Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-03
car had delayed gdns int4 dinner few

car had delayed gdne int1 dinner a few
minutes. and thus missed dehth.
The third attempt was successful. The
car was to attend a review on March IL,
1881. He must drive by one of three routes
Two of these were mined; the third was
watched by conspiratprs with bombs The
car took the third. -
Sophie Perovskaya gave the signal by
waving her handkerchief. n "A bomb was
thrown under the carriage only partially
wrecking it and wounding a Cossack and
bakers boy.
The car was unhurt He. got out of the
carriage to inquire about the injured. The
soldiers had seized the wotfld-be assassin.
Ryssakof, who had d revolver in one hand
and dagger in the other: The car walked
up to him calmly and ordered him taken to
prison
Then Alexander turned to go toward the
.alace, but had gone only few steps when
another bomb was thrown at his feet. Its
explosion mangled I'm frightfully. Grim
evsky, the assassin. was killed and many
other persons were wounded.
The chief of police picked up the bleeding
car and held him IN a sleigh during wild
drive to the palace. se4
One leg was shattered to the thigh the
other was severed at the knee. The abdo-
men was torn open. the face dreadfully dis
figured Yet the man was conscious. he
said:
Quick. home! Carry to the palace.
There die.
They placed the mangled car on a couch
to amputate his torn lasbs priests gathered
round to administer the holy, sacrament,
but of all this he knew nothing. He seemed
conscious at one time, but spoke not. An
hour and a half later he died, having bled
to death.
A month afterward four men and one
young woman were hanged for this crime.
They went to the scaffold gladly.
Proud Woman Assassin.
The most interesting of them was Sophie
Perovskaya. a beautiful girl of twenty-six.
She belonged to one of the most aristo-
cratic families in Russia. Her father was
governor general of ST. Petersburg. One
of her ancestors was the morganatic hus-
band of Empress Elizabeth, who succeed
ed poor little Ivan after he had been put
in prison. But Sophie became revolu-
ZIONIST left home and friends and was the
very life of the terrorist movement.
While she was in prison awaiting death
she wrote to her aristocratic mother:
MY darling, my precious mother. The
thought of how it is with thee pains and
torments me continually. My dear one, l
implore thee, calm myself, spare thyself,
and do not be troubled in mind, not only
for the sake of those around thee, but also
for my sake. Not for moment do i sor-
row concerning my fate l look forward
to it calmly, for I have long known and
anticipated that it would end thus.
And this fate is, after all, dear mother.
not SO terrible. l have lived as my con-
vctions dictated; contrary to them / could
not act; therefore l await with calm con-
science all that impends for me.
"One thing only weighs upon me like
heavy burden, and that is thy sorrow, my
precious mother. That is all that troubles
me. If could only tighten thy pain there
is nothing 1 would not give.
II hope thou wilt not blame me too Sc
verely. Thy reproach is the only thing
that can Cypress me. Passionately. pas
sionately, in imagination l kiss thy dear
hands and on my knees 1 implore thee not
to be angry with me. My fate is not so
sad, after all, and it beseems not that
thou shouldst mourn for me-.