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Show YCN PLEHVE MILS YICIIK 0? ASSASSIN'S BOMB; : IS CMARGEB WHIGMME Body Frightfully Mangled by the Explosion; Excitement Reigns at St. Petersburg; Murderer Captured. BTJixETnr. ST. PETERSBURG, July 28, 10: S 5 a. m. Minister of the Interior . Von Plehve was assassinated this morning while driving; to the 'Warsaw station to visit the Emperor at the Peterhof palace. A bomb was thrown nnder the Minister's carriage, completely shattering shatter-ing it. 21. Von Plehve was terribly mangled. The crime was committed at 10 o'clock. The assassin mi arrested. He la said to be a Jew, who thus far has declined to give his name. the fact that he took poison lmmedl-I lmmedl-I ately after throwing the bomb, i - The deceased man's carriage was being be-ing followed by secret service men on bicycles, but by a miracle not one of them was Injured. Explosion Terrible. The force of the explosion was so tremendous tre-mendous that all the windows of a hotel facing the street were blown , In and even some of the large panes of Warsaw War-saw station, a hundred steps away, were shattered. Some of the drosky drivers at the cab stand In front of the station were Injured. Probably Thrown From Hotel. According to a later account the bomb was thrown from a window of the Warsaw War-saw hotel. Von Plehve's head was torn off, the lower portion was completely shattered, but the upper part was untouched. un-touched. There were only two conspirators, conspir-ators, according to this version, one of whom threw the bomb from the window, win-dow, and then bolted. When captured another bomb is said to have been found in his pocket. Relics of Tragedy. ' A heap of debris, a carriage, a portion por-tion of the coachman's uniform, mute and pitiable relics of the tragedy, were still lying in Zambalansky street, where the crime was committed, when the correspondent cor-respondent of the Associated Press again returned to the spot this afternoon. after-noon. For a block either side of the street was guarded by police and no one waa allowed to approach. Even in the midst of the consternation produced by the tragedy everybody - Is talking of Von Plehve's probable suo-cessor. suo-cessor. . , ' Four Lines In Extras. Von Plehve's assassination was officially announced at once, and waa followed immediately im-mediately by the issuance of extra editions edi-tions of the papers. Although they contained con-tained only four lines referring to the tragedy, the newsboys were fairly mobbed by the crowds in the streets, so eager were all for details of the crime. Intense excitement reigned everywhere. Only the acsastlnatlon of the Emperor could have created more of a sensation, aa next to hie Majesty himself Von Plehve was regarded re-garded as the most powerful personality in the Russian Government. Festivities Postponed. It transpires that Von Plehve was on his way to Krasnoye Selo. sixteen miles southwest of St. Petersburg, where the Grand Duke Vladimir's birthday waa to be celebrated. The Emperor is still at the Peterhof palace. When the news waa received all the festivities of the day were, of course, countermanded, and instead a requiem service was held. When the remains of Von Plehve reached his residence a requiem mas was celebrated, and the two masses will be celebrated dally until the funeral service occurs. News Broken to Wife. The news was broken to the Minister's wife at Kyblnsk. on the Volga, while on her way to their country seat with their son, who is 37 years old. ' A daughter daugh-ter Is married to M. Voutch, an official attached to the Council of Ministers, who was the sole relative of Von Plehve able to attend the first requiem mass for the repose of his soul. Von Plehve saw his son and wife oft last night and then drove to the residence resi-dence of Gen. Bogdanevitch. an old friend and associate, with whom he remained re-mained until a late hour. The Minister appeared to be pre -occupied, and some of the guests asked him If he had received re-ceived any more threatening letters and remonstrated with him for going about unprotected. Curiously, M. Von Plehve replied: Knew His Own Danger. "I am safe enough every day In the week except on Thursday. No one knows of my movements beforehand except ex-cept on that day, when everybody knows I go to present my weekly report to the Emperor." The assasrln was dressed In the uniform uni-form of a Warsaw railway guard. He Is comparatively young. The cyclists escorting the Minister's carriage were powerless to prevent the bomb being