his residence. During the
same period two members of the revolutionary organisation, accused of
treachery, were "executed" by order of local Committees. In most cases
the perpetrators of the crimes contrived to escape. One of them became
well known in Western Europe as an author under the pseudonym of
Stepniak.

Terrorism had not the desired effect. On the contrary, it stimulated the
zeal and activity of the authorities, and in the course of the winter of
1878-79 hundreds of arrests--some say as many as 2,000--were made in
St. Petersburg alone. Driven to desperation, the revolutionists still
at large decided that it was useless to assassinate mere officials; the
fons et origo mali must be reached; a blow must be struck at the Tsar
himself! The first attempt was made by a young man called Solovyoff, who
fired several shots at Alexander II. as he was walking near the Winter
Palace, but none of them took effect.

This policy of aggressive terrorism did not meet with universal approval
among the revolutionists, and it was determined to discuss the matter
at a Congress of delegates from various local circles. The meetings were
held in June, 1879, two months after Solovyoff's unsuccessful attempt,
at two provincial towns, Lipetsk and Voronezh. It was there agreed in
principle to confirm the decision of the Terrorist Narodovoltsi. As the
Liberals were not in a position to create liberal institutions or to
give guarantees for political rights, which are the essential conditions
of any Socialist agitation, there remained for the revolutionary party
no other course than to destroy the despotic autocracy. Thereupon a
programme of action was prepared, and an Executive Committee elected.
From that moment, though there were still many who preferred milder
methods, the Terrorists had the upper hand, and they at once proceeded
to centralise the organisation and to introduce stricter discipline,
with greater precautions to ensure secrecy.

The Executive Committee imagined that by assassinating the Tsar
autocracy might be destroyed, and several carefully planned attempts
were made. The first plan was to wreck the train when the Imperial
family were returning to St. Petersburg from the Crimea. Mines were
accordingly laid at three separate points, but they all failed. At the
last of the three points (near Moscow) a train was blown up, but it was
not the one in which the Imperial family was travelling.

Not at all discouraged by this fa