| Show row r how ow alexander 11 II died f alexander 11 II freed the russian serfs in 1861 and this act giving par cal liberty to 23 slaves placed an aureole around his head he was then indeed the little father in the eyes of his people yet the spirit of 0 reform did not con dinue to dominate the czar there were two men in him one could tree free slaves but the other jealous of the autocratic powers of the throne could and did hang free men whom he con calved to be enemies oi oi absolutism thus it transpired that while the nobles sent the czar petitions tor for a political constitution in 1861 and tor for a house ot of representatives in 1865 the peoples discontent developed to the point of making bombs and plotting against the life of the czar the first attempt to assassinate alexander II 11 was um made april 16 1966 another attempt was made june 6 1867 poth both the wo ild be assassins were hanged but this only gave im lin ez f 3 5 deemae Jee Mae emerye assa emd aw aae wyomer wyO Mei petus to the great wave ave of nihilism and revolution forming in the russian capital on august 16 1878 the chief of police of st petersburg was assassin bated in the street on april 17 1879 prince kropotkine governor was as at charkoff Kh arkoff martial aw was proclaimed in the provinces of st petersburg moscow kief klef odessa and warsaw the king dom doin was aflame and only the strongest measures kept the people in check nihilists were tried and sentence of death executed on them in all the provinces hundreds were banished yet revolutionary newspapers bercu and assassinations continued to be attempted it was a state of war with the people arrayed against the hereditary ruling classes warnings of death in the winter of 1879 80 a reign of terror existed in st petersburg the czar received frequent nihilist warn ings that his end was near but he was courageous and a fatalist fat arist he decided to take tall his chances with death and after the death of the em press he resumed his old habit of riding abroad attended only by a few cossacks Cossac ls this gave the it an op port unity they were ready to I 1 lin Eirp prove rove their preparations for the final at tempt were carried out with great elaboration all the streets within a certain radius through which the em geror would pass on the day chosen march 13 1881 were ere assigned to the various members of the party numer ous volunteers were posted to fol low the movements of 61 the czar as he returned to the palace in his carriage after viewing a sunday parade at the st michael riding school in one street through which it was thought he might pass a mine had been placed after months of patient tunneling from a shop hired for the purpose and maintained for a blind as a cheese shop in this mine was enough high explosives to blow up the street for fully feet when the wires connected with it should be touched to guard against failure should the emperor take some other street four men carrying bombs were posted at points one of which at least he must pass these bombs had been dis tributes tri buted to the men at a rendezvous by a woman leader sophie sky on the morning of the crime all being ready the last instruct eions given and the program thor hughly understood by each the assas ansas bins sins took their posts the scenes of tue assassination were described as follows in a contemporary account his majesty seated in a closed car ariage with his brother the grand duke michael drove along the canal toward the palace about 2 15 clock the carriage was accompanied by an officer of police col dvorjitsky in a sledge and an escort of six mounted cossacks As the carriage drew near the ko cushni bridge which crosses the catherine canal an explosive bomb shell was thrown at it by some per son lurking behind the railing of the wao threw P ZV michael Il ichael palace garden it tell fell not ex schly beneath the carriage but close behind it and the explosion blew off the back part of the carriage which was lined with steel and did not harm the emperor who alighted immediately how the czar died the officer of the guard rushed up to him and forgetting the customary form of address exclaimed exclaim e d are yo you age hurt sir str no thank god I 1 a am not replied the emperor but I 1 must look after the injured all this had occurred perhaps in two ini minutes the emperor was about to proceed on foot and had walked a few paces when another young man approached him and raising a bomb shell in the air flung it with all hie force at the feet of the emperor who was in the very act ot of the sign of the cross an explosion followed which threw all the bystanders off their feet As the smoke cleared away the em emperoti empe perol roi was seen lying in a pool of blood big legs shattered and his clothing in shreds the assassin lay near him mortally wounded the emperor who was quite conscious was lifted to a sledge and removed to the winter palace here both legs were ampe bated but his life could not be saved he rallied to e the sacrament and at 3 30 breathed his last the assassin named died in eight hours the man who threw the first bomb was N as Reesa Re esakoff koffi an en gincer student he was as but tut 19 years old the bombs used were of glass filled with nitro glycerin they were manufactured by one of the conspire con spira tors knoma to his associates as the or technical expert he was not apprehended six prisoners were taken for the assassination of the czar one man about to be arrested shot himself he was the brother of a colonel in the imperial army of the six taken two were women one being a housekeeper tor for the men the other sophie sky the inspiring genius of the group selected to tal tale e the life of the czar A fair assassin sophie sky was 27 a gentlewoman of high family the daughter ot of a former governor of st petersburg and niece of an officer of the imperial court she was well educated having followed the higher women s course at the gymnasium or girls high school in st petersburg in 1869 in the year following having aln the idea of adio advocating cating liberty she left her home to become a teach er of the people in 1872 she joined the revolutionists she was several times arrested and condemned for of revolutionary ideas in 1878 she was sent into exile but escaping she returned to st peters peters burg and resumed her labors she was the brains and will of the plotters and it was due to her skill in planning the campaign that the fin atzl 5 4 A oil i baah edff 6 AI 97 40 zda al at astaci on the czar was successful at the time sophie sky sly by reason of her sex and gentle birth was the person of chief interest intel est she held her peace and carried herself as one ready to die tor for principle all six prisoners were condemned to death but in the case of the other woman execution was mas deferred aa as she was with child on april 9 1881 sophie sky went to the scaffold with her four male accomplices on her last night she had written her mother not to waste time in assuaging the wrath of her father tor for what she had done he would never forgive before the rope was placed around her neck the young woman kissed each of her associates in death she then kissed the cross reverently as it was held to her lips by a priest her manner wag was firm her cheeks flushed and she held her head high even when the blacks black hood was drawn over her face she seemed not to feel the obloquy even pf the black board fast ened across her breast bearing in white the words assassin of the czar she was the third ot of the five to die mounting a stool which had already served the same purpose cpr two of hex he companions when the stool was kicked from un der her the rope tightened on her fair neck and life departed from the body of one of the most extraordinary worn wom en russia has ever produced la in its long record of revolution and violence |
