SERVIAN KING'S MURDER—PREFECT'S WARNING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxix, Issue 7350, 3 December 1907, Page 1

SERVIAN KING'S MURDER—PREFECT'S WARNING.

Marschisehanin, Prefect of Belgrade at the thno of, the murder of King Alexander and Queen Draga, in a boole just published relates how he warned the King repeatedly of the danger of disaffection among the Officers' Corps. The King refused to believe him, and he repeated to the King a conversation he had overheard between two officers concerned in the plot. One of these suggested that the exile of the Royal pair would be sufficient. "And when they returned, as they will do, what will be our fate?" the'other enquired. "True," was the answer; "then nothing remains but a bullet for each of them." The King ordered the arrest of six officers suspected, but as they were confined to a fortress whose commandant was in the conspiracy, they had every opportunity to prepare a defence of innocence, and were finally set at liberty. Queen Draga enquired of _ Marschisehanin the cause of the disaffection of the officers. He told hor plainly that the disorderly conduct of her brother had undermined * their loyalty to the dynasty. The Queen replied indignantly, "My brother is no ordinary officer; they should remember his relation to me." She observed to Marschisehanin that she had never slept in peace since the previous autumn, when two guards of her apartment were found drugged and insensible. Three weeks after this last conversation w'Hli the Prefect the King Rnti Queen, her two brothers, and Generals Markovitch, Petrovitch, and Pavlovitch were all assassinated b^y the conspirators', ..