WHERE THE CZAR WAS MURDERED.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 April 1920, Page 10

WHERE THE CZAR WAS MURDERED.

ENGLISHMAN'S STORY,OF THE TRAGEDY. There are many versions of how the ex-Czar and his family met their fate at the hands of the murdering Bolsheviks, but probably the most authentic and reliable account is that which a wellknown Cornish journalist, Mr. Herbert Thomas, contributes to the Cornlshman and Cornish Telegraph, he having the good fortune to interview Mr. Arthur H. Thomas, a Camborne mining engineer, who has recently returned via Vladivostoek and America from the very town where the assassination of the Imperial, Family occurred. Mr. Thomas says:—"lt all happened at Ekaterinburg. . . . Ekaterinburg in a town of about 100,000 inhabitants, and for some days we heard that high-ly-placed personages were expected there, although it was some surprise when the Royal Family w.ere driven through the town in a motor car. My office boy saw the Czar, like many other people, but I did not chance to be in the street at the time. He was housed in a twostorey dwelling in the main street, which was surrounded by a hoarding. . . . The house was built against the side of a hill. From the top entrance it was a one-storey building, but the lower room was level with the street. It was in this room, which was not a cellar, that the tragedy took place. "The first we heard of the murder was the public announcement by the Bolsheviks, before 2000 people in the theatre on July 23, 1918, that the town was being attacked by the Czecho-Slovak army (including some White Russians), and that the Bolsheviks were evacuating it. If they left the Czar behind it would mean the return of monarchy and Absolutist government; so they had on Julv 17, executed the Czar and had removed his family to a place of safety. This was after the Czar had resided their about there months. "No one was allowed to enter the mysterious house until after the CzehcoSlovaks took possession of the town. Early in October I was able to visit the house, for a committee of investigation had been appointed by the local authority. We saw bloodstains on the wall of one of the lower rooms, and 24 bullet holes in the walls at about the height of a person kneeling. It was considered that the Czar and his family must have been huddled together in a corner by their Bolshevik executioners and were shot while in a kneeling position. "The bodies have not been found. I have heard since that the actual murderers had. been eexcuted by the local Soviet, but that may or niay not be true. They were not known when I was there and no one, by confession, had enabled the bodies to be found. Anion* burnt rubbish were found jewels "ar tera, buckles, and other valuables, but no bones. Shafts were searched, but no bodies were found, and there the matter rested Those who were considered to be murdered were the Cznr and Czarina, their three daughters, and son, Dr. Bodkm (Court physician), a lady-in-waiting (one of the princesses), and one or two others. "One reason why it was thought the bodies might have been thrown down a mine shaft was that about 100 mile* north many of the aristorfats, including the Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who was about 50, and had devoted her life to Red Cross work, were thrown down a shaft alive and bombs were dropped and exploded upon them by the fiendish Bolsheviks. The shattered, bodies were round m the shaft afterwards."