The Negro world., 1892-07-23
HOW TIE CAR LOOKED.
A Newspaper Correspondents Description
Of Alexander.

OF Alexander.
Alexander H., of Russia, crossed the
Danube in 1877 on a march of invasion
that ended only at the gates of Con-
stantinople; but though, in virtue of
his position as the ear. he was NOM
inally at the head of the army. he was
not the commander-in-chief. That duty
and dignity he had assigned to his
brother. the Grand Duke Nicholas Mir
Archibald Forbes, who had many OPP
portunities of seeing the car, COM
ments in an interesting manner upon
the changes in his appearance and bear
ing under the varying fortunes of war
In the little town of Biela the emperor's
headquarters We're for several weeks in
the yard of dismantled Turkish house.
He lived in two officers tents. No elabo--
rate precautions seemed TO be taken for
his safety. His only escort consisted of
handful of Cossacks of the imperial
guard
On foot, with a single companion and
a Cossack following little distance be-
hind, he would make the round of the
hospitals He spent many an hour in
talking with the sick and wounded, to
whom his kindly presence did more
good than all the efforts of the
surgeons.
After the disaster before Plevna on
the 30th of July, the imperial head
quarters were removed to another viii
lage and the emperor occupied an old
Turkish house, his bedroom being tiny
chamber with mud walls and mud
floor. Here Mr.. Forbes had an inter
view with him.
II had difficulty in recognizing
him." he says, $50 changed was he. lie
had shrunken visibly; he stopped. his
head had gone down between his shoul-
ders, and his voice was broken and
tremulous. There was hunted ex-
preston in his eye, and he gasped for
breath in the spasms of the asthma that
afflicted him.
THE czaI was present in the field
during the six days struggle around
Plevna in the September of the war.
The sappers had constructed for him on
a little eminence, out of the usual line
of hostile fire, a sort of lookout from
which was visible great sweep of the
scene of action. Behind it was a mar
quee in which was long table contin-
ually spread with food and wine, where
the suite supported nature joyfnlly.
while men were dying hard by in their
thousands
"As for the czar himself, after the
first two days he neither ate nor drank.
Anxiety visibly devoured him. He
could not be restrained from leaving
the observatory and going round among
the gunners.
II watched him on the little balcony
of the lookout place, late in the after
noon of the flfth day of the struggle,
as he stood there in the sullen autumn
weather, gazing with haggard, strain
ing eyes at the efforts to storm the
Grivitza redoubt
Assault after assault had been deliv-
cred; assault after assault had failed:
now the final struggle was being made,
the forlorn hope Of the day. The Turk
ish fire crushed down his Russians as
they battled their way up the slope,
slippery with Roumanian blood I've
pale face on the balcony quivered. and
the tall figure WINGED and covered. As
he stood there bearing his cross in soli-
tary anguish, he was spectacle of ma
jestic misery that never could be for
gotten"
Success crowned the Russian arms,
as all the world knows, and again, this
time at St Petersburg, the war corre-
spondent saw the emperor.
''rhe fall of Plevna and the welcome
of his capital had restored the czar TO
health and spirits. watched him as he
moved around the great salon of the
Winter palace, greeting his guests He
strode the inlaid floor very emperor,
upright of figure, proud Of gait, array.
ed in brilliant uniform, and covered
with decorations.
"As gazed ON the magnificent scene,
could hardly realize that the central
figure of 1t was the same worn. anxious,
shabby. wistful man who had asked me
breathless questions as TO the episodes
and issue of the fighting Youths
Companion.