The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-17
GZAR' FbCE PAINTED
What Followed the Emperor
PauPS Assassination
TOLD. ON HIS OEATHBED
BY an Old Russian Whose
Father Confessed TO Him.
TOLD. ON HIS DEATHBED

New York. March l6.-T'he Journal says
\ private letter from Moscow tells a mos
| extraordinary story in connection with the
murder of Gar Paul /, recently come Il
light by means of dssthbed confession
AT Zverevo. a, little town in the "gov.
eminent or province of Voronej, in the
Don country, there has just died Oser
Ivonovitch Shtchotka. gray-haired
teacher, who, when ne felt death APP
preaching, called for q priest, though he
had previously never professed re-, Lyon.
His father, ne said. had been d citizen
Of ST. Petersburg up TO the end of March.
1901. He died in Zverivo in 1850, making a
deathbed confession 10 MS son.
This was Ivan Shtchotkas death-bed
confession, according to his son, Osen w.
anovitch:
IN 1901 I was one Of the most promis-
ing pupils Of the St. Petersburg Academy
Of Sciences, q government institution
which was under strict military rule. l
was not particularly noted for my work
with the brush. but, despite my youth,
had already gained some reputation as a
portrait painter
During the night of March % or the
morning Of March o 1 was awakened by
Cossacks, who ordered me TO dress. take
my brush and palette and follow them.
After rapid drive of a few miles we
halted before a palatial building. into the
celler Of which 1 was hustled through an
opening. We passed through a labyrinth
Of recesses and up several flights of back
stairs. At last the handkerchief bandage
was removed from my eyes, and / found
myself in a stately room half filed by
solemn looking men in rich dress The
floor was covered with rugs that seemed
to have been thrown down without regard
TO decorative effect.
"A tall man, in whom I recognized. Plato
Zuboff. the great GATHERINGS hover, ap-
preached me and said, pointing TO a divan
covered with a black cloth, over what
seemed to be gaint figure in an attitude
of repose:
" Are you skillful enough to restore the
face of a dead man who suffered violence,
cuts and strangulation, so as to regain its
natural appearance? Your art must last
three days, for the body is to be exhibited
in the Cathedral You need not spare the
red; it will be given out that the person
died of aDpopleXy.'
Remembering the threats Of the Cos
sacks. I did hesitate to answer in the af-
frmative. Very Well said Zuboff, YOU
VIII go TO work at once And in low
voice he added: That your conscience may
not prick you. understand that the late
Car of Russia was not a Romanoff. He
was only the natural son of Catherine the
Second and Soltikoff'
with that he removed the cloth and I
saw the body Of the Emperor dressed in
full generals panoply. He was gloved and
spurred. His neck was swollen, and his
face a mass OF bruises.
II can well realize the report afterwards
spread, viz, that he sold his life dearly.
The Emperor had been sleeping in the
Of his wife's bedroom on a
hard longe, as was his wont 10 do, when
the conspirators came upon him. The
guards in and around the palace, and par
-icularly in the corridor leading to the
Cars private apartments, were all in the
pay with the exception of a
lussar, whom labor cut down with his
sabre before he entered Pauls chamber.
rhe Emperor. I was told, offered at first
10 resistance. On his Bonded kness he beg
yed that his life be spared promising 10
ign anv instrument Of addiction they
night choose to submit More. he would
himself proclaim his son (afterward Alex
Lnder the Frst} Car.
But the murderers advanced fiercely,
md Paul attempted to escape by way of
he window. Prevented, and bleeding from
cut hand, ne defended himself with a
hair. killing one Of the assassias. But
low the rest assailed him with their sab |
es a heavy blow on the temple foored /
i'm, and again he duplicated for his life /
With outstretched hands.
Then ZubOf tore of his sash. wound Il 1
vice around the Emperor's neck. and TAX |
1g hold by one hand comman ded another /
flcer to help him strange the unhappy |
monarch.
in the struggle preceding the final act.
'aul's face had been hacked and cut. and \
required four hours work on my part
D get It into presentable shape When I
c-iaIel ny NJIh IN l-lel. a handsome I
Dung man was ushered in with great Ger
mouy-the new Emperor. alexander. /
card MIN say in French:
. II is we'll The widowed empress. too.
assed through the room. but could ev.-
entity not bring herself 70 look upon her
usbands face. Poor woman. she tried
} come 20 PaIi's assistance. bur mad been
reverted by threat % instant death.
After that two soldiers took me. and
tween them I marched out into the cor
de- ana down the stairs. When we
acled the celIzr. I was ordered % wait
ID a person whose features could not
AXE out approached ne.
a" would you Ike % become an imperial
-aWing master. with = salary q 200
'ubies per year for Ufs2 be asked.
a. ~ ast7nehe3 that hardly knea
ha- % say IN reply.
Be Decide quickly spoke the stranger
pain assured nm that I Ras a. his
dcrs.
con March =. a. : a. n. aas speeding
wards the Don r7ln,ry.' c1u-iuaed ne [
ath-b-d oo1fess. Ia Il gave kept saea
tE ire government ard t1e government
- kcpt f4--h ~..n ma.