Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-06-12
THE DEAD CkARINA.
Emperor AIexander's Partner
and Her LifeIoi Unhappiness.
PHILADELPHIA Times.l

uduSuOcI vi buC O1dlu DuhG AuNhAe
II. of Hesse- Darmstadt, and was born
August 8, 1924. She grew up a slim
gracious little blonde princess, as gen
tie and loving in disposition as she
was fair. Her love-life began when
she was a mere slip of a girl, just
turned of sixteen. The young Gar
evitch Alexander had come into Ger.
many wife hunting. With the stiff
old Count 0rloff as bear.leader, and
provided with a list of eligible prime
esses from which he was free to pick
the princess whom his heat approved
he was sent upon a cruise among the
ducal and grand ducal princely courts
with orders ~toIproyide the Russian en-
pire with a future czarina. The name
Of the pretty Princess Maria was
not included among the eligibles, and
it was only by chance that the two
met. The c~zarevitch had gone from
Dan to Beersheba, as it were and had
found all barren. Berlin and the
minor courts of north Germany had
been searched in vain. 1t was while
on his way to draw" on south Ger
many that he met his fate.
AS he passed through Frankfort
the long-headed Grand Duke Lud-
wig had him up to dinner; and after
dinner in the tearoom, he first saw
the charming Marie. 1t was a case of
love at first sight. The czarevitch
fell in love with the princess, the
princess fell in love with the czare-
witch; the whole business was settled
in a twinkling-and all by a stolen
glance while the grand ducal old folk
sat by in snug contentment and slipped
their teal For once the course of
true love ran smooth. The Gar
Nicholas was graciously pleased to APP
prove his sons Observation-Disclosures
ing the fact that the princess had not
been thought of when the list ofmar-
riageable princesses was framed, and
the old grand duke, of course, was
ready to dance with joy at the pros
pect Of his daughters making so pro-
digiously fine a match. A year later.
April IS, 1871, the young things we're
married and went to housekeeping in
st. Petersburg-the Car Nicholas
and his wife taking very kindly to
their young daughter-in-law. Indeed,
such a dear little body that it was
very hard for anybody to do anything
but love her. Then came the babies.
quite a procession Of them; the Grand
Duke Nicelai, who died fifteen years
ago at Nice; the present Grand Duke
Alexander, born March 10, 1915, and
Vladimir, Alexis, Marie, Sergius, and
Paul-born October 3, 1860, being
still the pet boy of the household.
Had the empress died when her
last baby was born, her life, for the
life of an empress, would have been
one Of ideal happiness. But she was
fated to live-and to suffer such pain
in the last twenty years of her married
life that the happiness Of the first
twenty years was lost beneath a dark
cloud. Her sorrow and her happiness
came from the same source-her hus-
band. During the early years of his
reign the eZar stroye earnestly to lib
eralize his government, and improve
the condition Of his subjects. When,
at last, he was compelled by the pres.
sure brought to bear upon him to
abandon his liberal policy, his own
moral nature went down. in the general
wreck. He deserted his wife whom
he had loved so tenderly in his youth,
and took in her stead loose ladies Of
his court-making scarcely any at
tempt to conceal his crime. For a
long time the empress hoped against
hope that he would return to her; but
when, at last, this hope broke down
she met him driving in the streets Of
the capital with two children which
we're his but not hers-she formally
broke with him and left the empire.
During her absence still a third child
born.
Some sort of reconciliation was eff
a year ago, and she spent part
OF the summer with the car at Liya-
dia and returned with him thence to
st. Petersburg. But they were re-
united only formally. Love was
dead. Her bitter sorrow sowed the
seeds of death. Gradually her health
and her strength left her. She
spent last winter at Cannes, going
back to st. Petersburg-more dead
than alive-to be present in the CAPT
at the celebration of the twenty
fifth anniversary Of the czar's Access
sion to the throne. Since then her
life has ebbed fast. She has been
very gentle, very tender to those
about her-to her good son, the care
witch, to her loving daughter. the
duchess Of Edinburgh, and to her pet
boy, Paul-and they, in turn, have !
to make her forget her sorrow
by the consistency of their love. But
this could not be, for the czar. the
one person who could cure her grief.
still continued false to his early love
And now, at last, death has interviewed
mercifnlly to bring this tragedy to an
end. The doctors say that the czarina
has died of consumption, but the
world knows better. The czarina has
died Of the old complaint that has
been killing loving, truthful, faithful
women ever since the world began-a
broken heart.
Ouida.
The novelist is thus described in
AZ c. E.nn.- IN