The morning call., 1894-11-02
LAST OF THE RoMANOFFS.
Alexander Lived in Mortal Dread of
the NihiIiStS.

LASI OF THE ROMANOFFS.
Alexander Lived in Mortal Dread of
the Nihilists.
Alexander III has been called the Last
OF the R0manoffs," but he was a Ro-
manoff only in the physical sense. In his
character as an Emperor he was as far as it
is possible to conceive from the brutal
Peter the Great. from the imbecile Paul
who was strangled to death by his son Con-
standne, from the women of bloody
and worse than bloody fame who in past
centuries shed baleful .luster upon the
name OF Romanoff, or from the blood
thirsty Car Nicholas, who ground the
Poles under the iron hoofs of his horses.
Perhaps Alexander III was more like his
great uncle, the chivalrous first Car of
tie name, who conceived an ardent friend
ship for the great Napoleon, only broken
when it was found that the Corsican
would brook no equal and the White Car
no superior. and with whom the Parsians
became enchanted when the allies entered
Paris after Fontainebleau and again after
Waterloo.
In his domestic and family life the Gar,
Alexander III, was like no Romanoff that
O'tl llScu VI WHICH uOIuS any
record. 1t is true that his father bad been a
fairly good family man, as kings go. but
there is the affair of the Princess Dolgorouki
to show that after all he was man-and
RomanOff. No touch of scandal, not
even the hint of immortality. has ever
fallen upon the private life of this "last
of the Romanoffs." Romanoff only in his
gigantic stature, his grest physical strength
and the superb health, which it was once
thought would keep him on the throne
for perhaps generation yet, bar the acci-
dent of nihilism.
Alexander III was born on March 10,
1915, and was elevated to the throne on
March is. 1881, by the assassination of his
father by the uihilists. He was not the
eldest son, and was not looked upon in
youth as coming ruler Of Russia. That
was the destiny of his elder brother, who
had been carefully educated, and when
that Prince died just at the threshold of
manhood Alexander came into his sue
cessioD and succeeded also to the bride
designed for the former Czarowitz, the
Princess Dagmar of Denim ark, sister to the
Princess of Wales and the King of Greece.
now the Czarina Marie Feodoroyna.
There can be no question that the man
ner of the death of his father had its effect
upon the character of Alexander III, and
IL also shortened his own life.
The Emperor Alexander II was assas-
sinated by nihiist plotters in the streets
Of st. Petersburg on March 13, 1881. The
event was unexpected and startling. 1t
had been more than year since the last
and most des perate attem pit upon his life
the explosion at the Winter Palace-had
occurred. Before that, and before the
Moscow railway plot. the nihilists had an
nounced that the Gar had been doomed to
death by their secret societies, but imme-
diately preeeAing the murder none of the
customary threats and proclamations had
been issued. The energetic use made by
Count Loris Melikoff of his dictatorial
powers seemed to have been sufficient to
extlrpate nihilism. Under his rigorous
administration of the authority entrusted
to him TO deal with the revolutionists at
his discretion, the propaganda was ap-
parently checked and nearly all the
active nlhillsts were arrested. All
the centers of population and all
the supposed haunts of the revolu-
tionists had been for year under
martial law, the governors-general having
been endowed with absolute authority.
The aDticipations OF success for Melikoff
in dealing with the problem OF nihilsm
were not based alone on his severity and
ireless vigilance in its determination, but
on the remedial measures which were part
OF his policy. The sincerity and earnest
ness of Melikoff's character and his we'll
known liberal opinions were a guarantee
bot fl,o oh 4.
mined not merely to repress with heavy
hand the SUcialistic agitation, but to re-
move its cause by sweeping measures for
the remedy of social grievances and suffer
ings. and the extension of limit ted rights of
self-government to the people. The re-
forms had been scarcely inaugurated and
their extent and value mot yet revealed
when the nihilsts, more embittered than
ever by the terrible retributon visited
upon hundreds of their compeers, arranged
their last plot against the Gar, a plot
which could not fail. prOviuing the men
who were commissioned to do the work
did not finch in the face of certain death
for unlike the previous attempts there was
no escape for the perpetrator.
AT the very time of the murder
preparations were being made for a
commission of delegates from the nobil-
ity, the cities and the provincial magis-
tracy to meet and work out form of gov
ernment suitable to Russia The En-
peror had driven in a carriage to view the
parade Of the marine corps. He was at
tended, as usual, by his military staff, bis
adjutant riding with him, aud the rest
following the carriage. On the return, as
the cortege reached the Catherine canal,
where some laborers were at work remov-
ing snow from the bridge, Ryssakoff, who
had pressed TO the front among the work
ing Mujlks, threw the first bomb. Il fell
behind the carriage, wounding two Cos
sacks. The prefect of police, Druyetsky.
who followed benind in a sleigh, leaped
out and seized the assassin, who drew and
fired a revolver. The Emperor stepped
down from the carriage. anu at that mo-
ment another bomb was cast, which ex-
ploded at his feet the fragments breaking
both legs and penetrating his abdomen.
Droyetsky. who was also wounded,
drove the Czar in his sleigh to the Winter
Palace. lie breathed his last not two
hours after ne was struck. The man who
threw the bomb, whose name was Creme
vitsky, per;shed himself from the explo-
sion. Notwithsta ndiDg his Polish name
he was born Russian.
The revolutioDists chose for the execu-
ton of their design the occasion of the
inspection of the marine corps by the
Car. A mine was laid under the Little