M. PLEHVE'S ASSASSINATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8120, 20 September 1904, Page 2

M. PLEHVE'S ASSASSINATION.

STORY OF THE CRIME. Telegraphing to the " Daily Mail " from St Petersburg on July 28, Mr Percival Gibbon, the special correspondent of that paper, gave the following detailed account of the assassinatioi- of M. de Plehve : — . The most dominating figure in the Russian oligarchy was violently removed today by the-assassina.ion of M. de Plehve, the famous Minister of the Interior. Only a mouth ago ho said to me: — " My police easily control the Nihiliste— every one of them is known." And now he, .lies' dead, blown to pieces by their agency. The story of the crime is closely similar in its details to previous political outrages in Russia. This morning a ragged, unkempt man, unwholesome-looking and dirty f ordered a- glass of tea at the Warsaw Hotel, on the Ismaiiskaia Prospekt, which the Minister would have to pass on hi 6 way to the Warsaw station. M. de Plehve was known to be going to Peterhof for his usual weekly audience with the Czar, and everyone was periectly well acquainted with the details of his movements. The man, after drinking his tea, loitered at the door of the hotel, keeping both his hands in his pockets. The street was crowded, and he attracted no attention. At about ten, minutes to ten there was a parting in the crowd, and a member, of the secret police rode* rapidly along oa a cycle. Just /behind him came a carriage, driving at 'a brisk pace, and after that again a second carriage with two more police agents. In the first carriage was M ; de Plehve. The man in the doorway was seen to move a pace forward. He raised his arm, poising \in his hand some dark object. Then, with deliberate aim, he flung it down with great force right under the wheels of the Ministers carriage. EFFECT OF THE BOMB. The bomb, as it struck the -street, sent forth a bright flash of flame ; there was a tremendous crash, a dense cloud of smoke, a shower of stones, ami the horsts of the carriage bolted wildly from, out of the smoke and then staggered and fell. As the smoke cleared, the horrified spsct^tors saw that - the carriage had been blown to splinters.. The body of the Minister lay in the mideb of the wreckage, dreadfully mangled, close beside that of the coachman. Both- were dead before the smoke had drifted away. M. da Plehve must hate been right over the bomb. His injuries were appalling. Both his legs were blown off as well as his left arm, and fragments of his body were scattered over the street. He must have been killed instantly. The police agent cycling in advanoe of his carriage was slightly wounded, as also were the police in the second carriage and its driver. Many of the people in the street were injured by fragments of stone and metal thrown up by the explosion. The murderer made no effort whatever to escape and was instantly seized. He appeared to be a blonde, bearded man about thirty. He was himself terribly wounded in the stomach by flying splinters, and was unable to answer questions which were at once put to him. He is said to be a Jew, but nothing certain is known about him. Some of the police suspect him to be an Armenian refugee, and his nationality is still quite doubtful. The remains of the' Minister M>ere gaChered up and conveyed at once to his .private residence. The spot where he fell, still red'with his blood, was boarded -off, and traffic resumed. The boards and the great force of police on duty were now the only indications of the j;er. rible incident that had occurred. A large number of suspicious characters have already been arrested, and inquiries will be made to determine their guilt.' A great crpwd gathered in the neighbourhood, and watched with deep emotion the celebration of the requiem mass over the body in the afternoon. The dead Minister leaves three daughters. He -was fifty-eight years of age, and; his life had already been onoe attempted, at Easter of la«t yehv. The official report 'on/ the a__=Q««ir.ition states that there were no wounds oof the body, but only injuries to the-.fam ;'But all the eye-witnesses are agreed that hhth legs and one arm were blown off. y? Mdme de Plehve was afc her house in the country when the outrage occurred. The crime was not unexpected. Precaution^ for his safety 3iave alwaysybeen takea, -and; the officer in charge of him was among <jhose wounded- . / Pending the appointment of his,'sacoessor, Swiajtor-Durnov-o is* in charge eff fche Home Department. RUSSIA'S GRIM RECORD, y; Modern Russian histoa'y con^dns ojjly too tmany records of murders ,-^nd . attempted j murders of highly-placed vm-bj l!h6 desperate agents of the revolutionary party; The most notorious exploit of tih*© Nihilists waß,' of cpurse, the aa&s&inatu-Vn of the Czair-^ilexattider 11,, grandfather, 0. the present monarch, in the streets m. St Petersburg on March 13, 1881. 'The Emperor met his deatih only about j_w<fc miles from the sfxine of the present trajejedy, and as in the \ case of M. de Pfohv<?, tihe assassin's weapon was a bomb. / • ■ . • The following is a. list <pf the -principM political crimes committed^ in* Russia in recent years:— , ■./•'■'" MURDEREp. M. Bogpliepo-f, Minister of Education, February 27, 1901. I JJ. Sipiaguine, Minister of fhe Interior, April 15, 1902. - / .* ■ Gen-eral Bogdanovitch-, ; Governor of , Uia. ■Mny-18. 1905. ;. lAJ ... y A '■ ' . 'General Bobrikoff, G6yern*ir .of Finland, June 17, 1904. : ' ]• M. de Pleljve, >fi»ißjbftr of the Interior, July 28, 1904. . t ; i ; LIVES ATTEMPTED. M. Pobiedonostzeff,/ Procurator of the Holy Synod (Russia, a;<fcy Pope),- March, 23, .1901. * , Vy- /.-/' -:'-.' ■'■■.- v.'--General von W*hl, Governor of Vilna, May 18. 1902. - Prinoe Qbolent&il Governor of Ebarkoff (now Governor of|s|nlajwi)y- May 26, 1902, and again on Au2M&fc%l in the same ye^x. M. Bestsonoff ,^im'^i Police at JKbatr--koff.. August 11; 1802. Ai -y Prin-oe Gaditzißt, Governor-General of the Caucasus, Octoltier 27, 1903. V -'■ All these officials Tiad! -distingmshed them/ «%es by -naerc^ftsp acta <_f repression. ■■ *"" v : i '■■■'■-.'' ' ' ''A-