The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-02-26

occasion he. was wounded In one hand,
and one foot. For this splendid exploit
he was awarded one of the two crosses
allotted by the car to his regimentI
crosses of st. George. But instead Of
permitting himself to be decorated, hd
confessed his secret to his colonel, enj
treating him to seek from the czar hia
pardon in place Of the cross. In rel
Spouse to the petition sent to Stl
petersburg, came a stern command
that the young soldier should be in3
stantly sent back to the hell on earth
from which he a fed to shed his
blood for his country. His comrades.
disguised at this cruel tyranny, con-
ntved at his secret departure. and he
set out to tramp through Russia by
side roads for the capital. !
On that day in st. Petersburg the.
car, returning to the winter palace,l
after reviewing troops on their way to-.
terrupted. A soldier, holding in his
right hand a revolver, lay in the o
disabled by the whips Of Cossacks who
had trampled him down. Stopped thus
again-for the second time that day!
the car, who dismounted from his
sleigh, was so struck by the appear
ance of the soldier that he ordered him
also to be conducted to the guardhouse
OF the winter palace. There, lying in.
bed, the disabled soldier was examined
by Bashanoff, the cars priest and
confessor. Astounded at the young,
mans resemblance to the emperor, the
priest, more deeply conversant with
the imperial secrets than any other
person in the world, extracted from
Savelieff all the story Of his life. Hel
FASTENED to the czar and assured him,
was the prisoner, who might have been;
the assassin Of his own father. Y
a Car. ~ 6esthb.d.
In a few hours the car was i'll and.
took to his bed, but his doctors could
find no symptoms of disease on ac-i
count of his gradually increasingly
weakness. The confessor came from,
the imperial chamber with his eyes
streaming with tears, and a series of
touching scenes followed. Nicholas
went through one last struggle to ass
sert his will. He himself had stepped
on the throne in place Of his elder and!
weaker brother, who had abdicated all
claims in favor of Nicholas. And the
dying car, knowing the character of,
his second and favorite son, Constants
Inc, and that he, SO much like himself
in ambition and strength Of will, was;
universally expected to make strenuous!
efforts to seize the crown, summoned,
him to his bedside and ordered him to,
swear that he would never attempt
usurpation. The naughty Constant
Inc. pretending that his elder brotherii
Alexander, would probably prefer to
retire from the storm and stress Of SUI
preme authority, Nicholas threatened
to order his obstinate son to be put to|
death. II am still emperor, and you
know that once already in u race a
rebel son has been executed" Thus
was Russia saved from a terrible COM
plication at a time of crisis.
The end came. The strongest man,
in the empire had passed away. And
as Alexander II. passed from the DEATH
chamber to receive the homage of FAM
lily and servants, all, like himself, I'M
tears, his mother, the dowager empress
now, stood before him, clad in white,
with her crown on her head. in accord
crown from her brow, h laid 1t at
his feet, rendering to her son this tok-
en- Of allegiance as his first subject.
To young Savelieff was given by
Bashanoff a secret message that the
deceased car had ordered to be con-
ferred on him the decoration Of st.
George, with a good pension, but he
was to quit Russia, never to return.
Though the young man, who confessed
that he had intended to slay first the
emperor and then himself, never sus-
pected the secret Of his parentage, he
knew that, as he had openly threat
ened the life of a monarch he could not
live in the land in peace. He married,
and became consul at one of the petty
German courts. Alexander II. emanci-
pated millions of serfs after concluding
the war, but he scandalized Russia by
his profligacy, and it wac chiefly on ac-
count of his domestic infidelities that
the Nihilists pursued him with such
relentless hatred until his assassina-
ton. Then, though autocracy was sus-
tanned in full blast. the court was puri-
fed and the reign of dissolute czars
was over.