Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-26
SEEING THE CAR.
A LIVING, MOVING ILLUSTRATION OF
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.


A Grad Pyrotechnic Display on tho
Czarina's Birthday-Cossacks, Soldiers
and 'Citizens''-Tyranny of the Secret
Service Chicf-The Cossack's Hand.
A few nights ago attended the illumina-
Gons at Peterhoff in honor of tho czarina's
birthday. The cars palace is On a PENN
sula, and the grounds and buildings occupy
almost mile square-the most superb struc-
lures, fountains, and miles of the finest park.
ing and drives in the world. Scores of build
ings and fountains, hundreds of trees and
great crowns, crosses and figures, besides
miles of high walls were covered with col
ored lamps There were millions Of lights,
and it required regiment Of soldiers and
hundreds Of civilians weeks to put them in
place. All was paid for from the public
treasury, or rather the cars treasury, re-
pleted by the people.
At time in the evening when the fount-
aims and lights slistened most, the bands
played loudest, and the pyrotechnics and can
non from the men-of-war in the gulf glared
and roared best, the royal family gave tho
assembled multitude rare treat. 1t showed
their emperor, their car, because he suspects
them of designs
I was making my way between two Of the
great blazing walls Of colored lights, through
one of the drives, when detachment Of Cos
sacks camo dashing along, slashing their
sabers and driving the people out Of the way.
In their wake came soldiers on foot, and great
attachments of men in citizens clothing The
loff or IN Of fho
lines Of the masses A din Of voiccs-lusty
cheering is heard in tho distance. 1t comes
nearer, then nearer More Cossacks, more
soldiers, moro men in citizens clothing, and
further back we are crowded. The tier Of
officious citizens is REINFORCED in our front,
and many hngcr in the driveway. Finally
the caravan comes in view. More Cossacks,
soldiers citizens. Eight white horses, each
one on tho left bearing Iveryman, are next
seen; then the royal equipage, an immense,
gold mounted chariot The car, a great
burly fellow with full beard, crown aud uni
form, is on the left seat in front. The
brother, the crown prince, the czarina, and
grand dukes, ETC., mako up the load On
every hand of the carriage, four deep, are
Cossacks, while the driveway in front and
rear is blocked with soldiery, making per-
feet shield against violent attack.
WHO THE "CIr1zENs" WERE
The ''citizens" who were SO very plentiful
and ofncious were the most experienced de- '
tectives and body guards in the empire.
There were thousands of them. 1t would
have been impossible for ono to raise his OF
her hand against the car or any member Of
his family. It is the boast of the Russian
authorities that their detectives have eyes in
every portion of their heads and bodies. The
whole service of protecting the crown and
members of the family, and expressing all
thoughts of dissatisfaction with the present
form of government, is in full charge Of
dresser, chief Of the secret service. The
authority of this officer is appalling He can
order into exile or the execution yard any
one suspected of unlawful or disrespectful
acts or intentions He attends ne theatres,
and may be said to run all place. of amuse-
ment If he is displeased with anything he
suppresses it, and there Is no redress.
There are some acts Of Dresser which are
commendabls. He permits 40 unnecessary
exposure to fire, no loss of water, Il besgary.
Recently he Was at the Garden theatre,
where the usual performance tekes place on
stage, and people enjoy the refroe arlcnts at
hand. One of the walters at . tatl3 made an
insulting observation to lady. Tn. matter
was reported to Gresser, who On the spot
closed the theatre and garden and kspt them
closed for six weeks, although the daily and
nightly profits exceeded 1900 roublcs There
was no appeal from tho verbal order. The
license of other officers is quite Is great,
That of the Cossacks is astonishing.
In the streets of St. Petersburg, Moscow,
and other cities in Russia the stranger is at
tracted by squads of murderous looking
mounted soldiers They are reared and live
on horseback, and are expert horsemen. They
wear SLOUGH caps, loose coats, with belts. top
boots, great, jinghng spurs, broad sabers,
and in their holsters are heavy pistols.
Swung across their backs are carbines, in
Astrakhan or other cases They carry the
ancient battle az, attached TO q fifteen foot
staff, swinging it from a socket at the foot
rest. All ride rapidly, are swarthy and
rough looking, and look more like war and
bloodshed than anybody or anything elsa
These are the famous Russian Cossacks, the
defenders Of the empire since it was estAb-
lshed
rHE HAND or THE cossAcK
Throughout the history Of Russia the reader
sesss the hand Of the Cossack He was first
and last in battle When Napoleon, in 1912,
after taking Moscow and leaving his shat
tered army freezing and starving in The
dead Of winter TO struggle back TO France,
started On bis memorable run 70 Paris
the Cossacss punsued the hesing forces aad
made rnince meat Of them While the
French soldiers were freezing In O tempera-
ture 50 degA below ssro and filing up ths
volSs and other streams they attempted TO
ford, tbs CoasacH with sass Aaysd Tie nsmy, I
one CosMck being equal TO twenty Trsoeh |
soldiers The Cosacks Of old wou local ~ /
nown that = hsld sscrsd; bat b has Asgsn- |
Grated
Now the Cossack IL . peunder~. he b |
furnished with a horse, arns and ammunt- |
ton, and gets rations when IN camp but !
must forage when On tho march. which = 4
nearly Always. and has no pay But, for . /
natural psllagcr, he Eess soraethinS better !
than pay he has oozuplsss immunity from /
punishment for any crime other than dn.ey- |
atty and vauton murder. The go-ssarsens /
makes him hce1ad p,undsr@ anA tails him |
to forage he becomes . br:Ensd, and no i
secret is made Of i. Peasants and Villages /
are rolbed by these sosdssrs. sysvesess gar /
rossd, and nothing is sid q doos aboc: il /
The Co@ack Is privileged cAAr.ea~-
And 80 much Ike tAS idesl Of tie eznr = /