Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-06-25
LATEST VERSION OF THE SERBIAN
TRAGEDY.


| From a personal friend of the new Pre-
mier of the Servian provisional govern
ment. The Associated Press correspon-
dent at Scmlin. hungary has received the
following account of the tragedy III Bel
grade, which he is assured is authentic.
Six weeks ago one of the officers in the
secret warned the King of what was going
on, when all the officers concerned were
| transferred to points in the interior, the
| kng fearing to take stronger measures
against them. About the same time a
certain lady was sent to Geneva to sec
Prince Peter Karageorgevitch, and sub
| NIT to him ii proposition that he come to
Sorvia as King upon his agreeing to ac-
cept new constitution based upon liner
al principles. Prince Peter accepted the
conditions.
| AS soon as the conspirators obtained
| this assurance that the kingdom would
| have IA new sovereign they decided to
! kill King Alexander and Queen DraGa.
Col. Maschin. Queen Draga's brother-in-
law was the leader of the conspiracy.
A number of officers came to Belgrade
from interior posts on the night Of the
tragedy and suppered together at IA res
taurant. where the final details were ar
ranged. At midnight they proceeded
from the restaurant to the palace and
! forced the door leading to the royal
apartments with dynamite. When tho
| officers entered they could md nobody,
the King and Queen. alarmed by the
noise of their approach, having concealed
themselves.
Two whole hours the officers hunted
| through every nook and corner of the
royal apartments without success. Then
they found the Kings Adjutant, Lazar
Petrovics, and compelled him to lead
them to the Kings hiding place He took
them 10 the bathroom and pointed to a
secret door in the wall opening upon
staircase leading to the roof. Behind this
door crouched the King and Queen. When
the conspirators were assured of their prey
they promptly shot and killed the adju-
tant. Meanwhile the King fell upon his
knees and begged for life, Offering 10
yield to every demand. to sign any docu-
ment, to agree to leave the country. or to
send Queen Draga away-anything, every
thing, if only they wouio not kill him.
The officers answered roughly: ut is
too late and fired at him. The Queen
also fell on her knees and asked pardon
for her conduct, but one of the officers.
calling her IL degrading epthet. told her
she had been Queen long enough. One
of the conspirators. after submitting the
Queen to gross indignities. slashed her
with his sword, and the other Officers
fired at her. The King was also slash
ed with sabres The conspirators then
dragged the King and Queen into the
front apartment and threw them over the
balcony upon the lawn in front of the
palace, which is separated from the
street by Il big open iron fence. The King
and Queen lived between one and two
hours afterward.
Meanwhile two of the officers summoned
the Queen two brothers from their home
to the house of the commander OF the Bel
grade division, where they were offered
"A glass of water and told to bid each
other farewell. In the moment they en-
braced the officers shot and killed them.
one hundred soldiers, commanded by
two officers, at the same time surround
ed the house of Minister OF War Pavlo-
vics and summoned him to open the door.
The minister looked from the window and
the soldiers fired at him, wounding him.
The Russian Military Aaatche, who lived
in the same house. hearing the noise,
rose and dressed himself IN his Russian
, uniform and attempted to remove the
minister to his apartment. The officers
ordered him to go away, and he seeing
the hopelessness of the situation, departed
The soldiers then entered the house and
shot and killed the minister, whose body
was left on the floor and 1t was not dscov'
cred until 10 clock in the morning when
it was found by his son-in-law and
daughter, who had escaped,
The particulars of the killing of the
other ministers have already been pub
lished
Since the tragedy occurred the facts
, lof an attempt upon the persons OF the
, King and Queen month ago nave ne
come known. The conspirators at tina
time engaged the services of young
Bohemian, the son of "A tailor living Al
, Belgrade. He obtained a position in tn,
kitchen of the Grand Hotel of Belgrade
, | to learn cookery. He proved so intelli
gent that little later he was given EN-
lployment in the royal kitchen. Here
again, he proved very efficient, and wa.
, Entrusted with the duty of preparing the
food for the royal table. One evening
? while preparing dish for the King, he
J mixed poison with the food. The heao
, cook detected him In the act and inform