Year: 1879

AN ARIsToCRATIC LADY MURDERED IN HER


RooM-AIIEsT OF MEMBER OF THE Rus


SIAN NOBILITY.


The Russian newspapers give the following par
ticulars of murder which is causing great excite
ment in st. Petersburg On the 10th of June
bricklayer in ascending ladder to mend the roof of
. house in the Grodmenski street. perceived through
the window on the second story woman lying
stretched on the floor. He paid particular
attention to the spectacle at the time, but on de
scending the ladder several hours a;terward he OBJ
served, to his surprise, that the figure had
not moved since the morning. He thereupon men,
toned the matter to the dvornik. who. ascending
the ladder and finding the bricklayers statement
correct sent off at to the nearest police station
The police inspector soon arrived. and after satisfy
ing himself also that the woman still lying on
the he gave orders the door Of the lodging
to be broken open. This was done by the assembled
dvorniks and it was then discovered that Nine.
Vlasof the occupier Of the apartments, had been
servant. Alexandra Semened. done to death in
the kitchen From the position of the bodies
the police inspector drew the inference that
the servant had been rendered insensible first
by q heavy blow from behind and that, after the
murder OF the mistress in the drawing room had
been accomplished the assassin had returned to the
kitchen and finished his work with hatchet After
this he had apparently ransacked the house. carrying
off with him the most valuable portable property
and rejecting bundle of government bonds that
could not have been realized without danger of de-
tecton He then carefully locked the door with two
keys and descended into the street without ex-
citing the attention of the dvOrniks. At first
it seemed as though the crime was SO involved in
mystery that it would be impossible for the
police to lay their hands upon the criminal. but
Investigation the next day threw important light
upon the matter aud ultimately LED to the appre-
hension Of the supposed murderer.


AN ARISrOCRAT INCRIMINATED.


It seems that on the 9th OF June, the day, from
various indications inside the lodgings the murder
is supposed to have taken place. the landlord noticed
nine o'clock an officer dressed in the uniform Of
the Imperial Guards enter the dwelling of the victim
'Who is that! he demanded of the dvornik. The
latter replied that he was frequent visitor ut the
house. and that the servant of Nine. vlasoT
had told him that his name was Lieutenant Lands
berg, officer IN the Imperial Guards This in
formation was confirmed by the dyornik who ex.
pressed his belief that Landsberg tho last to
enter the lodgings on the night OF the murder. The
attention OF the secret police thereupon directed
several days elected that the morning after the mur
der the officer demanded leave of his colonel to pay
Grodno and on the latter's asking what the
ter with his right hand, which suspended in
q sling the lieutenant replied that he had acciden
tally injured it with his sword. Throughout the
whole journey to Shawl Landsberg, usually gay and
talkative was taciturn and sullen and ate nothing
the whole way. Four days after his arrival home he
teearaphed for extension OF his leave, and paid
visit some friends at Ponevig. General Todle
ben's estates. On the 18th inst he set out for ST.
Petersburg Detectives, who were already his
track. kept him in sight. At six O'Clock III the


ing the train drew up Tsarskoe Selo station whore
u
were gathered, in obedience to the arrange
ments of General Zouroff, Mr. Sabouroff, the St.
Petersburg Procureur; Mr.. Hutchinsky the Public
Prosecutor: Prince Kildeshef the commander of the
Engineer Guards, and the adjutant of the Tsarskoe
selo camp, Mr.. Razulaet, besides Putilin. the head
of the secret criminal police, and Shedovsky, his
sistant On aghting from the carriage to proceed
to the camp the lieutenant encountered the gaze of
his commander. whom he saluted The latter took
no notice Of the Difference paid him. but exclaimed
in loud voice :-"Lieutenant Landsberg. you are
arrested. Follow Adjutant Razulaeff to the waiting
room" The lieutenant turned pale. but fol-
lowed the adjutant without uttering word
The Prince and the officials close be-
hind him. AS soon they were all inside the
waiting room Landsberg was searched, and spots of
blood were found upon his linen. Upward of four
hundred rublcs were also found inside his purse.
together with some gold imperias said to be rccog-
nized the property of Mme Vlasoff. The same
night the prisoner. who refused to acknowledge his
guilt, removed to the House of Detention ut St.
Petersburg. where he remains An examination
Of his lodgings is officially announced to have dis
closed careful endeavors to conceal the traces of
some deed connected with the shedding of blood"
and by the majority of the st. Petersburg papers
Landsberg's guilt is spoken Of as being beyond
doubt and established Tie sensation occasoned
by the intelligence described being intense, the
victim well as the murderer moving IN the best
circles in st. Petersburg society.