thrown. The Warsaw hotel whence, according to one report, the bomb was said to have been launched, stands at the corner of Zabalaneky street and a road bordering on the Obvodny, or circular canal. Being near the depots it Is almost exclusively patronized pa-tronized by railroad men. It developed later In the day, however, that the bomb was not thrown from a window of the hotel, as alleged in this version of the affair. The assassin was wounded in the abdomen ab-domen by a splinter, necessitating an operation. DEAD MAN SECOND ONLY TO EMPEROR IN AFFAIRS OF RUSSIA Von Plehve was appointed Minister of the Interior April 18, 1902, succeeding succeed-ing M. Sipiagulne, who was assassinated assassinat-ed April IS, 1902, by a student named Balmashoff. He had formerly been director di-rector of the Department of Police, which position be practically assumed of his own accord, when In charge of the department of political proaecu-tlons, proaecu-tlons, owing to the Incompetency of the (Continued on page 1) See southwest corner last page. v - ST. PETERSBURG, July 23. 1055 a. m. Minister of the Interior Von Plehve was assassinated this morning while driving to the Warsaw station to visit the Peterhof. ' A bomb was thrown under the Minister's Minis-ter's carriage, completely shattering it. M. Plehve was terribly mangled. ' The coachman waa killed and the wounded and maddened horses dashed wildly away with the front wheels of the -carriage, the only portion -of the vehicle remaining intact. -Wild Confusion Follows. . ' Immediately there ensued a scene of the wildest , confusion. Police and gen-d'armes gen-d'armes hurried up from every direction and vast crowds gathered about the spot where the mangled body of the Minister lay weltering in his blood. The Associated Press correspondent was at the scene of the tragedy within five minutes after It occurred. Shockingly Mangled. M. Von Plehve's shockingly mangled body was lying In the middle of the road. It had been partially covered with a police officer's overcoat, with the left arm, the bone of which was broken ofT, projecting. A policeman came up and raised the overcoat in order to rearrange it, revealing re-vealing for an instant the strong, features fea-tures of the dead Minister, whose head was battered almost be&nd recognition. recogni-tion. The roadway was strewn for a hundred hun-dred yards with the wreckage of .the carriage and pieces of the red lining of the Minister's official overcoat. A few yards from M. Von Plehve's body lay a shapeless heap of the coachman's coach-man's remains. On Way to See Emperor. M. Von Plehve was on his way to visit the Emperor. The tragedy occurred oc-curred on the Zalalkonskl prospect, a broad thoroughfare leading up. to the Warsaw depot, whence the road turns sharply to the left toward the Baltic railroad , station. The exact spot at which the outrage occurred is Just before be-fore the bridge spanning the circular canal, en the other aide of which both stations are situated. Knew Minister's Movements. The bomb thrower must have known perfectly well that Minister Von Plehve would pass the spot this morning, for the Minister makes his report to the Emperor every Thursday.-- The Infernal machine was thrown with deadly accuracy and the assassin was favored by the fact that traffic here is always of the heaviest owing to the crossing of lines of surface cars and the continuous stream of heavy trucks. M. Von Plehve waa always apprehensive appre-hensive of attempts upon his life and used to drive aa rapidly as possible. The coachman, however, was compelled to go slow at this point. Seized Favorable Moment. The assassin In laying his pittas evidently evi-dently foresaw this circumstance, and while the Minister's coachman slowed down, threw the bomb. The explosion was terrific and practically prac-tically annihilated the woodwork of the carriage. The horses tore oft, dragging the axle and the front wheels. The animals, ani-mals, though infuriated by the wounds they had sustained, had not galloped far before they fell with pools of blood under them. . Three Others Injured. The Minister's servant, who was also on the carriage box. was badly wounded, and two officers who were driving by In a cab were injured by flying splinters. The assasMn himself was wounded in one eye. He took to flight, but according accord-ing to the latest reports waa overtaken and Is now under arrest. Passengers by the Peterhof train began be-gan to arrive upon the scene. Among them were the Duke 'and Duchess of Oldenburg, who stopped their motor car within a couple of paces of M. Von Plehve's remains and were told by a policeman the terrible tidings.