LURED TO DEATH.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1919, Page 10

LURED TO DEATH.

STORY OF A SPY. THE SILENY GIRL Light is now being thrown on the secret murder society of Russians at a villa in the Island of Bolstanas, Lake Norwikken, near Stockholm. Escaped Russians settled in the capital were feared by Lenin, who arranged with or encouraged a Cossack colonel, Hadji Lashet, to rid him of them. This Cossack was probably a double spy, whose only motive was gold. He ingratiated himself with the Stockholm Russians by pretending to be fiercely anti-Bolshevik. He induced other newcomer Russians to suspect the gay and wealthy Dr. Ardacheff of being at least a Bolshevik spy. LURED TO DEATH. The Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Mail says that sixteen persons, including Hadji Lashet, were at first ar. rested on suspicion of being concerned in the murder of Dr. Ardacheff and the others. They include General Gysser, his two sons, and his beautiful 17-year-old daughter Dagmar, all refugees "from Russia, who apparently accepted the Cossack's story that Ardacheff was a Bolshevik. With her exception, they have all denounced one another and many unsuspected people, with the result that 50 more Russians have been detained. Dagmar alone has Defused to say a word. She also reJuses food, and spends her days smoking cigarette alter cigarette, sipping coffee and dreaming. It is she who is believed to have been used by Hadji Lashet as a lure to get Dr Ard" -lieff out of Stockholm, where he lived to the lonely villa on the island among the fjords where he was murder- . ed. In June she called on some pretext at Ardacheff's flat, and soon the pair were very friendly. Almost every day Dagmar would send for the doctor in a black motor car, which was often driven by one of her brothers. Sometimes Ardacheff, interrupted in the middle of dinner or while entertaining friends, would send word for the car to go away, but more often he excused himself and hastened out to it. On July 3 the car came to fetch him, as usual, and he drove away—never to be seen aimin. He was taken to the villa specially prepared for his execution. On arrival, so it new appears, be was bound, chained to a well, and left alone for 20 hours.

TRIAL IN A VILLA. The following night at 12 a "icinirt" of 20 assembled for his trial in the garish Oriental drawingroom of the villa.' The prisoner, still bound and weak from lack of food, was placed in the centre of the room. To his amazement he foupo. himself accused of treachery to his antiBolshevik comrades, and sentenced to death. j Hadji Jashet then asked hin\ if to save his life he would sign several blank cheques. He did so. but no sooner had he laid down his pen than he was caught from behind, gagged, and A rope was put round his neck and Hadji Lashet siov.-lv strangled him,'. His body was then tii>rl up in a sack and drooped into the lake. The cheques were cashed for large amounts next day. So, in addition to working for Lenin by causing (tip antiBolsheviks to condemn their own comrades, Hadji Lashet made a handsome profit. It is certain that General Grs-ov. who .is under arrest as Hadji's principal acenmniice, acted in good faith, as'dirt also his daughter and two sons, for Hadji had convinced the whole family that Ardaeheff and the other men murdered were traitors to their cause.