RED RUSSIA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3167, 19 April 1909, Page 5

RED RUSSIA.

POLICE METHODS. TRIAL OF M. LOPUKHIN. BEING HELD IN CAMERA. United Preaa Association—By Eleotrio Telegraph Copyrirrht ST. PETERSBURG, April 16. The trial for treason of M. Lopukhin, formerly chief of the Russian Secret Police, on a charge of having betrayed the Police spy Azeff to the Revolutionaries, is being, heid in camera before ten judges.

The mo?t astonishing revelations that have ever been made of the inner history of the Russian revolutionary movement are published in the English Review for March. They include an almost incredible list of the murderous villanios of Azeff, the Russian police agent, whose denunciation by the revolutionists has created such an immense sensation in Russia, and to whom references have recently been made in the cable news. The author signs himself "D.S." and his access to secret information is shown by the fact that he possesses, as he states, a volume of the Czat's which is "a periodical account of revolutionary events," issued in a single copy for the Czar s personal use. From 1901 until the end of 1908, Azeff, "D.S." says, while *n agent of the secret police, took an active, often a leading, part in every scheme of the Social Revolutionary party. He adds "He perhaps beat the record m the slaying of tyrants. He was one of the leading organisers of the murders of Sipagin Bogdanovitch, Plehve, the Grand Duke Sergius, and many others killed during those seven years. And for the last five years Azeff was actually the head of the terrible 'Fighting Organisation' which for a whole decade held the Czar and his camarilla hi awe and practical captivity." Azeff planned and helped to carry out all these murders, in order to prove from time to time his bona fides to the revolutionists, but all the time he was secretly denouncing his accomplices to the Russian police, and group after group of revolutionaries were arrested by his treachery and shot. When the conference of al! the revolutionary societies was held in Paris in 1904, Azeff was entrusted by it With the ; full report of the proceedings for transmission to his own party. He at once sent it to M. Lupukhin, the Director of Police, who has recently denounced him to M. Stolypin. Azeff denounced to the police the ten persons who planned the attempt to murder General Trepoff. He himself organised the vmsuccsss.ful attempt to blow up M. Stolypin in 1906. Azeff is also aaid to have helped the scheme by which the ship John Grafton was loaded with 1,000 rifles, thousands of revolvers, three machine guns, and tons of explosives, which were to be landed in St. Petersburg for an armed rising. Gapon was in charge of the arms, The ship, it will be remembered, was wrecked in a storm. Gapon, says"D.S.", saved himself by swimming ashore. The "removal" of Gapon is said to have been another of Azeff's crimes. It is an extraordinary story of plot ani counter-plot. Gapon, anxious to improve his own position, proposed to M. Ratchkovsky, the present head of the secret service, to betray Azeff and another revolutionary leader. | Azeff heard of the plan, and coun- i tered it by proposing to the revolutionaries to "remove" the "traitor" j Gapon and Ratchkovskv himself. At i the same time he told Ratchkovsky j of the plan. Gapon went to the empty j house near St. Petersburg on the day j arranged, expeclinc that Azeff and Ratchkovsky, who had been ,i"vited there, would both put. in an appearance, and there be mnrdered by the assembled party of revolutionaries. Ratchkovsky did not, of course, turn up, and Gapon, having fallen into Azeff's trap,/was duly murdered after a violent struggle. The most astonishing, revelation is that of attempts last year on the life of the Czar, with the alleged concurrence of Rutchkovsky, the head of the Cazr's secret police. "I have good reason for maintaining," says "D.5.," "that at this time Azelf found it feasible to attepmt to do away with Nicholas 11. Several attempts were arranged, and they failed through no fault of Azeff. The police did not arrest, the persons involved in these plots. The last attempt, of which Azeff had full knowledge, failed exclusively through want of firmness on the part of the person who was to be the actual perpetrator. Twice he had the Czar entirely at his mercy, and twice his courage failed him. Ratchkovsky had been for the last two years practically the head of the secnet police in charge of the Czar's personal safety. Though officially he is only one of Stolypin's secretaries, he really occupies an entirely independent position, being responsible only to the Czar, and having the right personally to control any political cases he may choose."