LURED TO DEATH.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1209, 26 November 1919, Page 2

LURED TO DEATH.

STORY OF A SPY. THE SILENT GIRL. Light is now being thrown en tho secret-murder society of Russians at a villa in th 0 Island of Bolstanos, Lake Norwikken, near Stockholm. Escaped Russians settled in the capital were feared by Lenin, who arranged with or encouraged a Cossack colonel, Hadji Lashet, to rid hiiis of thonii This Cossack was probably a doublo spy, whose only motive was gold. He ingratiated himself with the Stockholm Russians by pretending to ho- fiercely anti-Bolshovik. Ho induced other newcomer Russians to suspect tho gay and wealthy Dr Ardachcff of being at least a Bolshevist spy. Lured To Death. Tho Stockholm correspondent of hte 'Daily Mail' says that, sixteen persons, including Hadji Lashet, were at first arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the murder of Dr Ardachcff and the others. They include General Gysscr, his two sons, and his beautiful soventoen-year-old daughter, Dogmar, all refugocs from) Russia, who apparently accepted the Cossack's story that Ardachcff was a Bolshevik. With her exception, they : have all denounced one another and ! many unsuspected people, with the result that 50 more Russians have been detained.

Dngmar alono has rofuscd to Bay a word. She also refuses food, and spends her days smoking cigarette after cigarette, sipping eoffoe and dreaming. It is sho who is .believed to have been use,i by Hadji Lashet as a lura to get Dr ArJaeheff out of Stockholm, where he lived, to the lonely villa on tho island among the fjords where ho was murdered.

In Juno she called on some pretoit at Ardaehcfr's flat, and soon tho pair were very friondly. Almost every day Dagmjir would send for tho doctor in a bkiek motor car, which waa often driven by ouo of her brothers. Sometimes Ardaeheff, interrupted in tho middle of dinner or while entertaining friends, would send word for the car to go away, but more often he excused himself and hastened out to it.

On July 3 the car came to fetch him, as usual, and ho drovo away—novor to be seen again.- He was taken to tne villa specially prepared for hia execution. On arrival, so it now appears, ho was bound, chained to a wall, and left alone for 26 hours. Trial in a Villa.

The following night at 12 a 'court' ,of 20 assembled for his trial in the garish Oriental _drawing-room of. the villa. Tho prisoner, still bound and weak from lack of food, was placed in the centre of the room. To his amazement, ho found himself accused of treachery to hia anti-Bolshovist comrades, and sentenced to death.

Hadji Lashet then asked him if to save his life ho would sign several blank cheques. He did so, but no sooner had he laid down his pea than ho was caught fronu behind, gagged, and blindfolded. A rope was put round his neck, and Hadji Lashet slowly strangled him. His body waa then tied up in a sack and dropped into tho lake.

The cheques were cashed for largo amounts next day. do, in addition to working for Lenin by causing theuntiBolshcviks to condemn their own comrades Hadji Lashet made a handsome profit.

It, is certain that General Cyssor, who is under arrest as Hadji's principal accomplice,, acted in good faith, an did also hi* daughter and two eons, for Hadji had convinced tho whole.£ain.ily that Ardachoff and tho other men murdered were traitors-to their cause.