The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10
Remarkable History Of Private
Soldiers Daughter Who
Wore al Crown.
PRETTY ALICE I. 9: CLIFTON
AS a Child Won5thc Admiration
oftl1c Khan of Turkistan, Mar
ried Film and Ruled After.

ore Of he most interesting personagcs
in the land OF the Car Ia the woman
who ruled Turkestan at the time OF the
conquest BIZ Russia. thlrty-two years ago..
SIZE was Alice Clifton. the daughter ar a
British private. who served In India in
tho old Spre-mutiny days. As child
she played half cind IN the mud OF tlie
birthday, n bearded monarch, covered
with jewels rode. BY and lifted her from
tho niud to n shining throne For ten
years sho shared with nm Inc manage
incntS Of the government then. when her
royal husband had been gathered TO his
fathers. she ruled as absolute monarch
for twenty years, strengthening her GOV
Ing her armies to victory, over ncighbor-
ing tribes.
I But to the North and West Of Turkcs-
tan, great cloud lay along the horizon
Sill young and beautiful, and power
FIJI queen, Alice read In those clouds the
corlins. O 10 storm which would over
whelni ernato1; T,e En- Of tls.,ndta ar
.wisest ministers were not able to compre-
bend.
Finally IN 1873 the storm s. r broke; Russia g
poured her,roops into Central Asin nna
against the Invaders. the unequal and
hopeless struggle was soon over and shc
left Turkestan an exile, never to enter it
again.
Through all these years she has never
forgotten llslt she was a queen and has
held oriental court at Ter splendid house
II orenbuly. Russia s2eadnhg rpyyally inc
while pretending IT was tribute from q
The story OF Alice Clifton. or Mahara-
nee Jar Ma homed Ron, as she has been
called since her marrlage-reads like a
II irV ia lo,
Tie romance began away back III ~,
when tho East India Company ruled IN
Ola and had an army Of is :, own =, !, y,
army and was stationed at Delhi. where
tho grand mogul still sat on the pea
cock throne in his ancient capital !,
mems quarters, and his wlfo was known
all over Delhi for her sprlEhtliness her
good humor2and good looks. she ne. was also
very discreet. When Private Chiffon got
the guard, and she gave him strong Lea
the morning after along with her curtain
lecture. #l35@ 5i5.t5 SRI
with the other soldiers children, until
one day, when she was barely fourteen,
the whole catonment discovered that she
was beautiful. and every day her beau
Then one day all Delhi put on It's gala
attire to welcome jar Maholned Rao
Khan. the ruler of Turkestan, who was
to visit the grand mogIl. = !, /,
In the procession, Mahomed Rao Khan a.
rode alone upon a milk-wl!lte arabian
stallion, his saddle 8encrusted with gems
and great diamond star shining in the
front Of his tall Astrachan ca p DO was
a mddle-aged man. stern III appear aIlce
and sharpj Of eye.
AS his glance roalned over the throng
that lined the street, lie caught sight OF
other children who had come from the
catormentlt to, see the show. TIC looked
at her steadily as he passed, 4 !,
That evening Alice had 9. birthday p nnIay
and told the children stories Of Ing lls s =
fields and daisies. But Alice declared
that English fields and daisies did not IN;
terest her and that It would pc ss IL, ;td
people all the time. She was born IN
india and wanted to stay there, and per,
haps some day become klaharanee, and
ride on an elephant with gilded tusks.
Even as she spoke a rumor ran through
the catonment that an officer OF the court
vas there with a message Tor prlyate
Clifton from Mahomed Rao khan, say
Ing that he wanted TO marry the beautl.
fuI girl he had seen that day in the street
as he passed along,
Alice Jumped for iioy-;tlle fairy prince &C
had come, just as she ,s had eXPee,tea MI e
were not SO enthusiastic.
Jar ALahomed Khan was n much mar
rled man already. and 1t was not see,m1lly
that the daughter " d d lliSh sCt'ttf-'
Should be OF the household of an. Asiatc
prince and friend OF the guard Mogu
So negotiations were not finished i'm.
tmedlatey. ~,
women were not real wives, but hand-
maidens afterethc style Of. Dayids com,
forters, and at any rate he would Pu!
them nll away-pensona& them OIL ano
have but one wife thereafter. accordlnl
10 the custom OF white men. II the beau
tiful English girl would only become his
queen, ts5i 5:s
A eco WaeEs later ae and Alice departed
from Delhi In a litter with rose-coloret
curtains, accompanied by her lord allt
master and a great cnyalcade, and rasset
tile Indies and over the roor OF tI(
world,'iinto fFurkestan. &, I, 4.
broke out, and the grand mogll was
fried In his own palace, on n charge Of
trenson against the English. Private
Clifton Nus killed in battle, and lis wife
after escaping many pe,lr peril, went home
10 live among the English daisies on !;
liberal allowance sent her by her royn
daughter &C. ~, /,
tho = or con $50 Of Rao Khan, aiding him IN
the admnistrato Of the. government
and fully sharing his confidence Tlen
hnr lord silent with his fathers, ana she
had herself proclaimed absolute monarch,
There were aspiring ministers ana nehl
5relatipns of lar Mahomed WHO lrlcu q
disptlte the throne with her, but Queen
Alice had learned the arts OF hsla, ~
goyernemn, and what happened 70 lne
nambitious ones who sought to Dust llel
&c not rncorded In history, But something
dctnite happcncd 10 them and they