Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-11-07
Death Of the Gar Of Russia.

Alexander Ill, Emperor of Russia,
died at Livadia at 2.15 p N. Thursday,
November end, aged 40 years, Smonths,
and days. He was the second son of
Emperor Alexander II and Princess
Marie Of Hessen Dermstadt.
His youth, it is said, was sad and
dreary, since he was sighted by both
father and mother, who seem to have
bestowed all their love and caresses on
the Cesarewitch Nicholas, handsome
and talented child. Alexander's educa-
ton proceeded upon strictly military
lines, but his German instructors
methods appear to have been lost on
his stubborn and slow mind. He often
expressed his delight at not being the
heir to the throne: II am the loustic
of the family" he would say, in allu-
sion to Jerome Bonaparte's frivolous
motto during his reign in Cassel, as
King of Westphalia
BECOMES CESAREWITCH.
Thus Alexander had reached the age
of 20 when, on April q, 1865, he him
self became heir apparent by the death
Of his brother, the Grown Prince Mich
olas Alexandrowitch, at Nice, after a
painful illness, due to the effects of a
blow unintentionally inflicted by Alex
ander in the course of some rough
horse play. This fatal blow had laid
the alEiable Cesarewitch on his death
bed just on the eve of his marriage tC
his betrOthed, Princess Dagmar, the
daughter of King Christian of Den
mark, who had hurried to his side to
tend him in his last moments Here
was also present the future Gar, de-
vourcd by remorse and deeply distress
ed at the untimely end of his elder
brother, whom he loved and admired
About an hour before his death Mich
olas turned to Alexander and Princess
Daginar and said: 81 leave to you
Alexander. the heavy but glorious sue
cessiOn to the throne of the Cars, but
shall add a legacy more precious
still. which will help you to bear its
burden" and, joining their hands, he
added: Marry her; it is my dying re
quest and wish. And you, my deal
bride, your destiny will be fulfilled
you will be Empress of Russia"
HIS MARRIAGE.
Not quite two years later Alexander
married Marie Sophie Frederick Dag
mar, Princess of Denmark, who re
nonnLed her Protestant faith and bap
tismal names for Marie Feodorowna
She did not forget her first love, and
with a heavy heart she left her below
ed Fredensborg and consented to this
union with the brother of him whose
mere portrait. unexpectedly and insid
iously put in her way at the imperia
palace. made her faint with emotion
] Yet, it is we'll known that Alexander
and Daginar soon were the most affec
tionate and devoted couple at the
court of Gear Alexander III.
| The dead Cars successor upon the
throne will be his son Nicholas Thi.
young man, whose character and dis
position now become of the utmost i'm
portance to the political world, Wa.
born May -, 1868. His mother is the
daughter of the King of Denmark ani
the sister of the Princess of Wales He
is thus cousin of the younger mem
bers of the royal family o. England
Last April, on the occasion of the mar
riage at Coburg of the Grand Duke o
Hesse and Princess Melita of SAKE
Coburg, both grandchildren of Queer
Victoria, at the palace of the wife o
the Duke of Edinburgh, sister of the
Gar. the Czarowitch, Nicholas, wht
was present. was betrothed to AiiX O
Hesse, a granddaughter of the Queer
of England and sister of the wife o
the Grand Duke Sergius, brother o
the Gar. A triple bond thus unite
the reigning families of England an(
Russia. The effect of this close til
upon the sympathies of the Gar Mic
holas II may be of practical import
withdrawing Russia possibly from uni
ty OF action with France and tending
to the preservation of peace