The Washington times., 1919-09-01


| to occupy a fiat with the American.
Lehrs, moYed out to a lonely villa
on the little wooded island of Boil
stanas, on Lahe Norwikken. This
villa is owned by Nine. Lily Strind-
berg, Sweden's FIRST operatic star, who
is a sister OF the previously mem
toned Nine. Ronkonnen.
As every SWede OF means possesses
an island retreat, the move attracted
no attention In his datcha home
Hadji-Leshet settled down with Nine.
Rongonnen and his secretary, the
/ German professor, Etinger, while the
young widow PotuloYa was engaged
as typist. The villa was fitted out IN
brightly eolored, extravagant Cauca-
sian, semi-0riental style, and became
notorious among. other Russians liv-
ing roundabout for its orgies.
Need Of Money Another Motive.
But orgies cost money, and soon q
second financial consideration press
ed on Hadji-Lashst to action. The
woman Ronkonnen needed funds to
go to America, and threatened toaex-
pose Hadji-Lashet as a Bolsehvist
agent unless he helped her. Now.
Ardasheff was a wealthy man and
Hadji-Lashet knew it. The latter had
thus two motives in removing the
doctOr-political, to suit Lenine; and
financial, to suit himself But how TO
accomplish. the crime and yet escape
detection DR.. Ardasheff must be
lured away to the lonely island villa.
How?
The doctor was susceptible to fe-
male charms. Hadji-Lashet knew
that. A girl deco3 must be found.
Hadji--Lashet settled on Dagmah de
Gysser. - pretty. typical Russian
girl OF advanced views, who smokes
all day long"
One day toward the end Of June
Dagmar called, on some pretext or
other. at the Doctors flat. Then she
called again and again. Things were
going wei. The doctor soon dropped
in favor OF DoEmar an acquaintance
he had formed with a Swedish girl.
Midsummer's Day Is a great festival
here in Sweden. On that day Dagmar
arrived at the Doctors flat in a black
motor car. She explained it was her
brothers. They went away in it for
the day.
The Lure Of the Black Car.
Heneeforward the black car was to
play an ever-growing part in the
drama. People recall NOW how they
would be dining or supping with the
doctor when black car would arrive
outside, piloted by one OF the de
Gysser brothers. Sometimes the doc
tor would leave his guests on an
urgent excuse; on other occasions he
would tell his maid Vendla to order
the chauffeur to drive away. Arda-
sheffs Inability to resist the tempta.
tion Of the black ear, to forbear from
driving off in it to meet Dagmar de
Gysser at some secret rendezvous, led
10 his undoing.
Ardasheffs last ride in the black
motor car was to Hadji-Lashet's villa
on the island Of Bollstanas. On ar
irving he was bound with rope,
chained to the wall Of the drawing
room, and left alone for twenty-six
hours without food or water.
On July 3. the day before Ards.
shefPs death, his housekeeper was
lured away by a bogus message and
his flat was rined.
"COurt-MartfaIr Is Held.
On the midnight Of the day follow
ing his arrest a "court-martiaI" OF
twenty. assembled in the room, with
the bound and enfeebled Ardasheff in
the center protesting his innocence.
The trial was brief. The prisoner
was found guilty OF treason and SEN
fenced to death ION behalf Of the red
tribunal" Then in crept sordid
finance. Hadji-Lashet announced that
II the doctor would sign several blank
checks his life would be spared. The
doomed man did so. Then the AmeFi-
can, Lehrs, blindfoIded and gagged
him, while Hadji-Lashet put a rope
around his neck from behind and
slowly strangled him
The court rose, the body was placed
in a Weighted sack, put in a boat and
fowed out into the lake. Here il was
dropped in.
DaEmaF Smokes As He dies.
Dagmar, the daughter Of General de
Gysser. was among those present at
the court-martial. She Is stated to
have been at one time in love with
Ardasheh, but now, smoking calmly,
she watched him being slowly stran-
gled.
Between July and July four
checks-those signed by Ardasheff-I
were presented at Stockholm banks
and 10000 kroner drawn.
General de Gysser. his sons and
daughter were arrested as accomplices
IN the murder, and among the others
is a young Russian naval officer,
Lieutenant Bittenbinder, son of an
admiral, who was arrested when en-
deavoring to fee to Denmark.
Three BOdiea In Sacks Found.
But there are other murders to clear
up. Three bodies tied in weighted
sacks have been found.
Several Of the prisoners suddenly
confronted with the grim remains, |
tainted, but Hadji-Lashet simply |
shrugged his shoulders.
The first body was that OF Calve, |
the Bolsheviki commercial attache at |
the Stockholm legation. lbs murder, |
which was a replica Of Ardashoff's, !
occurred on May 81.
The second body was that OF q |
Polish Jew, Lewitzki, formerly on the |
STAFF Of the Russki SloVo and later on
the Memshevist Dineh. He was eX-
PEELED by the Bolshevists from Petro-
grad, where he had lived modestly, /
and arrived in Stockholm in March |
with considerable funds. He stayed /
at the Grand Hotel, where he was
daily in the company Of Hadji.
DnEmAr Deooyed Hin AISo.
The girl Dagmar was said to have
been used as a decoy in this case as
well. Ostensibly she was teaching
the intended victim French. Lewitzki
drove OF unsUspectingiy one day in
the fatal black car. Later on the
same day in country road he was
seen struggling in the car with two
men, who had gagged him. n