Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-12-06
THE MURDERS AT RASTATT.
One of the InexpIIcable Mysteries of
European History

european
During February, 1929, Alexandra Gri-
boiedoff, Russian minister TO Teheran,
was assassinated in a peculiarly horrible
manner The war between Russia and
Persia, in which Russia had won the vic
tory, had just ended, and Gribojedoff,
who was a celebrated dramatic author,
was sent as minister to the defeated
country. No sooner did he reach Teheran
than the clergy of the city urged the pop
ulace to attack him, and the result was
that on Feb. 20 a mob broke into the le-
CATION and murdered him, as well as 36
other persons who formed part of his
retinue.
Quickly the news spread to st. Peters
burg, and the czar determined that Per-
sia should pay heavily for the crime. A
rigid investigation was at once started
and when it was over 40 residents Of Ie-
heran were condemned to death and were
duly executed and 30,000,000 rubles
were awarded by Persia to the relatives
of the murdered minister as an indemni-
ty. That this was wholesome lesson
for Persia is proved by the fact that ever
since then foreign ministers have been
treated with marked respect In that ceuf-
try. s.. ,54-
A more remarkable occurrence was the
murder of two French ENJOYS, which
took place at Rastatt in April, '1799. "A
congress had been in session in this little
town for the purpose Of settling the diff
ferences between France and Germany
and Austria. So far as Germany was
concerned, an amicable agreement was
arrived at, but France and Austria re-
mained at loggerheads, and consequently
the French ENJOYS, finding that they
could accomplish nothing, resolved to re-
turn at once to Paris. They had arrang-
ed to leave Rastatt at noon. but for some
unaccountable reason the gates Of the
town We're closed at that hour and were
not reopened until late in the evening.
Fearing nothing, the ENJOYS and their
retinue got into their eight coaches and
drove off. Hardly had they gore mile,
however, when they We're. stopped by
troop of hussars, presumably AustTians,
who ordered them to leave their car
riages. A conflict then ensIed in which
two ENJOYS, BONNER and Roberjolt, we're
killed, while the third, Dubey, was SO
badly wounded that his life was despair
ed of for some time. After numbering
the two ENJOYS the hussars paid no fur
ther attention to the less important men,
bers of their retinuc. but rode off, and
from that day to this no one has been
able to find out who was responsible for
the murders.
The Austrian cabinet has been blamed
and so have French emi;:au,S. the direct
ory, England and Que, II CatoliIr Of Ma
pies, but the requisite proof of 3 lit has
not yet been found, and The general C3in-
ion is that the murders ut R"statt will re-
main one of the ineNpliviLlC mysteries OF
history.-New York Herald.
When 1t Came, He Gnve the Informa-
tion Wanted.
In the early days of steamboating on
the Ohio river they had only stern wheel
boats, and old Commodore Mccullough
Of Cincinnati conceived a scheme to build
and launch palace 'side wheeler which
would by grace of her beauty and size
run the stern wheelers out of the trade"
He carried his ideas to a successful
and beautiful finish and sent her on her
initial trip, and she came back $500 loser.
The natives along the river would not
ship ON her nor would they ride on her
nor trust their live stock on her. They
couldn't see the wheel go round"
So the Flora Belle made trip after trip,
coal and taking in perhaps 5000. The
newspapers took it up, and it was street
talk about what frost" the Flora Belle
was. Everybody from banker to boot
black knew the tale. At this time the
old National theater on Sycamore street
was the bon ton theater of Cincinnati.
and it's gallant men and lovely women
thronged the performances. One night
the commodore attended, and as he en-
tered there was a series Of nudgings and
whisperings.
There's the commodore! There's the
owner Of Flora BELIEF ...a
The play was one Of those Bertha, the
Sewing Machine Girl" dramas, with
"hyperbole" heroine, and there was one
scene in which the lover proposed mar
riage. -.
NO" said the heroine, 81 can never be
your wife, Harold: You are wealthy,
you are n millionaire, while | am only a
poor sewing girl. If | marry you, all my
friends will say it was for:yopr money,
and love you, darling, for yourself Get
rid of your money NY darling and WI
be your wife" And she made her exit in
tears. =
The lover walked up and down the
stage, wringing his hands.
"How," he cried, "how can | win her?
How can l get rid of my money"
That was the old commodore's cue He
rose up in the center of the parquet and
shouted:
'Buy the Flora Bellep'-Denver Times.