dressed
i'm a fur cloak, exactly like n the
Prince was In the habit Of wearing:
and there is little wonder that honest
~Ivanovitch-I think you said that was
his name-in the dim light of the hall.
and probably half-asleep, believed that
the person he saw come to his masters
door, in his masters carriage. driven,
apparently. by his masters coachman,
and wearing his masters clothes, was
that master himself. Do you know
that we very seldom look anyone in
the face unless when we happen TO De
speaking to them? Least of all Is q
servant in the habit of staring inquis-
itively at his masters countenance.
And the person who took Prince kro-
penski's place on that occasion took
care 10 Keep his ace tuIlltu away
from the steward when the good mall
addressed him. Hardly more than a
word or two, l believe, passed between
them.
1T was a capital idea of the man
let us call him Prince Kropenski No.
Two-to go into the dining anc
help himself to a glass of brandy. 1t
took him out OF the stewards way,
aid yet strengthened the impression in
his mind that his master was actually
there in the flesh before him. The
stranger took advantage Of the stew
ards going to lock the street door to
throw off his cloak and go up stairs.
Ivanovitch naturally thought 1t was
the Prince who had gone into his bed
room"
And the man who unprecedented the
Prince simply walked GU of the house
when everybody was asleepT"
Precisely"
.sThen the servant who was the first
TO open the side door was mistaken in
thinking that she had fastened 1t in
the morning? / remember she could