New-York tribune., 1899-07-16
NEwyOpK TRrBITNE ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.

d'Ezpeleta and one from Baron de heeche,e"
dAnthes NJ Solness received the foiIo"hs
from Baron de Ezpeeta:
Baron dc Heeckeren. who was a great friend OF
mine never told me anything about the duei VI
it's causes. h,,h
Won are laborng is the fact that when you spohe
to me Of the circumstances that led up 10 @ 'nc
duel between Pushkin and Heeckeren. toid you
that as a matter Of fact. had heard the SUI
told as you told it yourself In your paper anu
that that was the story current at the time
on the other hand. Baron de Heeckeren
d'Anthes wrote NJ. Charles Laurent as follows:
In view Of the very proper discussion that the
celebration Of Pushkins centenary mas caused
i'm France as well as in Russia, had determined
to keep silent. the reason for when you VIII
surely understand. , .,, ,
lence and utter an indignant PROTESTING state
ment that Baron Antoine de tzpeleta had heat !. u
from my father remark tending 10 coiiiifin vi" O"'
truth Of the story about the black KISS. baron
d. Ezpeetas letter entirely satisfies me on th!5
matter and leaves no room for iurthef dlscuS-
sion. =.
Nevertheless I deem it proper 10 give certain
additional facts that l state for the first time,
based On "reminiscences from my fathet IipS
ana on written documents that he left me IN
order TO establish the facts in the case clearly
and beyond the possibility Of contradiction.
Pushkns jealousy was excited without
ground by an anonymous letter. Nothing III the
actions Of Nine puShklu toward my ldtHeI Hci
future brother-in-iaw, could properly nave
aroused the gloomy spirit Of the great poet. AS
a result Of this anonymous letter PuShNih on
November IS 1896, gave my father pioVoca-
ton % a duel. I'm a letter Of December : OF tn'
same year. he withdrew it, Nevertheless. the
usual relations Of persons connected by mar
riaSe were not resumed between PuShkln ana
my father. The latter had no further occasion
to meet Pushkin except in society ana at formal
gatherings. This fact l lay stress upon. because
It shows that any such meeting as that IN winch
the "black kiss is alleged to have occurred was
out Of the question.
Nevertheless anonymous letters continued %
be sent to Pushkin They were all in the same
handwriting. a disguised one. but showing IN
each letter certain Identical features This
proves that there was a plot, whose conse-
auences were fatal. Pushkin wrote a letter that
led to the duel Of grievous renown, fought on
February ID. 1897
was the ViscOunt Of Archiac. secretary Of the
French Embassy. his cousin Everything was
carried out in the most regular way. ahd with
the strictest correctness for it IS well known
that in Russia at that time il was the custom
to have only one second in a duel
I will add that our relations with my mothers
family. except with Pushkns direct descend
ants, have been uninterrupted, ana perfectly
affectionate There is one point which / mus;
place quite outside Of all controversy. On tho
honor of Nine. Pushkin there has never been
cast the slightest suspicion in St Petersburg
society. and we. well our Russian Tela-
tives, preserve the prOfoundest respect for her
memory. As the keeper Of this tradition. can
not permit the least doubt to be thrown upon
it. 1t will remain unbroken in my hands and
my sons.
Pushkin's adversary. Georges dAnthes, later
Baron &c Heeckeren d'Anthes, belonged to an old
Asatan family. He was the son of Baron
d'Anthes. at one time Deputy from the Upper
Rhine under the Restoration ard in the reign o,
Charles X. He left France. being pupil Of The
School Of Saint Cyr, at the end Of the revolu-
ton in favor Of the white cockade. and took
service in Russia, where he was officer Of the
l4th Chevalier Guards Of the Empress