The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-01-18
Behind the
Stats
Story of Revenge For
"A Political Crime
By EDWARD COOLIDGE

l was making a tour of Switzerland
on foot. All the luggage l had with
me was strapped on my back, and in
my hand carried light alpenstock.
One morning started from Interlak-
en- to walk to Thun. The road l took
leads along the west bank of Lake
Thun, or Thunder lake, one of the
prettiest bodies of water in Switzer-
land From the road one has a per-
petual view of the Bernese Alps. the
Eiger. the Monk and the Jungfrau.
whose snowy peaks rising high in the
heavens may often be mistaken for
light clouds. The sun was shining ON
the lake, over whose bosom the little
steamers running between Interlaken
and Thun loaded with tourists were
passing back and forth.
Not far from Interlaken the road
passes through a tunnel in perpen-
dicular cliff that forms the bank of
the lake. While walking through this
tunnel caught up with youth who,
judging from his pack. was making a
foot journey the same as l. He spoke
to rne in German, the language of that
part Of Switzerland, but signified that
1 did not understand him, and he re-
peated his question in French.
How far is it, sir, to Thun?'
Ten or twelve miles, / believe"
He was inclined to let me go on
ahead of him; but, preferring compa-
ny, l adapted my gait to his. He was
apparently not more than eighteen
years old. No beard had yet started
ON his face, and his hair and complex
ion were fair. took him for a Swede
or Norwegian, though such light hair
and skin are common in northern Ger
many. We walked on together, chat
ting and enjoying the beautiful pan
Drama Of the lake, the hills beyond and
still beyond these the mountains. For
awhile the young man was guarded in
his speech. He then discovered that l
was an American-he had supposed
me to be an Englishman-and this
seemed to awaken confidence, though
it was not quite a fellow feeling, for he
kept me still in ignorance as to who
he was or where he was going. l
knew, however, from his conversation
that he was highly educated and one
of those persons who are born to think
deeply. was astonishcd at his familiar
ity with the various schools of philos-
ophy. That he was a dreamer as well
as thinker was apparent from ideas
he advanced, which to me seemed a
century ahead of the times.
At Meiringen We halted for lunch
con, eating sandwiches and drinking
beer at table under the trees in front
Of hotel. We rested for an hour aft
er luncheon, smoking, l my pipe, my
companion cigarettes (the usual form
Of a smoke in that country.
The subject that most interested him
was America and how to get there. l
told him that it all depended on where
one started from and waited for him
to tell me from which point he would
begin. 1.-The Riviera" was his reply.
WhereupOn informed him that from
any point on the Riviera-say Nice or
Mentone-one might by short rail-
way journey reach Genoa, from which
port steamers are constantly leaving
for the United States. He seemed
much interested in this and more so
when I told him that l had engaged
passage by that route myself. When l
asked him if he had any intention Of
visiting my country he replied that he
had not.
We reached Thun about o'clock,
and, after refreshing ourselves with
glass Of beer in the gardens Of the
Kursaal, went to my hotel, my COM
panion going l knew not where. One
meets all kinds of people travelling
abroad, especially if one likes to form
acquaintances, as I do. OF all those
I have met in any Of my tours the
person who made the most impression
upon me was the young philosopher
about whom learned nothing.
I went by rail from Thun to Paris
from there to Nice and from Nice to
Mentone. I found at MentOne General
A., who had been minister of the in
terror in Russia. Indeed, stayed at
the same hotel with him. Those who
knew told me that several attempts
had been made upon his life by revO-
lutionists, or, as they were then called
nihilists, and that he was closely guard
ed. During his incumbency in Office
he had sent hundreds of people to
Siberia, besides those he had executed.
He had been prescribed by the nihil-
lists, they having vowed to kill him. j
asked why he should dread his enc
mics so far from home and was told
that they could work to better advan-
tage beyond the Russian borders than
within them. In Russia the govern
ment could act directly. In other coun-
tries more or less red tape was neces-
sary to arrest suspect, and before 1t
could be done an assassination might
take place. General A. was spending
a season at Mentone for his health. be
ing afflicted with some nervous disor
der 1t seemed to me that man liv-
ing in fear Of his life would be likely
to have nerve trouble. He was very