Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1906 — DASTARD HAND HURLS A BOMB [ARTICLE]

DASTARD HAND HURLS A BOMB

Devilish Attempt to Murder King Alfonso and His Fair Bride. ESCAPE IS NEARLY MIRACULOUS Explosion Takes Place in Front of Their Carriage, Killing Sixteen Persons. ONE VICTIM IS A LITTLE GIRL Another an Old Man of 70 Year*— Deadly Missile la Concealed in a Bouquet One Miscreant Is Captured. Madrid, June I.—-The public rejoicings over the marriage of King Alfonso and Princess Victoria had a terribly .dramatic sequel at 2:30 p. m. when a bomb thrown from an upper wihdow exploded with deadly effect near the coach occupied by the king and queen. Providentially King Alfonso and Queen Victoria escaped by an. electric wire deflecting the bomb, but at least sixteen persons, most of them being of the personal and military escort, aud the others spectators, were killed. Many others were injured. List of the Bed’s Victims. The following are the killed: Captain Barrosa, commanding part of the king’s escort; Lieutenant Reysient; Lieutenant Prendergast; six soldiers; Marquise of Colosa; her daughter; Don Antonio Calvo;his niece (aged 6 years); Jose Sola (70 years of age); Luis Fonseca; royal groom who was leading a horse drawing the coach carrying the king and queen. Several of those killed were standing on the balcony of the house from which the bomb was thrown. Explosion Shook the Building. The explosion occurred just as the royal couple was about to enter the palace. The procession had just passed through Mayor street, and was about to turn into tfig esplanade leading to the palace when an explosion shook the buildings in the vicinity, stunning n large number of people and throwing the cortege into inextricable confusion.

ESCAPED AS BY A MIRACLE People Delirious with Joy When They See Their Sovereigns Safe. The royal coach was brought to a sudden stop by the shock, officers and soldiers of the escort falling to the ground about the equerry and horses that had been killed. The screams of the terrified multitude mingled with the groans of the dying. It was immediately seen that the royal coach was intact, except as it had been damaged by flying splinters. King Alfonso immediately alighted and assisted Victoria out of the carriage. They then entered another coach and were driven swiftly to the palace. All this happened so quickly that people away from the immediate vicinity were not aware of the tragedy that had l>een enacted, and continued to acclaim their sovereigns. Soon, however, there appeared the empty royal coach with two horses missing and tla> others spattered with blood, several of'them bleeding from wounds; the grooms and drivers deathly pale in their spangled uniforms. Then came a boy shouting that a bomb had lxa*n thrown at the king. The appearance of the king ami queen in a coach brought out delirious ovations. The fact was recognized that the sovereigns had be<'n spared. The place from which the lamib was thrown is a boarding house. The chamber from uhlch the missile was burk'd was taken May 22 by a man from Barcelona, giving the name of Manuel Duran. When the police surrounded the house the man attempted to flee, but was captured. Another man twcaped over the roofs of houses. According to an official statement it Is not known whether one or more bombs were thrown. The statement continues that it is impossible to ascertain at present the author of the outrage, although ft is known that a Catalonian manuei Duran took an apartment In the house from which the bomb was thrown May 22, paying in advance with a TOO peseta bill. He was well dressed, of elegant appearance and showed a fondness for flowers.

MANGLED CORPSES IN THE ROAD Horrible Scene Presented—Bomb Concealed in a Bouquet. The scene in the vicinity of the explosion was horrible. As the municipal guards hastily Improvised litters to bear off the mangled corpses dense crowds pressed in upon them, causing indescribable confusion. Soldiers occupied all tlte streets leading to the locality, making It almost Impossible to

reach the spot from a distance. However, the Associated Press correspondent was on t,he scene soon after the explosion, and received an account of the affair from the Duke of Veragua, who was one of the grandees participating in the cortege, and Colonel Rafael de Chagtie. the officer who assisted Queen Victoria as she alighted from her damaged coach to take another. The bomb was thrown from above, striking the ground and exploding not far from the royal carriage. One of the officers of the king’s escort and two soldiers were killed, and one of the horses drawing tlie royal coach was killed, while the injured numbered scores. The bodies of many persons were terribly torn by the force of the explosion. The news of the attempted assassination spread throughout the city witli great rapidity, turning the rejoicings of the populace to awe. The telegraph offices were invaded by struggling masses, but a rigid censorship was instituted. The explosion would not have occurred if the cortege bad followed the route originally planned; but returning it was determined to retrace part of Mayor street and give the people a further opportunity to observe the pageant, it was in front of No. 88 Mayor street that the bomb wits exploded. This is within half a block of the esplanade leading to the royal palace. The bomb, which was concealed In a bouquet. was of polished steel, half a centimetre thick. It was thrown from a third-floor window. The house, according to some reports, belongs to the queen mother, having been Ims queathed to her by a philanthropist, and being the only house she owns in Madrid. The house is opposite the Church of the Sacrament and the captain general’s residence. The royal procession had come to a temporary stop with the royal carriage exactly opposite the house when the bomb was thrown. The missile fell to the right of the royal carriage, between the hindmost pair of horses and the front pair of wheels. The explosion killed two horses and a groom. The Duke of Sotomayor, who riding on the right side of the carriage, was slightly wounded, and four of the soldiers who lined the route followed by the cortege were killed.

AND SO THEY WERE MARRIED Alfonso of Spain and Ena of Battenberg Are Man and Wife, Madrid, June I.—The dastardly attempt on the life of King Alfonso and Queen Victoria Eugenia (as she will be called! made the marriage of the two a matter of secondary importance all over Madrid, and prcabaldy elsewhere. The attempt was made, it would seem to come as a horrible cli!»ix to one-of tbe liappb st royal marringes on record, if appearances are not very deceitful. anti was made as the young couple, just married, weie on their way "home."

The wedding took place in the Church of San Jeronimo, with all ths elaborate <-vremonial of the Roman Catholic service. An archbishop officiated. ami the witness's win* representatives of all the royal houses of Europe and special envoys from all the nations of the world. Preceding t.Le wedding was a brilliant cortege which escorted the young couple in separate carriages to the church, in which parade was a large proportion of tho-e w 1 io withesseiT th e~cet r eni'>ny, including the Prince and' Princess of Wales, the United States special envoy, and a magnificent display of military pomp.

The route of the [ranade —Isrth going and coming—was packed with a cheering arid happy ]M>pula<*o. All the world loves a lover and if Alfonso and his bride are not lovers they have played the part to perfection. The Spanish jieoiple are proud of their young king, and they are proud of his bride, and barring the miscreant who threw the bomb and his it would be hard to thiii a man or woman in Spain who doos not visit the young couple everything that is good,

As the wedding ceremony closed King Alfonso embraced bis bride anti her mother. Tills glimpse of domestic tenderness, as well as the democratic touch given by the presence of many jMX>r people in tin* galleries, wlio were there by tile king's request. made the scene an effective one. After the young couple had arrived safely at the palatw they received many congratulations on their miraculous escape. During the afternoon King Alfonso went with his bride to tlie palace chape), where they offered up prayers. As a curious coincidence it is just a year ago yesterday that a bomb was thrown at King Alfonso In Taris.