The Washington times., 1904-10-16
Failure o Accept Lot
Incurs Revenge of
PlOtterS.
NIKOLA HENCKEL'S TALE
Chosen to Stay StrObelOff,
His Nerve Failed and He
VainIy Tried Escape.
kkT HE death Of Won Plehve." said
the Rev. AdOlph Roeder. OF
orsr-e N s.rar,fu7s me-

the Rev. Adolph Roeder. OF
orange, N. J., reminds me
of a very curious incident
which brought me in touch with tho
murder Of StrObelon, the Russian chief
of police who was killed by the NihilisJs
In the SOS.
ut was a peculiar thing TO happen 10
an American citizen, and the incidents
in their order make a complete and I'm
ished story such as one doesn't often en-
counter in real life.
cone day. in 1887, a man sat on
bench iu 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 ia America. he
had been unable 10 get work, and he
thought that he had got about all out
of life that was coming 70 him.
I'm the morning a workiugman on his
way 10 work noticed that the man was
in trouble and spoke 10 him. They fell
into conversation, and IL ended In the
worklngmans sending him 10 me, a
minister being at all times considered
a private charity organization,
The man reached my house just at
breakfast time. I told him he needn't
commit suicide tin after breakfast any
way, and then he could tell me his
story.
Unfolded a Curious Tale.
He unfoIded a curious tale. He gave
his name as NizOla Henckel, and said
he was the son OF a ducal house OF
North Germany, and that his mother
was a Russian and a relative Of the
Gar
when ne left school, in a burst Of
youthful enthusiasm, he Joined the Nj
hilists. as he was then living in Russia.
At the very first meeting after ne
Joined. lots were drawn 10 see who
should XIII StrobelOn. and the lot feu
on him.
His nerve was not equal 20 il. and
he fed the country, knowing very well
that he was in danger from the So
Clety- He went TO South America and
put his money into a mining claim,
which he was working with "a partner.
The partner stole an his money and
ran away one night. He walked eighty
miles 20 the coast and got a berth 10
AorA ms passage on ship. The ship
came to Baltimore. where me was dis
charged He had found no other work,
nad used up all his money had received
20 answer 10 his letters home, and there
ne was
Showed His Family Tree.
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 I could see
that he was a young fellow with high
education and acquainted with many
languages.
Il consulted a friend. and between US
We found him some pupils, and put
him in the way Of earning a living He
seemed very grateful, and promised 10
repay all We had spent on him.
Before he had done so. however. he
disappeared. IT 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 md him we shook hands. cougratu-
lated each other that the experiment
!-aa not Deen a COSTLY one, and dismissed
u - one more case Of misplaced conf
But a few weeks after that re-
Seltea : letter from a lawyer. This law
yer sal1 that he had received "a remit
tance n several hundred dollars FOR
Nlkola Henckel from his mother and
ssld ne understood / could give him in-
formation or Nlkola HenckeIs where
I'VE began to think HenckeTs story
might De true. and laid the matter hes
fore the Baltimore police deDartment
A detective was put on the case Ffa
turned MS attention 10 the Russians iu
For some reason or other his sus-
A-cloH5 were directed against a certain
russian shoemaker, with a basement
Ehop. BE got this shoemaker drunk
and in that condition got the story oui
OF him. or enough or IL 10 know urettg
well what happened
1.-THE shoemaker had accOstsd Hencke
on some preteGts and had invited him
INTO Iis shop 10 have @ cool drink ID
being terribly hot day, once lu the
shop HencEel was overpowered. bound
ana gagged by Two men
They Kept him. bound and gagged
We're s fu8tiSP f6 o Two q T5 t Talle We
him on board a Russian sailing ves5e
and took him TO Russia.
Nihilists Betrayed Him.
by correspondence afterward I as
CeTtained the whole sE0ry. Whether fol
poetic justice. OF because they though
60 safer. or for what reason. the Nihi
lists did not XIII. Henckel. but turnes
him over % the Russian government.
Russia was in "a state OF excitemen
over the killing OF STobelon WheI
Henckel ran away from the task, Eer
Eassoulitch volunteered
"She shot the chief Of police dead a
the foot OF the statue OF the Ca
Alexander. She was executed almOs
Immediately, but OF course. the govern
ment was eager 90 apprehend all tina
had been involved ln the plot.
ihe two men who had capture.
Henckcl turned States evidence. ant
accused him Of having intended TO muir
der the chief OF police. Their eyldenc
was taken. but they were taken also
and sentenced % Siberia.
Sent 10 Siberia.
.'HeuckeI was condemned 20 death
but through the influence Of his mothe
the sentence was commutsd 10 eXlI
10 Siberia, and an three were sent ava
together IL would have been a stud
for a psychological novelist. thos
three men marching away 10 Siberia %
sether.
.HenciEeI's story 90 me was true &
every particular. IIis name Wa
IFeDclzei lust as Queen NfcfOriata mann
was Guelph. But ia Europe he vg0uf
be known only by the family titl,
which i shall not give. as IL would b
recognized
wen. that was seventeen years agl
About year ago il heard that HencEs
had escaped and was coming 20 America
i hope he viii get here bat that wa
nearly year ago now, and j an
afraid his plans have mfscarried. I an
afraid the man who didn't Kill Str0be
Ion viii die In Siberia