A SERVIAN SURVIVOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7808, 12 September 1903, Page 4

A SERVIAN SURVIVOR.

THRILLING STORY OF THE EX-MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR. M. Todorovitchj the Servian ex-Minister of tihe Interior who almost miraculously ©scaped death during the tragedy at Belgrade, has recovered from his wounds, and has given a graphic story of his experiences. • King Alexander and his Ministers had been informed that there was a plot, and M. Todorovitch slept in the Konak to make tho King* easier. On the eve of the tragedy he left the Konnk at ten o'clock at night to go home to his family. About two in the morning he was awakened by n* noise of soldiery, who surrounded! his bouse. A few minutes after there were knocks at the. door of his bejdloom. A colonel entered, harshly shouting • " Your function has ceased." ' " The idea never occurred to me that the Royal couple bad been murdered, and I learned this only next morning. I, therefore, answered q^tly that I took note of the. colonel's announcement whereupon the latter withdrew. Soon afterwards a lieutenant- came, saying that be was charged to watch me. I invited him in, and he sat down, while I hastily' dressed myself. "In the in-eantime my wife and my daughter, having been awakened', came in too, and I begged them to make coffee focus." I offered the lieutenant coffee and cigarettes,, and while we drank and smoked I asked him what ib was all about. He smiled, and said he did nofc know. After a while he rose to leave, aud said he would send soldiers to guard me. " When tihe officer had left the room, four soldiers entered with fixed bayonets, and when I asked them what it -really was they too said they did not know, and were only ordeaicd! to i_tay in my room. lam cpnvincsd thait. the troops were leally ignorant for what purpose they were used, and that they were deceived! by their superiors. So I eat drinking a__d smoking for a time, without any notion that my life was in daaiger. ' "Suddenly a lieutenant rushed in, amd • wounded me with hisv revolver. I jumped up •instinctively, and sprang into a. lilt leading to the kitchen. The officer fired five other shots, and^ 'seeing me fallj believed that I was dead, and left the house to xer port that he had carried out his orders. " For nearly two hours "I lay helpless in the lift, andi only when tlie soldiers hgd left the house was I dragged from this hiding place and carried to bedu Considering the -enormous quantity of blood I lost, it, is almost a miracle that I survived. The new Gove-Tament, when it learned that I was not dead, had my hcuse surrounded with soldiers, and my family were treated like prisoners." Even more dramatic is 'the story of the wife of General Zinair Ma_rkovit.cb z the mitrdle.red' Premier. 'Her husband came to the King, and the latter showed him several anonymous letters, amd demanded the im* prisanmejit of all suspected- officers and politicians. General Markovitch tried' to appease tiia King, but- tie '"King would not listen. General MaTkovitch hurried home, and sand to his wife, "I have been to the Kohak for the last time. We must leave Servia to-morrow."' An hour after an officer entered M. Mbjkovitch's house and said' : " General, on the King's order, I have to summon you to shoo'b yourself, otherwise I am to shoot you.-" After a pause the officer firedj amd General Markovitch' fell dead.