The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-04
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A Minister'S
( Walking Stick.

Peter, pale as a ghost tried to speak, i.
but failed
"Tell me. Peter; tell mer'
"Deathw
When Peter Marienieff found voice to |
speak he said that he could tell no one /
of his trouble. but Anna Orloff was his |,
sweetheart, and they we're TO have been
married In II month, so at last she drew
his secret. He was a member Of q
band of Russian terrorists and had
been ordered to assassnnte Minister
Alexis Enobikoff. who had more pa
triots' blood on his hands than any OF
the cars officials This meant surer |
death To Peter than to the minister, for
the attempt might not be successful.
whereas. whether he succeeded or not.
he would undoubtedly be struck down
by the guards or II taken alive. ue ex-
ecuted. If he refused TO do the deed
he would be killed by the band from
which he had received the order.
There must be some way out ot
this" said Anna. 1--WE must set our
wits to work"
"There is no way to do the work but
by bomb. and that
"'rhere are always more ways than
one of doing anything You know, my
father Is an inventor. lie has invented
many strange devices. but nothing that
has thus far given us money Perhaps
he may now invent some safe way of
killing the minister without exposing
him who kills"
poison is the only means for doing
that, and 1t Is impossible to get near
enough to these people to poison them.
Besides, they are too careful of what
they eat"
Anna went to her father, told him
of her trouble and asked him to con-
centrate his mind on some method OF
ridding Russia of the tyrant that would
not reveal the perpetrator of the deed.
The inventor adored his daughter and
needed no other spur to sharpen his
wits. lie pondered several days, then
told Anna that II he could get cane
used by the minister he would have q
good chance of success.
The next day Anna. went to the Of
flee of the minister. Her object was
to steal his walking stick. She got to
the Office before his arrival and waited
in an anteroom, but when he came he
was without Il cane. Then she went
to his residence to apply for position
as servant. She got into the hall,
where she saw a number of canes In a
stand. She also succeeded I'm interview
Ing the major domo, but this inter-
view she did not value. Then she
watched for days for the, minister to
enter or come out of his house to OBJ
serve what walking stick. II any, he
used. Finally she saw him emerge for Y
walk, and he carried cane. II was
one with gold head. She went again
TO the house on different pretended err
rands and at last succeeded In stealing
the gold headed cane.
That the minister seldom used q cane
was evident from the fact that It wns
ten days before 1t was missed. This
Anna inferred, since after that time
she saw an advertisement of Its loss.
Evidently the minister supposed that
he had left 1t somewhere inadvertent-
ly. This, II SO, was fortunate. Or
loft took the cane TO his workshop ana
In few days returned 1t to his daugh.
ter
Give 1t TO Peter" he said, "but tell
him to keep 1t in an upright position.
On no account permit 1t to become
horizontal unless 1t is to be used to
KILL But II it is to he so used unscrew
the top slightly"
The question now arose how 10 get
the cane back to the minister without
being connected with It's return. II the
minister was killed In handling II, the
person who had returned It would DO
hunted down. This plan was finally
decided on Anna In watching for the
minister's ingress and egress to and
from his home had noticed that he
came and went at fixed hours. He
usually returned from his office at
o'clock In the afternoon and either
walked or drove out. In this he was
very punctual. One day Peter watched
his opportunity and few minutes
prior to the minister's expected return
stood the cane up In a corner against
his door. When the minister returned
and saw It he started. He was
surprised ana puzzled. not understand.
Ing the manner Of It's return. He was
IN such constant danger from the ter
rorists that he became at once sus-
plcious. or what? Simply the mys-
terry attending the manner of the canes
return. He took 1t into the house and
without laying II down, went directly
TO the telephone to communicate with
the police. This done, he threw the
cane on lounge and started upstairs.
He had barely left the room, placing a
brick wall between him and It, when
there was n terrific explosion, blowing
ont the front windows. The minister z
was unharmed.
At subsequent meeting OF the ter
rorist circle which had given the order
for the assassination Peter MarlenlefY
was considered to have made an In
genius attempt ana to have served his
turn, Being called upon for an ex-
planation Of his methods, he told OF the
stealing of the minister's cane and add
ed: "The stick was bored; metal flask
containing liquid was inserted which
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