Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-10-23

Stuergkh
Shooting
byAdler
Assassination of Aus
TRAN Premier by Edit
or for Political Rea-
sons
Assailant Fired Two Shots into
Prime Minister'S Head and
Wounded Two Others

| Vienna. Oct. 21.-(Via Berlin and Say
vile Wireless to The Associated Press,
Oct. 22).-The assassination of the Aus
trian Premier Count Karl Stuergkh was
purely political and was induced by his
refusal to convene Parliament, accord
ing to the admission of DR.. Friedrich Ad-
Ter, his assailant, shortly after his ar
rest
Austrian "Liebknecht"
DR.. Adler is an eccentric and super
radical Socialist, comes known as 1.-The
Llebknecht of Austria" He is editor
of Der kamof. At first he declined to
reveal his motives but after being lock-
ed up he broke down and declared that
the Premier's political policies had led
him to do the deed
DR.. Adler's arrest was not accomplished
without the wounding of two men who
leaped at him after he had fired at Count
Stuergkh. He discharged the two re-
naming chambers of his revolver at
these men before Austrian and German
officers, with drawn sabres, overpowered
him. The wounded men who were in
Jured slightly are Baron Aehrenthal,
brother Of the late foreign minister, and
the head waiter of the Hotel Messl Und
Schadn, in which the shooting occurred.
| Count Stuergkh arrived at the hotel at
13O O'Clock. With him at luncheon were
Baron Aehrenthal, Count Toggenburg.
governor of the Tyrol, Herr jacobson, a
prominent Vienna musician, and an actor
from the court theatre.
At O'Clock a unknown tho
Premier arrived and took a seat three
tables away. He ate luncheon, paid for
the meal. but fingered at the table. Short
ly after O'Clock he arose, advanced rap
idly toward the Premier and fired three
shots The first missed. The next two
struck the Premier in the head. With
| out word Count Stuergkh fell back
lifeless in his chair.
Baron Aehrenthal sprang toward Adj
Ter. The head waiter ran up from be-
hind the assassin and grasped the hand
that held the revolver. Adler wrested his
arm free and fired two shots.
Baron Aehren was wounded in the
foot. The waiter received only a super
fetal wound. Seeing that the struggle
was hopeless DR.. Alder surrendered
to the officers who crowded upon him
and gave up his revolver. Apparently
he was the calmest man in the room
He gave his name without hesitation
and added:
IF you please. gentlemen, I know
perfectly we'll what l have done. l
shall not resist arrest"
In reply to question as to the rea-
| son for his act he said at first: THAT
shall have to answer in court"
1t was half an hour later that he ad-
mitted that he had been actuated by
political motives.
Physicians and high police and state
officials reached the scene Of the shoot
ing within few minutes but found
that the premier was lifeless. News Of
the assassination spread like wildfire
and was received with indignation and
sorrow.
The assassin, who is SO years old, is
son of Dr. Victor Adler. Reichsrath
deputy and a Socialist Of mild type.
BY a strange coincidence. the father
was speaking before the Reichsrath in
1911 when Count Stuergkh was shot at
six times by the Dalmatian Socialist
| vakusch On that occasion the count
was uninjured
Court Stuerskh
Count Stuergkh's ministry was form
ed Nov. g. 1911, and was reorganized
Nov. 30. 1915.
The count has been a prominent fig
ure in Austrian political affairs for
wears. He was minister of public works
in the cabinet formed in 1893. at the re-
tirement of which he was asked to
form a new ministry.
| He was born in 1859 at Graz. was
educated at the University of Graz and
entered the service of the state in 1881.
He began his Parliamentary career on
March IL, 1891. when he was elected to
the Reichsrath
In 1904 he became a ministerial d.
rector in the department of which he
afterward became the head. In the in
terval he was out of Office for time,
resigning after the fall of the
Windisch- Graetz cabinet.
Telegraphing from Vienna a few
days ago. a correspondent of the Vos-
siche Zeitung of Berlin said minis
terial crisis in Austria was considered
unavoidable. The dispatch did not
specify the reasons, and little informa-
ton has reached this country in regard
to current Austrian political conditions,
although there have been many dis
patches in regard to political strife in
Hungary. The Austrian Parliament has
not been in session since before the
war. The government has not called
the members together owing to fear of
strife among deputies of various races.
One of the few occasions on which
the counts name has figured in the
Amer lean press during the war was
August of last year when he was in
terviewed by an American correspond
ent. He was quoted as having said that
although some of the Teutonic expan-
sionists favored extreme terms, he was
sure the German government and in
t,uential citizens would hold to mod.
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