Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-12-01

XAH Vail ~ $50 Wv
N ear of Russia, was dyna-
( GCSy mited at a point near Mos
wv COW and several persons
were seriously injured.
Fortunately, the czar's train preceded
instead of following the baggage train,
and this miscalculation on the part Of
the conspirators saved the life of his
imperial majesty.
An investigation showed that a mine
had been dug beneath the railway.
Two secret service men descended
into the hole made by the explosion
and came to a subterranean passage
which led to a little cottage close to
the railway on the outskirts Of Mos
COW. The inhabitants had fed, and
the police found an untouched meal
on the table of the dining room.
The car was so startled over this
d~astardly attempt on his life that he
determined to use unusual NEAR to
discover and punish the perpetrators
Of the outrage. The ordinary protec-
ton, with which he had surrounded
himself, had proven insufficient. The
police Of Moscow were remiss in per
hitting the digging of the mine under
their noses, so to speak. In this
crisis he sent for General Drenteln,
the chief of the secret police, and
charged him with the commission of
bringing the would-be %assassins to JUS
tice.
General Drenteln was we'll fitted for
the task. He was hard, cruel and as
remorseless as death itself, and la
been the cause of sending pris-
onnrc t0 Sihorio nnnn O nricnnar
tried to escape, and the penalty an
nounced by the general was hanging.
His personal bravery was unques-
toned; he exposed himself in public
places without fear. Six months be-
fore the Moscow attempt on the cars
life a Nihilist, named Mirski, had shot
at the chief Of the secret police and
had escaped. Drenteln had taken the
thing with characteristic calmness.
His wound, which was slight, was
bound up, and he at once resumed his
official duties.
This, then, was the man who was to
uncover the mystery of the Moscow
mine. He went about his work with
provoking elaboration. He was con-
'fident that the explosion was part of a
great general conspiracy and that a
large number of persons must be in
volved. Instructions were sent to
every part Of the empire to keep a
close watch on all known or suspected
Nihilists. The magnitude of the task
may be appreciated when 1t is under
stood thai all Of Russia was in a tur-
MOL over the attempt to destroy the
head of the government. Literally,
thousands Of persons, for months,
were engaged in shadowing thousands
of other persons.
General Drenteln realized that three
attempts had been made on the en-
peror's life within the short period of
a year, and he e~ndeavored to make
some connection between these vari
Gus plots. He could not help but feel
that the same persons must have been
interested in each Of the conspiracies.
In the autumn of 1878 a mine had
been laid at Nikolaieff, on the Black
sea, to blow up the emperor, but 1t
had been discovered by the police and
the scheme frustrated. The second at
tempt was made by Anthony Solovieff,
a former school teacher. From read
ing the theories of socialism, he had
gradually accepted the doctrines Of
that order and finally became a Mill
list. The perseverance of the man may
be understood when it is known that
he learned the trade OF blacksmith In
order that he might come into close
communication with the class Of peo-
pie whose wrongs he sought to right.
He journeyed to st. Petersburg in the
summer of 1873 for the purpose of
killing the emperor, and haunted the
palace in order to get the opportunity
of carrying out his design. On the
second of April, 1879, he was in
hiding when Alexander came out to
walk up and down the sidewalk in
front Of the palace. Solovieff fired four
shots at the czar. He was seized i'm
mediately, tried in the following June
and hanged before the month was
over.
The third attempt on the life Of the
emperor has already been detailed in |
the beginning Of this article.
Drenteln's first move was to make
a personal investigation Of the house
from whence the TUNE had been dug
under the railroad tracks near Mos
COW. It was a tri1e better than a
peasants cottage. It was sparsely
furnished. the floors were bare and
the beds and tables and chairs were
as plain as it was possible to make
them. In the front room he picked up
q copy Of THE VIII of the People,"
tho organ which represented the
Party of Terror" composed Of the
most extreme Nihifsts.
That, in itself, was not q very tan
gible clew. Copies Of that paper, as
we'll as Of Land and Liberty" the or
gan Of the most conservative Nihilists,
were constantly beng picked up in
different parts Of the empire. The
publication of these papers was treat
cd as treason. Presses were confiscat-
ed and men arrested, but as fast as
this was done the papers m~agically ap-
peared in other places. So General
Drenteln did not lay very great store
by this find. However, q few moments
later, he discovered a book which
gave gave promise of results. The !