Smyrna times., 1902-09-10

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 a 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 a two story building of stone
and brick. There was n prison in the
basement and offices were on the first
and second floors. We entered the main
room, presided over by a captain of pO-
lice on one side and an information
bureau on the other. There were a
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 l did not
catch, and then passed out, and l fol
lowed. l noticed that he was pale and
fiurried, and when 1 jOlled him about
it he said that he had seen a 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 a street
corner with a wave of his hand, an
that was the last l ever saw of him.
Two hours had passed, ara | Was
still waiting in the Office o. 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 a night before the debris was
removed and the bodies were recovered
and another day before an investiga-
tiOn was begun. During this interval
| 1 heard nothing whatever from GrOd-
no. After a day had gone by l 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 l figured that he had re-
turned for it and had been made a
victim with the others. l got a look
at every body taken out, but his was
not among them.
1t was only when public investiga-
tiOn had begun and the newspapers
We're talking about nihilists and ex-
plosives that l suddenly caught my
breath. In less than an hour | was
speeding out of Cracow by train. and
it was not until l was beyond the linn
its of Austria that dared try to think
it out. GrOdnO had come to Cracow tC
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 clockworl
or by some one seeking to open il
could not be told, but it certainly
caused the disaster and he had made
good his escape before it happened.
learned that the investigation threw NJ
light on the matter except that som,
explosive had been used, and it wal
not even laid to nihilists. l could hav,
told a story; but, innocent as was o
any completely, it would have resultet
in my death on the gallOws.