- . They were much affected. The news of the tragedy spread like wildfire throughout the city, causing, t i . ';. - . ' ' ' consternation everywhere. Police reserves re-serves were hurried to the scene from all parts of the city and the various departments were instantly notified. When the Associated Press correspondent corre-spondent arrived at the telegraph office . fifteen minutes after the tragedy oc- curred. the director of telegraphs had already been informed, of the assassination assassi-nation and Instructions had been given. The utmost confusion prevailed and the reports of the occurrence were conflicting. conflict-ing. Speculation's to Assassin. Regarding the Identity of the assassin and the cause of the crime, by some it is said that the act was that of a Finn, and by others that the murderer waa a partisan of the Zemstvos, the curtailment curtail-ment of whose powers Is attributed to the dead Minister. Nothing, however, has been definitely established as yet. . ! Czar Much, Affected. The Prefect of Police notified the Emperor Em-peror of the tragedy Immediately upon Its occurrence. The Emperor, who wae at the villa Alexandria at Peterhof, was greatly affected by the news, coming as it did. on top of the bad tidings from the seat of war, fears of International complications and the strain Incident upon the hour's expectation of an event so close to the father's heart. The Emperor Em-peror almost broke down when be was Informed of the Minister's murder. Whatever may have been the motive for the crime, nothing but the utmost indignation and condemnation of the assassin's act is voiced anywhere. Waited for Coroner. Guarded by police the body remained in the .street until the arrival of the official offi-cial corresponding with an American Coroner. Even In the case of most pow erful Minister of the empire the law requires re-quires that this formality had to be observed before the remains could be removed. After this official had viewed the body It was placed in a carriage, covered by a robe, and was driven slowly to a little chapel adjoining the railroad station, and then to the deceased man's magnl- j ficent town residence adjoining the Min- lstry of the Interior. Streets Are Thronged. The carnage, surrounded by mounted gen-d'armes, passed through the crowded streets, the sidewalks being a solid mass of people. Even the cross streets were black with spectators for blocks. As If by magic everybody In the city seemed to have suddenly become aware that a frightful -Catastrophe had occurred and to have hurried to the scene. As the carriage-passed all heads were uncovered. Former Plot Revived. The first hurried Investigation of the police seems to connect the crime with the plot which was frustrated by the explosion at the Hotel Dunord, April 13, In which Kasanoff, one of the conspirators, conspira-tors, was killed by the accidental explosion ex-plosion of an Infernal machine which at the time, it waa said, waa Intended for Von Plehve. On that occasion a companion of the conspirator who was killed, escaped. Explosive the Same. Owing to the frightful force of the explosion ex-plosion on that occasion, which completely com-pletely wrecked two rooms, blowing the body of Kasanoff almost to atoms, severing sev-ering his head and arms from the trunk, heads of the police believe it is possible that the explosive was Identical with that used in today's tragedy, which waa caused by a bomb or Infernal machine of similar power with that of the former plot, and that the perpetrator was the man who escaped at that time. As further indications of the Identity of the tragedy with the Hotel Dunord affair there were in each case explosive bullets In the bomb. Six Men Implicated. It is rumored that stx men are Implicated Im-plicated and that five of them fled into a little hotel adjoining the scene of the assassination, only the one who was wounded having been captured. The hotel was surrounded by the police and all Its Inmates were arrested. The wounded man, who Is said to be a Jew, was taken to the Alexander hospital, hospi-tal, so dazed as to be unable to speak. His condition was accounted for by - . . ' ' - - i - t r , (Conttnueil from page 1.) .. ,. or.c'al who was In charge of the police when Emperor Alexander IL i was kil3. I : arch 13, l&Sl. . ' II. Vci Plehve conducted the prosecution prose-cution of the regicides and afterward, reorganized the police. From that time on the power of M. Von Plehve increased