On the morning of May 20 St. Poters-burg was told authoritatively of the discovery of " plot against the life of Tear.
The matter was lifted far above the region of s'ro: t the Duma would question the President of the Council on this subject and that the latter would reply.
When the Duma mot, the excitement was intense, Every part of the House was thronged, except—ominous ciroumance!—the Loft, which was perfectly empty, although everybody ki the Left deputies wore in the Catherine Hall outside. And then to my astonish. ment I hestd the President read an old vague story about sone obscure, porsona—twenty-eight in number—who judging from the sort of evidence usually given by the Russisn police, may have been made up of a few schoolboy; following the lead of avine og yrovocatour like that one of which ice-President of the Duma spoke later en, There has been hardly " week during these Inst two years that the police have not received information of some more or loss harebrained plata being hatched directly or indirectly againat the Tanr, and on almost any day, during that ime, the Premier could have made a just made. A statement similar to that which he had
But the next subject of discussion mace everything clear tome. At about lock ning, two days before, an armed band of police had suddenly surrounded the house, No, 92 Nevaky Prospect, in which M. Ozol, Social-Revolutionist and a member of the Duma hae apartments, and at the another band of police gentleman' ates and behaving solves (none of the captured deputies afterwards phrased it) "an if they bad captured band of robbers."
To M. Ozul's roome at the time wore twenty members of the Duma bes ion, Rosaian and fore literary mon and, got the sort of people one would expect find in the rooms of a wealthy and prominent member of @ party which is too poor to hire special committee rooms for itself. Some of those present were chatting about the political a but the restor number we engaged in routine party work, the preparation of bills for the Duma, eto. The only warrant the police had was an order from the chief of police, M. O29! reminded the police officer in charge of the party that, according to law, no member of the Duma oan be arrested or his baure searched without order of the court and the permission of the Imperial Duma. Returning an evasive answer the police officer proceeded to lay a trap for everyone who called for the next five ands half hours, but though he thus succeeded in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.