The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-10-01
RUSSIA AND ROYALTY
A Shadow That Darkens the
Path of the Cars.
THE FEAR OF ASSASSINATION

Plots hat were woven NTouHu FN'SN
ander II. and the Bomb That Shat
tered His Body-An Internal Machine
That Failed to Kill Alexander III.
The shadow that falls across the path
of the czars may extend the world
round. Wherever the ruler Of all the
Russias may happen to be, there the
shadow Of fear lies.
Once In Paris, once in the palace
gardens, Alexander II. was fired at
Again in the Winter Palace square
one Solorieff, wearing the uniform Oh
an official, passed the guards one day,
and again the cZar was fired upon.
Alexander ran for the palace. Solo
rieff followed him and fired three
times. The czar ran in zigzags, how
ever and so escaped. Not long after
ward two mines were laid to blow up
the imperial train. One did not ex-
Mode. but the second wrecked the
train. Once more the czar 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 q func-
ton at the palace. A bomb blew clean
out q large portion Of the imperial resi-
dence, but the car 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 II. passed,
that he was nothing but a provision
dealer. Nearly every one in that
street was paid spy, but Kobozef
joked with his customers, pleased his
purveyors and was most affable and
apparently harmless:
The dealer inspired confidence, and
his custom increased gradually. No
wonder, for most of the parcels that
his 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! it was
by such ingenious method that tun-
mel was followed and cleared under
the thoroughfare and mine laid be-
meath the way the cZar often passed.
an innocent couch upon which the
housewife slept covering the entry tc
the tunnel.
Yet all the work was useless. On
the day the scheme was to be carried
ments by going off to lunch with the
Grand Duchess Catherine Michaelovna.
Among those who were watching on
behalf of the terrorists was a beauti,
full girl-a countess, too-named Pc
rovskaya. 1t was she who, seeing the
altered arrangements, gave warning.
The car would return to the palace
another way. Along this route four
men carrying bombs were stationed.
One threw his Men and 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 Gaslorow-
ski, who describes the incident in Ills
book, "Tragic Russia" "rhe czar fell
as If 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, and there
were attempts upon his life. The
fourth was one of the most sensa-
tional In the entire list Of nihilist plots
On bright autumn day the impe-
rial train Travelled at full speed on the
track well guarded by soldiers. 1t was
toward noon. The imperial family
were in the dining car, where lunch
was about to be served. The cook and
his 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 Mt the next station.
The train moved forward toward
Borki, travelling at the speed Of eighty
kilometers an hour Then the elec
trical bell notified tho cook that the
imperial family were ready for lunch
con. A few seconds after the bel
sounded q terrific noise was heard
and violent explosion changed in the
twinkling Of an eye the luxurious i'm
perial train into heap Of broker
iron, of wrecked cars, of mutilatet
corpses, enveloped in smoke and mad,
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 nihillsts had In
tended should be grave for the car
his family and his suit saved him, fol
although its roof and floor wer'
wrecked Its sides were preserved
They inclined toward the center, prop
ped each other like two cards and re
malned In that position, protecting
those who were there from being
crushed.