The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-02
CROWNED WITH WOE.
Sad Condition of the Young Cxarinu
Of Russia.

The Czarina has been a victim of
profound and growing melancholy
since her hope of becoming a mother
again was dashed two months ago.
To d to her despair 4 noted ply
Stefan Of Vienna, who 2 made a study
of her ancestors. has reported that for
some hundreds OF years the, women of
her stock have been greatly in the pre-
ponderance; hat the mothers have
had families chiefly composed Of dau-
ghters.
The recent hasty summoniDs of Pro-
fessor Merzejeavski, q famous mental
specialist, from st. Petersburg to Liva-
dia was at first attributed 10 the I'M
satisfactory state of he cZar's health.
But 1t now appear thai he was tele-
Igraphed for on account of the Gar
lrina'S acute melancholia. 1t is given
Iout that this is not an unusual sequel
TO her cruel disappointment of mater
nifty and that the hope Of an heir to
1.-THE Imperial house had tecClne almost
la mania it'll her.
The czranina suffers alternately from
transports of JOY not les painful or
Idlsquesting than the profound melan-
choly which follows them, it is report-
led. The case IL Il very difficult one
and specialists here snake their heads
over it.
Her woeful cOuntenance and her alb
lsentmindedness to the point Of gloomy
silence in the OF others have
strengthened belief in the rumor that
the car is seriously thinking of TAX
ing the advice Of high church digni-
ltarles to divorce his wife IN order hi
he may marry a woman whose children
will not all be daughters.
The czranina is the mother of four
children all girls. She thought she had
one more chance of ragaining the good
will of the Russian people by present
ling the car with a son this autumn
but she was doomed to the bitterest
disappointment.
The people outside of this country
lcannot comprehend the eagerness of
1.-THE Russians for an heir to the throne.
as no oma can reign in Russia while
the male line holds out. One powerful
reason for wishing a 0 bCrn to the
car is to have Il peaceful succession.
1t is feared that tne cars rather
lfrail brother, now heir prcsumptive,
imay not live long and that if Nicholas
passes away without an heir the En-
lpire may be rent by strife between his
-four uncleS for the throne.
So the Russian church authorities
who have power to divorce and who
suspect that the czranina's enforced
conversion to their So-called orthodoxy
WAS not sincere, are said to be pressing
1.-THE "Autocrat of all the Russians" to
put her away.
The czranina's lot is made still I'M
happier by numerous cuurtiers whose
ienmity she has aroused. Peing the
daughter of Queen Victor1a's favorite
daughter, Alice, she has inherited or
acquired a good many of her grand
!mother's ideas abou property and re-
form.
Soon after the lovely and widely pop
iular Princess AK of HeSse became
I~cZarina Alexandra Feodrovna. she
saw a court lady smoking in the palace
and remarked loud enough fer the of
fender to hear that she regarded a CT
Igarette in a woman's mouth as often
lsive as an oath in a mans. She for
bade n lady Of the court TO smoke in
her presence, although her sister
Grand Duchess Serge, smokes like a
her recently. ThereCpon the women
began to s~pitefully cali her the Ger
imam and the EEglishwcmn"-foI
in tastes and habits she is more Eng.
fish than German-ani the men sooI
lechoed the epithets.
Moreover, many once high o~fficia,
have their grievances.
The longtime imposing court nEur
Prince Sandy" Digorpuki. was turnt
out OF the position of grand master ,
ceremonies by the czranfna beau. 9 sr
regarded his airn and thosa II ads Dc
lculiar wife as insufferaple.
The cZrGnina peremtorialy disHIisse
baron Fredericks, an cid rliniste ar {
the court. for disobeying her order nc
to telegraph anything when the GA
was sick Two years ago ithout frs
letting her see it. The baron a al
Iswered an anxious massage Of inquir
from the cars mother.
Numerous other diSn.tlries trac
their downfall to the Czranina. and it
even wlisped that the late Count MuI
taviff. formerly Foreign Minister, COZ
United suicide because she blocked
plan he had laid TO rob England, whel
Embarrassed. Of command Of the Re
sea.
1t IAN easily be surmised, therefor,
that the cZarina is the object of IN
revenge of powerful parsonage and tha
their intrigues alone would make he
life miserable
The whose marriage with Prin
cess Alix was a real love match, is nc
Ioniy greatly distressed ever his cher
lished wife's condition. u Is exceed
lingiy anxious about his brother, II
heir presumptive, who is raridly fai
ling into incurable consumption.
This disease is breaking out in nearl
severy branch Of the Imperial famil,
The beautiful daughter OF Princes
fno;Ooror,Ej the Gar ~Alcyanderx mn,