Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-20
s,ill Unsettled Whether the Shot
Was the Result of Design
Or Accident.
ST. PETERSBURG PRESS IS MUM
10, Accounts of the Grand Ceremonies
Is Long and Rich Ia
Detail.

=
In splte of the official statement mat
enc cannon shot yesterday which mlght
ally have wiped out the whole of the
pomanoff family. was the result OF
.orelessness IN leaving a shotted cart
,,dpe in the breech OF gun after target
r,,actlse the mysterious case Is sun
,,,der the combined investigation of the
military and the police, and the public
.cems as little inclined as the au-
charities to accept the published YER
son The officers and men OF the bat
,ery have not been arrested, but arc
confined to barracks, and by the mill
t,rv regulations are 80 closely under
restraint that It IL impossible for the
,uprit or culprits to escape until the
responsibility is determined.
n cannot be said definitely whether
,he affair was an accident or the result
of design The general belief is mat
widespread plot did not exist, nut
evidences OF design are so apparent that
the statement attrihutlng the presence
of loaded shell TO previous target
nractise evoked smiles In many quar-
unavoidable that the gun had not been
cleaned for two days, and II Is impos-
sible that second cartridge could have
boeu inserted for saluting purposes be-
hind The first, and II Is certainly
startling coincidence that the gun con-
tanning this cartridge should have been
trained directly upon the Imperial
chapel.
Whatever may be the solution, IT Is
n strange fact that the shot came from
The Bourse esplanade, where was sta
toned the First horse artillery OF the
guard. the premier artillery organiza-
lion Of the empire, and one of the moss
noted regiments in the whole Russian
service. The roster Of this organiza-
ton of aristocratic traditions has IN
Guided Grand Dukes, princes and some
Of the most illustrous names In Russia
Lieut.. Gen. Grippenburg was formerly
an officer Of the regiment and Grand
Duke SergIus Michaelovitch, the chief
artillery Inspector Of the Russian army,
whose duty II Is TO conduct the IN
yestigatlon was himself formerly
colonel of the regiment.
The two Investigations are proceed
Ing Independently and both are guard
ed with the utmost secrecy
Military experts say indications point
10 a charge consisting of grape having
been Inserted surrepttously in a salut-
ing cartridge. If this was the case,
probably only one man was involved.
Certainly II there was an extensive,
deep.laid plot or II an officer was In
yolved, It was badly executed. Ii Is
pointed out that 1t is hardly probable
that an expert artillery man should
have prepared weak, scattering
charge which could hardly carry across
the Neva. At the same time an indi-
cation Of design Is the fact that the
gun was laid directly against the inn
perial pavilion. Had the gun contained
q service charge or a regular shell the
pavilion must infallibly have been de-
gtroyed IL Is clear that the salutng
was done most recklessly, as the flashes
of the blank shots from st. Peter and
81. Paul fortresses showed that the
guns We're directed straight at the win
ter palace,
PRESS VERY MUM.
81. Petersburg, Jan. 20.--Nothlng bet
Ter illustrates the conditions IN Russian
Journalism than the appearance Of the
st, Petersburg papers on the morning
after an occurrence which nearly added
another violent death to the history of
the ruling family of Russia. There are
prominent headlines, but almost no edi-
torial references, and the most BRIEF
mention possible of the unexpected hail
Of grape shot around the little chapel
IN which the emperor and the Roman
OF family had gathered for the great
religious festival of the Epiphany ana
blessing the waters Of the Neva.
The account Of the stately ceremonial
prepared by the court marshal Is long
and rich In detail, describing the APP
pearance and garb of the individual
participants and the progress of events
from minute to minute. Appended to
this court circular are short paragraphs
from various papers, alluding in tho
most guarded terms to the unexpected
danger In which his majesty stood
These add practically nothing to the
knowledge Of the event In spite of half
a days opportunity for investigation
and inquiry.
The Noyoe Vremya, which publishes
the most extended account shows that
chief interest In the incident followed
the second and third shots, but offers
no explanation, The paper editoriali2es
briefly ON the ineXcusuble carelessness
Of permitting so perllous a happening
and Oh the general Joy at the escape
Of his majesty, and the relief TO strain
ed nerves IT concludes by expressing
the hope that the miraculous escape
OF the emperor from mortal danger
while engaged IN the pious rites Of the
faith may be an omen that Russia Is
under Ike protection. that Providence
IS watching over those who live by faith
and that che may emerge In equal
safety from the perils In which she now
stands
Other papers publish less regarding
the event, not even the names OF the
officers commanding the battery or the
artillerymen tending the guns are
given, The reader Is left largely to
draw his own conclusions as 10 the
connection between the sound OF the
salute and the patter OF the balls about