The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-02-24
SIDELIGHTS
ON SERGIUS
Incidents That Depict Russian
Grand Dukes Character
CONDEMNED BY RADICALS
Uncle of Emperor Was Called Russia's
Evil Genius-Stories of His
Rigorous and Harsh
Measures.
CONDEMNED BY RADICALS

The late Grand Duke Sergius Of Rus
STA, who was brother-in-law as well
as uncle of the emperor and exercised
immense influence at court, was re-
garded as the most reactionary of the
grand dukes and has been called Rus
sia,s evil genius" says the Philadelphia
Public Ledger AS governor general Of
Moscow he was intensely unpopular
His advent as governor general of
Moscow was followed by expulsion of
the Jews from the central provinces,
and throughout his administration his
rigorous aud harsh measures aroused
the greatest hostility, especially among
the students.
Two years ago, after the student riots
liz which many were killed or wounded.
several hundred explosions to Siberia
followed under the orders or Grand
Duke Sergius and General Trepef-
now governor general of st. Peters
burg, then chief Of police Of Moscow.
AS there were many threats made
against his life, the grand duke was
obliged to flee to his summer residence,
twenty miles from the city. During
the recent strike disturbances the
grand duke left the Diskoutohny pal
ace, on the outskirts Of the city, where
he had been living, and took refuge
inside the ramparts Of the krenlin,
where he had since lived in what Is
known as the Little palace. opposite
the famous statue of Alexander II.
The trip to the kremlin on that occa-
sion was made at night between solid
lines Of troops.
The sentence of death on Grand
Duke Sergius was contained in a
proclamation issued by the social reyo-
lutionists OF Moscow after the demon
stration on Dec. IL Of last year at St
Petersburg was put down. II read
IF our demonstration at Moscow
Dec. IS and 19) is crushed in as
bloody a manner as that Of our broth
ers Of st. Petersburg, then be the guilt
therefor upon the head of Grand Duke
Sergius and General Trepoff. and we,
the committee. In that event have fore
ordained their death"
Much OF the responsibility for the
catastrophe at the coronation Of En-
peror Nicholas in Moscow, when sew
eral thousand people were crushed tc
death at the time of the distribution
Of the imperial gifts, was laid at Grand
Duke Sergius' door. 1t was held that
he had not taken sufficient precautions
and the Liberals, after the affair IN st
Petersburg Of JAM % last placed the
major portion OF the blame for that oc.
currence on bis shoulders.
Sergius was born at TsarsSoe-S elo on
April 20, 1857. He was married IN 1884
10 the Princess Elizabeth Of Hesse-
Darmstadt. As one Of the leading spir-
its in the Russian reaetionary party he
was credited with being the chief Of
the malign influences which surround.
ed the car, forcing on the war with ia
pan and REFRESHING all the ears incli-
nations to grant the Russian people q
more liberal form of government.
One of the reasons why the car de
prived him Of tho goyernorship Of Mos
COW was the discovery and publication
Of the fact that he had looted the Red
Cross funds and stolen and sold SUPPLIES
that had been furnished by public spir-
tied Russians for the comfort Of the
soldiers in the field
The most recent prank o. Sergius,
one that threatened to be dangerous,
was that Of posting placards in Mos
COW III which he charged that England
had inclied ana aided the revolt in
Russia. Tie grand duke, according to
absolutely reliable information from
MOSCOW, turned over the telegram TO Q
Moscow newspaper, which declined 10
print it. whereupon, by the grand
dukes direction, the police placarded il
ia the streets. The British ambassador
at ST. Petersburg called the attention
Of the ears ministers TO the canard
and made protest Apologies follow
ed but Sergius continued to post pla-
cards aud incite further hatred Of Eng
land.
Another story told Of him IL that
when conducting military maneuvers
on large scale he caused q bridge
over the Volga which was paclSed with
troops to be blown nn with dynamite
Several hundred soldiers paid with
their lives for the blunder. wLtsh would
have been ridiculous but fT The fatal
results
William r, Curtis, the Washington
correspondent Of the Chicago Record
Herald, wrote as follows Of Sergius:
early in the Russo-Japanese wal
Grand Duke Sergius called upon tbs
patriotic people Of Moscow for contii
buttons FOR the sick and wounded i
| the Russian army in Manchuria ans
one or the wealthiest men in that city
| who owns several large WOODEN mills
! contributed 100000 blankets 4 few
months later he was approached by
commission man, who sold him bacl
the same blankets for about half thei
value. ana they were returned TO TIN