Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-12-14
PLEHVE CONSPIRACY.
Indictment of Slayers Of Russian Min
lister Reveals Story of
Conspiracy

st. Petersburg, Dec. 10.-The in6ict-
ment upon which Sasoneff, the ASSASSIN
of Minister of the Interior Won Plehve,
and Sikorifsky, his accomplice, will be
tried on December Ii is a formidable
document reciting the history of the as
SasSlnatiOn plot and details of the crime.
1t reveals for the first time interesting
facts about the accused and confessions
made by them, winding up with the for
NAL charge.
The document states that both Sasoneff
and Sikorifsky belonged to fighting or
ganization OF social revolutionaries, the
central committee of which was organ
lied abroad in 1902, and the organ of
which was Revolutionary Russia. The
object of the organization was to ever
throw the autocracy and replace it with
republican socialistic regime. The Oocu-
ment describes the manner in which the
party organized secret circles for the dis
trlbutlon of proclamatiOns among the
peasants, stirring up university students,
fomentlng agrarian disturbances, melting
soldiers to mutiny, and also preaching
terrorism and the murder of statesmen
who sustained the autocracy and took
steps to suppress political disturbances.
1t lays the murders of Sipiaguine Ven
PlehYe's predecessor in the office of min
lister OF the interior, and BOgdanOyitch,
governor general of Ufa, and the at
tempts on the lives of Prince John Obo-
lensky, governor general of Finland, and
Pobedonostsef, procurator general of the
molly synod, st the door of the organiza
ton.
First Attempt Reveals Scandal.
The first attempt on Won Plehve's life
was frustrated by the accidental eX-
plosion on April - at the Hotel du Nord,
by which Pokatiloff was blown up with
bomb similar to the one that killed Won
Plehve.
The Indictment reveals in this connec
ton. scandal in high life, a room ad-
JOHNNIE the one in the Hotel du Nord oc-
cupied by Pokatiloff having been occu-
pied by naval cadet and woman Of
noble birth, who, however, escaped death
by beng at supper at the time.
The execution Of Won Plehye's death
sentence, the indictment says, was then
undertaken by Sasoneff, aged %, for
merry student at the Moscow univer-
slty and the son Of merchant Of Brisk,
and Samuel Nevi Silkorifski, aged 20, q
leather worker Of KnyshIn, in the PROV
ince of Grodno. Sasoneff had been twice
tried for reasonable offenses, first il
1900 and again in 1902. On the latter
occasion he was exiled to Siberia for
five years, but escaped abroad on his
way into exile.
On Wednesday, July 81, the day be-
fore the murder, Sasoneff went to Ostroff
Ia station on the st. Petersburg War
saw railway, having provided himself at
Wilma with cloak of the naval pattern,
where he left handbag containing his
linen and fifteen revolver cartridges.
Armed with Internal Machine.
The morning of the murder Sasoneff
and Sikorifsky met on bridge over the
canal, near the Warsaw station, each be-
ing armed with an Internal machine, the
ingenuity Of which is infinitely described.
InclOsed in tin was explosive magnesial
dynamite. The decorating apparatus con-
sisted Of glass tubes filled with sulphuric
acid. the glass tubes being attached to
lead weights SO arranged that the tubes
would break whichever way the bomb
fell. Outside the acid tubes were larger
tubes filled with chlorate of potash and
sugar, which would be ignited by the
acid and in turn fire illuminate of mer-
curry which would detonate the dynamite
Tubes constructed on exactly the same
principle were found in Pokatiloff's bag
gage.
The Indictment then describes in de-
tail the murder Of Won Plehve and his
coachman, Fillipoff. 1t also gives the
official account of the wounds inflicted
upon the minister. According to this
account the whole lower part of the
face was disigured, both jaws were
broken, splinters from the carriage were
imbedded in the face, the upper lip was
torn OH, there were TWO fractures of tho
skull. and the right arm, thigh and thir-
teen ribs were broken. Sasoneff was
knocked over by the EXPLOSION, losing
consciousness, but his wounds turned out
to be not serious.
Not Recognized at First.
The interesting fact is revealed that
Sasonef was not recognized as the MUIR
derer until he regained consciousness and
shouted. Long live the fighting organiza
toni Down with autocracyv'
Sikorifsky. having ascertained that
Won PleEve was dead, proceeded to Os-
troff where he took a boat, telling the
boatman 10 row near the Baltic works,
where the battleship Slava was anchored.
lie threw his bomb into the river, and the
boatlnan thought he was attempting to
blow up the Slava. Although the boat
man was offered 10 rubles, he put in
shore and insisted upon handing over ST.
korifsky to the police. The bomb sub
sequently was fshed up.