Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-02-16
LIFE IN CATCHING PALACE.


LIFE IN CATCHING PALACE.
How the Gar COntrives to l. Z His
Time IN the SecIusfOn Of His Lace
Fortress-Ris JeaIOuiy OF Ais Wife.
The emperor of Russia, says st
| Petersburg correspondent of the New
York Sun, is himself the most unhappy
| man in his own dominion. Alexander
| became car under the most horrible
auspices. The throne he had to ascend
was sprinkled with the blood of his
| father, mixed with that of a reglcide
| and of some innocent victims. Fol-
| him the resplendent Winter palace be-
| came haunted house, and he shuns il
ss he would an infected place. For
him his splendid and proud capital is
but dark den of bloodthirsry conspira-
tors. He would never enter it if he
could help it. But he is car and he
must disregard his own feelings.
Under these circumstances Alexan-
| der has selected for his residence 8
small town, CATCHING, twenty-eight
miles from this city; and there, in an
old fashioned little palace, he tries to
enjoy life as best he can. The Gatchina
palace was built by the Gar Paul, who
used to seclude himself there from fear
of his courtiers, who at length assassin
| ated him.
The further details of the cars life
are furnished to me by person who
daily sees him, but can not give even
the least hint as to his identity without
bringing him into peril. The Sun is
seen in the czar's library.
Alexander usually rises at Z and hur.
| riedly dresses himself with the assis-
lance of his trusted servant, Ivan
! SavelieH. 1t is Ivan who informs his
majesty earlier than any of the officials
| of all news of importance. 1t is liz
lvan's power either to set his majesty
in rage for whole day or 10 make
him beam with benevolence. The
| ministers are fully aware of Ivan's in.
1uence, and treat him as their equal
| If not as their superior. After he is
dressed, the car enters the reception
room and receives the report of Gen
Tcherevin, the commandant of CATCHING
| and the chief of the cars body e Aards
Then he takes a long walk in the palace
garden. When in good humor he
enters the palace yard, throws off his
overcoat, seizes huge axe, and chops
wood. Thick logs of oak and pine are
one after another eagerly and dexter.
ously cut and split by the autocrat Of
ali the Russias. How skillfully be
yields the heavy ak How swiftly and
nightly he whirls it down upon the
thick logs If he welded his scepter
as mi Chilly as ne does his ak, the shade
of Peter the Great would rest perfectly
satisfied in the tomb. But, alas Alex
ander III. Is a good wood-chopper and
very poor ruler. If he were not eur
rounded by so many loggerheads he
would be popular. Suppose that, in
stead of the picture of the car dressed
in gorgeous uniform, they should dis
tribute everywhere picture OF the CT II
with his coat off cutting wood. The
good named Ivans would give up body
and soul for the car who, like them,
was chopping wood.
Alexander has merry holiday every
time either the Grand Duke Vladimir
or the Grand Duke Alexis visits him.
Then he is sure he will have good
time. When czarowltz, Alexander US
ually overpowered his brothers Vladi,
mir and Alexis, whether in wrestling or
in Juggling. But since he has become
car he has begun to lose in weight as
we'll as in strength, and nowadays
Vladimir, who Is two years younger
than the car, beats his majesty almost
every time they encounter each other.
This worries the autocrat of all the
Russias q great deal more than the
forced postponement of his coronation.
When Alexander and Alexis retire
to test their muscles the court ladies
lind the best opportunity to offer their
incense to the Russian Jupiter. They
coax the czarina to go with them to see
the car wrestle, and under her protec-
ton they enter, just accidentally, OF
course, the cars room. They behold
the car and the chief of the navy with
their uniforms of, wrestling, struggling
and rolling on the thick carpet.
"Methinks l see Achilles and Hector
on the battlefield T. exclaims a court
lady.
There is Hercules arisen |" exclaims
another.
"The very gods of Olympus could not
have more strength and agility" re-
marks third.
Here are Jupiter and Neptune
struggling" says some other lady. And
then they glide away, leaving the car
happy for q whole week.
1t is generally believed that the czsr
and czsrins love each other dearly, but
their family life is not without thorns
Many years ago, at the court balls, the
czarina used to dance with a certain
Count Stroganoff, an incarnated Apollo,
a little oftener, perhaps, than with the
other courtiers. Alexander, who is far
from being an ap ollo, felt MORALLY,
offended. When he dissgrees with his
wife on some point, the car, who be-
comes too easily excited, ungenerously
mentions the name of Strogauoff, and
many hemstitched handkerchiefs of
Dtnisn linen are made wet with the
czarina's tears.
Alexander hates everything that re-
minds him of electricity, and yet
strong desire to hear the opera with
out exposing himself at the theater in
duced him to have telephone put up
in his CATCHING palace, and now the
car and the czirlna, putting their
heads together. listen to the operas
given at this city twenty-eight miles
away. They hear the songs, the recita-
tives, the music, and tn applause. No
doubt they recall with regret those days
when they did net need any telephone
in order to hear an opera, when they
were not gusrded like prisoners, and
not tortured like criminals.
IT is reported from the Devils lake
and Turtle mountain country that the
small pox has been epidemic in the
camp of Little Shell, of the Turtle
Mountain Chippewss, and that great
CONSERVATION prevails in the camp ard
throughout that section. There have
been ten deaths to date, and the In
dams are so superstitious that nothing
can be done with or for them. There
is now great suffering among these
wretched people, and the settlers are
in peril from the epidemic, as nothing
l. = =