The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-12
FIRED ON
 GRAND DUKE Soldiers Attempt His
 Assassination. DURING THE SHAM BATTLE
Battalion of Sharp Shooters Are
 Held Responsible,
Emort to Take i.ife of Head of MiIi- tary Department of Russia |. Beins secreted by rrc.s
 censars.

SL. 4keteI8purEsl AuGust, a1l.--tzrauu Duke Nicholas Nicholaievitch. presi- dent of the council of national defence. narrowly escaped assassination yes terday, afternoon at the hands of the imperial guards in the guard camp at Krasnoye selo.
 Thus far the Associated Press has only been able to obtain meagre de- tails of the affairs. from which it ap- pears that the Grand Duke was per- sonally reviewing maneuvering and putting the troops through blank fir. ing practice. when he suddenly was startled by the wasp-like hiss of bull lets about his head
 Fortunately neither himself nor his horse was touched. The command to cease firing was immediately given and the soldiers of the regiment from which the bullets came were marched back to their quarters and an inves- tfgation was begun in the hope of as- certaining from the barrels of the ri- fIes which of the soldiers fired ball cartridges. Several arrests are un- derstood to have been made.
 One of the Grand Dukes de cann whe, however, was not personally pres- ent, advanced to the Associated Press the theory that possibly the bullets were fired by accident. but he consid- cred that beyond doubt there was plot on the part of a number of guards men, who deliberately planned to take the Grand Dukes life under cover of the general blank cartridge fire.
 Tt was no more an accident" said the aide-de-camp, than was the fir- ing Of the charge of grape from the saluting battery at that winter palace blessing the waters of the Neva by the Emperor a year and a half ago"
 Emperor Changes Plnns.
 The bold attempt on the Grand Dukes < life caused an immediate change in the plans of the Emperor, who had arrang ed to go to Kraanoye selo today and spend a week with the soldiers of his imperial guards.
 IL was iearned that the troops were in attended order and engaged in vol- ley firing when the -aecident occurreds rendering it difficult to determine the regiment from which the bullet came. The grand duke. surrounded by officers and -de-camp. was off on one side, put of the line of fire.
 The affair has created deep i'm nression In military circles and is the one topic of conversation in the ciups' but the attempt on the grand duke life is not generally known here. no word on the subject having been pup ftshed in the newspapers. ,-
 Afterwards 1t was definitely estab- lished that the shots were fired by the first battalion of the sharp shooters of the guard who advanced in brushes while making q sham attack on an in- trenched position. tuiiy nunoreo shots were fired but the iInpattence of the conspirators led them to open fire At such a distance as to frustrate their objects Before the manouevres began all the ball cartridges were taken from the troops and the officers had taken the precaution to make special exam ination of the cartridge pouches fm- mediateIy before the inauguration or the movement of the troops.
 A representative of the Associated Press visited the guard camp at Kra- bnoye- Selo today, and ascertained that though several arrests had been maae, responsibility for the shots fired at Grand Duke Nicholas had not definite iy been brought home to any particn- lar culprit
 It was only after a long Investigation that 1t was determined that the ball cartridges were fired by the first bat taiion of shartshooters, one of the elite corps of the Russian army. Suspicion was directed toward the "one-year vol unteer'' recruits, who. in consideration of the educational qualifications and social position, escape with only one year instead of four years service Many of these men are former students at universities and are the principal spreader of the revolutionary propa- ganda among the troops.
 Grand Duke Mounted.
 Grand Duke Nicholas was sitting on his charger and observing the manou- vers from the top of an intrenchtnent The troops were advancing by short rushes in open order across a wide. level held firing blank voileys by squads. as they came. A few yards behind the Grand Duke was his suite. including General Zarubaeff. second In command of the guard corps, adjutants and orderlies. and several civilians. in- eIuding the Countess Nirod.
 Suddenly, when the frst eschelon of the attacking force. consisting of sharp shooters, were from 450 to 800 yards distant. a bullet sang high over head Sollowed by another, and still another The cry was raised, They are firing hall" and the group was thrown into great confusion. After frantic signal ing. cease firing" was sounded, but the shots continued for some time Grand Duke Nicholas remarked. when he joined his suite:
 "It would be more realistic if the troops always fired ball during ma nouyres. but this is unpardonable neg
 The attack on the position held by the Seninoysky regiment was immed- iateIy stopped. The troops were mar ched to their quarters and investiga- lion was begun. How the conspirators obtained ball cartridges has not been ascertained as ammunition Is always called in after the men return from pa- trol duty, but 1t is conJectured that fine cartridges were secured after the dissolution of parliament when sup n1fes of service ammunition were issued in anticipation of trouble and that the troops succeeded in holding them out