A TRAMP IN THE CZAR'S PALACE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 36, 11 February 1905, Page 12

A TRAMP IN THE CZAR'S PALACE.

AN IMPERFECT GUAED

Sr Petersburg is (says a London correspondent) greatly interested in a story in which a very unimportant person—a member of the tramp class—plays a somewhat important part. The story rune that one day a beggar who had foond his way JBto the courtyard of a house ln s ' 2Sf^ c i^ a " questioned «»y the head porter of the establishment, to whom he erplamed that he was trying to sen a P>ece of l.i ce . The oq m m.ng the |ace, saw that it was net the kind of ihmg that a beggar wa. Ukelv to have come by honestly, so he promptly charged the man with stealing it, and, notwithstanding his denials, had him conveyed to the police station. Here the man eventually confessed that he had stolen it. and. to the consternation of the police, declared that he had stolen it from the Winter Palace The idea that a tramp could enter the Winter Palace withont detection came as an unpleasant surprise to the police «id they proceeded to test the maa's etory. He h*J, he said, entered the gardes two days before wiifcent being seen, and, finding a wiodw opeji, fcifl efltejwi afl d cut

the lace from a. bed which was in Not only was it found th»t ■ THE LACE FROM THE;bed: of one of the ladies-in-w»iting \ _v stolen, but it was found that-tlie i ■ light which the man had turned on^ 6 had not turned off. was ettll two days after The theft had", mitted. AH this the Chief of tamed without informing the Palice*" thorities, and then, to test the value of tV* precautions taken against the inttusioV unauthorised straagers, he detailed-. " her of his men to attempt to enter. 0 Palate secretly. No less thm. * police agents succeeded in entering !? Palare without detection. Of course ext« , precautions have now been adopted.jnd attempt is being made to keep the, quiet, but with no more than the"V amount of success in such cases. A v Imperial Court was not in residence at ti* time, but the point is that if the Wiat» Palace was so badty guarded that t,. oouid obtain access to it. and the electri light could be left for two days witW t being discovered, there was ample tint r evilly-disposed persons to hare made pt parations for blowing up the Palace wbea the Court returned.