THE NIHILIST’S REVENGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 397, 2 April 1908, Page 4

THE NIHILIST’S REVENGE.

A Real Life Experience.

Told by Paul Cinquevalli, the Worldfamous Juggler,

(Mr Paul Cinquevalli, tbo wellknown juggler, began his professional career as an acrobat in Russia, and whilst travelling with a circus had many adventures, one of which he relates below.) The story lam about to relate occurred while I was a member of a circus company which visited small towns and villages in Russia. ’ Wo were rather a large crowd, carrying plenty of baggage, and travelling with vans. It was a. free and easy existence, and wenever knew exactly who was who, even with our own staff.

The grooms, stablemen, and general helpers were taken on in a haphazard fashion, and any able bodied man who applied for such a job would be pretty sure to get it, supposing we wanted somebody. You could not get any decent sort of men for such work, so we were not able to be too particular. In consequence of this and in view of the fact that we frequently carried a good deal of loose money with us, we always armed ourselves with loaded revolvers, for the protection of ourselves and the property. We kept no safe, but the money would be hidden in one of the vans in the least ostentatious manner possible, so as to avert suspicion,

Occasionally various devices would be resorted to to establish the belief that the money had been despatched elsewhere, although it was reposing all the time in one of the vans. Secret Agents Always Watching.

As is generally known, on account of the prevalence of Nihilism in Russia, all sorts and conditions of people are subject to sudden arrest there, without any apparent explanation or reason. Secret service agents are constantly moving about the country m search of “wanted” persons, and doubtless we many times unknowingly entertained such emissaries by showing them over our camp, in addition to harbouring the “ wanted ’’ individuals on our staff.

Of one such occurrence, and its strange sequel, I am now about to relate.

At a place called Smolensk a few years ago, where wo had pitched our tents, we were visited by a man who asked to be taken on as a groom. He bore the appearance of an ordinary peasant, although it struck us that his clothes were rather new and overclean, and his general “ get up ’’ rather studied. But it was no business of our manager’s as to who the man really was, and, having held a brief consultation, he decided to give the man a trial for a few days. So he was engaged on that understanding. Names were not of much importance to us, so we were content to call our new hand “ Ivanowitch.”

He was a big success, an excellent workman and so he continued in our employment. At a place called Lisabetgrad he asked to be allowed to lay the sawdust in the ring, and he was ae cordingly allotted the task. The work was not so simple as it may sound, for the sawdust was in various Colours, and fancy designs (were formed with it. But Ivanowitch was equal to it, and acquitted himself admirably as the sawdust-layer.

Two Detectives On The Scene

This convinced ns more than ever that he was not quite the bumpkin that he would have us believe, and led, curiously enough, to his own undoing. On the same day we were visited by two men who had the appearance of ordinary travellers, and wuo asked £to bo shown over the camp. This was done, and when they came to the ring with the artistically arranged sawdust they lookod intently at.the handiwork and asked who did it. They were told and Ivanowitch pointed out to them. They thereupon left with suspicious abruptness. That evening our new hand disappeared, never having returned from an errand in the village. The explanation was later forthcoming from one of the two men who had honoured us with a visit, and who were detectives, he stating that the new groom would not trouble us any more. He turned out to be a notorious Nihilist, who had been “ wanted ” for a long time, and who had sought sanctuary in our midst, disguised as a peasant. We naturally supposed that this was the last we should hear or see of Ivanowitch, But barely a year had elapsed, however, when lie again oame under our notice in a very striking manner.' At a place called Kowno 1 happened to overhear a conversation between two of our staff which interested me intensely. A sheet of can. vas between myself and the men in question I being inside a tent, and they on the outside. But I could hear their conversation, which was to the effect that a scheme was afoot to rob the treasury of the circus, an event which had always been anticipated, but frustrated by us, My father was one of the proprietors of the circus, and to him I conveyed the intelligence of the contemplated attack, with the result that a keen watch was kept for the marauders, who were destined to have a warm reception. The long-threatened attack came at length at a place called Kherson. It was night, and we were trailing through a pine forest. I was astride of the leading horse, and had almost forgotten all about the subject of the robbery, being plunged in one of those profound reveries which descend on a man dur- , ing the still hours of the night. It was just dawn when my attention was suddenly attracted by a slight rustling in the undergrowth to the right of mo. I sat bolt upright, and peered through the gloom as far as possible, but could discern nothing that would account for the mysterious sound. I was on the point of dismissing the matter from my mind as too trivial for serious consideration, when I distinctly heard a similar sound, that of stealthy creeping, on my lelt hand 1

Attacked By Huge Wolfhounds, I felt there could be no mistake about it this time, and was on the point of giving the alarm when a rifle shot rang out on my right, and a bullet whizzed past my head 1 Then ensued a scene that almost baffles description. Men rushed firing from the bush, and shouting “ Hands upl” from all sides, the attack being pressed with great -vigour. . . Fortunately 1 managed to slip out of the way before they had time tolocafe me, and escaped injury. I heard my father’s voice shout, “No surrender ! Loose the dogs I” and the robbefs found themselves in turn attacked by a pack of huge wolf hounds. Our people also kept up a brisk fire from shelter upon the attackers, being careful of the lives of our canine comrades.

But the most dramaiic incident of the attack occurred in one of the living vans, in which was Mrs Clieisi, wife of one of tin proprietors. In i 11.3 van iho "’us concealed, and it was clear that its whereabouls bad been correctly revealed to the band of robbers, for the leader of the brigands, rifle in hand, went straight to this van and demanded the money but Mrs Cheisiwas not to be intimidated.

It so happened that she was at the moment engaged in some culinary occupation, and snatching up a handful of pepper, she hurled it full in the eyes of the robber. The latter, with a shriek of pain, fell back and collapsed being easily secured. A Cheap Victory. In the meantime the fight was being carried on in a determined manner, but at length it inclined to our side, and eventually we succeeded in beating off those we had not secured and disarmed. In the end we secured eight prisoners, our casualties being two dogs killed and one wounded. But the biggest surprise we were treated to that night was the discovery that the halfblinded chief ot the gang was none other than our forme r accomplished and gentlemanly groom, Ivanowitch! We conveyed oil our prisoners to the nearest (own with as liltle delay as possible where in the captain the police recognised one Janowski., an outlaw whom theauthoriti's had been striving to catch Lr some time. His history was a curious one. It Appeared that he had been rescued from the hands of the poiice by these same brigands, whose ranks he had then joined. Their chief dying, and the new member being a man of education and ability, they unanimously elected him to the vacant chieftauship, in wh’ch capacity he bad not been slo.vtomnle history for him'elf. Ho had alwft)S entertained the conviction that his arat Lisabelgrad, while in cur employ, was the outcome of teachery cn our part, and so he had for some time promised himself ihe pleamrc of one day paying back this fancied indebtedness.

Always a’erl for a fit irg oppoi tunity, one had not presented itsell until the occasion in question when ho had succeeded in getting a couple'of his spit s into our employ, who at length were able to locate the probab’e whereabouts of the cash. These two men were those whose conversa'ion I had overheard, and by which means we were able to take defensive mea uros. Our captures led to other captures, the whole gang being at Ir-ngth broken up. Paul Cinqueva’li.