Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1881-03-19 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

PEI-91008 ATTEMPT ON THE CZAR'S  LIFE.  The life of the unhappy monarch who perished miserably on Sunday has been repeatedly attempted, especially of late years, since the formation of the Nihilist conspiracy. The following are the particulars of the several attempts which were made previously to that of Suliday :—At four o'clock on the afternoon of the 16th April, 1866, as the Emperor was entering his carriage after promenading the Summer Gan den at t. Petersburg, a pistol shot was fired at him by a stranger, named Kara Kase, whose design was frustrated by a peasant named Ossip Ivanovitch Kommissaroff, who was afterwards ennobled and handsomely rewarded. The second attempt was made , upon the life of the (lzr,r whilst his Majesty was on a visit to the Emperor Napoleon in June, 1867. The two Emperors had been present at a review in the Bois de Boulogne, and whilst they were returning a Pole, named Berezowski, fired a pistol at the Czar. The pistol, being overloaded, burst, and the hand of the would-be assassin was carried away by the explosion. He fell down crying, " Long live Poland," and both Emperors escaped unhurt. In Jarmary, 1670, a Socialist conspiracy was discovered among the students at S. Petersburg, headed by Sargius Netscnaj w. One of the conspirators gave information, and was consequently assassinated by his companions. Subsequently the . prisoners were tried, and condemned to various periods of imprisonment. In the summer of 1877 there was discovered a great Nihilist conspiracy which had organized a revolutionary propaganda. More than 200 persons were arrested and tried at the beginning of the following year, when 160 were sentenced to various periods of hard labour, the remainder being acquitted. In this year-1878 —Vera Sazulitch, who had fired at General Trepoff, Prefect of St. Petersburg, was tried and acquitted by a jury. It will be remembered that Vera Sazuliteh was subsequently arrested and imprisoned, but succeeded in effecting an  _  Air  escape. At about the time of her trial reports were received of the spread of Nihilism in Kieft, Moscow, and elsewhere in Russia. In August, 1878, a number of Nihilists were also arrested and condemned at Odessa. A few days afterwards General Mesentzoff, Chief of Police, was assassinated in the streets of St. Petersburg. In August, 1878, an attempt was made to murder General Todleben. In March, 1879, an attempt was made on the life of General Drentelen, Chief of Police of St. Petersburg; and on the 14th April, 1879, another attempt was made on the life of the Emperor. On the morning of that day His Majesty, whilst taking his customary walk near the General Staff .Office, was fired at by a person who was in close Iproximity to him, but the Emperor again escaped. The would-be assassin, who was arrested, was Ivan Sokoloff, and was at one time employed in the provincial branch of the Ministry of Finance. The Nihilists continued an active propaganda throughout the year, and on the 3rd December an attempt was made near Moscow to blow up the train in which the Emperor was returning from Livadia. It will be remembered that a tunnel which had been driven under the railway was charged with dynamite, and this was exploded at the approach of what was supposed to be the Imperial train, , but which fortunately turned out to be a luggage train, which preceded, in this in- ,I stance, the train in which the Royal party travelled. In the same month a man was arrested on suspicion of a design to blow up the Winter Palace. On the 17th February, 1880, there was an actual attempt made to blow up the Winter Palace by exploding dynamite in the room beneath the dininghall at a time when it was expected the Emperor, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and other members of the Royal Family would be going in to dinner. They had fortunately been delayed in the adjoining room, and, though the dining hall was shattered, none of the Royal Family were injured. Arrests were subsequently made, some of the leading conspirators being convicted. Shortly after this event General Melikoff was entrusted with absolute powers of administratiod throughout Russia, being placed above all other officers and Ministers of the State.