The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-10-02
SOUTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1875

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sine, ami his wife made complaints to
| the car, the prince was sore!y cnr:!gcd,
and beat the princess most cruelty 4
chastiscmcnt in return from the cZur only
made the affair worse. Charlotte, daily
| IN tears, regretted her SOrrowful plight.
and longcd to be released from her brut-
| lsh lord She even wrote to her father.
| Duke Louis, cntrcating him to take steps
Tor dlssolving her marriage But Louis
was as proud and naughty as she was
| weak, and would take no steps To over
throw that fortune which, he believed,
WAS likely to make of his offspring an
empress. However, he was not wholly
lnsenshlc to the torturcs of her stu
alton. Keep Il watchful eye on my
daughter" he besccchcs the ear in Il
letter recently disclosed "for she is a
lamb i'll gcntlcncss, and ill-suitcd to the
rough ways of Il hot and hlsty cavalier.
| pray thee he pleased to restrain thy
imperial son, and keep back the evil
reports which come daily to my ears"
The birth of two children -Natalia,
| who died prcmaturcly, and Peter, after
ward Gar Peter Ibid not soften the
evil tendencies of Alexis; ON the con
trary, it was the signal for most terri
| hlc climax. While the princess was vet
suffering from her confinement, Alexis,
more i'll Il fit Of dcvilsh wrath than Of
INVESTIGATION, struck her SO savagclv with
| his cane, that she fell sclsclcss to the
ilonr. Those who stood near thought
that she was dead; and few hours later
her physician sent word to the czar that
his daughterin-law had been carried Off
by a sudden attack Of Mysteries!
Peter the Great received the intelli-
| gcncc Of the prnccss's death on the 10th
of October, l7l5, and being then ut
Sch lussclburg, busiy employed on his
works, he set out instantly for the cap
itol. On the way he himself was seized
with illness, and was forced to take to
his bed. In the midst of his grief the
announcement came that the empress
had been delivered of prince, which
speedily changed sadness into Joy. In
the ensuing confusion, poor Charlotte
was almost forgotten. But rumor had
already sounded her dread alarms, and
Alexis, fearing the wrath of his father,
had fled to his country-house.
Mcanwhilca Il grand carnival proclaimed
the new birth. Splendid entertainments,
balls and fireworks, followed one another
in rapid succession, and universal hilar-
| lty prevailed. Elsewhere, Il coffin robcd
i'll black, and followed only by Il few at
tcndants, WAS borne into the fortress of
st. Petersburg, and deposited i'm the
church of Saints Peter and Paul Later
a horseman rode To the roya palace and
announced that the remains E Princess
I IapltIriu Jr al, viz Itussi",, W =. -. !,
Time elapsed, and it soon appeared that
the czar had not really forgotten the
gentle girl who, deserving Il better fate,
had missed her road to happiness neither
had he failed to notice the absence of his
son. The death Of the neglected wife
was ii sore aflliction to Peters mind; but
lie hoped that it might he the means of
reforming the prince. Accordingly he
wrote him a letter, accusing him of muir
der, but promising forgiveness if he would
only amend his conduct. al desire your
answer personally or in writing" the let
ter concludes, cor must deal with you
rs Il criminal Alexis replied, g in
tend to embrace the monastic life, and
request your gracious consent to that
effect
For awhile the affair was dropped, and
the czar departed on a journey into Ger
many and France. The grand duke,
! fearful of his life, fled, accompanied by
his mistress, to quarters unknown Seven
months passed away, during which time
the cZIr heard nothing from his son.
One day two Russian ENJOYS overlook
Alexis in Naples, and placed in his hands
a letter from his father. " If you do not
return home" it read, "by virtue of the
power have received from God as your
sire, pronounce against you my ever
lasting curse; and, AS your sovereign, |
can assure you shall find ways to pun
ish you; which hope, as my cause is
just, God will take it in hand and assist
me in avGnging it,"
When cntrc"tics failed, the cnvoys had
recourse to strategy. One of them offered
would induce Alexis to throw himself at
the feet Of his father. She Piled her art
of persuasion so well that, on the follow
ing day, the prince set out for Moscow.
Upon his arrival the great bell tollcd;
gloomy council was convened in the cas-
tie; and the clergy said mass in the
cathedral. In solemn tones the ear pro
| nounccd malcdiction on his son Alexis,
deprived him of succession to the throne,
and even disinhcritcd him i'm the pres
cncc of the whole assembly. Never
was prince forgotten" says the royal
record, in 80 sovereign and authentic Il
manner.
a trial for high treason followed this,
awful humiliation; and, on the 7th of
July, l7lS, it was publicly announced
that the Grand Duke Alexis had died in
prison, " in consequence of ovcr-cxcite.
mcnt." Recent research proves that he
was murdered by German named
Wcidc, at the order of Peter the Great.
At this point the tragedy may be said
to end; and the mystery, if such it was,
to begin.
Twenty years later, Chevalcr Bo.su
published in Paris book which is now n