Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-01-25
The Grand Dukes Letters.

D..
Some time ago it was reported from
Brussels, in Belgium, that the Russian
detectives had traced to that city one
Vashteneff, who had been ir the em-
ploymsnt Of the Grand Duke Aexis aS
valet de chambre, and who fha accom-
panied the young prince ON Is voyage
rs Ametiea. after tcaeliiEg itbag the
Grand Duke, who reposed INF licit COM
fidence in Vashteneff, had sent him with
some of his trunks back to s Peters
burg. Among these trunks was one
which contained the nmnere $ letters
which the Russian prince had received
during his soidiFn In the Uri' d States,
and it may be imagined tl t among
these missives were a great m my enter
tanning and spicy ones, viii ], if pub
lished, would undoubtedly meet with a
large sale and yield the publisher a
hArdPons profit, Mr., Vaahteneff was
probably of this opinion, too; for,
when he reached st. Petersburg, he de-
livered to the Imperial family all the
trunks that had been intrusted to him
except the one which he knew contained
the private correspondence OF the young
Grand Duke His failure to deliver
this trunk was not discovered. Soon
afterward Vashteneff obtained from the
Empress, to whose household he was
attached after his return to the Russian
capital, leave of absence Iii ofdef to
visit, as he alleged, some relatives in
Rhenish Prussia. Nothing was heard
from him even after his leave of absence
! hn1 .nzy,Ni,o1 1pr,cr nhu1,1 n
/ did not excite any suspicion tii1til the
arrival of letters from the Grand Duke
Alexis, in the beginning of last Septem-
/ Der, established the fact that Vashteneff
had retained one of the Princes trunks
and, moreover, the one which contained
Ills private correspondence II vas easy
to surmise for what purpose this par
ticular trunk had been purloined by the
! faithless valet, and all further uncer-
tainty was set at rest by the appearance
iii the Brussels and Paris Journals of an
advertisement by NJ. blanche, belgian
publisher, who announced that he would
speedily issue "The Private Core
spondence of Prince Travelling in the
New World" The Forthcoming book
was described in the advertisement as
one of the most absorbing interest, and
well-calculated to attract general atten-
ton. At the same time the advertiser,
though somewhat vaguely, gave the
readers to understand that the prince
in question was member of the Inn
perial family of Russia The Russian
government keeps semi-oficial organ
in Belgium, journal entitled LIE Nord,
and the EmpefUr Alexander was at once
informed Of what was going on. There
y. could be but little doubt that the letters
which NJ. Planche proposed to issue
were those which VasSteneff had taken
from Alexis's stolen trunk. A detective
was at once dispatched from st. Peters
burg to Brussels; where he held IN in
terview with Planche The latter, who
seems to have acted with tolerably good
faith in the matter, acknowledged at
once that he had purchased the letters
for tho sum of $500 francs, from man
whose appearance corresponded closely
with the description which the Russian
/ detectivegave him of that of Vashteneff
Planche said he was willing to surren.
der the letters, provided that the ex.
penses he incurred in purchasing them
and preparing them for publication
were refunded to him--a proposition tC
which the detective readily acceded.
sells publisher information in conse.
quence of which he succeeded in effect.
ing the arrest Of Fashteneff, who lived
under an assumed name i'll the environs
of the Belgian capital. After decree
for the extradition of the trunk-thiei
had been obtained from the government
Of King Leopold the Second, the detec.
tive started with his prisoner and the
letters of the Grand Duke for st. Peters
burg, where the Imperial family re.
warded him literally for the intelligence
and finesse with which he had performed
his delicate mission. AS regards Wash
teneff, he was greatly detected, and
well he might be, for the criminal code
Of Russia Furnishes all offenses against
any member Of the Imperial family, nc
matter how trifing they may be, with
extreme severity. He was tried in the
criminal court on the I'd of December
last, and admitted his guilt, beseechine
the court to deal leniently with him
Despite his prayers, however, and the
eloquent appeal which his counsel made
to the court, he was found guilty anG
sentenced to ten years transportation
to Siberia. The unfortunate man fel
into a swoon when he heard this dreat
sentence. The intercession of his ageC
mother, however, who had in years gont
by been faithful servant of the late
Empress, the mother of the present
Gear, and, perhaps, the wish to leut
not too much Importance to the whole
affair, caused the Emperor Alexander t.
commute Vashteneff's sentence to on'
years Imprisonment at hard labor in
Russian fortress. Even this mitigate(
sentence, however, will be hard pun
ishment for the man who, for years, ha
led the sybaritic life of a favorite lac
quey at the imperial court of ST. Peters
J burg. He will be chained to wheel
barrow, and will have to roll stone in i
for fifteen hours every day. The wheel
barrow will be his inseparable com
parion during the whole term of hi
imprisonment, even in his hours 0
: sleep, which he will have to pass on th
bare floor, and his food will be of tn
coarsest description.