The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-01-27
ASSASSINS' PLOT
CHARGE OF SHOT PASSES OVER
HEADS OF CAR AND FAMILY,
Gun IN the BOURSE BATTERY.
Apparent Attempt Was Made Upon
the Emperor's Life Under the Guise
of Firing a Salute.

st. Petersburg, Jan. 20.-The festi
val Of the Epiphany and the blessing
of the waters had just concluded at
| o'clock yesterday afternoon when, ST
simultaneously with the salute fired
from st. Peter and st. Paul fortress
either a rain of bullets or a shrapnei
shell swept over the little chapel built
over the frozen Neva in front Of the
Winter Palace, where Emperor Mich
oias and every member of the Roman,
off family were participating in the
services. The missiles were high, Ell
tering windows of the splendid row of
salons along the water front, from
which the Empress, the ladies of the
court and the members of the diplO-
matte corps, including Ambassador
Mccormick Secretary Eddy and Sec
Ond Secretary Bliss and all Of the high
dignitaries Of the state, army and
navy were witnessing the glitterinS
spectacle below Fortunately the bull
lets passed over the heads of all pres
ent, striking the opposite wall and
Gathering down on the parquettcd
floor of the white salon.
Additional particulars show that the
Emperor had miraculous escape.
There is no longer any doubt that the
missiles came from gun in the
Bourse battery, which was loaded
with grape, not with shrapnel Some
of the bullets actually struck the lit.
tive open chapel in which the Emperor
was standing, but the staff Of one Of
the standards and riddled the base
ment windows Of the palace, killing
a policeman outright and wounding
an officer and three marines. Had the
gun been aimed little lower the
charge of grape might have wiped GU.
the whole R0manoff dynasty.
No official statement has yet been
issued, but the suggestion offered that
the gun was loaded with grape as a
precaution in view of possible strike
rioting hardly meets the fact that it
was aimed with such accuracy at the
chapel. Everything on the surface
seems to indicate the existence of
deadly and deep-laid plot against the
Emperor in which artiIlerymen We're
enlisted. 1t is understood that all the
men and officers of the battery were
Immediately placed under arrest. The
police took charge of the spot where
the battery still stands and drew a
double Gordon across the river, search
MIG out everything in the line of fire.
A barge frozen in the ice was thor
Oughly examined to ascertain whether
the bullets could possible nave cone
from it, but no evidence was dlsCoV-
cred tending to substantiate sucn
theory.
1t develops that one Of the bullets,
which entered the Nicholas hail, where
the diplomats were gathered, struck
down a golden plate from the wall.
Many of the diplomats, however, did
not suspect the cause of the fall of
the plate until after the services,
though it was known something unu-
sual had happened, especially at the
reception, which did not take place
in the hall in watch it was formerly
held, and hastily adjourned to the
Marshals' hall, on the other side.
From an authoritative source it ap-
pears that the existence of a plot
arises from the fact that the shrapnel
was distributed to the battery in an
ticipatiOn of possible trouble with
rioters, the most alarming reports
having reached the authorities last
night of a proposed attempt on the
Emperor's life. Upon this fact rests
the theory of a possible mistake made
by the gunner.
eff This was a deliberate plot" said
an officer especially charged with safe.
guarding the person of His Majesty,
lit was very ingenious. We have
been prepared for an anarchist at
tempt in every form we could con-
ceive, but an attempt to kill the EN-
peror with one of his own guns, under
the guise of firing a salute, was never
dreamed Of. 1t is a new departure,
against a repetition of which we must
take precautions. If gunners of the
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