Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-31

disccn.cnted at the great fete were forced
TO acknowledge the beauty, grace and
noble dignity Of Catherine.
When the barbaric celebration that made
her the oonsort of the car before all the
nations was over, the cup Of an ordinary
woman's ambition, even though she were
the daughter Of a king. might be consid-
| cred full to OVERLOOKING, but not so Cath.
| crime, who was no ordinary woman.
One of her strongest holds on the heart
l Of the car was the number of children
she bore him. There were eight, six of
these dying in infancy. Anne and Eliza
beth long outlived their mother.
The latter became empress, and the
| former, who married the Duke of Hol-
stein, was the mother of Peter Ill.
"You are now my wife befUre all earth's
nations. What more. my Catherine, can I
| do to show my lover" asked Peter a few
tyears after their marriage.
"Your love is all want for myself. :"
Catherine is reported to have said. but
| for the sake of my husband and his en-
pire would ask for more power than o
wife can wield.'"
What do you meant" he asked
MAKE me empress. 1t will not change
our relations nor add to our love, but that
people that will enable me to guard the
interests of my husband and our children
| in his absence or should death overtake
him, though my prayer is to die before
my master, my husband and my hearts
Idol
This Catherine said with her white arms
about the hairy neck Of the great bar
barian. Drawing her to his breast, he
kissed her. and emphasizing his decision
with an oath said:
by the splendor of heaven, my wife,
you shall be empress Of all the Russias,
consort and ruler with me!''
The fetes at the public marriage were
commonplace compared with the magnifi-
cence and splendor Of GATHERINGS corona
ton. II there were left any opposition to
the course Of the car, 1t did not dare to
show itself. If there were jealousy, as
surely there was, of the success and power
Of the Swedish peasant girl, it concealed
itself in the mantle of obsequious adula-
tion and tuned its approving voice to the
keynote from the throne.
Soon after the coronation of Catherine
as empress of Russia and joint ruler with
her husband, Peter the Great, the armed
truce with the Great Bears hereditary foe.
men, the Turks, was again broken, and
clouds Of Moslem horsemen poured owe.
the Danube with the avowed purpose of
taking Moscow.
Peters ceaseless efforts to found great
city on the Neva and to build up mighty
navy had not only impoverished the i'm
perial treasury, but 1t had destroyed tens
Of thousands of the young men, who or
dinarily would have filled the ranks of the
army. But. with characteristic impetuos-
ity, Peter took tho field in person against
the Turks, and with characteristic fore.
thought and devotion Catherine accom-
panied him.
The empress had a prenatal liking for
tho army, and woman though she was she
had undoubted military genius. At that
time tho Moslem was the giant rather than
1.-THE sick man. of Europe. Well organ
lied, admirably equipped and led by the
best generals of the time, the Turks hurled
back the armed Russian mobs and placed
them in n position along the Pruth, where
flight was impossible and daring unavail.
ing.
The fate of Russia was about to be de-
cided adversely when Catherine prevailed
on her husband to allow her to enter the
Turkish camp under q flag of truce The
grand vizier she had met before and she
knew his weakness as well as his strength
In private interview she bribed him with
her jewels to withdraw his army to the
Danube. He tempted by this splendid
fortune. The Russian army was saved,
and the admiration of Peter for his wife
became idolatry.
Without knowing the details the Rus.
sian people soon learned that the with
drawal Of the Turks was due to the 6iplo-
macy and self sacrifice of the empress, and
as consequence even her enemies became
her devoted ndherents.
As soon as peace was made with the
moslem Peter showed his appreciation of
his wife's conduct by proclaiming her as
his successor to the throne, and SO great
was her popularity that all classes ap-
proved the act.
But with all her greatness Catherine
was vain, inclined to dissipation and far
from indifferent to the admiration of the
handsome officers with which tho court
swarmed. That she was untrue to her
husband was long known before his sus-
picion was aroused. At length he caught
her in an intrigue, beheaded her para.
mour without the shadow of trial, and, |
combining her to her own apartments, re-
fused for some time to see her or to receive |
message from her. At the same time
her friend. Prince Menshikoff, was in dis. |
grace, and it seemed as if the star of the
Swedish adventures had set.
But, with marvellous courage and tact,
Catherine forced herself into the presence
OF the car. So powerful was her plead |
ing that Peter forgave her and restored
Menshikoff to favor.
A few months after this Peter was taken |
sick, and Catherine was his constant at
tendant. He died Jan. 90, 1875, but the |
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