The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-02
VLADIMIR TCHERTKOFF.
Distinguished Russian Exile VIII Pay
America Visit.

America a Visit.
London Letter in Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A Russian nobleman who announces his
intention of visiting America and expound-
ing his peculiar doctrines to the liberal
minded people of the most liberal-minded
country in the world is at present living
with his wife and boy and few exiled
the county of Essex. The exileS name is
Vladimir Tchertkoff. and might still be a
prominent figure in the royal circles of ST.
peculiar doctrines that he has chung to per-
tlnaciOusly ever since.
Tchertkoff is a member of one of the most
ancient families in the Cars domains. A
score of years ago there was no prouder
officer of the Imperial Guards or more brill
liant member of the imperial court than he.
He was always q favorite with the royal
family. and to this doubtless he owes the
fact that he is in England to-day instead OF
in the mines of Siberia
While living his butterfly life in the ST.
Petersburg court circles there came to the
ears of Tchertkoff a cry from the cheer
less homes of the Russian peasantry. He
brOoded over the unhappiness of the life
of the Russian peasant until the glitter OF
the court failed to charm him, and the gay
life that was his as an ofncer OF the I'M
perial Guards began to be a reproach in
stead of pleasure
The pious person would say that Tchert-
koff had chad an awakening He certain
iy had been seized in the firm and steadfast
grip of some mysterious power, for with
all the energy that had previously charac-
court he now threw himself into the new
life that had replaced the one in which he
had thought for anything of the things
that were not thoughtlesS.
He began to study day and night the
life of Jesus. From his study and con-
slant thinking of the miseries of the many
poor as compared with the life of the few
rich it was only step to anarchical ideas.
Anarchy and the army being an incongru-
Gus combination, Tchertkoff very soon gave
up his commission in the Imperial GUARDS
and retired from the court,
He cut off every habit that was not IN
accordance with the most size pie ideas OF
living, and then he devoted himself to trans
Ia ting the works of the great philosophers,
Socrates, Plato, Buddha, Epictetus and
Marcus Aurelius, into the Russian language.
1t was not long before the secret service
agents became aware of the distribution OF
this forbidden literature, and as Tchertkon
had made no effort to keep the matter Sc
cret the source of distribution was soon
traced to him. He succeeded in keeping out
of the hands of the police for two years, but
one day they located him and captured. him
red handed with all manner of seditious
literature in his possession. Court influence
saved him from Siberia, and he merely
exied with dire threats of harsher things
if he ever came back to Russia
At Purleigh, Tchertkoff is living with his
wife and child in the simplest fashion. 1t
is part of his belief, in fact almost the
foundation for it, that no man should live
in luxury while others were SUFFERING. he
is terribly in earnest about his beliefs, and
in conversation shows that he is no ordl-
nary man and no common thinker. :.
II regard the moral ruin of murderer, "
he said in an interview, 'as more grevious
matter than the injury to his victim. ao
oppose force with force is to do evil for tie
sake of good, which does not seem wise to
those of us who believe in the oower OF
morality. and are convinced that right is
stronger than wrong. God does not inter
fere with the things of this world. he can
not be expected to take hand In our ma
terial life"
Tchertkoff turns naturally to a People
who are suffering as the Dhoukobortsi ere,
to some out-of-the-way corner of America
where the grass is green and the ground
the rest of his life as the least important
member of the community.