The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-07-22
GA IRIS IiIFl ASS HIS
TRA VELER VIC E5 h AIp oPPoR.
n ' Ttt,Niv r. q. /
But Circumstance III Showed < That
Though Seemingly ,unouafts d, tho
sssI s assty a the Russian Ruler YasS
Well olseel fer. A ssss

M safety 81 ING Russian fsuIsrg SNSs
Well Looked fer. 4 NJ iss sS
The very first thing Z learned ii st.s
Petersburg 10 that IN Russia the car
|ls everything literally everything ~
his VIII is law. conceded as5such By
his subjects BY 4 heavenly inspired
right; all the land and all his sub
[jects are absolutely his to dispose OF,
wholly as he chooses. 70 nderstand
anything, about Russia 1T ;is frst nee!
essary5 to understand that this Is the
fundamental principle 81 cxarism and
that even IN trade. industry and COM
merce the car is supreme. Every
good or bad thing in commerce, as In
every other field, therefore, is done
In the name Of the car. 'tS &. II IN
The popular fancy pictures the car
as one never seen by his people, save,
when Embedded in phalanx Of
guards, thus protected from the bull
let's Of would.be regicides. To show,
however. how easily any king killer
could accomplish his dastardly mis-
sion in st. Petersburg to-day, i may.
state that on two occasions had / been
nihilist elected" to the job: / could
have shot his imperial majesty. Nicho
las II. 81, ..,5 s
The first such opportunity present.
ed itself one evening as drove in q
drosky sled past the winter palace. In
second-story corner window, direct,
ly over the guard station below, in a
room which all st. Petersburg knows
to be the cars study, the monarch
sat by a green-shaded lamp, reading.
Some palace servant had neglected to
lower the blinds and there sat the
master of 10O,OO0,0OO subjects in full
view OF the hundreds Of drosky sleds
that were passing and repassing on
the quay, an easy mark for sharp,
shooter.
The second opportunity was in the
Nevski Prospect, the widest street in
the world, compared to which Broad
way is an alley. Suddenly saw every
man in uniform-and half the men
In st. Petersburg wear uniforms
step to the edge of the sidewalk, face
the roadway and hold his hand to his
cap in salute. The car was coming.
He was a bundle Of furs in troika
and an official who sat beside him
was simply another bundle of furs.
His troika, drawn by three magnif1.
cent, matchless horses, galloped alta
mad pace in true troika fashion, pass
ing so close to my own drosky sled
that I could see the smile lurking in
his young and by no means careworn
face. l even perceived that his beard
was cut closer than appears in his
photographs. Quickly ordered my
driver to turn and follow the troika.
He shook his head, but insisted.
"Da, da!" (Yes, yes!J and flashed a
gold piece. He then turned round and
made the horse trot as only Russian
drosky horse can trot. l wanted an
other look at the most powerful
human being on earth. But didn't
get it. A mounted officer of some sort
raised his hand to indicate that my
driver was to stop.
Pardon" said the officer politely
in French. "You must go back
But have business in this direc-
tion," protested with equal polite.
ness.
What are you doing here?" he re.
torted sharply.
By this time great, silent crowd
surrounded us.
What is your business anyway
$1,0 1{A rfr,
time to answer. "You are stranger!
Where are you stopping? I must see
your passport" n,
my passport is already in the
hands Of the police" interposed.
Meanwhile he had looked up the
Nevski-the troika had turned OF
somewhere.
Pardon said the horseman, re-
turning to his original politeness now
that all chance of following the troika
was gone. Then he spoke in Russian
to my driver, who Immediately turned
his horse and drove leisurely back
over the ground which we had just
covered at such mad pace. was
informed later that when the car is
out driving none may follow him near
er than 500 yards. "a Russian sub
tect in my place would have been ar
rested as q suspect"
,.gss 80 go ------
Could Make His Own Inference.
William G. Bryant recently told the
story Of two soldiers one Of bibulous
habits and the other q steady, sober
49,