REGICIDE SERVIA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 275, 13 August 1908, Page 7

REGICIDE SERVIA.

ACCUSATIONS REVIVED. PLOT AGAINST MONTENEGRO. CROWN PRINCE'S DESIGNS ON PRINCE NICHOLAS. (DI TELEGEAm—rUESS ASSOCIATION—COPT RIGHT.) Budapest, August 11. An amazing book has been published in Budapest by M. Nasties, tho Bosnian journalist who gavo evidence at tho conspiracy trial at Cctinje (capital of Montenegro) last Juno, when a number of people were charged with a plot against the Montenegrin dynasty, which plot it' was alleged was assisted by the reigning Royalty and tho 'regicides of Servia. M. Nasties in his book gives details of the conspiracy. Twenty-two persons have bt'cn arrested. ' When M. Nasties reached Vienna the police conducted him' to Croatia, and seized correspondence implicating' the Court of Belgrade (capital of Servia).

KING PETER'S DENIAL. "ABSURD, MALICIOUS LIES." (Rec. August 12, 11.20 p.m.) London, August 12. King Peter of Servia has telegraphed to the Servian Charge d'Affaires in London (Dr. Militchevitch) that all M. Nastios's allegations (cabled' June 5), referring to himself and Montenegro are "absurd, malicious lies," . "SUBSTRATUM OF TRUTH." DID SERVIAN ROYALTY WINK AT , MURDER? M. Nasties, giving evidence in the trial at Cetinje, declared that bombs were manufactured at the State arsenal in Servia, with tho approval of the Crown Prince of Servia, and with King Peter's connivance, for the assassination of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro. A day or two afterwards the Vienna correspondent of "Tho Times" wrote: "An -official Servian denial of tho evidence given at Cetinje by the Bosnian journalist Nastic has been issued, but fails to remove the unpleasant impression that a certain substratum of truth underlies the incriminating statements." It was subsequently reported from Cetinjo by the Vienna "Zeit" that, in consequence of Nastic's evidence, "the Servian Charge d'Affaires at Cetinje will start at onco on three months' leave of absence' and will not return to his post. A complete breach between Servia and Montenegro may perhaps be avoided, but it will be difficult to efface the impression that the Servian Crown Prince, if not, indeed, King Peter, winked at a murderous plot against the Prince of Montenegro." • . <. ! ROYAL HATREDS. Apropos, Mr. Herbert Vivian writes to the "Diily Mail" some notes of interviews he had with Prince Nicholas of Montenegro and with his son, Prince Mirko. The following is an estract:—"Prince Nicholas went on to say that my acquaintance with Servia would enable me to form a comparison between the Servian and Montenegrin peoples, but that he feared I might find the comparison did not favour the latter, for the men of the lowlands had greater riches and greater opportunities of development. "At anj~ rate," I said, thinking of the terrors of regicide rule at Belgrade, "Montenegro rejoices in liborty." He laughed in appreciation of the remark, and went on, "Yes, wo have the freedom of our mountains. Tho weak must always live.in mountains. The strong can,live in plains. The Servians have progress, I suppose. But there may be such a thing as too much progress."

A few days later I was privileged to be received by I'rince Mirko in his country houße at Krusnevats, near Eodgoritsa, and he spoke in a simildr' strain' about tho Servian mur-' ders. He drew my attention to his pictures of various members of the Obrenovitcli dynasty, and remarked that he regarded them as his nearest relations, next to his own family. The assassination could best be described bv tho German phrase "Das ist; eine Schweinerei (That is an orgy of brutishness). It will thus be seen that the sentiments of the Montenegrin Royal Family are not actuated by any excess of cordiality towards the actual rulers of Servia, in spite of the rela-tionship-in-law which exists between Prince Nicholas and Pel"er KarageOrgevitch. This is not to be wondered at in view of recent revelations, which have been blurted • out during the State trial at Cetinje.

SERVIAN RE-UNION SCHEMES. H. Tomanovitcli, the Prime Minister, told be that the whole plot had originated iu Servia, where a small number of Montenegrin students were provided with bombs and bribed to use them against the Royal Family. When ' the Montenegrin Government first heard that the plot was being prepared in Servia, they dispatched a note to M. Pashitoh, the • Servian Premier, protesting against the inaction of the Belgrade police, Dut no answer was returned. The idea in the minds of the Servian regicides evidently was that a pdlioy which had succeeded at home might be equally useful abroad. In old days Servia and Montenegro were both parts of a Slax empire, and a reunion of the two countries might now be regarded as a patriotic object. If the Royal Bouse of. Montenegro were suddenly and violently removed, still more of 'anarchical ideas could ba spread over the Principality, who knows whether the Montenegrins might not acclaim a Servian prince as a liberator? To the mind of a Servian regicide thiS'Seemed quite logical and proper, but the slightest knowledge of the Montenegrin temperament would have revealed the immense strength of the traditional loyalty with which Montenegrins regard their paltemal ruler, The trial at Cetinje resulted in six of the alleged plotters-being sentenced to death (four in contumaciam) and three to imprisonment for life. Twenty-seven others, including fivo former State Ministers, were ordered to be imprisoned for terms ranging from six to twenty years; thirteen others, from two to ten years' simple detention; two were discharged. /