The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-01

comrades at the guardhouse further
along the road. They swarmed out,
and | pulled up the machine. I had
put the brake on Immediately after
crossing into Austrian territory.
ne In Il the .t emperor, = nams!,, whis-
guard. 81 am not an Englishman,
but a member of the Austrian secret
service By allowing me to pass with
out delay you, will render the gov
eminent a vital service
=, "You have Just killed a man."
blood on my wheels.
~ am afraid SO. The fact that I
killed a Russian sentry in order to
cross the frontier should CONVINCE YOU
that | am in deadly earnest
The OFFICER, by some rare chance,
was intelligent enough to believe me.
I pressed the lever, and set ont on
my mad FACE across, an empire to
Vienna. [ had nothing to eat or
drink. had no shields for nv ewes:
the Russian soldiers must have re.
moved them while the car was in
their the hands: | was utterly unprepared
tuition warned me that every moment
was. precious and I kept my splendid
machine at full pressure for the whole
five hundred miles.
< i !.
I will not. attempt to describe that
nightmare ride. Late in the evening
OF the following day I alighted at the
gate of the palace of Schonbrunn,
worn out, my face and hands chapped
and bleeding, my eyes half blinded
with dust, and my strength nearly
"The emperor! Take me to the en-
T
met. cit IS life or or de aa H5s' person
was conducted into the presence
Of a chamberlain, who sought to inn
pose; all sorts of obstacles
You cannot see his majesty now.
dare not intrude upon him. He is
Hapsburg family counciI.'' -
My God!" [ cried out. "You have
given me ten thousand reasons for in
slstlng! If it costs my life, I must in
terrupt his majesty"
My violence cowed the official. He
conducted me, or. In fact, supported
me, for I was almost too weak to
stand, to the door of the council cham
eco in, if you must" he said.
'For my part, I dare not announce
I turned the handle of the door and
staggered into the room.
was dazzling. In q, blaze Of light all
the archdukes of the imperial house,
wearing their uniforms and robes of
state, were grouped in a semicircle,
facing a throne On which the represent
tative, of the Cesars was seated
IN his imperial mantle, wear
ing the great Double Eagle
footstool, knelt handsome lad of Is,
in whom l had no difficulty in recog.
nlzlng the Archduke Karl, the destined
successor to the throne.
At the moment l burst in I saw the
venerable emperor raise his hands to
y his head, lift the imperial crown, in
, which the huge diamonds and rubies
: and sapphires sparkled like founts of
| fire, and hold it poised in the air over
his young kinsman's bent head. In an
/. other second it would have rested on
! the boys brow and Francis Joseph
t would have ceased to reign.
,, My voice rang out like the hoarse
, scream of drunkard. 1 tottered for
ward and fell on my knees, while the
emperor half rose from his throne, still
grasplng the great crown in both hands
"Pardon, sire! At this hour Rus
sian army Of $4,000 men is encamped
upon the soil of Austria!"
Francis Joseph sank back on his seat
on his own head.
4 !. !.
The explanations which followed be
: tween the two governments were not
: communicated to me. But I learned
r thru my friends the gipsies that the dis
1 covery of the motor, and my subsequent
I flight gave the alarm to the Russian
3 war office. The invading force retired
, as stealthily as it had come, and al
Q vestiges of its having crossed tn. from
D tier were so speedily and skilfElly eff
faced that if Count Lamsdorf fell back
on a denial of the truth, it is probable
that the Austrian government found
itself unable to press the charge.
So the evil day has been postponed
for, as long as Francis Joseph reigns
over the dual monarchy, Russia will be
content to bide her time.
, In the meantime, have been in
formed that warrant has been issued
against me, in the Russian courts, foI
: the murder. Of the sentry whose fate
have described.