The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-08-01
Widow of Minister Paints Dur-
 ing the Ceremony
EMPEROR NICHOLAS PRESENT
Identity of the Assassin Is Not Vet Fully tahIlshed-Several Are Mentioned as Successor
 to the Dead Official.

St. Petersburg, July a.-M. Won Plehve,
 the minister of the interior. who was as-
 sassinated Thursday morning last, was
 buried today and in every city and hamlet
 of this vast empire church bells were l tolled and masses and prayers said for | the repose of the soul of the murdered
 minister.
 The services which were according to 1 the rites of the orthodox church, were
 of an impressive and imposing eharae- ter At II O oclock this morning high mass
 was said in the stately chapel adjoining the ministry of the interior
 Emperor Nicholas and the dowager em- 1 press stood with the broken hearted widow and the children of the minister at I the foot of great mound of flowers on which rested the casket To the right on gold embroidered cushions. before Q mass | of wreaths banked to the ceiling, were ranged the decorations which had been won by the statesman during his notable career. To the left were the metropolitan of St. Petersburg and the officiating bishop and priests in their gold emblaz- oned vestments. A screen of flowers con- cealed the famous imperial boys choir
 High Russian Officials Present. Among those present were the members of the imperial family. the foreign rep resentatives including Spencer Eddy. | charge d'affars of the American em- bassy, ministers of the empire, generals, | admrals, nobles. governors of districts | and the provinces like those of the As teraken and Irlsutsk-in fact all high off, | ficialdom, not even emitting Genghis
 Khan, a lineal descendant of the Napoleon | of Asia, who is now d major general in | the Russian service.
 l The entire assemblage was in full uni- l form and on the arm of each one pres l ent was badge of mourning All held | lighted tapers throughout the service, | and the air was heavy with the perfume | of flowers and incence from the braziers. At the most solemn moment when aH | knelt and many were affected by tears. the widow was overcome and tainted. The emperor came to her assistance and she | was carried out by gentlehands.
 Emperor visbIy Moved. | The emperor was vlsibly moved and ip- | on the conclusion of the mass he fol- l lowed the casket which was taken upon | the shoulders of the ministers and borne | down the marble staircase to the street. | The funeral procession was formed and | the body was placed in a great white open neHTSe, dfaWn Dy SIX cOdl DiacK horses which were banketed from their ears | to their tails in sombre trapping. A black garbed groom stod at each bridle fand | in advance went sixteen similarly clad
 lantern bearers. Behind the hearse walk ed the members of the minister's family | and then came long and distinguished | body of mourners, 1t being the Russian l custom to follow the dead to the grave | on foot. The emperor himself walked a | short distance but as the Novodevicky
 monastery. where the burial took place, | was five miles away and also because of l the condition of the empress, his majesty | soon entered his carriage and returned to | the Peterhof palace.
 | The cortege proceeded slowly through | the streets, preceded by a squad of mount
 ed police and passed within sight of the
 place where the tragedy occurred. | The sidewalks along the route were
 crowded but lines of police kept the | streets clear to the curbs. As the body 1 passed every head was uncovered and the hands crossed themselves.
 The monastery stands on a plain beyond the NarYa gates and at these gates fully | fifty thousand persons were gathered After burial service in the church, the body was inferred in the adjoining ceme- tery where repose the remains of many | of Russia's greatest men and at point | within stones throw of the grave of M Sipiagune, who was M. Von Piehvc's predecessor, who also fell by the hand of an assassin less than two years ago.
 Murderer is Removed. | The murderer of M. Von Plehve has been removed from the hospital to the | Wyborgsky prison. The police know the alias under which he travelled. but say | that they are not yet satisfied regarding
 his identity and decline to reveal the | alias on the ground that 1t might defeat
 the ends of justice.
 There is no longer any doubt that the
 police for some time have had knowledge | of the existence Of a plot by a band of international anarchists in Paris and | Vienna. The leading conspirator, 1t is
 said, was man whom the Russian gov | ernment tried to extradate from Paris
 last fall. Some of these conspirators ar-
 rived here week ago and the police thought that all of them had been taken into custody. The far-reaching charac-
 ter of the machinery of the interior de-
 partment, and the urgent necessity for
 dealing with the many pending matters.
 render it imperative that the emperor | select a successor to M Von Plehve im-
 me6iately and it is considered that he will
 do so this week.
 Discussion of Successor. | Influences hostile to M. Witte. president | or the council Of ministers, in spite of his acknowledged great ability and the gen. eral belief that he is the man for the position, seem to render his appointment | increasingly improbable. Prince Sviato- | polk-Morsky governor general of Gina, | Grodno and Kovno, is now prominently
 mentioned, together with M. Muravief, minister of justice Lieutenant General | Kleigel. governor general of Kief Podo- lia and Volhynia, and Prince John Obo- ] lensky. governor general of Finland. Breaks Hammer Throw Record. | New York. July d.-In the presence of fully 1000 spectators. who attended the