Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1872-10-03
THE FALSE DEMETRIUs.

1891, the young Prince Demetrius, boy
of ten years of age, brother of the reign
ing Car, was playing in the court yard
in the palace of Uglitch, with four other
boys, his attendants. He had knife in
one hand, with which, according to one
account, he was cutting piece of wood
according to another, he was endeavoring
to stick the knife in the ground. His
governess, his nurse, and a female servant
were close at hand. The attention of the
women were drawn from him for few
moments, and then he was seen lying upon
the ground, bathed in blood, which was
flowing from a large wound in his throat.
The shrieks of the terrified women on
discovering this appalling tragedy, brought
into the courtyard the Czaritza, who with
out waiting to hear word of explanation
accused the gOverness of cOnniving at the
Princes murder, struck her a violent
blow on the head with piece of wood,
and denounced as the assassin Michael
Bitiagotski, the controller of the palace.
Michael, the brother of the Czaritza,
reefed into the court yard in state of in
toxication, struck and abused the govern
ess and ordered the tocsin to be sounded.
The court yard was Immediately crowded
with people. Bitlagoiski appearing, and
declaring that the Prince must have been
attacked by fit, and falling upon his
knife, was set upon by the by.standers,
and fled for his life. The house in which
he sought refuge was attacked by the
mob, and he and his son were dragged
out, and slain in the street. Everyone
VINO displayed the least sympathy with
the suspected persons met with the same
fate.
Demetrius had died without having
uttered a word. His corpse was carried
to a church, and an inquiry into the cir
cumstances of his death was ordered by
Boris Godenoy, a noble, whose sister
Theodore the reigning Car had married,
and who had taken advantage of his i'm
perial brOther-in- laws drunken habits and
mental incapacity for the duties of gov
ernment to exercise the chief authority in
the State. The investigation was con-
Quoted in secret, and this circumstance
coupled by the facts that it vas made by
two mobiles who were entirely under the
influence of Boris, that Bitiagotski was
also one of bis creatures, and that subse-
quent events supported the suspicion that
he was aiming at the throne. has caused
him to be regarded by most historians as
the author of conspiracy of which De-
metrius was the first victim. Without
having made any examination of the
corpse, or con pairing the wound with the
knife which tn" Prince had in his hand
when he fell, the commissioners of Boris,
arrived at the conclusion that the death
of DemetriuS was the result of an acci-
dent.
In 1897, Theodore was taken i'll and
died, not without great suspicion of his
having been poisoned by Boris Godenoy,
of which the Czarina was SO well con-
vinced that she would never speak to ner
brother afterward. As Theodore left no
children, the dynasty of Rurik, which had
ruled Russia upward of seven centuries,
came 10 an end at his death GOdenoy
who already exercised all the power of
the Crown, and would probably have sut-
tered nobody else to reign, pretended to
be unwilling to accept the crown. until
urged to do 50 by the entreaties of the
people; and even then he made his ac-
ceptance Of it conditional on the success
of an expedition which he declared he
was about to undertake against the Tar
Jars.
But, in truth. there wasno Tartar army
in the field. and Boris had 70 intention of
attacking either Kasan or Ast akhan.
The pretended expedition was merely an
excuse for assembling an army of fifty
thousand men, as the most efectual meth
cd of securing himself on the throne
About the middle of 1903, Prince Adam
Wisniowiecki, Polish noble, being an
noyed by some negligence on the part of
one of his servants, abused and struck
him.
"You would not treat me thus if You
knew whom | am" said the man.
"Who are you, then9" demanded the
prince, with a look OF surprise.
81 am Dcmetrius Ivanovitch !" was the
reply.
The prince declared that this was i'm
possible, "a the person mentioned had
died, or been murdered q dozen years be-
fore. and probably thought at first that
the young man mnst be either a lunatic
or an impudent imposter. But the latter
maintained so confidently that he was
really the person he represented himself
10 be, and answered the princes questions
with so much readiness and plausibility,
that WiSzniowiecki was at first staggered
and then convinced.
According to the story told by the
young man who had so suddenly assumed
princely rank, ike butterfly emerging
from its chrysaline case, Simon, the physi,
clan attached 10 the court Of Theodore.
had been tampered with by Boris, and
had pretended TO fall in with the usurper's
schemes. in order that he might be able
TO avert from the young prince the dark
fate with which he was threatened. Fol-
this purpose he procured boy, the son Of
o ssrf, who embled DeustriuS in height