The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-03-05
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
) A Minister'S
; Walking Stick.

IVIIbIHAI
"Oh. Peter. what Is the matterT'

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 were to have been
married In month. so at last she drew
his secret. He was member Of a
band of Russian terrorists and had
been ordered to assassinate 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 be ex-
ecuted. II be 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 of
this" said Anna. eve must set our
wits to work"
There is no way to do the work but
by bomb, and that
There are always more ways than
one Of doing anything. You know, my
father Is an INVENTOR He 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
Kidding 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. He pondered several days, then
told Anna that If he could get cane
used by the minister he would have a
good chance of success.
The next day Anna went to the Of
fee 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 a cane. Then she went
to his residence to apply for a position
as servant She got into the hall,
where she saw a number Of canes In a
stand. She also succeeded in 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, If any, he
used. Finally she saw him emerge for
a walk, and he carried cane. 1t 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 cane
was evident from the fact that it was
ten days before it was missed. This
Anna inferred, since after that time
she saw an advertisement of its loss
Evidently the minister supposed that
he had left it somewhere inadvertent
". This, if so, was fortunate. Or
loff took the cane to his workshop and Z
IN few days returned 1t to his daugh,
ter
"Give 1t to Peter" he said, "but tell
him to keep it in an upright position
On no account permit 1t to become
horizontal unless it is to be used to
kill. But If it Is to be so used unscrew
the top slightly"
The question now arose how to get
the cane back to the minister without
being connected with its return. II the
minister was killed in handling It, the
person who had returned it would be
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 oaice at
O'Clock in the afternoon and either
walked OF drove out In this he was
very puuctual. One day Peter watched
his opportunity and a few minutes
prior to the minister's expected return
stood the cane up in corner against
his door. When the minister returned
and saw 1t be started He was
surprised and puzzled. not understand
ing the manner OF its return. He was
In such constant danger from the ter
rorists that he became at once sus-
pieious or what? Simply the mys
terry attending the manner OF the canes
return. EIe took 1t into the house and,
without laying It down, went directly
TO the telephone to communicate with
the police. This done. he threw the
cane on a lounge and started upstairs
He had barely left the room, placing
brick wall between him and It, when
there was terrific explosion, blowing
out the front windows. The minister
was unframed.
At a subsequent meeting Of the ter
forist circle which had given the order
Tor the assassination Peter Marienien
was considered to have made an in.
genius attempt and to have served his
turn. Being called upon for an ex.
PLANTATION of his methods, he told Of the
Stealing of the minister's cane and add
ed seThe stick was bored; metal flask
containing a liquid was inserted which
could only pour from an oritice in the
toD Of the flask. The fask itself was
Embedded in a powder that would ex-
plode when the liquid touched It This
could not be till the top Of the cane
was loosened from the orifce and the
stick was placed in q horizontal posi-
ton. When the minister threw It on
the lounge II assumed this position, and