The San Francisco call., 1906-10-28
HURL BOMBS AND
SECURE RICH
BOOTY.
Revolutionists Attack Car
riage of Custom-House
Cashier, Making Big Haul
DARING RAID AT
RUSSIAN CAPITAL
During Battle With Guards
Several Men Are Killed,
but Robbers Make Escape

but Robbers Make Escape
ST. PETERSBURG, Oct. 27-The
most daring robbery plot in the annals
Of the ST. Petersburg police was ex-
ecuted today when at about noon a
band of fifteen revoIutfonists armed
with bombs and revoIvers attacked a
cashier OF the Custom-house, who was
proceeding in a carriage from a sub
treasury with a sum variousIy given as
100000 to 100000. They wrecked the
vehicle with a bomb, but were driven
on by two gendarmes forming the
cashiers escort, who made defense of
ed the cashier, his assistant and two
guards jumped out of the carrfaRe and
Ned In panic, abandoning the money,
but the gendarmes, though wounded by
the explosion, opened fire on the revo-
lutionists. They were soon Joined by
some passing soldiers and several Do
Hcemen, and the robbers, who were
mere youths, Ned before the growing
numbers of the defenders of the treas
ure- running fight ensued. lasting
nfteen minutes and extending for sew
eral blocks from the scene of the ont
rage The revoIutionIsts, who threw
two or more bombs I'm their flight. lost
two killed and had i've of their num-
ber captured.
The firing Of the rifles and revolvers
and the explosion of the bombs were
audible throughout the business district
and caused great excitement. After the
explosion s12o 600 in paper currency
was recovered from the wreck of the
cashiers carriage.
WOMAN STEALS BIG sum.
The police oficials who conducted the
preliminary investigation said this was
the entire sum involved, but according
to the accounts of eye-witnesses of the
affair, when the gendarmes abandoned
the carriage to pursue the robbers a
woman ran out of the house from
which the revolutionists issued, seized
a large package of money and escaped
in the confusion which followed.
The panic-stricken cashier, it is said.
bewailed the loss of s1so.o0o. Later
in the day. however, the total amount
in the cashiers possession was officially
stated TO have been $500. 600, of which
a package containing sIs5,OoO was
stolen, but it is said that the amount
Of booty may be raised to $500, 900. as
the count of the smaller packages has
not yet been finished.
The scene OF the attack was care
fully chosen in a narrow street border
ing on the Ekaterinsk canal, and over
hung by q house from one of whose
windows the first bomb was thrown.
Immediately after the explosion a
group Of revolutionists on the sidewalk
drew revoIvers and attempted to sur
round the carriage. with the result al
ready detailed The force of the ex-
plosion shook three blocks of houses.
and many Of these now show the marks
Of bullets fred during the fight be-
tween the revolutionists and officers.
ESCAPE WITH BOOTY.
In spite Of wholesale arrests and the
cordoning at noon Of the scene of the
robbery. a majority of the revolution
lists have made good their escape with
booty amounting to 100000. Up to
midnight the police had no definite
clews and released all those persons
arrested except the FIVE who were cap
tured during the battle None Of these
has been identified All of them per-
sistently refuse to answer questions.
It is believed the crime was organ
lied and executed by a band of Mos
COW and Warsaw revoIutionists, of
whose coming to st. Petersburg the
police were warned ten days ago.
II is said that because of the inti
mate knowledge of the method of
transferring money the men had
confederate in the custom-house SER
vice
The police report of the affair con-
firms the above story in all its essen
tial details. Two robbers were killed
and FIVE captured. one of the latter be-
ing clad in the garments of a stu
dent He was slightly wounded by
splinters from bomb when he threw
against his pursuers. Three gen.
darmes, the cashier, house porter
and a civilian were slightly injured
One women was dangerously hurt.
During the fusillade FIVE Eendarmes
had their horses killed under them.
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