THE MURDEROF MAJOR-GENERAL STRELNIKOFF.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2409, 12 June 1882, Page 3

THE MURDEROF MAJOR-GENERAL STRELNIKOFF.

The Timts' Odessa correspondent, writing on the Ist April, gives tho following account of the assassination of General Strelnikoff: — Between four and five o'clock last Thursday afternoon General Strelnikoff took a walk upon the Nicholas Boulevard, the public promenade here. It is situated right m the centre of that part of the town which overlooks the sea, and is at an elevation of something like 200 feet above it. It is backed by a row of fifteen imposing-looking mansions, which form what m England wonld be regarded as a "terrace." One of these is the residence of the Governor-Gene-ral of Odessa. Next the houses is a broad asphalted carriage-way, and then parallel with this, three walks — a broad one down tho centre about half a mile m length, and a narrower one on each side of that, divided from each other by trees. The walk nearest the sea 13 close to a parapet from which — at the spot where General Strelnikoff met his death — the ground slopes down to a street that there abuts on a portion of the harbor. It was on a vacant bench m this walk that, just after five o'clock, tho General Bat down, with his face towards the bay, apparently for a rest. Ho was m full-dress uniform, with all his orders and decorations. He had not been thero many minutes before a well-dressed young man crept stealthily up behind him and, at close quarters, shut him m the back part of the head, causing instant death. The promenaders m the immediate vicinity of the occurrence immediately congregated round the spot, but— such is the horror of coming into contact with the police authorities of this country — no one dared to see whether the General was really dead or not. A bravo lady came up, however, and attempted to staunch the flow of blood from the wound with her handkerchief, and it is reported m town that m consequence of her benevolent officiousnees she was taken up and kept m custody until it was ascertained who and what she was. Her handkerchief, saturated with blood, remained on the back of the seat all the evening. Nor was the pool of blood on the ground below covered with gravel, or the seat itself cleansed, until tho following morning. As the deed was perpetrated almost under the windows of the GovernorGeneral's house, General Gourko soon appeared upon tho scene, and caused the body to be removed to the St. Petersburg Hotel, situated a few yards off. There it has lain m state tho whole of to-day, and is to be interred to-morrow m the cemetery here, with all tho honors due to the deceased's rank. The assassin, immediately after perpetrating tho deed, ran down before the before-mentioned slope to the street skirting the port, with a view to escape m a light open carriage which a friend of his had waiting there for him (fom three o'clock. But the distance he had to run was too long, the descent too difficult, and the number of people about too groat for him to succeed m this. Consequently he and his associates were secured, though not before they had, m defence, wounded two or three people with a dagger and with shots from a revolver. They were immediately taken to the police station of the Alexandroffsky Quarter. Their they gave false names, and said they had killed General Strelnikoff by order of the Russian Revolutionary (Executive) Committee. They refused to give any account of thenjsolves, or to state who or what they were or whence they came. But they appear to have followed J3eneral Strelnikoff from Kieff to Odessa. The one who killed him had a passport, stating he was from Bealoff, m the Government of Toola. He has been m Odessa from the 23rd of February (0.5.), and he actually lodged m a wing of the same hotel - the Hotel de Crime'e — as the deceased, who, during the whole of that time, had been endeavoring to procure hia arrest, but failed to find him. And here it may be mentioned that the vehicle before referred to, which a friend had waiting m the vicinity for him, was a hired one. But the horse was purchased only a few days before the assassination with the express object of assisting the assassin to escape. There seems to bo no doubt that this crime is an act of vengeance m consoquence of the very strict manner m which General Strelnikoff used the vast powers entrusted to him. Formerly Public Prosecutor of the Military Tribunal at Kieff, he was well acquainted with the modern ultra-Liberal movement m Russia. In consequonco of this and an intelligence supposed to be peculiarly suited for dealing with the Nihilistic phase of it, he had boon deputed by the highest authority m, the Empire to root it out. especially at Kieff and Odessa. For this purpose he received almost unlimited powers to do what he pleased — short of sending people into exile — and during the three visits he paid m that number of months to Odessa, from 70 to 100 people, if not more, without respect to age, sex, condition of health, or position, were taken from their beds at night and lodged m prison, without being allowed to know why or wherefore. To such an extent has this been done that a building, known as No. 5 Barracks, which during the last few years has been solely used for the incarceration of political prisoners and for tho holding of secret political trials, has become so full, that so-oalled political suspects have had to be thrust into temporary places of confinement along with porsons the must filthy and degraded. Only a few hours before his death General Strelnikoff sent for three artillery officers and sternly accused them of having held conferences upon political subjects with their men. The officers denied they had done anything of the kind, but explained that they and some civilian friends had formed a class for the purpose of roceiving lessons m modern history from a master of that branch of study,' who attended alternately at their several lodgings for that purpose, and where they assembled to receive hia instruction. Consequently some of these lessons ware given at the above-men-tioned officers' quarters m barraoks. No soldiers were ever present, however, bul the above circumstance seems to have been sufficient to arouse suspicion. General Strelnikuff is said to have been perfectly satisfied with the officers' explanation. But it is now rumored that on the night following hia death they were taker up, and 'are now m prison; and, further, that the commander of the batter) to which they belonged has been tern porarily suspended for not having lookec after his subordinates more vigilantly, Other arrests besides ' these bare taker

i plnco, and it is feared others are likely t follow. But that is not all. Odessa i at present m the leaser state of seige, am some people fear that this may now per haps be replaced, by the extreme one.