The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-14
Student DsfIsd Old Regime With
 Life as Penalty
AUNT CREATES WILD SCENE
Distinguished Guests at St. Petersburg Restaurant Are Involved In an Af- fray Which May Have
 Far-Reachlng Effect.

, St. Petersburg, January IA. a. m.-A tragedy in which a student paid with his life the penalty of refusing to do honor to the old regime took place in the famous restaurant, "The Bear" shortly after midnight The annual ceremony of watch ] ing the old year out was being observed with something like the old-time festivi- ties The great hall was crowded and the orchestra of Mile. Rigo, sister of the raramour of the Princess Chimay, upon the stroke of midnight burst forth with God Save the Emperor"
 l The guests with the exception of stu- dent named Davidoff, member of an aristocratic family, rose to their feet, and officers present demanded an encore being determined to turn the celebration into loyalist demonstration.
 Startled by Five Shots. | Count Sheromietieff. relative of the notorious Moscow reactionary. applied an epithet to Davidoff for refusing to honor the national anthem. and pulled his chair from under him. Hot words followed, and 1 suddenly in the midst of the joyous ac- clsmation of New Year, the guests were | and the corpse of the student lay on the {, fioor Indescribable confusion ensued.
 Count sheromietieff, after the killing of Dayidoff. wounded three women The l companions of Davidoff, armed with champagne bottles, attacked the mur- derer, who with blood streaming from his face. managed to fight his way to the door, Women shrieked and fdinted Dramatic Controversy Over Body.
 The confusion eliminated in a wonder 1 full dramatic controversy across the body of the dead student. The impassioned spectators of the tragedy, having ranged themselves according to their political l faith on either side of the dead body, well-known courtesan, her head proudly | in the air, stamped her foot as from the l side of the 1oyalists she declared the stu 1 dent had met his due. The climax came when an aunt of Dayidoff, who had faint l ed when the boy was shot, having re- l gs ined consciousness rushed forward and I threw herself between the disputants and 1 upon the body, passionately kissing the blood-stained face. A regular panic fol- 1 lowed.
 | Many Hastened Away. 1 The guests at 'The Bear" many of l whom were prominent society leaders of | St. Petersburg, including number of
 
 avoid being summoned as witnesses. l Meantime Davidoff's body was covered by 1 the watchers in order to conceal the ghastly sight, but it lay for more than two hours and until the police prosecutor l arrived to draw up formal complaint l A reporter of the Associated Press. who was present, was informed that Sher- | omietieff is a retired officer of the Semi vosky regiment of the guards.
 Davidoff, when he was attacked, att tempted to draw light rapier which stu- dents carry, but he was dead before the
 blade left it's scabbard.
 courts will coerce a witness and compel him to answer questions. many of them having no bearing whatever on the real issue.
 MT. Rowes argument was that the | court should be guided by the pleading in the Missouri courts where the question 1 of stock ownership and the matters of it's materality still unsettled.
 1 William J. Curtis also counsel for the defendants, said that the question as to disclosure of the stock ownership should \ not be decided at this time The atmos- phere of the examination conducted by MT. Hadley, he declared was not digni- fled. Finally he said, MT. Rogers stood on his legal rights.
 Justice Asks Question.
 As Attorney General Hadley was about to begin his address, Justice Glldersleeve asked him to state the issue in the case 1 clearly and added that the question of stock ownership did not seem very ma terial in proving whether the two com panies have operated in Missouri in re- l straint of trade.
 Do you claim the stock in these com I panies is owned by another company or an indivdual?'' asked Justice Gildersleeve.
 "Both" replied MT. Hadley, "and I as sume, your honor bases his question on the absolute reliability of the statement of the facts related by the other side"
 MT. Hadley went on to say that the special master in Missouri clearly ruled that such questions as those asked Mir. Rogers are material Mir. Hadley de- | scribed his actions in this case in Mis- souri and said the issue Is whether the respondents have entered into conspir- acy for their own benefit and to the detriment of all others in that business i The question of materiality was not taken before the court of Missouri It was not S-aised he said The attorney general tol \ the court that the objec- tions to his right to come to New York while the supreme court question was pending are not well founded. He came under the sanction and approval of the highest tribunal of his state
 T do not believe that these gentlemen of counsel here can have questioned the motives of the highest judicial officer of the state when they have never dared to question them at home,' declared Mr. Hadley. "If there have been sensational reports of these proceedings. they have been due to the witness. Rogers-to his fiippancy, his frivolity and the attempt he made to show contempt for the high est court of Missouri"
 f Spectators Cheer Speech.
 This statement ended Mir Hadley's
 speech. and the crowd of spectators fill- ing every seat and most of the stand ing space applauded until Justice Gil- dersleeve rapped loudly for order. The '
 fcontInued or. Second Pauel