The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1905-02-18
TRAGEDY NO GREAT SURPRISE.
But sergius' Death Created Sensation
in st. Petersbura.

But Sergius' Death Created Sensation
in st. Petersburg.
st. Petersburg, Feb. The news.
of the tragedy in which Grand Duke
Sergius was blown up created a tre-
mendous sensation in st. Petersburg,
where the announcement by telephone
from Moscow arrived during the aft
.ernoon. The tragedy in reality was
no great surprise, as it was known
that the terroristsi had already con-
demned the grand duke to death and
ever since the affair OF Jan. % the
Inauguration of bomb throwing cam
paign had been anticipated.
Grand Duke Sergius, who was
brother-in-laW as well as uncle of the
emperor and who had exercised i'm
mense influence at court, was regarded
as the most reactionary of the grand
dukes. As governor general of Mos
COW he was intensely unpopular His
advent as governor general was fol-
lowed by expulsion of Jews from the
central provinces and throug Apl1t his
administration his rigorous and harsh
measures aroused the greatest hos
tility, especially amongf the students
Two years ago, after the student
riots in which many were killed or
wounded, several hundred expulsions
to Siberia followed under the orders
of Grand Duke Sergius and General
Trepoff, now governor general Of ST.
Petersburg, but who was then chief
of police of Moscow.
Grand Duke Sergius was the wealth.
lest member of the imperial family.
He was tall, handsome and cordial in
manner, in spite of the ruthless fash
ion in which he exercised his author
ity as governor general. He was. child
less, but had adopted two children OF
his brother Paul, who was banished
on account of a morganatic alliance.
Sergius record as a soldier was not
brilliant. He suffered a disastrous de-
feat at the hands OF General Klsropat-
kin during the famous Koursk MAJ
neuVerS.
Blamed for Big Disaster.
Much of the responsibility for the
catastrophe at the coronation OF En-
peror Nicholas in MOSCOW when sew
eral thousand people were crushed to
death at the time OF the distribution
OF the imperial gifts was laid at Grand
Duke Sergius' door, 1t was held that
he had not taken sufficient precautions
and the liberals, after, the affair here
OF Jan. 22, placed the major portion of
the blame on his shoulders
The news of the assassination of the
grand duke reached Tsarskoe-Selo
while the imperial family were enter
tanning Prince Frederick Leopold of
Prussia. 1t created the greaest con-
sternation. The emperor is reported
to have been completely prostrated.
Festivities in honor of the Prussian
gnest We're at once abandoned.
During the afternoon Ambassador
Mccormick and the other ambassa-
dors drove to the palace to express
their official condolences, also leaving
their cards at the palaces Of the va
rious members of the imperial family.
At the time sentence of death was
pronounced by the terrorists upon
Grand Duke Sergius it was reported
that Grand Duke Alexis, Procurator of
the Holy Synod Pobiedonostseff and
General Trepoff, then chief of police
of Moscow and now governor general
of St. Petersburg, were also con-
demned to death, and according to
some reports a similar sentence was
passed on the doWager empress, Maria
Feodorovna
LONG SERIES OF HORRORS.