The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-28
THE MAN WHO DIDN'T
KILL CHIEF STR0BEL0FF.
Nerve Failed Him In WelI-Laid
Plot.


From the New York Sun.
THE death of De Plehve," said the
Rev. Adolph Roeder of Orange, N. j.,
reminds me of a very curious incident
which brought me in touch with the
murder of Strobeloff, the Russian chief
of police who was killed by the Nihi-
lists in the sos
1T was a peculiar thing to happen to
an American citizen. and the incidents
in their order make a complete and
finished story such as one doesn't oft
| en- encounter in real life.
zone day. in 1881 a man sat on
bench in a park in Baltimore, planning
the best way to commit suicide. He
| had sat on the bench all night. He
| had no money, he knew no one in
America, he had been unable to get
work. and he thought that he had got
about all out of life that was coming
to him.
I'm the morning a workingman on
his way to work noticed that the man
was in trouble and spoke to him. They
| fell into conversation. and it ended in
the working mans sending him to me-
a minister being a all times considered
a private charity organization.
THE man reached my house just at
breakfast time. / told him he needn't
anyway, and then he could tell me his
! story.
He unfolded a curious tale. He
gave his name as Nikola Henckel and
said he was the son of A ducal house
of North Germany and that his moth
| er was Russian and a relative of the
Gar.
When he left school, in burst of
youthful enthusiasm he Joined the Nj
| hilists, as he was then living in Rus
| 81. At the very first meeting after he
| Joined lots were drawn to see who
should kill Strobeloff, and the lot fell
on him.
His nerve was not equal to it, and
he fed the country, knowing very we'll
| that he was in danger from the society.
| He went to South America and put his
money into a mining claim, which he
| was working with a partner.
The partner stole all his money and
ran away one night. He walked eighty
| miles to the coast and got berth to
work his passage on a ship. The ship
came to Baltimore, where he was dis
charged. He had found no other
work, had used up all his money, had
received no answer to his letters
home, and there he was.
He took down the Almanach de
| Gotha' and showed me his family tree
and record. That did not make his
story any the less wild, but could see
| that he was a young fellow of high
education and acquainted with many
| languages.
II consulted a friend, and between us
we found him some pupils. and put him
| in the way of earning a living. He
seemd very grateful, and promised TO
repay all we had spent on him.
Before he had done so, however, he
disappeared. 1t was a very hot day
| in August, and we made the rounds of
| the hospitals, thinking he might have
| been overcome with the heat When
we did not find him we shook hands,
| congratulated each other that the ex-
| pertinent had not been a costly one,
and dismissed it as one more case of
| misplaced confidence.
But a few weeks after that I re-
| ceived a letter from a lawyer. This
| lawyer said that he had received a
| remittance of several hundred dollars
| for Nikola Henckel from his mother,
| and said he understood I could give
| him information of Nikola Henckel's
| whereabouts.
I'VE began to think Henckers story
| might be true, and laid the matter be-
fore the Baltimore police department.
| A detective was put on the case. He
| turned his attention to the Russians in
the city.
For some reason or other his sus-
| picions were directed against a certain
| Russian shoema ker, with a basement
shop. He got this shoemaker drunk,
and in that condition got the story out
| of him, or enough of it to know pretty
we'll what had happened
THE shoemaker had accosted Henc-
KEEL on some pretext. and had invited
him into his shop to have a cool drink.
1t being a terribly hot day. Once in
the shop. Henckel was overpowered,
bound and gagged by two men.
"They kept him, bound and gagged.
in that shop for two days, while we
were hunting for him. Then they took
him on board a Russian sailing vessel
and took him to Russia.
"By correspondence afterward I as
certained the whole story. Whether for
poetic Justice, or because they thought
IT safer or for what reason, the Nj
hilists did not kill Henckel, but turn
ed him over the Russian government
| Russia was in state of excite
ment over the killing of Strobeloff.
When Henckel ran away from the
| task Vera Sassoulitch volunteered.
| "She shot the chief of police dead at
the foot of the statue of the Car Alex
| ander. She was executed almost inn
| mediately. but of course the govern
ment was eager to apprehend all that
had been involved i'm the plot.
THE two men who had captured
| Henckel turned states evidence. and
accused him of having intended to muir
der the chief of police. Their evidence
| was taken. but they were taken also
and sentenced to Siberia.
"Henckel was condemned to death,
but through the influence of his mother
| the sentence was committed to exile to
| Siberia, and all three were sent away
together. It would have been a study
for a psychological novelist. those
three men marching away to Siberia
together.
"Henckers story TO me was true in
every particular. His name was Henc-
! KEEL lust as Queen Victorias name was
| Guelph But in Europe he would be
| known only by the family title. which
I shall not give. as II would be recog-
| nized.
well. that was seventeen years ago
| About a year ago ! heard that Henc-
kel had escaped and was coming to
! America. I hope he will get here. but
that was nearly a year ago now. and
| am afraid his plans have mlscarrled.
| ! am afraid the man who didn't kill
! Strobeloff win die in Siberia
! RAISING REAL DEVIL
IN ANCIENT CEMETERY.