Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-26
STORY OF THE CRIME.

STORY OF THE CRIME.
Revolutionists Were Disguised
Used q Coach.
ST. PETERSBURG. August 4.-Four
revolutionists arrived at n. Stolypin's villa
on Aptekarsky Island at $40 pm. today In
a coach. Two of them were dressed In the
uniforms OF officers Of gendarmes, the third
was dressed as a, driver and was ON the
box Of the coach. and the fourth man was
in private clothes. Two Of the men entered
the villa under the pretext Of making an
important report to the premier. but they
were not permitted to enter his office. One
Of the men threw q bomb into the reception
room and terrible explosion followed. The
house was nearly destroyed, the man WHO
threw the bomb was killed. but the premier,
who was In his Office, was uninjured. His
daughter is said to have had both her legs
broken and the premiers fhree-year-old son
was severely. wounded
Ffremen who arrived on the scene imme-
diately after the explosion found a horrible
scene Many mutilated corpses and a large
number of wounded and lacerated persons
were lying around the spot where the bomb
exploded.
The two revolutionists. or at least one Of
them, appear to have been able 10 enter
the room occupied by the premier's secre-
taries. but were not able to enter the pre-
mier's private office, whereupon one Of the
men hurled bomb at the wall separating
the secretaries room from the ministers
private office. resulting In the revoiutionist
being blown to pieces and the house being
almost completely wrecked. Flames imme-
diateiy broke out among the wreckage, but
the fire was soon extinguished by the f1re-
men, who were hastily summoned
The correspondent OF the Associated Press
later visited the scene Of the explosion and
obtained from one OF the premier secre-
taries. from a sergeant of police and from
some of the survivors the following ac-
count of the event:
Arrival Was Noticed.
The police sergeant. who was standing at
a corner of the house about twenty yards
from the entrance noticed a landau drawn
by a good pair of horses roll up the car
riage-way- and stop in front of the door.
The three occupants of the carriage. one Of
whom wore the uniform of an officer of
gendarmes, and the others being In livery
of functionaries of the ministry OF the In
terror, and who were Ostentatiously laugh
ing and chatting as they approached tne
house, descended from the carriage, one OF
them carrying an article about foot hieh
resembling gildeo vase. They ascended
the steps, passing directly in front OF the
disappeared inside the house when a thun-
derous explosion was heard
The police sergeant, who had started to
walk toward the landau, thinks the revo-
dropped 1t accidentally or Intentionally In
the little ante-room Of the porters lodge.
just inside the entrance. The explosion.
which was louder than the report OF can
wall Of the Villa, demolished the. partition
walls inside and brought the upper story
down in clouds Of mortar and splintereo
wood When the dust had cleared away
I, ole H.
les Of the porter. policeman and three
reyolutionists on the ground In front OF
the door. The landau, which had been
stopped directly in front of the entrance:
was lying on the driveway, mass OF
twisted and shattered wood and iron
About ten yards from The door was the
driver who. IT is thought. was also a revo-
iutionist and who had been killed onrthe
spot The horses were sounded. but only
In their hind legs. showing that they were
partly protected from the force of the ex-
p.osion by the wall Of the. villa.
It Was Preraier's Reception Day.
AT the moment Of the explosion a large
reception room at the left of the ante-room
was filled with a great concourse of officials
and visitors, as today was the premier's
reception day
Stolypfn himself was In the reception room
talking to his visitors. In his office, which
was stu further to the lett, were three OF
lcnce OF the explosion was such that 1t tore
out the wall between the reception room
and the premier's Office. In addition to doing
the other damage mentioned. killing one OF
the secretaries and the footman and wound
ing another secretary. 1t was from the lat
ter that the correspondent OF the Associated
Press obtained these details. The fourth
man who was In the Office escaped un-
injured.
Every one in the villa and its vicinity
was thrown to the ground by the shock.
After the explosion of the bomb a few
moments of stupefaction followed among
the uninjured survivors. and persons In the
neighborhood. including a number of SOL
diers from a grenadier regiment, rushed to
the spot and commenced to carry away the
dead and wounded from the villa. which
had caught fire result of the explosion
OF the bomb. 49,
The exact number of killed and wounded
Is not known as this dispatch Is forwarded,
owing to the frightfuliy mutilated 8. ate of
many OF the corpses and the fact that some
of the wounded were carried to nearby resi-
dences and have not yet been accounted
for. 1t Is believed, however, that twenty
five persons were killed and twenty-four
wounded people were taken to a neighbOr-
ing hospital. a..
Scene Of Great Confusion.
For over an hour after the explosion there
was a scene of greatest confusion at the
villa. A great concourse of spectators
gathered there, HdHQilIlS HoITlUic IcHHdueS
of the tragsay and carrying some of them
away as souvenirs. The police apparently
had lost their presence of mind. for they
did little or nothing until the arrival of M.
Makarof, the assistant minister of the in
terror, under whose orders the villa and
grounds were cleared and an investigation
of the tragedy begun.
According to statements of the survivors
none of the overpowering fumes accom-
panying the explosion OF melinite, lyddite or
pyroxoline was noticed after the explosion.
and it Is thought the bomb was charged
with camphor- dynamite. which IL extern
sively used in loading the revolutfonist's
bombs and which explosive was employed
in the assassination Of Alexander II.
Among its advantages is the fact that 1t Is
safer to handle than ordinary dynamite and
It is also more powerful
A revolutionist with whom the correspond
emit of The Associated Press copversed
con1ectured that the bomb probably was
the one prepared last summer for the as
sassfnation Of Gen. Trepon and which was
gotten I'D SO as to resemble a handsome
gilded vase or one similar to 1t.
A woman was to have presented the bomb
TO Gen Trepoff, but she lost her nerve. Ow-
ing to a long wait in his ante room and de-
parted without seeing the general. Later