Alexandros Schinas

Case record: Alexandros (Alekos) Schinas

Background

Alexandros (Alekos) Schinas (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Σχινάς) was a Greek anarchist associated with anti-government activity. He was born in the 1870s in Serres and was in his forties at the time of the assassination.

Schinas worked in the pantry of the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. A waiter remembered him as an avid reader of socialism-related literature and spending nights in Manhattan “making friends with radical and fervid thinkers”.

Schinas was against governments, and especially against aristocracy and monarchy. He started an anarchist school in his native town, which the Greek government closed for spreading anti-government ideas. Two of the leaders of the school were sentenced to prison, but Schinas escaped without being imprisoned.

The authorities seized a number of books and pamphlets published by the school. These were deemed to contain anarchist doctrine and were said to denounce the king.

The offence

On March 18, 1913, at around 5:15 PM, Schinas shot King George I in the back from a distance of two paces while the king was walking in Thessaloniki near the White Tower.

The bullet entered below the king’s shoulder blade, pierced his heart and lungs, and exited through his stomach. By the time the king arrived at the hospital, he was already dead.

Investigation and arrest

Schinas was taken into custody immediately. He initially refused to explain the reason for the crime. When asked by an officer whether he had no “pity” for his country, he answered he was against governments.

Schinas remained calm throughout the event. There were suggestions that he was not “responsible for his actions”. Later, Schinas declared that he killed the king because the latter refused to give him the money he asked for.

The Greek government released statements claiming that Schinas was an alcoholic vagrant.

Schinas was tortured throughout the following night. He was described as being “forced to undergo examinations”, and he refused to give the names of any accomplices.

Outcome and aftermath

On May 6, Schinas allegedly committed suicide by jumping out of the window of the police station in Thessaloniki. It was also possible he was simply defenestrated by the police.

Various theories about Schinas’s motives circulated later, including claims that his action was directed by Bulgaria as a form of revenge for its lost territories, by Austria-Hungary for political reasons, or by Germany for dynastic reasons. The account stated that there was no evidence for any of those theories.