Evening star., 1928-10-21

Bismarck was filing his famous long
stemmed pipe as Stieber talked. The
room became clouded with smoke which
partly obscured the chancellor's express
sion, but the screen was not inten-
tional: for as Bismarck spoke he un-
yelled what had been partly hidden
from Stieber himself
"It would be a universal calamity"
Bismarck mused aloud, "if so noble
and good a prince as Alexander II
should die by the hand of an assassin.
Therefore I hope you will do all you
can to prevent it.
But how fortunate 1t would be for
Prussia if-in spite of all that you may
be able to do-the assassin actually
fired at the Gar and the bullet, through
your agency, were to go wide.
For then such an attack in Paris
should the would-be assassin 60 un-
punished-that an alliance between
Russia and France would be averted,
with corresponding benefit to ourselves.
But I must go for my ride!"
Stieber met his agent at midnight.
Stay at BereZowski's right hand
every moment until his arrest" was his
order.
But suppose he fires?"
"He must firel But the shot must
go wide. And you must be the one to
arrest him"
All Paris thronged the avenue des
Champs Elysees the next day after the
great review; so much so that the i'm
perial carriage with Napoleon III and
Alexander II found it impossible to
proceed along the scheduled route. The
equerry, M, RaimbauX, was ordered to
clear the way for the carriage to turn
down side street.
With difficulty his horse cleared a
passage for the carriage to turn. Then
from the crowd young man shouldered
his way to the royal equipage and,
drawing o pistol, aimed it at Alexander
II.
He fired. But a hand knocked the
pistol aside at the critical instant and
the bullet killed one of the horses. The
young man succeeded in firing the Sec
ond shot, which, however, only hit
tree
Then he was knocked down by
Stieber's agent. French police seized
the would-be assassin.
In prison the young Pole made his
statement.
IT wished to avenge Poland. 1t is
useless to question me farther. have
no accomplices. And I accept full re-
Sponsibility"
He was tried by jury of none too
prosperous citizens. There Is no actual
proof existent that the prosperity
which a number of the jurors expert
enced soon after the trial was illegiti-
mate. But the young Pole was acquit-
ted on the ground of "extenuating cir
cumstances."
Which so incensed Alexander II that
he drew back from the alliance Ma
poleon III sought.
And Prussia, thereby the gamer, was
ready to proceed against France.
X X X
THIS time Stieber did not set out
= alone, as he had for Bohemia
First he summoned his two lieutenantS,
Zernicki and Kaltenbach.
Stieber had two aspects to him as
a spy. One was that of the glib good
mixer, the actor Of many guiseS, suave,
sly, O reader and manipulation of men.
The other side of him was the calcu-
lating machine; casting up human
needs and human lives as coldbloodedly
as If they were so many numerals and
ciphers. Each of his two neutenants
represented one of these two aspects;
LcIulCkl, EOIc, was VIle HllAeI, hdl-
tenbach the calculator.
In Bohemia Stieber had been ped
dler." Now in France 1t was as per-
sonage Of means that he travelled: he
was Greek capitalist" looking about
for an outlet for spare millions: and
there must have been many French
men who knew Stieber, the chief of Bis
marck's secret service. but did not rec
ognize the Greek capitalist"
And. like shadows, wherever he went,
were Zernicki and Kaltenbach, some
times in his wake; often preceding him;
sometimes by his side; occasionally at
a distance; the precursors of the great
shadow to be cast over France.
When the three returned to Berlin
they began recruiting an army. 1t was
o curious army. First were enlisted