The times., 1898-06-13
ECHOES FROM ABROAD.

this servant of the late Car and of the
dismal life his imperial master led, both
by reason of and in spite of his inquisi-
torial efforts to suppress nihilism. Every
body knew Gresser In st. Petersburg in
the reign of Car Alexander III. To know
Police President Gresser was to fear, to
despise and to hate him. l never met a
Russian who did not curse Gresser. OF
course he did SO sotto voce, to escape
being overheard. The walls have ears on
the Neva, and the ears, as the saying is,
have walls In which to immure the often
der or even hon-offender falling into the
clutches of men of the Gresser stripe. And
now Gresser hiA died, not at st. Peters
burg, but at Warsaw, in honorable retire
ment. Alexander III loaded him with
honors, and the emoluments of his office
were considerable. Many a faint heart
rejoices that Gresser is no more. At the
day of Judgment, simple folk will tell you.
he will have much to answer for, and St.
Peter, l am told in marshaling him 10
his doom Will thus introduce him: "Gres-
ser, a police Inspector general. who
thirsted for human misery. with the
misery of 10000 OF his fellow creatures
upon his conscience That is the way
B.
With the nihilistic movement at its
height Gresser was at the zenith of his
power. His imperial master said: II
place myself in thy hands. | make thee
responsible for my life Do as thou wilt,
but save me from the assassins," In the
fulfillment of his duties he had re-
sort TO and countenanced in his subordin-
ates every imaginable form of cruelty.
His very first act was to iill the great
Peter PAM t.,tth
rested ION suspicion" Thousands of un-
fortunates, after undergoing frightful tor
ture, were dispatched without a hearing
to Siberia. The vast majority were young.
aspiring academicians. the pride of their
families. and not seldom the hope of the
nation.
AT st. Petersburg Gresser instituted the
Dwornih corps of police spies These
men We're house porters, and according
to Prof. Polcwio's recent revelations they
mad TO keep vigilant eye on every ten
ant In any way connected. however re-
motely. with scientific pursuits But Gres-
ser did not confine his operations to pollt-
ical oppression. He was quite as severe
in his condemnation of Roman Catholics
and Protestants, and the exodus of Jews
from st. Petersburg was brought about
at his instigation alone. Soon after Mich
olas III assembled the throne Gresser re-
signed his office. after convincing him
self that he was persona non grata with
the young sovereign.
Has thou no conscience?" cried a sup
plieant on one occasion LAS a servant
OF the car, friend. l have none" was
Gresser's reply.
The house at Budapest in which the
great Hungarian patriot and lawgiver.
Deak Terency, lived and died is about to
be pul1ad ioxvF, AND v,a-,,
iscences recorded concerning this remark
able man. whose profundity of reasoning.
sasacity and forbearance, not to men
/ ton his sound common sense were col
| lectively instrumental in the main TO the
re-estabishment of constitutional forms
or government subsequent to the reyoiu-
tion of 1915
To bring about n reconciliation between
| the peppery Magyars and the despotic
Hapsburg dynasty was the work that
Deak set himself to do Had Il not been
| for his timely Intervention the chances
are that the personal union binding Hun
gary to Austria would never have been
effected. Ia other words. complete sep
aration would never have superyenad
But Deak foresaw that Hungary Would
/ be too weak to unfurl republican stand
ard so early in the day OF its emanclDa-
lon, and the program he originated found
favor in the eyes of all Austrian and
hungarian conservatives. 1t was Deak
VINO advocated the dual-system govern
erhInent' which came into vogue when
on June g. 1871, the battered-in old crown
OF Scent lslvau. the apostle. was placed
on FRANCIS Joseph's autocratic head
The Hapsburgs, too. were not migrate
full, though seemingly ingratitude is a
characteristic trait in their composition.
When Deak died and lay in state in the
house which is now to be pulled down.
the Empress-Q Queen Elizabeth. in par-
oxysms of grief at the irretrievable loss
the dynasty had sustained. flung herself
upon his body, kissed his hand and went
long. praying feryently in her calner mo-
ments fer his souFs repose To placate
the Magyars the beautiful empress-queen
called tears 10 her aid The tears of a
beautiful woman no knightly Magyar can
withstand. They are chivalrous people.
J none more so, and so her imperial and
royal majesty. at her sovereign lords be-
! hest, humiiiated herself by way of max
ing up for the despotic shortcomings of
which the Hapsburgs had been guilty at
the close of the '40s. Among the noble
army OF martyrs TO suffer ignominious
death was Bathyanyi, count and mag
nate. He left a widow, who was long
ineXorable Much prayer and long fast
/
that she should forgive her sainted hus-
bands murderers, but she could not; she
would not extend the hand of friendship
to those whom she held guilty of his
blood. The Bathyanyis were great in the
land. Their influence political and So
cial. had for centuries exercised a potent
charm. Ties of blood united them to the
most illustrious and the most powerful
territorial lords The emperor-king es-
saved h., n
manded, he requested he supplicated a
reconciliation. The martyrs son. Count
Elemer, had let bygones be bygones; why
| should the noble countess, his mother,
| persist in entertaining sentiments incon-
sistent with her noble forbearance? The
! terrible eXigencies of the revolutionary
situation had demanded the most strin-
gent measures, his majesty argued He
had signed the death warrant with the
safety of the dynasty, of the nation, at
stake. and bitterly did ne now regret his
unpremeditated action. 1t was in vain.
Count Elemer was favored guest at
| the imperial and royal court. In the sad
/ die he would ride after the hounds in
| company with the empresS-Queen; out
shooting his associates were archdukes.
He had forgotten, and If he had not for
gotten, he had most fully forgiven his
| fathers murderers, and that was the
same thing. His eminence. my lord car
dinal. the archbishop of Gran and prim-
ate of all Hungary, influenced the widow
| ed countess's father confessor. 1t was
whispered that this prince of the church
himself sought an interview with the
| countess at her palace. Yes, the vener-
able lady would meet the empress-queen.
Would her majesty, to whom the count
ess desired conveyed her profoundest de-
voirs. cali? In the deepest mourning
! these exalted ladies met The empress
queen proud daughter of proud Wittels-