New-York tribune., 1905-11-22
A MYSTERIOUS Acc1pENT.

There are many people at St Petersburg who
insist that the count was responsible for the
mysterious wrecking Of the imperial train at
Borki near Kharkoff, on October II. 1888. Alex
ander III. with his wife and children, had, much
10 the dismay and despite the opposition Of Ig-
natief, determined upon progress through the
empire for the purpose of getting into touch
with his subjects especially with the village
elders and communal authorities. Ignatieff had
everything TO fear from this, and was interested
in preventing any such contact from taking
place. The accident at Borld cut short the i'm
perial progress. It was a bloody lesson, terri
BILE warning addressed TO the Gar, and the
moral was that Alexander would better not
travel in Russia for the purpose Of learning any
thing about his dominions-
Anatol Koni, of the legal staff of the
Senate, and devoted soul and body to Ignatieff.
investigated the accident in such a manner that
the perpetrators of the outrage were never dis
covered, and received his reward by being pro-
NOTED to the rank of Senator through the in
1uence of Ignatief. There is something more
than mere gossip at st. Petersburg and in well
informed circles in favor of the story that the
mysterious assassination at Paris of the Rus
sian general Selwerstoff. of the imperial police
was due to the fact that he knew too much
about the accident of Bord for the peace Of
was he who planned the details of the entire
affair.
Both of the Ignatieff brothers are colossally
rich, especially in land. each of them having
taken advantage Of official position to expropri-
ate landowners, especially in Poland, and then
to get hold of the estates at ridiculcusly small
prices OF their methods the following brief IN
stance Hillssufice as an illustration A Polish
1nagnate who had mortgaged his estate for a
sum about one-third of its value WAS, owing
to pecuniary appointments of one kind and
another confronted with the danger of fore
closure and Ignatieff, who was at the time Min
jster of the Interior had already made all his
ARRANGEMENTS TO secure the property for the
amount of the mortgage. At the last moment the
Polish nobleman managed TO raise the requisite
amount and sent notification to the effect
that he was sending the money by trusted
agent, fearing that if mailed or sent through a
bank it might not arrive in time TO prevent the
foreclosure Ignatieffs men got hold of the
agent made him drunk and kept him SO Tor
several days. the mortgage being meanwhile
foreclosed and the estate passing into the pos
session of IgnatieT. Unfortunately for the lat
Ter the Polish nobienen had some intimate
friends in the immediate encourage of the now
widowed Czarina who brought the matter to
her notice and aroused her sympathy. with the
result that Ignatieff was dismissed from his
post of Minister of the Interior
His younger brother is a less able scoundrel
OF much the same type. and both furnish DEM
onstration of what I have always pointed out
namely that the most cruel oppressors OF the
masses in Russia--the officials, in fact. who by
their tyranny, their dishonesty and their wicked
ness are responsible for all the troubles in which
the empire is involved--are not the unfort-
innate and untustly decried mobiles but par
venues like the Ignatieffs. of the most pleoelan
origin. MARQUISE DE FoNTENOY.