Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-20
SHOTS DECLARED AN ACCIDENT.
Official Statement Upon Shooting Incl
dent in st. Petersburg Yesterday.


The official account of the suspected at
tack upon the life of tine car at st. Peters
burg, as reported in The Star yesterday
is as follows:
During the ceremony Of the blessing OIL
the waters of the Neva today in the pres
ence of the emperor, as the usual salute
was being fired an accident happened. A
charge of grape instead of a saluting
charge was fired from a gun belonging to
one of the batteries stationed near the
bourse. Some bullets struck the facade OF
the winter palace near the quay gardens,
breaking four windows. A policeman De-
longing to the st. Petersburg force was
wounded. According to the information 70
hand at present no other accident occurreu
Inquiry continues.
The Associated Press obtained the fol-
lowing statement from the police:
With the second or third shot from the
Bourse Battery on Basil Island very
large number of Shrapnel bullets struck the
chapel of the palace. Two entered the In
terror where the emperor was standing
The bullets had a very low velocity. Ihe
two which entered the chapel fell harm-
lessly to the floor. Several policemen about
the chapel were struck. With the eXcep-
ton of one man named Romanoff, who was
severely wounded, they all escaped with
contusions. An inquiry is being conducted
by, the Grand Duke Sergius Michaelovltch,
yet been established whether it was an ac-
cident or was due to generalization.
From an authoritative source it appears
that doubt of the existence of plot arises
from the fact that grape was distributed
to the battery in anticipation of possible
trouble with rioters, the most alarming re-
ports having reached the authorities last
night of a proposed attempt on the en-
peror's life Upon this fact rests the the
DRY of a possible mistakesmade by gun
ner.
IF this was a deliberate plot" said an
officer especially charged with safeguarding
the person of his majesty, 'it was very IN
genious. We have been prepared for an
anarchistic attempt in any form we could
conceive, but an attempt to kill the en-
peror with one Of his own guns under the
guise of firing a salute was never dreamed
of. 1t is a new departure, against repe-
tition of which we must take precautions.
If gunners of the emperors picked guard
can be enlisted in such a dastardly con-
spiracy, serious possibilities are presented"
1t cannot be said definitely whether the
affair was an accident or the result of de-
sign. The general belief is that wide
spread plot did not exist, but evidences OF
design are so apparent that the statement
attrbuting the presence of loaded Shell
to previous target practice evoked smiles
in many quarters. 1t is pointed out as be-
ing highly improbable that the gun had
not been cleaned for two days and it is i'm
possible that a second cartridge could have
been inserted Tor Salutlng purposes Denlnu
the first; and 1t is certainly a startling
coincidence that the gun containing this
missile should have been trained directly on
the imperial chapel.
Whatever may be the solution, it is a
strange fact that the shot came from the
Bourse Esplanade. where was stationed the
First Horse Artillery of the Guard, the
premier artillery organization of the en-
pire, and one of the most noted regiments
in the whole Russian service.
The roster of this organization of aristo-
cratic traditions has included grand dukes,
princes and some of the most illustrious
names in Russia. Lieut.. Gen. Grlpenburg
was formerly an officer of the regiment
and Grand Duke Sergius Michaelovtch, the
chief artillery inspector of the Russian
army, whose duty it is to conduct the in
vestigation, was himself formerly colonel OF
the regiment.
The two Investigations are proceeding
independently, and both are guarded with
the utmost secrecy.