St. Paul daily globe., 1891-01-12
The Awful Length to Which a
Russian Counts Mania
Led Him.
He Wooed and Won One OF the
Most Beautiful Women
Of Bucharest,
But Practically Abandoned
Her for the Card Tables Of
Monte Carlo.
She Takes Poison and He
Throws Himself In Front
Of a Railway Train.

LONDON, Jan. 1.-THE weeks record
of suicides at Monte Carlo includes that
of young and beautiful Russian wife
who was as good as she was beautiful,
by name Nadjeska Charikotf. The
Charikoffs are an ancient and noble
family whose estates lie not far from
st. Petersburg, but the productiveness
of which has not been increased by the
freeing of the serfs and the recent fail
ure Of the grain harvest. In fact. Count
Ivan has lately been hard pressed to
raise sufficient funds to defray the eX
penses of his usual winter visits to the
Riviera; for Ivan, like many Russians.
was an inveterate gambler, and found
the amiaDility of the administration at
Monte Carlo in abOlishing the usual
limit at trente ct quarante very much to
his liking. But play was not his only
amusement. On his way to and from
st. Petersburg he had frequently made
detours that enabled him to visit
Bucharest, the gay capital of Roumania,
where he found in the late spring all
the rigors of Russian winter and
quite as much gambling as he had left
behind him OH the Mediterranean. not,
however, in public gaming houses, but
in the salons of the creme de la creme
of the Roumanian arstocracy. 1t was
not long before he discovered that
Bucharest contained an additional at
traction in the person of Nadjeska
Litolf the youngest daughter ola large
landed proprietor, whose beauty and
many accomplishments had already
brought all the eligible youth of
Roumania to her feet. but she was still
heartwhole when the handsome
Russian appeared on the scene.
In an Evil Hour
she allowed herself to fall deeply in
love with the newcomer, and
it was not many days, before on formal
demand for her hand, she surrendered
at discretion. The marriage occurred
about the middle of November, just as
the Bucharest was donning its winter
mantle of ermine, and the wedding
festivities were celebrated to the music
of sleigh bells as we'll as OF
cathedral chimes. What more natural.
therefore, than that the bride, who had
never before left home at this season,
should visit region of almost perpetual
sunshine. and enjoy the sight of roses
blooming, and lemons and oranges
ripening in the open air in December.
1t is true that the exceptional cold OF
the past month was keen disappoint-
ment to NadeSka, but the faSt-haSten-
ing events of the tragedy soon drove all
other thoughts from her mind. 1t was
not to be expected that Count Ivan in
tended to eschew play even during his
honeymoon, and the event proved that
he could not as a benedict resist the
temptations of the Casino any more sue
cessfully than he had done when a
bachelor. The countess was aware that
her husband was fond OF play, as she had
seen him gambling at Bucharest, but
she was not prepared for the entire COM
mand over his whole being that the
fatal passion had secured, in compari-
son with which her own charms OF
mind and person as counter attractions
were as nothing.
The DemOuemeRt
that might have been predicted from
such state of affairs was not long in
coming. Before fortnight had elapsed
NadieSka realized that she had been
virtually abandoned. Between noon
and the time the tables closed at Md
night she only saw her husband at the
dinner hour, and even then she was not
sure of his company, as he was fre-
quently too much absorbed in the game
to remember that he was hungry. They
had taken rooms at the luxurious Hotel
de Paris, adjoining the Casino, so that
the counI might be promptly on hand
when the doors opened and play be-
gan. The hotel is reSorted to by many
of the wealthy, but otherwise least rep
utable, of those who make Monte Carlo
their winter home. To these idle gen
try the sight of a lovely bride system
atically neglected by her husband was
cheering and eXhilarating spectacle. 1t
suggested such possibilities OF Woolng
and winning that the entire colony of
ne'er-dO-WelS were at once keenly on
the scent. And now came the hour of
Nadjeska'S temptation. Carefully reared
in pure home and unskilled in the
wiles of fashionable cOquetry, she firmly
repelled all advances made by the willy
galants, but was unable to conceal the
grief that the counts conduct caused
her. 1t was her undisguised unhappi-
ness that gave them hope. Prominent
among those who thus pestered her was
Prince AltObreccia, an Italian. He was
far richer and handSOmer than any of
his rivals and seemed determined to
gain her heart. His method of proceed
ure was novel one. Discovering that
Count Ivan was losing heavily, he
sought an interview with him and coolly
Informing him that he, the count, seem
ing to care more for money than for his
bride, proposed that she should be
transferred to the Italian for the pay
ment of 100000 francs in gold. The
count was not as tall as the prince, but
indigna ton at the audacity of the pro-
posal nerved his arm and he promptly
Knocked His Rival Down
in the secluded corner of the Casino
gardens where the interview took place.
But this spasm of right feeling and
action was not to save the count. He
kept on plunging and losing until ruin
stared him in the face. 1t was for this
the willy Italian had waited. He again
threw himself in the way of the in
fatuated Russian, who finally humbled
himself so far af to ask for the 100000
francs as loan. Nothing was said on
the second occasion of the countess.
Prince Altobreccia. feeling certain that
he had gained Nadjeska's love, ,hastened
to seek an interview with her and pro-
posed an elopement-a proposal, it is
needless to say, that was Indignantly re-
iected. Meanwhile the count was en-
gagged in rapidly losing his windfall, and
the second day found him nearly reduced
to beggary, He had enough money
left to pay his own expenses northward,
and, unable to face the situation he had
created, he took the first train for