in-creased until it became only second in Importance to that of the Emperor. Several plots to assassinate the Minis . ter have, according to reports, been discovered dis-covered during the last two -years, which period has been marked by strong political rivalry between the interior in-terior Minister and the former "Minister of Finanme. M. Wltte, now president of the committee, of Ministers. Opposed by High. Classes. - -7 M. Von Plehve was not a scholar, but from his youth be had been brought bp in oSlclal circles and he slowly but surely pushed himself ahead. Before the Emperor called M. Von Plehve to take the portfolio of Minister of the Interior In-terior he had already spent about forty years in official work, and at the time of his death ha was about 68 years old. The educated youths of Russia are said to have been bitterly opposed to M. Von Plehve owing, it has been claimed, to bis turning on his own people., and to the drastic changes which he inaugurated inau-gurated or advocated. He is said to have regarded, the common people as either dangerous criminals to be repressed, re-pressed, or as innocents to be ignored. Polish Zlood in Vein. ... M. Von Plehve was largely of Polish blood. He was regarded as In many ways blng -the power behind the throne and was dreaded en account of his control of the third (secret) section of police and also owing to the fact that b4 controlled the press of Russia through the censors, who. It has been : understood, did M. Von Plehve's bidding bid-ding without question. -The deceased Minister was laborious ' In the extreme, but had no trace of brilliancy and -was an ln41fTerent"Con ' versationalist. He was, however, fond of mustc and was accustomed to read many French novels during bis leisure hours. ' . - ' In May, 1903. II. Von Plehve was appointed-president of the imperial commission com-mission arrx)lnted to carry out the Emperor's Em-peror's ref orm decree, .;.". Kishinev "as sacra, . . What part, if any, M. Von Plehve actually ac-tually played in the Shlneff massacres massa-cres will probably never be known, but Ms enemies have claimed that he had full knowledge of the events, leading thereto through his political fri nj and agent, Ksousnevan. known as tne.most extreme anti-Semite in Russia and proprietor pro-prietor ef the Beeearabets, a newspaper of Kishlneff. It, should be added that the allega-1 allega-1 tions made against ii. Von Plehve have never been proved to be founded on fact and in view of the Emperor's inquiry Into- the matter and the fact, that Von Plehve retained the Emperor's1 confidence, confi-dence, it is only just to assume that the charges were unfounded.-. . ; ,; ( His'Last Great Work. y ' r- The last great public work ef Ven Plehve, so far aa known, waa the draft ing of the peasant code, early this year. This is. a scheme for peasant reform, ordered by the Emperor la his recent manifesto. i , ' . 1 On June 13 or this ytjsr it" was announced an-nounced from St. Petersburg that the council of empire had approved M. Von Plehve's decree for the repeal of the law under which Jews were forbidden to reside re-side within thirty-two miles of the frontier. fron-tier. This measure has been approved by the Emperor. AttEBICAN DIPLOMATS !, ABE NOT 5UKPKISED AT NEWS 07 ASSASSINATION. WASHINGTON. July 28.-Ths first official offi-cial word received here of the tragedy at St. Petersburg came In a short cablegram received at the State department from i Spencer Eddy, the charge of the American i embassy in the absenoe from that capital ! of Embassador, McConnlck. The message read: ' . . - . "The Minister of the Interior was assassinated as-sassinated at le o'clock shls morning." The cablegram was promptly forwarded by Acting Secretary Adee te Secretary Hay at Newbury. N. H., and a proper ex- precsion of condolence will be directed through Mr. Eddy. - . . , Although the assassination IS deeply deplored de-plored here, it cannot be said that It has caused much surprise , in the circles here best Informed as to the conditions In St. Petersburg. Mr. Plehve was-regarded as a reactionist, and was particularly severe In his treatment of the radical element In Russian politics. He was able to enforce his policies through his absolute control of the secret service and police. His life. In csffisequence. has often been threatened. .This cablegram has reached the State department from - Consul-General Watts of St. Petersburg: - -' . "Plehve assassinated this morning.' Others Oth-ers also killed and wounded. Bomb explosion. ex-plosion. No disturbance." |