Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-02-01
HELD AS TRAITOR
M. P. Lopukine, Former Director OF
Police at st. Petersburg, is
Rev0iuiionist.
HAD GIVEN INFORMATION
Evidence Indicates That He Was Con-
nected With Numerous Plots In
~. voiVing Murder.

st. Petersburg, Feb. IN. Lopn-
kine,a5ormer director of the police in
the department of the ministry of the
interior, has been arrested on charge
of high treason. He yesterday was
rushed to a military prison, where he
will be kept until the time set for his
trial.
The technical charge against the
former police official is that he was a
member of the Russian socialist revo-
lutionary party and that he has been
aiding that party, both during his oc-
cupancy of Office and after he was re-
tired The actual charge is that he
furnished the Curtseff, the leading
Russian revolutionist leader in Paris,
information concerning the movements
of the Russian police.
Leader Hired Agent.
One Of these bits of information was
that AZef, a leader in the revolutionary
movement, also was hired agent of
the secret police. 1t was this informa-
ton which led to the trial of Azef by
led to mis- conviction and sentence to
death by the party's executioners.
1t also is charged that Lopukine fur
niShed two other documents to the
Tevolutionists which betrayed the or
ganiZation of the political police, in
Guiding the names of its spies among the
revolutienists, its Aplans for future
nf
ear, and the names of the men sus-
pected of being involved in the plots
against the Russian government.
Disclosures Lead to Arrest.
1t was the disclosure made at the
trial of Azef by the revolutionary lead
ers and reported to the secret police
, by their agents within that party
which resulted in the charges against
Lopukine. The latter had caused the
trial of AZef by getting persons with
in the ranks of the revolutionists to
accuse their leader, thereby risking
their own lives because of the popular.
ity of Azef and the belief in him, and
the last result was the downfall of the
informant.
.. Azef who unquestionably was a po
| lice spy, was represented as having
, arranged most of the outrages anG
assassinations which have been at
/ tempted or carried out in Russia dur
ing recent years, and indeed at the
moment when his real character wa.
exposed he is understood to have beeI
engaged in a plot against the life o
I the czar. The theory is that he had in
struct;ons to let these terrorist mach
nations succeed or fail as suited tn,
q their campaign against the revolution
|, ary organizations.
Azef Caused GapOn's Death.
He likewise was engaged in the organ
ization of those demonstrations of tn
masses and of those instructions. tn
: failure of which were fatal to the revc
} lutionary movement in Russia.
1t is said Azef was jealous an
afraid of Father Gapon and that
was by his orders and on his inform;
ton that Gapon was executed by tn
revolutiOnists as a spy.
One of the crimes which Azef a
q ranged with a view to arresting til
" conspirators before the plot was ca
g ried out was the assassination of Gel
If eral Won der Launitz, prefect of
" Petersburg, who was shot. The dee
IS was accomplished before the date ;
n which Azef had arranged for the a
rest of the conspirators.