The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-03-25

| he was free from any expensive tastes or
fondness Of ostentation. In fact, have
often been tempted to believe that much
| Of the money which he has been charged
With embezzling went to pay blackmail-
ers, as in the case of De Lesseps. He was
extravagant only IN the enterprises and
undertakings of one kind and another of
which he had charge and it is extremely
probable that, i'm order to avert any pub
lie exposure Of his financial irregularities
N the early stages Of the construction of
xhe Transcription railroad, he was COM
PEELED to pay heavy brides to people Of
high and low degree in the service Of the
RUSSIAN government. His stealings, for
instance, In connection with the famine
tehef fund Of 1892 have been estimated Ivy
the imperial committee of inquiry ap-
pointed to investigate the matter at some
Sc, 100000, which he neither spent on him.
| self nor yet left behind him in the shape
Of a fortune. Indeed, lately he has
passed for more or less ruined man..
What, then, became Of the money that he.
stole from the famine fund and from the,
funds assigned for the construction Of
the Trans-Caspian railroad and Of the
TTans-Stber1an line, unless he paid them
away In the shape of blackmail much in
| the same way as old De Lesseps was COM
PEELED to squander the money Of the Pan
anna Canal company?
There are certain points, however,
Lesseps and Gen Annenkoff ceases. For.
although the origin of their dishonesty
| In each case was Indifference or careless
| ness, and the inability to understand that
day Of reckoning must surely come, DE
Lesseps firmly believed to the last that
had it not been for the interference of the
authorities he would have been able to.
bring the Panama canal enterprise to
successful termination, and thus avert
the ruin which overwhelmed those who
had pinned their faith on his integrity
and genius, whereas Annenkoff Is abso-
lutely without excuse as regards the en-
bezzlement of the funds confided to him
In 1892 for the relief of the starving
Russian peasantry at the time of the last
great famine. Moreover the means which
ne adopted to conceal his populations were
of singularly dishonorable character,
such as would have been spurned. AS
suredly, by old Ferdinand de Lesseps, as
we'll as by every member of his family,
for he sought shelter at the expense OF
the reputation of two women, both Sis.
ters' who have played no small part i'm
Russian society.
One was the wife of Colonel Akinjeff.
who mshe deserted in order to take up a.
position more or less questionable at the.
head OF the household of old Prince.
Gortohakoff, the all powerful chancellor.
OF the Russian empire. She welded a
powerful influence over the aged states.
man, which she exerted for the benef7r Of
her brother, General Annenkoff, partly
to secure him promotion and partly OBJ
| tain Tor him immunity for his financial
shortcomings, until one fine day she
abandoned the chancellor and accom-.
panied to Paris the cars cousin, his
imperial highness Duke Nicholas.
LeCchtenberg, whom she married NOR
ganat1cally as soon as she was able to
obtain a divorce from Colonel Akinieff.
G1ea was the anger Of the chancellor at
this desertion, and it might have Jared i'll
with the fair fugittves brother had it not
been for the fact that one of his other
sisters. Nine de Nelidoff, had at the time
among her most fervent admirers Alex
ander Abaza, at that time minister of
finance. Nine. de Nelidoff for many years
had the only political salon of any i'm
portance at st. Petersburg. In fact, many
notable DEGREES and ukases bearing the
Imperial signature are known to have had
their origin in her salon, and it was even
there that General Loris Melikoff, while
dictator, drew up that scheme for endow-
Ing Russia with a constitutional form of
government which was on the eve of be-
ing promulgated when Alexander III was.
murdered. ,'>
In those days Nine de Nelidofr was a.
woman not only Of remarkable cleverness
and wit, but also Of beauty and, although.
OF late she has become somewhat stout
and mature, yet she still retains much Of
that charm for which she was formerly
so renowned. She was borne the reputa-
ton OF being the egeria Of seeral promi-
nent statesmen, but the one who stood
highest in her good graces land whose as.
ISOLATION with her gave riJe to the great
est amount OF gossip both at st. Peters,
burg and In foreign capitals, was Alex
ander Abaza, who died about two years:
ago at Nice. AS long as he was minister
of finance he, had, of course, peculiar
facilities for protecting the favorite
brother of the object Of his admiration,
and after he resigned his portfolio the
presidency of the committee on finance
OF the council of the empire was intrusted
to him, post which still enabled him to
WELD so great an influence In the financial
circles OF the government that General
Annenkof enjoyed entire immunity, no
charges against him being entertained
It was during the great famine Of 1892
that the present czar, who as heir ap-
parent, had been appointed by his father
to preside over the commission organized
for the relief Of the sufferers, became
acsuainted with Annenkoff and with the
defects OF his character. These he brought
to the notice Of the late car, who in
stituted an investig alton. But those in
trusted with the inquiry were aware that,
much as Alexander III hated dishonesty,
he detested scandal still worse. especially
when 1t related either directly or Indirect
ly to any connections of his family. More
over, there is reason to believe that some
of the members Of the committee Of in
quiry entertained approximations lest the
results Of the investigation might involve
their own kinfolk and friends.
At any rate, nothing much was done I'M
til the advent to the throne Of the pres
ent car, who may be said to have b.
gun his reign by first of all deprivlng
General Annenkoff Of all further connec-
ton with the Trans-Siberian railroad,
which was virtually the generals concep-
ton and scheme. and thereupon instruct
ing Count de Witte, the minister Of
finance, to reorganize the committee of in
quiry and to spare no effort to find out:
the full extent Of the generals pecu'a-
lions.
In the hope of arresting the inve~tira-
ton the general dispatched to Paris the
well known Franco-Russian journal st.
Dr. De Cyon. The latter, with the help Of
his friend. Nine. Adam. whose "Nouve!le>
Revue" he had formerly sub c.
culated in the Partisan press reports cal
culated to zimpeach the honesty Of tho
financial returns Of the present minister
Of finanse. This. of course. rendered F'm-
peror Nicholas still more embittered
against Annenkoff, to whose dishonesty
ne ascribes the delay in the completion
Of the Trans-Siberian railroad, while it
failed to stop the investigation.
AS soon as the inquiry was completed
the report was placed in the hands of
the car. The only part thereof that was
made public at st. Petersburg was that.
relating to the generals misappropria--
ton Of some Sc OO0, 600 Of the famine fund.-
The extent of his frauds in connection,
with the Trans-Caspian and Trans 81.
berian lines remains shrouded in Eysterr.
Their measure can be gathered only by
the extent Of the generals thefts Of the;
4 money assigned for the relief Of his stafv'l
inx fellow-countrymen. and by the dent