Weekly News. — 1891-04-02 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

ASS.ASSINATION OF A BULG MIND,TER.  At a quarter to 8 on Friday evening, while sd. Stambuloff, the Premier, and M. Beltcheff„ Minis See of Finance, were entering their official residences Sofia, which are contiguous, an unknown Imo stepped forward and, presenting a revolver at id. Beltcheff, fired three shots point blank at him. The Minister fell to the ground a corpse. The report of the three succesishe shots inanediat* brought a number of passers-by to the spot, but la the darkness and confusion the assassin, who to to his heels immediately after effecting his heinous purpose, made good his escape. Whether he was id any way recognised is not known; but some witnesses of the crime say that he was accompanied by three other men, who assisted him to escape. The unhappy victim of the crime was conveyed in his house, and r edical aid was at once summoned, though there was only too good cause to lear that life was extinct. When the doctors arrived they , declared that the Minister was no more, and that from the nature of the wounds he must have be ki led on the spot.  The Standard corespondent at Sefia has had la interview with M. Etanibuloff, alto gave an account of the event which, 0 orgh not different hom rhe version that has been mile public, possisses some features of special i terest. He said that the assassins had profited by the absence of the mud guard in the neighbourhood ot the Palau., a hich h at present undergoirg repairs, and were comequently able to observe his move ii cuts in safety. He first cauf.ht sight of them at the pate of the gardens opposite the hotel. They at once went la at this entrance, and Caine out again at the Towel Gate just at the menu tit that he and M. Beltchell were passing. The rest of the ste ry may best he told in his own words "I Lai p. a., d to step bade and leave a gap between myself and my te inpanico at the very moment alien a pistol flashed in my face, and the ball, which otliereie would certainly have entered my body, hit N. Beltelieff. 'lite report and the flash so close to me, and in the carkness, scared me for the instnnt. and, shouting 'Run, Beltcheff r I dashed off myself. But the brat shall had partially stun. ea him. and, as lie raised his arm, which had deflected the bullet, he received a second ball straight in the breast. I stopped at once, and returned with some policemen who came up, in the hope of assisting my friend. of course I ought to have gone straight on, and raised a hue and cry. I cannot tell you how unutterably shocked I am at the whole affair. I assure you that no outside advice for pr..ssure shall induce me to show the st clemency, or diesande me from extet minating all who are implicated in it. I have known of the existence of a L.:et 0/ this kind fur some time, and one of the men mixed up in it confessed to me not long cgo that he had actually lain in wait. for the Prince, but, at the last moment, had lost courage, and had not ventured to fire the fatal shot."  According to the Times Vienna correspondent/18 persons have been arrested at Sofia, including M. Raraveloff, formerly Piime Minister to Prince Alexander, and subsequently Regent, and also a Gr,ek from Stanimaka, who is strongly suspected of having been an aeceory to the crime. The city has been encircled with a cordon of troops, and ordPrs have been given that nobody is to leave without a pGlice pass. At Sfia, however, it is very difficult to guard all the exits, and it is believed that the principal murderer. and at least one of hie accomplices, managed to get clear awa- immediately after the crime. Two horsemen rode furiously into Tzaribord on Saturday morning„ changed horses there, and vanished in the directiun of the Servias frontier. They had been gone more than two hours when the local authorities received news of what had happened at Sofia. along with ii s:ruction:us to arrest auspicious characters.  As the moment has come for speaking the full truth about Bulgarian affairs, I feel bound to rate, (adds the Times correspondent ) that, according to official reports that have been received from Naples, the late Colonel Mutkuroff,Minister of War, and U. ambuloff's brother-in-law, committed suicide. Those who are cognisant of the facts hint, whether riplitly or not Ido not pretend to say, that this &Boer was also involved in a plot, which, unfortunately for Ili In. wa. discovered.  , 6 Til lii,