The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-02-15
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The death of the Carewitch Alexis,
son of Peter the Great, is one of the
most tragical chapters in history; 81
tho more tragicaI because the unhappy
prince SO nearly escaped his cruel
fate. 1T is impossible" says the his
torian Dutens, Ito collect more au
thentic particulars in regard to the
czarewitch than those which received
from a Russian noblc intimately con
nected with Marshal Romanzotf, son
of tho general who was employed to
arrest him. This noble informed me.
that being at Schonbrunn on q visit
to the count of that name, he con.
hand, and showed him the apartment
in which Alexis had lived in conceal
ment for long time after he had been
driven from his fathers court. He
also told me that the car, according to
Marshal Romanzoff, having resolved
that his son should be brought back
to Russia, and knowing that he was
secluded in some part Of the territories
of the Emperor Charles ~ ,srotc to
that sovereign, about 1717, TO obtain
his permission for Gen. RomanzoH to
see his son, wherever he might be,
and persuade him to return to his
fathers court, promising to use no
compulsion if he refused.
''The emperor, who had daily eX-
pected this demand, had advised
Prince Alexis to repair to Naples, fur
nlshing him with a strong recommen.
dation to the viceroy of that kingdom
So that when Gen. Ronianzof arrived
to fulfill his commission, he was in.
formed that the cZarewitch was no
where within the territories of the
house of Austria He then extorteG
from the emperor an order to all the
governors of his Italian states TO give
facilities to the general for seeing
Prince Alexis if he resided anywhere
within the limits of their respective
governments.
with this order in his hand he
traversed the Milanese and all Lom.
bardy, and then passed intSS-Naples,
but everywhere the same answer met
him, that no one knew the place of tn,
princes retirement.
Zone day when Gen. Romanzoff
was conversing in Russian with the
members of his suite before a barber
whose services he had engaged, the bar
Der showed so much astonishment that
the general asked him, in Italian, the
reason. He replied that he did not
understand word of the language
which the general had been using,
but that the cause of his surprise was
its resemblances to that spoken by a
great oreigm lord whom he often
went to shave at the Castel del Novo.
THE general, much struck by his
remark, continued to question the gar.
rulous barber and having made him
some presents, learned that young
lord, whose person he described. was
served with the greatest rcsFAes by
numerous attendants, and led n very
retired and secluded life in the Castel
del Novo. From the details furnished
by the barber the general had not the
slightest doubt that he was the czare.
witch. He Immediately repaired to
the viceroy, and having shown him
again the imperial order, and assured
him of his conviction that Prince
Alexis was at the Castel del Novo, OBJ
tanned permission to sec him, on the
conditions specified in the cars letter
to the emperor. He had an interview
with the unfortunate prince, who at
first refused to proceed to St Peters
burg. The general, however, gave q
handsome bribc to a woman who lived
with the prince, and had much influ-
ence over him; and he was thus per-
suaded eventually to return to the
Russian capital, where we know what
destiny awaited him. W. Fl. D.
Adams in Gentleman's Magazine.