S K E T C H O F T H E
<< atrocious enterprize ; and the confpirators who carried it
“ into execution were about forty in number, and were
“ headed by three chiefs, named Lukawiki, Straweniki, and
“ Kofiniki. Thefe three chiefs had been engaged and hired
“ to that purpofe by Pulaiki, who in thè town of Czetfcho-
“ kow in Great Poland obliged them to fwear in the moil
“ folemn manner, by placing their hands between his, either
“ to deliver the king alive into his hands, or, in cafe that was
“ knpoffible, to put him to death. The three chiefs chofe
“ thirty-fèven perfons to accompany them. On the 2d of
“ November, about a month after they had quitted Czefto-
“ chow, they obtained admiffion into Warfaw unfufpedted
* 1 or undifcovered by the following ilratagem. They dii-?
« guifed themfelves as peafants who came to fell hay, and
“ artfully concealed their faddles, arms, and cloaths under
“ the loads of hay which they brought in waggons, the more
“ effectually to efcape detection.
“ On Sunday night, the 3d of September, 17 7 1, a few of
“ thefe confpirators remained in the ikifts of the town ; and
“ the others repaired to the place of rendezvous, the ftreet of
“ the Capuchins, where his majefty was expeóted to pafs by
“ about his ufual hour of returning to the palace. The king
“ had been tovifithis uncle prince Zartoriiki, grand chancel-
“ lor of Lithuania, and was at his return from thence to the
“ palace between nine and ten o’clock. He was in a coach,
i t accompanied by at leatt fifteen or fixteeft attendants, befide
“ an aid-de-camp in the carriage : fcarce was he at the dif-
“ tance of two hundred paces from prince Czartoriiki’s pa-
“ lace, when he was attacked by the confpirators, who com-
“ manded the coachman to Hop on pain of inftant death.
“ They fired feveral ffiot into the carriage, one of which
“ pafled through the body of a heyduc, who endeavoured to
2 “ defend
at ¿'efencl'his mafter from the violence of the affaffins. Ala.
moft all the other perfons * who preceded and accompa-
u nied his majefty were difperfed ; the aid-de-camp aban-
“ doned him, and attempted to conceal himfelf by flight.
“ Mean while the king had opened the door of his carriage
« with the defign of effecting his efcape under ihelter of the
“ night, which was extremely dark. He had even alighted,
“ when the affaffins feized. him by the hair, exclaiming in
“ Poliffi with horrible execrations, ‘ We have thee now; thy
“ hour is come.’- One of them difcharged a piftol at him fo
« very near, that he felt the heat of the flalh ; while another
“ cut him acrofs the head with his fabre, which penetrated
“ to the bone. They then laid hold of his majefty by the
“ collar, and, mounting on horfeback, dragged him along
u the ground between their horles at full gallop for near five
u hundred paces through the ftreets-of Warfaw t.
<< AH was. confufion and diforder during this time at the
u palace, where the attendants who had deferted their «mafter
“ had fpread the alarm. The foot-guards ran immediately
“ to the fpot from whence the king had been conveyed, but
“ they found only his hat all bloody, and his bag : this in-
* “ It is-incredible that fuch a number “ Every part o f the cloaths which his ma-
4< o f perfons as- were*with his Polifh majeity 11 jefty wore on that night are carefully pre-
on that memorable night,, ihould all fo “ ferved. It is no lefs wonderful,, that,
bafely abandon him, except the fingle -“ when the affaffins had feized on the king,
w heyduc who was. killed; and’ .who H I “ they ihould carry, him through fuch a
“ bravely.defended-his mafter. This man “ number o f ilreets without being flopped..
** was a proteftant; he was riot killed on “ ARuffian centinel did hail th em ; butj as-.
thefpot, but expired next morning o f his • “ they.anfwered.in Ruffian, he allowed them
“ wounds. The king allows a penfion to “ to pafs,1 imagining them to be a patrole o f
“ his .widow, and children.” ' “ his nation. This happened at fome diftance
+ “ It is aftoniillingr that, in the number “ from the place where they had’carried off
“ o f ballswliich paffed through the carriage; “ the king.. T h e night-was.befides exceed-
“ notone fliould hurt or wound the king, 11 ingly dark,, arid Warfaw has no lamps.
“ Several went through his peliff'e^ or-fur “ A ll thefe circuuiftances contribute to ac-
■“ great-coat. 1 have feen this cloak, and “ count for this extraordinary event.” '
“ the holes made in it by the piftol b u lle ts ..
“ created