Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-06
WAS LIKE OTHER MEN
Alexander Of Russia Had a Fondness
for Mint Juleps,
EVEN TROUGH BE WAS fHE CAR
Interview With a Former Member
of the Secret Police.
WAYS OF THE NIHILIsTs

Written for The Evening STAR
| The assassination of Canovas by an
] anarchist" said Col. W. F. NJ. Mccarthy
may presage a general revival of rev.
o'utionary activity. I once spent a MORN
ing with the Emperor of Russia-to en-
phasize the real danger he was at that
time laboring from nihflists. An anti
| nfhilist device which had been highly COM
n ended to him was proven then and there.
| ui.oer his own eyes. in his own palace
grounds. to be worse than useless"
| Colonel Mccarthy, now a resident OF New
YORK, Is in the prime OF life. 1t is only
| oy fortunate chance that his friends sue
ceed In getting him to talk about his mar
| velous experiences on the cars personal
| staff at tie court of Russia.
1T was in Paris" said Colonel MCCARTHY
that l became acquainted with an aid Of
the Car Alexander. The Russians are
| greatly interested in applied chemistry and
| mover mechanical devices for warfare. 1
nilu some ideas on these subjects which
| lhls aid asked me to put before his su-
per1ors. The Grand Duke Constantine was
there and was presented to him. Our in
| terviews finally led to my going to st.
| petersburg. where I was presented to the
cZar himself.
Il first met the emperor in the winter
palace one morning at . O'Clock He was
an early riser. and the machinery of the
court was all in operation by that hour
HIS majesty received me kindly. and at
once put me at my ease. L love Amer.-
cans he said. with a smile, and L soon
learned that this was true. Andrew G.
Curtln OF pennsylvania was then minister
from from the the, United States at the imperial
&C urt, and there was nobody in whose So
ciety the car took more satisfaction.
never forget the mysterious errand
upon which was dispatched one cold and
curtin; as he was universally called in St
petersburg. My entry into the emperor's
secret service had by that time become an
a a;a TACT. 1 had become a Rus
san, mad sworn allegiance to the car,
spiritual and temporal, and had been en-,
tered on the official list of the chancellerie
as VasiH Makroff. William F. Mason Nc
Carthy ceased to exist from that hour-at
least IN russia. messenger had come
ASKING me to the American legation at 3
O'Clock that evening, without uniform
Inese words naturally excited my Curl
os!ty. 1 wore the imperial crown on the
collar OF my uniform coat and in that
Dress passed at will through the streets of
81. petersburg. by day or by night for 1
WIS supposed to be all the while on my
imperial masters business.
Making Mint JuIcps.
when 1 got to the embassy I learned
to my intense surprise that the minister
ard We're to visit the car incognito.
Gen. Curtin had a parcel under his arm,
when we reached the palace ard to my
afnazement he was promptly admitted
without question, to the cars private
apartments. followed after him. The
EMPEROR ct once dismissed his attendants
gave US hearty hand shakes and babe us
be seated in front of a CHEEKY coal fire In
a large, comfortable looking sitting room
Gen. Curtin was evidently very much at
home there. and from tine packet under his
arm he now produced a large black bottle
A servant brought lemons, cracked ice a
silver bowl containing a magnificent bunch
OF mint LOAF sugar, vermouth and brandy
Ana thereup0n in my presence the Ameri-
can minister gave the car lessons in the
art OF making mint juleps and whisky
cocktails
1.-The whisky was old rye, sent to Gen.
Curtin from the state Of Pennsylvania, of
winch he had been governor. His majesty
SAID he had never tasted anything as good
In his life as the juleps and he forthwith
commissioned Gen. Curtin to order for the
imperial cellars a large quantity of the
rye WHISKY, which he had never heard of
until after the arrival of Curtin in St
Petersburg. Ten barrels of rye were ac-
tually shipped from Pennsylvania NOT long
afterward to the car. My part in the
festivities was nothing more nor less than
telling stories. Folk lore tales and the
quaint conversation between 'Brer' Rahbjt
and 'Brer.' Bar delighted him. Afterward
at the cars request l sent to New York
for all the books of this description could
get hold OF.
Gen. Curtin won the affection Of his
majesty by his genial personality his fund
of ancedote and his unaffected sincerity
He would tell story after story of Ameri-
can life and incident, at many of which
Alexander laughed merrily as a school
boy. i love to be with men, he would saw:
I love Americans as I hate sycophants.'
he was heard to say more than once that
the happiest hours of his life were those
passed in this informal way with Gen
Curtin.
1.-The melancholy that possessed Alex
ander in the closing years of his life was
due to several distinct causes. He had
married a German princess considerably
older than himself. for whom he cherished
but little personal affection. The Princess
Dolgorouki, of that ancient Russian stock
which Peter the Great had driven from the
throne, was loved devotedly by Alexander;
but she was after all only a morganatic
spouse. A new and hideous weapon was
being used against him by invisible enc
mics. Sleeping and waking he was the prey
to nervous apprehensions. Yet was he a
man Of iron nerve, of great personal dig
nifty and of charming, unaffected manners.
Dangerous Ride.
II was instructed one night to jump ON
the box of a droshky In the palace yard
where many vehicles were constantly kept
for the use Of the court, and drive whoever
should call that particular vehicle to what
ever address he or she should designate /
pulled big bearskin cap down over my
face, threw on a fur coat and mounted
the seat. Presently a noble lady of the court
muffied in furs, beckoned to me- and gave
me the address of rich money lender in
a remote suburb. i finally found the place
and after my fare had gone inside, to pawn
her diamonds or compromise her husband |
l could only surmise which, sat on the box
in the icy wind until was almost frozen.
A beggar came limping by. in rags. and |
asked aims. l did not want to take my |
hands out OF my pockets. but finally. to get |
rid Of his importantly. threw him a piece |
of money. He looked hard at me as 1 |
raised up my face, in the lamplight, and |
hobbled away. more swiftly 1 thought than |
he had approached.
My fare came out, I drove her home, |
none the wiser, and I went to bed The |
next morning by o'clock I received a |
curt message to report to the chief of DO |
lice. l felt vaguely that 1 was in trouble /
Jumping into the carriage l called out to |
the driver to go to the chief of police But /
on the way directed him to stop at the /
palace, an in few minutes I was in /
the cars presence. and had told him |
everything.
Ills majesty smiled and writing my /
n INA I'm RrrSc clan -