Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-08-12
KILLED HIS SON.
A Graphic Story of Russian Nj
hilism and Misfortune.

The full moon shed Its mellow light
over one of those mild, dreamy land
scapes of Southern Russia which are so
common, so uniform and yet so varied
in their simple beauty; broad stream,
its rippled surface glittering in the
silver rays; sleepy willows bathing
their overhanging boughs in the water;
the endless, undulating steppe, yelled
in dreamy mist, extending on the
left bank of the river, on the right of
which the ground rose in steep slope,
covered with fruit trees resplendent
with the white blossoms of spring. On
the crest of the slope, where the trees
clustered the thickest, a high wooden
roof was visible, shining in the moon
light, and from behind the foliage the
rudy light of lamp-lit window cast
a slnnting ray into the silvery night.
The ray of light was the only trace
of human life. Not a sound came to
disturb it except those voices of the
night which in themselves seem to
form a part of silence-the chirping of
the crickets, the frogs choir chanting
their evening song in the reeds below,
the sleepy bark of dog in the dis
lance. A peaceful repose seemed to
have spread over the earth, bidding
rest to all troubled, aching hearts,
peace to all hatred and strife
And yet the man who paced up and
down the short gravel walk in front of
the house hardly felt the influence of
the peaceful scene. His step was
troubled and unsteady, and though his
department, evidently through long
habit, was as stiff and rigid as that of
soldier pacing the parade ground,
yet the head, covered with snowy white
hair, was bowed low on his breast.
The fingers of his clasped hands
worked nervously and occasionally a
suppressed exclamation or heavy,
half-subdued sigh issued from between
the tirmly-set lips, with the thick,
bushy white mustache overshadowng
them.
The martial figure of this old man
was well known throughout the whole
province of Goltava, and whenever
General Savelieff, or "th3 old Gen
eral, as he was fsmiliarly called, APP
peared he was gladly and respectfully
greeted by every one, without distinc-
ton of age, of class or of position.
Peasant or noble, young or old, all felt
an instructive respect for him, all came
under the influence of that peculiar at
mosphere with which an honest life, a
straightforward nature surround old
age, winning the hearts of the honest
and awning knaves into respect. After
resigning his position in the army at
the close of the Crimean war General
Savelieff retired on his small estate as
poor man as when he entered the
Government service, and resolutely le-
fused to accept any other Office. II
am too old for these times" he used
to answer. MY Emperor is dead Che
meant the Emperor Nicholas). and
do not understand all your new ways
and reforms"
Military discipline and the will of the
Car, when ne considered as being an
emanation of the will of God on earth.
had been the only guiding principles
of his whole life. Benevolent towards
all, indulge for ali faults and short.
comings, on these two points he was
unflinchingly severe. "A foe of the
Gar is foe of God" he was wont tc
say When in 1S47 he had to superin
tend the execution of "A so-called poll
teal criminal child nineteen year,
old-he prepared himself for the tasl
as for a holy sacrifice, and went to tn,
communion on the eve of the blood,
day. On the other hand, this rigid
fanatical loyalty did not in the leas
impair his naturally honest, straight
forward, benevolent disposition. Tn,
poor of his parish venerated him an,
. even his enemies could not help re
speeding the character of man whom
they hated as the ready tool of bruta
tyranny.
He had married young the woman
he had loved when yet school-boy
Eight years their union rename,
childless. When at length in lS47
child. boy, was born, the fathers 10
knew no bounds, but was of short du
IdtiOu. lux Il low WtthS dlbST bHe even
the mother died. Since then all tina
there was of gentleness and love in tn
heart of the lonely, rigid soldier wa
shed on that one boy, the little Andru
sha. (diminutive for Andre), and We
he rarely gave vent to his feeling an
his son had scarcely any occasion {
become aware of it. Strict obedienc
was the Generals rule in education a
well as in politics; the hierarchy {
sacred power eliminating in the Ca
began for him in the father. Thus TIL
strange man lived on, proud and hor
est without fear or reproach, one {
the last true knights of a decaying an
corrupted aulocracy. From the sol
tude of his modest country seat the oil
General neither saw nor cared to kno'
how the ideal, the deity he had wol
SHIPPED had long ago fallen to piece
and lost the last glitter of its forme
prestige. For him the Gar was sti
the father of his people, the ordaine
and hallowed representative of God o
earth.
Needless to say, he had educated h
son in precisely the same creed. FroI
his tenderest infancy Andrusha ha
been isolated from the outward yorl