The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-18
Most Influential Person in the Czar's Councils is Blown
 to Pieces
TREMENDOUS SENSATION
 CAUSED BY THE MURDER
Assassins Are Arrested, and One of Them cooIIy Says, "l Don't Care, Have Done My
 Job."

Moscow, February 1s.-4:20 a. m)- Within the walls of the far-famed Krem- lin palace, and almost underneath the his- torieal tower from which Ivan the Terri ble watched the heads of his enemies fall beneath the axe on the famous Red Square, and within a stones throw of the great bell of Moscow. Grand Duke Sergius, uncle and brother-in-law of Elm peror Nicholas, and the chief of the reac- tionaries, met terrible death shortly be- fore o'clock yesterday
 The deed was committed by a single terrorist who threw beneath the carriage of the Grand Duke, bomb charged with the same high power explosive which wrought Minister von Plehves death, The missile was packed with nails and frag- ments of iron, and its explosion tore the imperial victims body to ghastly frag- ments. which strewed the snow for yards around. Every window the great, lofty facade of the palace of justice was shat tered, and bits of iron were imbedded deeply in the walls of the arsenal, hum dred yards away.
 Belongs to Noted Fighting Group.
 The assassin belongs to the noted Fight ing Group of the socialist revolutionary party, which has removed other promi- nent officials, and long since passed sen tence of death upon Grand Duke Sergius The Grand Duke knew that he stood in the shadow of death. He was the re- cipient of repeated warnings and elabor- ate precautions were taken to insure his safety, but all the resources of the gem darmerie, secret police and soldiers proved unavailable against attempt exactly duplicating the procedure that caused the death~of Minister of the. Interior von Plehve last July.
 It was the irony of fate that Sergius, afeer taking refuge in his country villa during the strike troubles of month ago, and later feeling even more secure in the palace within the Kremlin walls should be killed while proceeding to the governor generals palace beyond the walls, which he had abandoned to enable the police to better protect him.
 Grand Duchess Elizabeth. who has been engaged daily in the task of preparing comforts for the sick and wounded Rus sian soldiers in Manchuria, was about to drive to the palace to join her husband. When she heard of what had befallen the
 
 the scene of the tragedy and knet hat less and coatless on the bood-stained snow and murmured prayers for the well fare of the soul of her slain consort.
 Emerged In a Carriage.
 The scene of the crime was the great open triangle within the Krernlin, bound- cd by the arsenal. treasury and courts of justice, in one angle of which is the Nicholas or little palace. where the grand duke dwelt. At the opposite corner is the Nkolsky gate the exit to the town beyond the ramparts. A few minutes be- fore the bell of the gate sounded the hour of three the equippage of the grand duke emerged from the gates of the palace preceded and followed by seighs containing secret police. It swept at a smart pace towards the gate, passing the Choudeff Coster, Ivan's tower, the great czar bell, and long rows of cannons cap tured from Napoleon in the winter retreat of 1872. In a few minutes the carriage was in front of the courts of justice where the walls of the triangle approach, forming a narrow entrance to the Nikolsky gate
 There a man clad in workman's attire stepped forward from the sidewalk and threw a bomb which he had concealed beneath his coat. A terrible explosion followed and a hail of iron pelted the grim stone walls of the arsenal and courts of justice A thick cloud of smoke, snow and debris arose. When 1t had cleared, ghastly sight was presented. On the snow lay fragments of the body of Grand Duke Sergius mingled with the wreck of the carriage The Grand Dukes head had been torn from his body and reduced to a shapeless pulp, and the trunk and limbs were frightfuly man gled. A finger bearing a rich seal was found lying several yards away. Tha crimson tint and the sickening smell of Ub np1 fax fro ments of clothes indicated that the body had been once clothed. The coachman lay moaning with pain beside deep hole in the pavement. The horses. dragging the front wheels of the carriage. had dashed off maddened with pain, to sink dying before they reached the gate.
 Heard Throughout the City.
 The sound of the explosion was heard throughout the city and even beyond the river A crowd began to assemble and handled grim evidences of the tragedy, while they discussed the affair in ave- stricken voices. Police officials rapidly gathered but before anything could be done towards collecting the scattered fragments of the body, Grand Duchess Elizabeth drove up in an open carriage She had dropped her work at the head quarters of the Red Cross and sped to the scene of the crime without waiting to don her outer wraps. She broke down entirely at the sight and dropped to her knees sobbing bitterly. After a few min utes she was led away. Then a stretcher was brought and covered with a plain soldiers cloak, the remains of Sergius were carried to the Choudef Cloister where officials and members of the Grand Dukes suit had assembled.
 The assassin was thrown to the ground and stunned by the force of the explo- sion, but he quickly arose and ran to- ward the gate, attempting to escape. His haste and the blood streaming from his face where he had been wounded by fragments of the bomb attracted the att tention of a sergeant of police, who saized him before he could draw his revolver The man did not deny his crime, but on the contrary. glorified in it's success. He expressed his satisfac- tion that he had been able to kill the grand duke without injuring the latter's