A VENETIAN TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 256, 26 October 1907, Page 13

A VENETIAN TRAGEDY.

WOMAN'S PLOT.

.LONDON, September 13.

The recent murder of Count Kamarosky in Venice is no longer a mystery. There is now no doubt that he was the victim of a conspiracy set ou foot by a fiendish woman and a couple of infatuated men. The actual assassin, Prince Naumoff, seems to have been a mere tool in the hands of the Countess Tarnovski, and a Russian lawyer named Prilukoff. The latter has made a full confession of the diabolical plot, into which he and his paramour entered, in order to obtain the £20,000 for which Count Kamarovsky's life was Insured, and the victim's enormous fortune.

Prilukoff originally undertook to kill the Count himself, but his courage forsook him, and the Countess had to resort to Naumoff, who, mad with jealousy for Count Kamarovsky, went straight to the execution of his terrible deed. The plot was carefully laid by the two conspirators. Prilukoff had detectives posted in front of Kamarovsky's villa at Venice, and it was intended that they should catch Naumoff as he was trying to escape from the house after the commission of the murder. In this way suspicion was to have been averted from the Countess and Prilukoff. Prilukoff, iv his confession, has told the story of the Countess Taruovski. Countess Alaria O liurke married M. de Tarnovski, but her husband could not stand her "carryings on," and her extravagance, so divorced her. During the divorce proceedings Prilukoff made the Countess' acquaint anee, and acted as her solicitor. He was a distinguished lawyer, married, and living happily, but he fell in love with her, and she became his mistress. The woman's extravagance led him to embezzle funds entrusted to him as a solicitor, aud he got deeply into debt and fled abroad. The Countess followed him, and they lived .together at various towns in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Before leaving Russia the Countess had entered into another intrigue with Prince Isauuioff. During her travels the Countess happened to meet Count Kamarovsky, who fell in love with her. She did not meaa to marry him, but hoped to secure his wealth. She told Naumoff that it was only a flirtation, and promised to marry the young prince. Prilukoff. was at this time absent, but learning that the Countess w.u, betraying him, he went to Berlin with the intention of breaking off all relations with her. During a dramatic scene at the hotel he reproached her with having ruined him, and asked her to give him back the money he had embezzled and spent on her. She Hung notes to the amount of £4000 on the table. He took them, resolved to give the money to his clients and begin life afresh, but the precious pair were soon afterwards reconciled, and in a few days the money was again in her hands. Shortly after the Countess went to Venice, where Kamarovsky was living, Kamarovsky's wife was at this time suing for divorce, but she died, and Kamarovsky engaged himself to the Couiitess. Prilukoff went to Venice, and the Countess told him that she could not marry the count, and expressed a wish to have him removed after she had induced the Count to insure his life for £20,000, and to make ill in her favour. Prilukoff undertook to go tljis, but lost courage. The Cp"utess succeeded in getting Kamarovsky io make a will designating her his sole heiress. This done she wired to Naumoff to come to Vienna, llow she managed to get Naumoff to undertake ?hc mission of killing the Count is not known. Later Prilukoff went to Vienna, and the plan of assassination was arranged. The Countess told him that she had chosen Naumoff for the purpose. Having hired two detectives, they left for Venice. What happened there is l'rilukoff, with his men, wa» actually Iv rront of Kamarovsky's villa when NaumoA: eutured it. He did not tell them, however, what was going ou. Ihe only orcjer he gave was to apprehend Anybody who might rash out of the viha. 1 hey appceheuded another man, while Naumoff escaped, only, however, to be arrested later. The Countess, after denying PrilukoOT's allegations, has now confessed that she and PrilukolT had contrived a plot against the life of the Count. In her confession she tried to make it appear that Prilukoff was the chief criminal.