The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-08-14

ing great risks to show himself as
openly as he did. He moved about in
perfect unconcern for ten days, being
most of the time in my company, and
we had no adventure, Then he asked
me one morning to accompany him to
the police Station, where he was going
to seek certain information. l no
ticed that he had package under
his arm, but gave it no particular at
tention AS we walked along the
street he was as chatty as usual, and
he led the way into the police build
ing without the slightest hesitation.
1t was two story building Of stone
and brick. There was prison in the
basement and offices were on the first
and second floors. We entered the main
room, presided over by captain of po-
lice on one side and an information
bureau on the other. There were
number of people making inquiries, and
Grodno and l sat down on one of the
benches to wait. He stepped to a
window, asked a question did not
catch, and then passed out, and l fol-
lowed. noticed that he was pale and
1urried, and when l joked him about
it he said that he had seen visitor
in the room Whom he thought he rec
ogniZed. He had another errand, he
said, and asked me to wait at the
hotel for him. He left me on street
corner with wave of his hand, and
that was the last ever saw Of him.
Two hours had passed, and was
still waiting in the office of the hotel,
when the town was suddenly shaken
as with an earthquake, and five min
uteS later it was known everywhere
that the police station had been blown
up. l rushed to the scene with thou
sands of others, and the sight was one
never to be forgotten. The fine, large
building was, nothing but a smoking
pile 1t had collapsed, the walls block
ing up the street, and the roof was ~
ing on the floor of the first story. In
the cells of the basement were twenty
eight prisoners, all of whom escaped
harm. On the two floors were thirty
police officials, including the. chief, and
not one Of them escaped death. 1t was
a day and night before the debris was
removed and the bodies were recovered
and another. day before an investiga-
ton was begun. During this interval
I heard nothing whatever from Grod-
no. After day had gone by made
up my mind that he was among the
killed. 1t came to me that he was not
carrying the package when he left the
building, and figured that he had re-
turned for it and had been made
victim with the others. 1 got look
at every body taken out, but his was
not among them.
1t was only when public investiga-
ton had begun and the newspapers
were talking about pihilists and eX-
plosives that | suddenly caught my
breath. In less than an hour l was
speeding out of Cracow by train. and
it was not until was beyond the linn
it's ofAustrla that dared try to think
it out: Grodno had come to Cracow to
do exactly as he had done. He owed
the police a grudge, and he left that
package to blow up the building.
Whether it was exploded by clockwork
or by some one seeking to open it
could not be told, but it certainly
caused the disaster, and he had made
good his escape before it happened. l
learned that the investigation threw no
light On the matter except that some
explosive had been used, and it was
not even laid to nihilists. l could have
told a story; but, innocent as was Of
any completely, it would have resulted
in my death on the gallows.