Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-12
BALL CARTRIDGES IN PLACE OF BLANKS
Bullets Whistle About Head Of Nicholas
Nioholaievitch.
PRACTICE FIRING is ENDED QUICKLY
Troops Marched Back to Barracks and
Several Arrests kade.
CAUSES EMPEROR 10 CHANGE PLANS
Nicholas AhHndons Intention 60
spend week In Canp with
SoIdIers-Many MutInsers
Under Arrest.

ST. PETERSBURG, Aug. n-Noon.-- .
Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaievitch, pres
ident Of the council of national defense,
narrowly escaped assassination yesterday
afternoon at the hands OF the imperial
guards in the guard camp at K.asnoye-
Selo.
Thus far the Associated Press has only
been able to obtain meager details OF the
affair, from which it appears that the
grand duke was personally reviewing tho
maneuverins and putting the troops
through blank firing practice when he sud
denly startled by the washlike hiss
of bullets about his head. Fortunately
neither himself nor his horse was touched.
The command to cease firing was inn
mediately given and the soldiers of TIE
regiment from which the bullets .eame
We're marched back to their quarters and
an investigation was begun in the hope
OF ascertaining from the barrels OF the
rifles which Of the soldiers fired ball
tridges Several arrests are understood to
have been made.
One of the grand dukes aides-de-camp
vino, however, was not personally present
advanced to the Associated Press tho
theory that possibly the bullets were fired
! by accident but he considered that beyond
a doubt there was a plot on the part OF
a number of dsloyal guardsmen who de-
hberately planned to take the grand dukes
! life under cover OF the general blank
( cartridge firing.
1T was no more an accident" the aide
| de-camp said than was the firing of a
! charge Of grape from the saluting battery
at the Winter palace on the occasion OF
! the ceremony Of blessing the waters of the
| Neva by the emperor a year and a half
ago"
The bold attempt on the grand dukes
| life caused an immediate change in the
plans Of the emperor. who had arranged
! to go TO Krssnoye-selo today and spend
week with the soldiers Of his corporal
| guards.
| Duke Out OF Iinc of Fire.
IT, was learned that the troops were In
7 extended order and engaged In volley firing
when the accident" occurred. rendering
II difficult to determine the regiment from
which the bullets came. The grand duke.
| surrounded by officers and aides -de-camp,
was of on one side out OF the line OF fire.
The affair has created a deep impression
/ in military circles and is the one topic OF
converse tion in the clubs, but the attempt
on the grand dukes life ls not generally
known here, no word on the subject having
been published in the newspapers.
Conspirntors Too impatient
Afterwards it was definitely established
that the shots were fired by the first bat
TALON of the sharpshooters of the gur-d,
! who advanced In rushes while making a
sham attack on an entrenched position.
| Fully hundred shots were fired, but the
| !mpatience OF the conspira tors led them to
open fire at such a distance as to frus-
trate their object. Before the maneuvers
began all the ball cartridges were taken
from the troops and the officers had taken
I . bn
tion of the cartridges furnished. the SOL
dlers Immediately before the Inauguration
OF the movement OF the troops.
Two Thousand for Trial.
After the preliminary Investigations the
military and naval prosecutors have
decided to try by court-martial no less than
1000 soldiers and sailors who participated
in the Cronstadt and Sveaborg' mutiny.
The prospects Of the men, however, have
been frightened by the decision OF the en-
peror 10 appoint two extraordinary COM
missions. headed respectively by Generals
Vodar and Cuncheroff and Admirals Molas
and Makaroff. to investigate the causes
OF the outbreaks at Cronstadt and Svea-
borg and to determine the responsibility
for the decentralization, War Minister
Rudiger and Minister of Marine Brileff ara
said to be arriving at the same conclusion
as Admiral Skrydloff the commander ~
the Black feet that the officers are
more 10 blame than the men. The conn
missions will inquire into the general con-
diuoHs prevailing In the navy and army
and f. may result in very great shaksup,
including the wholesale cashiering and re-
tlrement Of commissioned officers.
| A proposition to furlough indefinitely ths
superfluous soldiers on the Baltic station
is being seriously considered. It is pointed
out that there are no ships nor occupation
for them and that they are merely a source
OF Generalization,
Political Campaign Begins.
, Another indication of the determination
of the administration to protest vlgor-
) ously in the electoral campaign is fur
nished by an order of the minister of the
} interior TO the police throughout the en-
, pire to make reports as speedily pos
sible on all the political parties in tholr
districts. their strength, Organization.
membership, activity and press organs.
( Count Heyden today contributes to the
controversy over the failure OF himself
and his friends to enter the ministry
in an open letter declaring that they IN
sisted on being given at least hve places
| in the cabinet in order TO have a prepon-
derance, but that they were obliged 10
refuse the two places finally offered as
this would have made them a negligible
quantity.
stoIypin In bad Light.
The revelations made in open letters by
/ Count Heyden, Prince Nicholas Lvon and
r NJ. Shlpoff regarding the cause OF the
[ breakdown of the negotiations looking 10
= their entering the cabinet place NJ. stoly-
4 pin in rather a bad light. Letters show
/ that the government utterly refused TO
\ yield anything In the matter OF principle
and tried TO give the cabinet an appear
r ance Of liberty by taking In two public men
I Prince Lvof said Il was absurd TO ask
a ! them 10 become mere government clerks
G They had specially insisted upon getting
| the portfolios OF the Interior vital 70 OBJ
! tanning public confidence.
None Of the liberal papers have yet been
5 ! allowed 20 resume publication.
Z The Novoe NTenys, which often reflects
" the sentiments Of the upper elIolss dis-