Here is Spiridovitch's first hand account, from"Les Dernieres Annees.." Vol. 2 Ch. 4. The translation from the French is mine, (copyright Rob Moshein 2005):
The day of the gala performance, from the basement to the rafters had been searched minutely by a strong team of my agents and the police, commanded by my adjutant Lt.Col. Oupravine.
After the search, the theater was occupied by 90 men posted as interior guards, according to the written plan I had approved. From that moment until six in the evening, a special pass was required for the people working in the theater, each person had to have a special card in their hand which had been made for them and to who were know by at least two of our agents.
After the moment the public was to be admitted, a control post was established on each door of an officer, several agents from the detachment, more police men and representatives of the different services, professions, businesses, etc, who were there to identify the people who presented themselves for admission.
No one was permitted into the theater without having an invitation or the required pass.
All of the interior guard and control posts were directly under my command.
Additionally, outside the Imperial Box, from the stairway to the Imperial Entrance were posts from the Palace police and a detachment of His Majesty's escort, according to the latest methods.
In placing the security agents inside the theater, we took into account the fact that the public which was going to be allowed in had already been investigated and could be guaranteed from a political point of view. It was also decided, in agreement with the Commandant of the Palace, that each person of His Majesty's suite and each of the high functionaries would all stay in their places, which would implicitly eliminate the need to place officers in the first rows, next to the Imperial Box.
The first four rows of seats, and above all those places nearest the Imperial Box were to be set aside by my agents and Kourlov's men.
It was thus that the seats nearest the Imperial box were assigned to the Governor General, commander of the army and commandant of the Palace. These seats were separated by an aisle from those of the Ministers: Stolypin, Baron Freedericks, Soukhomlinov, etc.
In the second row, were the seats for Prince Orlov, Prince Troubetskoy, Col. Komarov and on the other side of the aise, the governor, etc. The third row was for Drenteln, the aide de camp on duty, and the last seats on the aisle were for the Chief of the Palace police and me. In the eighth row along the aisle had been reserved seats for my adjutant and the adjutant to the Chief of the Palace police. The twelfth row was to be occupied by my officers, etc.
This arrangement totally excluded the possibility of anyone approaching the Imperial box while Their Majesties were there. Only, those who had seats reserved in the first rows could go down the aisle to take their seats. In addition to the surveillance by the men in the security service, distributed throughout the theater, every person along that aisle was to be watches by agents placed two by two on the 12th, 8th, and 4th rows, next to the aisle. If anyone showed the slightest inclination to deviate from a straight line, they would be intercepted and invited to return to their place.
As for the security guard for the President of the Council of Ministers, his agents were placed by the men in command of that guard, such that Capt. Yessaoulov, the Minister's personal bodyguard, was seated in the 3rd or 4th row behind him.
When I went to the theater on the day of the performance, I found all of my men at their posts. The control posts were already in place. My adjutant, Lt.Col. Oupravine, who was directing the service, reported that the inspection of the theater had been made, and all of my orders were followed to the letter.
In making my tour of the theater, I met Gen. Kourlov, who I told about the measures taken. And when the Emperor entered, I went to take my place on the aisle, next to my seat in the 4th row.
As for Kouliabko, I did not see him in the theater; so absorbed in my duties, I had not thought to speak with him or Kourlov about the information service; hypnotised with the presence of the Emperor, I had no other thoughts or worries or preoccupation that his security. I had been, in other words, professionally irresponsible.
The curtain rose. I was in such a state that that I understood absolutely nothing which was happening on stage; each instant I thought I heard steps in the aisle and, despite myself, I would turn around, obsessed by indescribable anxiety.
At the end of the first act, when the Emperor left his box, I went into the corridor to make sure that the guard supposed to be posted there during the intermission was actually in place, in front of the Emperor's entrance. I saw neither Kourlov nor Koubliako in the corridor. I saw only Vyerigine, some ways off, busy as always, approaching everyone with a mysterious, conspiritorial air.
Here is happened, from Kourlov's "Memoirs", between him and Kouliabko.
"…Lt. Col. Kouliabko, returning from Bibikov Blvd, announced to me that all of the orders which I had given about the awaited meeting had been executed. I was then ready to go to the theater and while going to my seat, which was next to the Imperial Box, I had been stopped by the minister sitting in the first seat on the aisle, who told me, after the communication which had been sent to him from Kouliabko, about the meeting in question had not taken place.
"We will speak among ourselves about all of this during the first intermission" Stolypin added.
"I impatiently waited for the intermission and when the Emperor retired into the outer room of the box, I approached the Minister.
"What do you think we should do now?" he asked me. I replied that there would be nothing other than to do than the return of Their Majesties after the end of the show and that there was all hope that everything would be carried out without incident. I added that I had spent all of the night going over the measures which were taken.
"You would do well to speak one more time to Kouliabko" the Minister said to me and took his leave. I left to obey my order. Leaving Stolypin, I encountered Capt. Yessaoulov who had to task not to leave the Minister's side for a single instant.
"Lt. Col Kouliabko has informed me that Bogrov had come to the theater to find him to tell him that the meeting in Bibikov Blvd. had not taken place and was reset for the next day. I could not hide from Kouliabko the upset I felt from all of this moving around of Bogrov and I ordered him to make certain that Bogrov did not leave his residence and not to leave the people who came from Kryemtchoug alone for one single instant. I then invited him to come see me after the theater discuss the ulterior measures we would have to take.
"After the above report, I would not stand for an instant that Bogrov could be found at the theater, and it seemed impossible to me that Kouliabko had given him such extraordinary permission without first asking my permission."
"I went to the parterre at the beginning of the second act; when it was over, I went to Stolypin to let him know about my conversation with Kouliabko, and stayed next to him then, which is what I usually did whenever the Minister was out in a public place. This time, P.A. Stolypin, ordered me, despite my objections, to go and see Kouliabko again, because the rather vague nature of the new information had begun to seriously upset him. Thus it was that I learned later, that Capt. Yessaoulov, who was supposed to stay constantly by the Minister's side, was found out in the foyer. Going into the corridor, I met Kouliabko again who confirmed that the orders I had given during the first intermission, to confine Bogrov in his apartment, had been executed. The inquiry later established the fact that it was only after the second act had begun that Kouliabko had given Bogrov, who was already at the theater, the order to go home, without even considering to make sure that Bogrov carried the order out. The gunshot which then echoed proved that the order had, in fact, not been followed."
Here is what I know on my part. After the second act, the Emperor left his box to take tea in an adjacent room. His children followed. The Imperial box was empty. I went again out into the corridor. No one was left on the parterre. Stolypin was standing in front of the ramp separating the parterre from the orchestra, his back to the stage. On his right were Baron Freedericks and Gen. Souhkomlinov. Yessaoulov had gone to smoke.
Along the aisle to the left, a young man in elegant clothes calmly approached the group of those three men. Arriving at the top of the fourth row of seats, he fired three shots at Stolypin. Someone in the orchestra shouted. The Minister put his hand to his chest, and staggered.
"I am wounded" he said; then he took off, mechanically, his frock coat, dropped it on the ramp, look at the blood pouring out and fell without a sound into his seat.
"I am happy to die for the Tsar" the Minister said. He turned toward the Imperial Box, then seeing the Emperor who had entered the box, he made a gesture with both hands to tell the Emperor to go back.
The Minister was immediately surrounded by the people in the hall, to care for him, and they carried him off.
The young man, after firing the gunshots, went calmly still towards an exit. Suddenly he started to run. He was immediately caught, grabbed, thrown to the ground, and beaten.
