THE MURDER OF THE CZAR.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2537, 9 May 1881, Page 2

THE MURDER OF THE CZAR.

By the last mail we are in possession of the following particulars, relating to the assassination of the Emperor of Russia: —The circumstances of the Czar’s assassination are by this time known in all their details throughout the whole of the cirilised world, and need only be briefly recapitulated here. His sTajesty was driving along the Catherine Canal, when a shell was thrown and burst a little behind his carriage. The carriage itself was nearly destroyed, but the Czar was almost unhurt, though one of his retinue was killed and several seriously injured. His Majesty dismounted and looked after the wounded. Another shell was thrown and exploded close to the feet of the Czar, who was presently found lying in a pool of blood not quite insensible. “Let me die in the Winter Palace,” he feebly murmured, and thither accordingly he was taken. Both his legs were shattered, the lower, part of his body was seriously injured, and one of his eyes was dislodged from the socket. From the first it was plain that his case was hopeless. He appears scarcely to have recovered consciousness before his death, which occurred at thirty-five minutes past three, though he muttered once or twice the name of his son and “Holodno” —“ It is cold ” —and took the sacrament. It appears the Czar was warned by General Melikoff not to leave his palace the fatal Sunday, and that rumours of his intended assassination wore afloat. One of the men who were engaged in the plot was killed by the explosion of the shell, which was filled with nitro-glycerine,and which produced wounds of, as one of the surgeons in attendance testified, a very unusual character. It is not known whether the man who actually threw the fatal shell is in custody or not. Several arrests have been made, and more will follow. But it will be a difficult task to stamp out Nihilism, and there is reason to fear that an attempt may be made on the life of the new Czar before long. His heir is an infant, and there a strong wish in Russia for a regency.