M. Plehve's Assassination

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVII, Issue 8562, 17 August 1904, Page 4

M. Plehve's Assassination

(Per Sonoma, at Auckland.) A message from St. Petersburg states | that the Minister of the Interior, M. von Plehve, was assassinated on July 28 while driving to the Baltic station to visit Peterhof. A bomb was thrown under the Minister's carriage, completely shattering it. M. von Plehve was terribly mangled. The crime was committed at 10 o'clock in tho morning. The coachman was killed, and the wounded and maddened horses dashed wildly away with the front wheels of the carriage, only portion of the vehicle remained intact. Immediately there ensued a scene of the wildest confusion. Police and gendarmes hurried up from every direction, and vast crowds gathered about the spot where the mangled body of the Minister lay weltering in his blood. Von Plehve's shockingly mangled body was lying in the middle of the road. It had been partially covered with a police officer's overcoat, with the left arm (the bone of which was broken) projecting. A policeman came up and raised the overcoat in order to rearrange it, revealing for an instant the strong features of the dead Minister, whose head was battered almost beyond recognition. The roadway was strewn for a hundred yards with the wreckage of the carriage and pieces of the red lining of the Minister's official overccat. A few yards from M. von Plehve's body lay the shapeless heap of the coachman's remains. M. von Plehve was on

his way to visit the Emperor. The tragedy occurred on Zamboransky Prospect, a broad thoroughfare leading up to the Warsaw depot, where the road turns sharply to the left towards the Baltic railroad station. The exact spot at which the outrage occurred is just before the bridge spanning the Circular Canal, on the other side of which both stations are situated. The bomb-thrower must have known perfectly well that Minister von Plehve would pass that spot this morning, for the Minister makes his report to the Emperor every Thursday. The infernal machine was thrown with deadly accuracy, and the assassin was favored by the fact that the traffic here is always of the heaviest, owing to the crossing of the lines cf surface cars and the continuous stream of heavy trucks. . M. von Plehve was always apprehensive of attempts upon his life, and used to drive as rapidly as possible. The coachman, however, was compelled to go slow at this point. The assassin, in laying his plans, evidently foresaw this circumstance, and while the Minister's coachman slowed down threw the bomb. The explosion was terrific, and practically annihilated the' woodwork of the carriage The horses tore off, dragging the axle and front wheels. The. animals, though infuriated by the wounds they had sustained, had not galloped far before they fell with pools of blood under them. The Minister's servant, who was also on the carriage-box, was oadly wounded, and two officers who were driving by in a cab were injured by flying splinters. The assassin himself was wounded in one eye. He took to flight, but was overtaken and is now under arrest. Passengers by the Peterhof train began to arrive on the scene. Among them were the Duke and Duchess of Oldenburg, who stopped their motor car within a couple of paces of M. von Plehve's remains, and were told by a policeman the terrible tidings. They were much affected. The news of the tragedy spread like wildfire throughout the city, causing consternation everywhere. Police reserves were hurried to the scene from all parts of the city, and the various departments were instantly notified. The Perfect of Police notified the Emperor of the tragedy immediately upon its occurrence. The Emperor, who was at Villa Alexandria at Peterhof, was greatly affected by the news, coming as it. did, on top of bad tidings from the seat of war, and fears of international complications. The Emperor almost broke down when he was informed of the Minister's murder. Whatever may have been the motive for the crime, nothing but the utmost indignation at the assassin's act is voiced anywhere. Guarded by the police the body remained in the street until the arrival of the official corresponding to the coroner. Even in the case of the most powerful Minister of the Empire the law requires that this formality must be observed before the remains can be removed. After this official had viewed the body, it was placed in a carriage, covered by a robe, and was driven slowly to a chapel adjoining the railroad station, and then to deceased's magnificent town residence adjoining the Ministry of the Interior. The carriage, surrounded by mounted gendarmes, passed through the crowded streets, the sidewalks being a solid mass of people. Even the cross streets were black with spectators for blocks. As if by magic, everybody in the city seemed to have suddenly become aware that a frightful catastrophe had occurred and to have hurried to the scene. As the carriage passed all heads were uncovered. Tho deceased Minister's carriage was being followed by secret service men on bicycles, but by a miracle not one of them was injured The force of the explosion was so tremendous that all the windows of the hotels facing the street were blown in, and even some of the large panes of tho Warsaw Station, 100 6teps away, were shattered. Some of the drosky drivers at the cab stand in front of the station were injured. A heap of debris from the carriage, portion of the coachman's uniform, mute and pitiful relics of the tragedy, were still lying in Zamboransky street, where tho. crime was committed, when the correspondent of the Associated Press again returned to the spot in the afternon. For a block on either side the street was guarded by police, and no one was allowed to approach. Von Plehve's assassination was officially announced at one, and was followed immediately by the issuance of extra editions of the papers. Although they contained only four lines referring to the tragedy, the newsboys were fairly mobbed by crowds in the streets, so eager were all for details of the crime. Intense excitement reigned everywhere. It transpires that von Plehve was on his way to Krasnoye Selo, 16 miles south west of St. Petersburg, where the Grand Duke Vladimir's birthday was to be celebrated. The Emperor is still at the Peterhof Palace. When the news was received all the festivities of the day were, of course, countermanded, and instead a requiem service was held. When the remains of von Plehve reached his residence requiem mass was celebrated, and two masses will be celebrated daily until the funeral service occurs.