Connecticut western news., 1875-09-03
1N Etff IItsI iEilINEt-3 .5lTF kI.Eig ' 1- THE STORY OF, A PRINCESS.

clandestine marriage. When, Prince Radzivil, of Poland, became enraged at the eruelties exercised by Catherine H., the successor of Elizabeth, upon the Poles, he resolved to employ the young princess as an instrument to disturb the peaceful rule of the usurper. It is even said that he intended to marry the prin- cess, and he took her, to Rome to edu- cate her under his own care. But Cath erine, who was informed by her spies of all that happened in foreign courts, soon discovered the plans of Prince Radzivil.
 She at once confiscated his estates, and reduced him to live upon the sale of his diamonds, and at length prevailed; upon him, by the offer of restoring his proper ty, to promise that. he would no longer concern himself about the daughter of Elizabeth He could not, however, be induced to betray the young princess into the hands of: her destroyers, and a different agent was therefore employed.
 Alexey Orlof, the assassin of Peter TIL, was one of the fearful ornaments of Catherine's courts. He was a savage, uneducated,, coarse, insolent and vain.
 His strength was enormous. He crushed pieces of iron or glass in his hand with out any efort.i; He broke an apple in two with his fingers. His conscience was scared, and he is said to have boast ed openly of his murder of Peter, and to have described infinitely the manner in which it was done,F before large com pany. Net the terrible power which Alexey, had gained over the empress forced her not only to tolerate his socie- ty, but to cover him with honors and emoluments. He shone in all her court entertainments at the head of the Rus sian -nobles.l He had been placed in command of the Mediterranean feet, and to- him the empress attributed all the glory of it's success, which was in fact due to the English officers. Cathe- rine gave him the title of Tschesminsk. She presented him with the magnificent palace of TSschesme, which she had built for him near her own. He was adorned with the decoration of the highest order of the knighthood, and foreign ambassa- dors who came to pay their court to the empress saw the murderer of her hus- band always at her side. 5a: .s..
 It was to this monster, who was cun- ming as well as brutal, that Catherine committed the duty of decoying the Princess Tarrakanof within reach of her vengeance. Attended by a single do- nestle. her only friend, the princess was now living in poverty at Rome, the de- sertion of Prince Radzivl having left her quite alone. Here she was visited by a Neapolitan, Ribas, an emissary of Or loff, who pretended a deep concern. for her misfortunes, and even supplied her with money when she was in great ne- cessity. The princess was scarcely six teen. She was innocent and trl1stful, and she soon learned to look upon Ribas as her benefactor and 9 preserver sent to her from Heaven. o Her female attendant was also won by the arts of the betrayer: and nothing can be more touching than the spectacle : of these two helpless women falling preytto the cunning Ne apolitan. i,-.--l;s.I.r1 n h5tia $ 4-~.s4 Having thus won their perfect conf dence, Ribas proceeded a step further in his plan. He told the princess that he was commissioned by Count Alexey Or lof to offer her the Russian crown. He said that the Russians were discontented with Catherine's rule; that .Orloff, par. ticularly, was incensed at her ,ingrati- tude; and that if the princess would ac- cept his services and reward him by the gift of her hand, he could easily place her upon the throne of Russia, amidst the general joy of the people,; y.4:. z
 This brilliant hope of arelief from her present sufferings, so unlocked for and so imposing, filed the imagination oi the poor young girl, and led her into an excess of confidence. Already she saw herself, an, empressJ From miserable poverty and dependence she was sudden ly, to, be raised to the splendors of 8 throne The vision, which had first been presented to her. fancy by Prince Radzivil, was now about to be realized, nor did it seem improbable that the daughter of Elizabeth would be more ae- ,ceptable to the Russians than the Ger man Catherine. 5r. The young princess waited in eager expectation the approach of her benefactor, Orloff.
 He came covered with the renbwn oi his late victories. He threw himself al the feet of the princess, and professed the deepest love and admiration for her
 and he soon, won her, heart, and she loved him with sincere affection. IT vain did several persons, who saw through his evil designs, endeavor tc persuade the princessl of the danger ir confding in him She only repeated what they said to Orlof, and gave him { | u0W opportunity Ol SuOW1uR ms EaTf ! address of defending himself agains5
 their calumnies. He now urged theil marriage, and the day was appointed fes it's solemnization. ga The ceremony wa. to bo performed according to the Greel ! ritual and Orloff employed several O his dependents to. disguise themselve
 as priests and lawyers, and thus desc
 crate the holy rite. The murderer o
 Peter feared neither God nor man. 2
 The princess now appeared every where in Italy as the wife of Orloff. H. treated her with studious attention
 Her love and trust in him. were un
 bounded, and she chung to him with
 touching faith. that contrasts strangel,
 with the murderous duplicity of tn
 man she loved, When he urged upol
 her the necessity of their leaving Rome
 in order to carry out their project of de throning Catherine in some less con 1 spicious city, she said that she shoul follow him q wherever he went. H
 brought her to Pisa and lodged her in
 magnificent palace but when she went
 play or any public place he always ae 3 companied her himself. He scarcel
 suffered her to go out of his sight, an was fearful that his victim might yet b
 ravished from hint a'aesea9 eli lo 4ta
 The plot was now drawing toward
 successful close. A division of the Rus
 sian fleet had entered Leghorn, and Ol
 lof pretended that it was necessary fe