The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-08-31
RUSSIA AND ROYALTY
A Shadow That Darkens the
Path of the Cars.
THE FEAR OF ASSASSINATION
Plots That Were Woven Around Alex
sndcr ". and the Bomb That Shat
tered His Body--An Internal Machine
That Failed to Kill Alexander ~.

| huosHS ihdy uuDptu W De, tHcEc Tue
shadow OF fear lies.
| Once in Paris, once in the palace
gardens, Alexander III. was fred at.
Again In the Winter Palace square
one Solorieff. wearing the uniform OF
an official, passed the guards one day.
and again the czar was fred upon.
Alexander ran for the palace. Solo
rieff followed him and fred three
times. The czar ran In zigzngs. how
ever. and so escaped. Not long after
ward two mines were laid to blow up
the imperial train. One did not ex-
| plode. but the second wrecked the
train. Once more the car escaped
Watching eyes had saved him, their
owners having persuaded the ruler to
take another train.
Later Alexander II. owed his life to
the fact that he came late TO n func-
tlon at the palace. A bomb blew clean
out large portion OF the imperial resi-
dence, but the czar was not present.
But OF all the attempts on the lives
of Russia's rulers two stand out most
clearly for their amazing ingenuity.
One tells the story OF little unpre-
| tentious shop In Malaja Sadovaja
| street. Kobozeff. then unknown to
the police. took the shop and set out
to impress the police, who were al
ways making sudden inspections of
premises along the thoroughfares
through which Alexander H. pissed.
that he was nothing but a provision
dealer Nearly every one In that
street was paid spy. but Kobozeff
joked with his customers, pleased his
purvcyors and was most affable and
apparently harmless.
The dealer inspired confidence, and
his custom increased gradually. No
wonder. for most of the parcels that
bis customers were carrying away by
day contained nothing but earth
earth that during the night hours had
been scraped by the man and his
wife from beneath the street. IL was
by such ingenious method that a tun.
mel was followed and cleared under
the thoroughfare and q mine laid be
meath the way the czar often passed.
housewife slept covering the entry to
the tunnel.
Yet all the work was useless. On
the day the scheme was to be carried
out the czar upset all the arrange
ments by going off to lunch with the
Grand Duchess Catherine Michaclovna.
Among those who were watching on
behalf OF the terrorists was n beauti-
full girl-a countess. too-named Pc
rovskaya. It was she who. seeing the
altered arrangements. gave warning
The cZar would return TO the palace
another way. Along this route four
men carrying bombs were stationed.
One threw his. Men aud horses were
killed all around. but the czar stepped
from his coach unscathed A second
man holding bomb came forward
and threw It, "This time the effect
was awful" says Waclaw Gasiorow.
SKI, who describes the incident In his
book. Tragic Russia" 'rhe czar fell
as IL cut by a scythe. His legs were
shattered to pieces" SO died the czar
who had escaped as by miracle
many times.
Alexander III. followed. aud there
were attempts upon his life. The
fourth was one of the most sensa.
tional in the entire list of ulblist plots.
On n bright autumn day the ipIpe
rial train Travelled at full speed on the
track well guarded by soldiers. II was
toward noon. The imperial family
were IN the dining car. where lunch
was about to be served. The cook and
Ills help were making the last prepara.
tions for 1t when an assistant was
taken ILL.,.
The court physician attended the
man and having stated that he had
fever. with symptoms OF some mex.
pllcable ailment, decided that the man
could not remain in the imperial train.
and he was left at the next station.
The train moved forward toward |
Borki. travelling at the speed of eighty !
kilometers an hour. Then the cleo. |
trical bell notified the cook that the !
imperial family were ready for lunch |
con. A few seconds after the bell |
'N'"''u ~ tSliiuN uolSe WAS UcUTu. |
and violent explosion changed in the |
tNinkling OF an eye the luxurious i'm
perial train into heap OF broken
iron. of wrecked cars. of mutilated
corpses, enveloped in smoke and made
all the more narrowing by the moan.
Ing and cries for help OF the wounded.
Yet the czar escaped, The dining
room car that the nihilists had in
tended should he a grave for the czar.
his family and his suit saved him. for
although its roof and, floor were
wrecked its sides were preserved. |
They inclined toward the center prop,
ped each other like two cards and re-
mained in that position, protecting
those who were there from being
crushed.
The cook who had been put or tho
train had worked the whole thing. He
had placed an Internal machine In n
zone OF sugar and had faxed his III.
ness, thus getting clear away.-phila,
iclphia Ledger
hapnx, f,ap A. |