The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-08-04
Won PIehve, Russian Minister
Hurled Into Eternity.
WORK OF AN ASSASSIN
Most Hated Man in All Russia Meets
Horrible Death While Riding in
His Carriage in Streets OF
St. Petersburg.

| Won Piehve, minister OF the INTERIOR
| was assassinated at $50 o'clock on
Thursday morning by bomb thrown
at his carriage while he was driving
to the Baltic station to take a train
for the palace at Peterhof, where
he was to make his weekly report to
the emperor.
The assassination is believed to be
the outcome of widespread plot, the
existence of which has. been suspect
ed for some days. Numerous arrests
have already been made, including
that of the assassin, young man VINO
is believed to be Finn named Leg
| 10, and who is now in a hospital Sc
verely and perhaps fatally injured Dy
the explosion o. his own bomb. An &C.
complice of Leglo, also apparently a
Finn, but whose name is unknown, has
been arrested. He had in his posses
sion a bomb, which he tried to throw,
but he was overpowered by the po-
| lice Just in time to prevent great loss
Of life.
The bomb was thrown under the min
ister's carriage, completely shattering
it.Von Plehve's body was terribly man.
gled.
The coachman was killed and the
/ wounded and maddened horses dashed
wildly away with the front wheels OF
the carriage, the only portion OF The
vehicle remaining intact. Immediately
there ensued a scene Of the widest
confusion.
Police and gendarmes hurried from
every direction and vast crowds gath
cred about the spot where the mangled
| body Of the minister lay weltering in
his blood.
The Associated Press correspondent
was at the scene Of the tragedy with
in five minutes after it occurred.
The roadway was strewn for hun
| dred yards with the wreckage OF the
carriage and pieces Of the red lining
of the minister's official overcoat. A
few yards from NJ. Won Plehve's body
lay shapeless heap Of the coachman's 8
| remains.
The tragedy occurred on the Zalal-
konski prospect, broad thoroughfare
leading up to the Warsaw depot.
| The bomb thrower must have known
perfectly well that Minister Won
Plehve would pass the spot at the
time, for he makes his report to the
emperor every Thursday.
The Internal machine was thrown
with deadly accuracy and the assassin
was favored by the fact that she traf'
fic in that section is always Of the
heaviest, owing to the crossing OF
| lines Of surface cars and the contin'
uous stream Of heavy truck. M. Won
Plehve was always apprehensive Of at
tempts upon his life and used to drive
as rapidly as possible.
The assassin in laying his plans evil
dently foresaw this circumstance and
while the minister's coachman slowed
down in crossing the tracks threw the
bomb.
The explosion was terrific and prac-
tically annihilated the woodwork OF
the carriage. .t'
The horses plunged madly away.
dragging the axle and the front wheels.
The animals, thoroughly infuriated by
the wounds they had sustained, mad
not gone far before they fell with
pools of blood under them.
In May, 1903, NJ. Won Plehve was ap-
pointed president of the imperial COM
mission, appointed to carry cut the
emperor's reform decree. He was con-
sidered as being second in power to
the czar.
It has been charged, with consiiera.
BILE proof, that Plehve instigated the
massacre Of the Jews at Kishineff,
which caused a protest from all civil
lized nations.
Plehve, though uneducated, became
the mouthpiece and one Of the chief
instruments Of Russian jingoism and
of an intensely reactionary spirit. which
caused the complete alienation Of Rus
sia's formerly most progressive sub
jects in the western border provinces,
the Poles and Lithunians, the Ger
mans, Celts and Esthonians OF the Bal
tic provinces and the Films He was
also instrumental in the systematic op-
preston Of the Caucasian populations
and Of the Americans and Tartars.
The ncn-Orthodox Russians were in
the habit of alluding to Plehve as the
rod of the Orthodox church, so mer-
cilessly did he persecute them.
For long time it has been pre-
dicted that Plehve would die by the
hand of an assassin and so strong was