, 1897-03-09
IS THE CZlE MAD
Peace Of Europe Threatened by au AZ.
Fiction on the Emperor.

protuberance growing on the inside OF
the head OF the Car OF Russia. Ii may
drive the car into insanity. Ii il. as
some eminent physicians now assert,
the cause OF his epileptic fits. which ure
growing in number and intensity.
These fits are liable to affect his mind
before the final breakdown. There Is no
knowing what this mighty monarch.
whose will is law, may not do when
temporarily unbalanced. \ word from
the czar and the mighty million OF arm
ed men who call him master would
spring to their places in the ranks. The
stupendous enginery OF wal ready TO his
hand in the midst OF Europe. now an
armed camp waiting for the word.
makes the car a man whose every
within is to be feared.
An army can secure only one OF two
things-pence or war-and peace the
car now enjoys. He can only act in
one direction, for war. and n slow
growing bony wart. pressing hard upon
his brain. is liable at any m to
make him act. and act quickly. Already
the doctors nre contcnding over the i'm
perial patient. While he is waiting for
Il decision as to whether or not a large
piece is 10 be cut u OF his skull. the
epileptic fits come and go. following
each other more and more quickly, and
leaving the patient each time weaker.
each time nearer To the doors u. the lun-
attic asylum. which are already omi-
nously near.
The cOurticrs whose business il is to
deny and deny until denial is no longer
possible have already admitted part OF
the truth in regard to the car. The
rest is whispered in the common gossip
about the imperial court. In the inner
circles Of diplomacy throughout Europe
1t is now known that this ono man. the
mighticSt monarch on earth, The one
king who not only has the largest
standing army. but who is an absolute
autocrat. nnhampcred by parliament OF
legislature. is close to a mailman. how
ering dangerously near the confines Of
lunacy, Al any moment liable to be car
ried OFF in an epileptic fit or to be seized
by n wild, u~nreasoning whim that may
plunge Europe into carnage.
When the court physician attached to
a throne authorizes the statement that
the monarch is seriously i'll he only
does it when recovery is almost hope
less. This statement. always delayed
until the last moment. is hen given out
in order to prepare the public for what
is 10 follow. That is what was done
with the late car and with Emperor
Frederick, and there is no recent case
on record in Europe when such a stute-
ment has been made und the king has
recovered his health. An official ad-
mission that the czar is seriously i'll is
tantamount in the minds Of experienced
diplomats to an admission that there is
little hope OF his recovery.
Such an admission has now been
made by the cars physician in ordi-
nary to the 81. Petersburg correspond
ent of the London Daily Telegraph.
This cou physician has said OF the
car: He feels every sudden change
in the temperature. mostly in the form
OF neuralgia, and he has even been
known to swOon."
AT the same time eminent specialists
have been called from Berlin and Vien-
ma. These men are low watching the
car and studying the records OF his
case. They are divided in opinion as to
the Il of epileptic fits. which have
Of late been rapidly increasing in num-
Der. and now follow each other ut per-
iods OF about n month.
Several eminent specialists attribute
these fits TO a bony protuberance grow
ing on the inside OF the skull of the
czar ut the spot where he was struck
with a sword by a fanatic Japan, on
Mny II. 1891. The court physician OF
the car takes this view. and attributes
the condition Of his imperial master to
the wound received in Japan. The
wounds inflicted on the czar at that time
were very serious. With Prince George
of Greece. General Prince Bariuntinsky.
Prince Oblensky and others Of his suite,
he had gone to Lake Biwa. six miles
from Kioto.
The czarowitZ, as he hen was. was
riding in n jinriksha drawn by a native
runner, when Tsuda Sanzo, a native po-
liceman, rushed at him with drawn
sword. The jinriksha man ran away,
Of the wagon or draw his sword the ia
panese fanatic struck him two vicious
blows slightly in front OF the top Of the
head on the right side.
So powerful was the blow of this ia
panese fanatic that his sword went COM
pletely through u thick pith hat which
the imperial visitor wore, and this alone
saved his skull from being split in two.
Prince George Of Greece and two native
%guardsmen seized Sanzo before he could
strike a third blow. and he was after
ward sentenced to life Imprisonment.
The czarowitcz was picked up from
the ground bleeding profuse!y and TAX
en- to a hospital. There it was found
that his scalp had been cut down 10 the
bone and he skull itself injured. 1t
was n o supposed, however, that any
more than the outside OF the skull bad