New-York tribune., 1906-10-28

ROBBERS GET $4,000.
USE BOMBS.
Woman Takes Money in Street
WhiIe Guards Pursue Assailants.

St Petersburg Oct 27.-The most daring rob-
berry plot in the annals of the st. Petersburg
police was executed to-day, when at about noon
a band Of fifteen revolutionists. armed with
bombs and revolvers attacked a cashier of the
custom house who was proceeding in car
riage from his post at a Sub-Treasury with
variously given as S120O00 and S35O,0OO.
They wrecked the vehicle with a bomb. but were
driven off by two gendarmes forming the CASH
ier's escort, who made courageous defence OF
the treasure.
When the bomb exploded. the cashier, his as
sistant and two custom house guards jumped
out Of the carriage and fed in a panic aban-
doning the money. But the gendarmes, though
wounded by the explosion, unslung their rifles
and opened fire the revolutionists. They
were Joined by passing soldiers and
several policemen. and the revolutionsts, who
were mere youths, fed before their growing
numbers A running fight ensued, lasting hf
teen minutes and extending for several blocks
from the Of the attack The revolution
ists who threw two more bombs in their fight,
lost two men killed and had five of their num-
Der captured. The firing Of the rifles and
volvers and the explosions of the bombs
audible throughout the business district and
caused great excitement.
After the explosion $4,000 in paper currency
was recovered from the wreck of the cashiers
preliminary investigation said that this the
entire sum involved. but, according to the
counts of eyewitnesses of the affair, when the
gendarmes abandoned the carriage TO pursue the
robbers a woman ran hastily from the house
from which the revolutionists issued. seized
large package Of money and escaped in the con-
fusion. The panic stricken cashier said he be-
walled $4,000.
Later IN the day, however, the total amount
in the cashiers possession was officially stated
to be sS30,000. of which a package containing
$4,000 stolen 1t is said to be possible that
the amount of the booty may be raised to $780,,
600. the count of the smaller packages has
not yet been finished.
The scene OF the attack was carefully chosen
in narrow street bordering on the Ekaterinsk
CanaI ana oVernung by mouse, from one OF
whose windows the first bomb was thrown. The
force Of the explosion shattered three blocks Of
houses. and many Of the latter show the marks
of bullets fired during the fight The entire
district where the attempted robbery occurred Is
now surrounded by troops, who searching all
the houses in the hope of capturing the Grim
lnals.
In spite of wholesale arrests and the Gordon
ing at of the scene Of the robbery, a
majority of the revolutionists have made their
escape with booty amounting close to S200O0O.
Up to midnight the police had no definite clues,
and released all those persons arrested, except
five who were captured in the fighting. None
of these has been identified. All Of them per-
sstently refuse 10 answer questions, but it is
supposed the crime was organized and executed
by a band Of Moscow and Warsaw revolution
lists, of whose arrival the police We're warned
ten days ago. The Prefect Of Police Oc
tober 16 published order directing that
special precautions be taken to guard all trans
fers of government money, because he had been
informed that the band contemplated robbery
on grand scale. It is supposed that because
of their intimate knowledge of the method OF
transferring money, the men had q confederate
in the custom service.
The police report OF the affair confirms the
above story in all its essential details Two
robbers were killed and five We're captured. One
Of the latter the uniform of a student.
He was slightly wounded by splinteTs from a
bomb which he threw against his pursuers.
Three Sendarnes. the cashier a house porter
and q civilian slightly wounded and one
woman dangerously hurt. In the fusillade
five gendarmes had their horses killed under
them.