Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-05
|DR. ARDAS|EV, RUSS
EDITOR, CH0PPEDUP
Solution Of Fate of Refugee
in Stockholm Reveals
Dime Novel Story.
"AMERICAN" IS ARRESTED

BY BAssETT DIGBY.
By Cable to The Star md the Chicago
Daily News. Copyright, 1919.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden. August A..
The melodramatic productions Of dime
novelists have been surpassed by. the
revelations in the solution of the mys-
terious disappearance three weeks ago
Of DR.. Ardasiev. formerly, owner and
editor of q woman's magazine in Mos
COW. but lattsrly q member of the
Russian refugee colony in. Stockholm.
Ardasiev was both, idoNzed and
loathed by various cliques among the
exiles and appears to have been
bolshevist SPY. He certainly had In
innate financial and political relations
with the bolsheviki and he is believed
to have kept Lenin informed about
Russians reaching Stockholm which.
led to. the persecution Of their rela-
tives for alleged assistance in their
escape.
How He Met His Fate.
It has now been learned that Arda-
siev was kidnapped by two women
taken out to lonely lakeside villa in
the northern suburb Of Bollstanas.
tried and condemned by q secret
court-martia1. strangled, chopped up.
stuffed into a sack and dumped into
lake. The plot involves at least two
dozen Russian men and women Of the
"intellieenzia" type living in Stock
holm and in peaceful distant villages.
The primo mover in the affair was
. we'll known Russian Caucasus Co.'S
sack. Col. Hohammed Bek, formerly
a close friend Of Gen. Kornilon. A
general. two lying officers and their
among tho alleged conspirators A..
rested. The detectives are doing
clever work and already have arrested
several other members Of the gang In
various parts Of the country.
Robbery and Revenge Motive.
Robbsry as we'll as desire for RE-
venge for betrayal seems to have been
q motive in the crime.
Many OF the Russian emigres here
are now at the end OF their resources
and Ardasiev was known to be pos
sessed OF q lot OF money. Forty thou
sand kroner ($10.800) was taken from
his fiat during the interval between
his Disappearance and the unfavA1tng
of the plot, and most OF his bank de-
posits were withdrawn By means at
forged checks. =
Interest centers in Mohamnsd Bek.
who mingled with the members Of
the diplomatic circles here for q time,
He went to the Caucasus, but came
e I'm n assssd but fe,s,an
ed. It Is said that he tried to induce
mcmbers Of the Russian colony to
form gangs OF thugs as q business
proposition and suggested breaking
into two Of stockh olm's largest banks.
enemiss whom he had insuIted when
they refused to go into the thug bust
This colonel. whose face and men,
tally were purely Asistic and who
leader IN the Caucasus, dissSissd
himself with trousers and sword in
stead Of wearing the usual robe and
scimitar., His fellow conspirators
say that he carried out Ardasiev,s
murder by strangiing him with Z
moose In expert style.
american" u Arrested
At the detective headquarters here
It ts said that an American citizen,
Reginald .Lehrs. has bean arrested
with the Russian conspirators on the
charge Of having shared with MohaEn.
med Bek the chief active role in AFda-
stev,s murder. This man 10 declared
by the police to have bound the mans
the :strangling. he is said to have
represented himself ct one time a.
an American newspaper man. The
American consulate Is said on several
occasions to have received complaints
about him and warned him to Ina
nEnVA Lee hA AL
to get government job In HeIsiAg-
fofs, but was turned down.
He Is more. q Russian than an
American. and was accustomed to
spend his time with Russians. Several
angel. His brother, John LeArs, was
vice consul in Moscow two years ago,
ana later was in Copenhagen. His
father ts . resneeted Moscow meF-
chant. whose father. member Of an
to build the Nicholas railway from
Moscow to Petrograd. Henry Lehrs is
now believed TO be in Christians.
Reginald Lehrs was formally
charged. together with six Russians,
with Ardasiev's murder. by the police
Sweden Of q murder charge against
an American.
The Swedes are expressing anger
that their hospitality sheuld be abused
by an outrage like this. Two years
ago q Russian "emtgre" murdered 4
Swedish colonel in his Stockholm fiat,
Russian exile life here 10 closely com
parable to the life in Chinese colonies
in American cities with continual
undercurrent Of feuds and plottings
The police hope in the course Of their
Investigations of the plot to obtain
clues to various other strange occur
rences.