The San Francisco call., 1905-02-18

own, but adopted Maria and Dimitri,
the young son and daughter of Ser
gius younger brother, the Grand
Duke Paul, who incurred the Cars
displeasure by contracting a NOR
ganatic marriage.
The domestic relations between Ser
gius and his wife are said to have been
anything but pleasant. In fact. his
treatment of his wife, it is reported,
called forth remonstrances from his
brother, Gar Alexander Ill.
Sergius was a prominent and inf1u-
entail member of the council of the
empire; also lieutenant general Of the
Russian army and aid -de-camp to the
Car. He was a chevalier of the
order of st. Andre, the Black Eagle,
st. Hubert, the Elephant, the Annon-
Glade and of the Seraphines. He was
chief or colonel of several Russian
military bodies as well as honorary
colonel Of a regiment of Prussian
Uhlans and on the staff of regiment
of Austrian infantry.
Grand Duke Sergius was credited
with having been the wealthiest MEM
Der of the imperial family and his land
holdings were second in extent only to
those of the Car himself.
Much of the responsibility for the
catastrophe at the coronation of En-
peror Nicholas in Moscow, when thou
sands of persons were crushed to death
a. the time of the distribution of the
Imperial gifts, was charged to Grand
Duke Sergius. 1t was held that he had
not taken sufficient precautions. Lib
erals, after the affair here of January
%, placed the major portion of the
blame upon his shoulders.
The sentence of death upon Grand
Duke Sergius was contained in a proc
lamation issued by the Socialist Rev
olutionists of Moscow after the demon
Stration on December IL of last year in
St Petersburg was put down. 1t read:
If our demonstration at Moscow December
IS and 19) is crushed in bloody a manner
as that of our brothers of st. Petersburg. then
be guilt therefor upon the head of Grand Duke
Sergius and General Trepoff, and we, the COM
mittee, in that event, have foreordained their
death.
At the time sentence Of death was
pronounced by the terrorists upon
Grand Duke Sergius it was reported
that Grand Duke Alexis, Procurator of
the Holy Synod Pobiedonostieff and
General Trepoff, then Chief Of Police
Of Moscow and now Governor General
Of st. Petersburg, were also condemned
TO death, and according to some re-
ports similar sentence was imposed
upon the Dowager Empress
The Governor Generalship Of Mos
cow was abolished early in the year
and the Grand Duke, according to dis
patches from Moscow on January 4,
kept closely to the well-guarded Dis
koutohny Palace, on the outskirts OF
Moscow, retaining his position as Com
mander-in-Ch Of the military dis
trict. Later in January, however, it
was announced that the Grand Duke
had sought refuge in one of the palaces
of the Kremiin. He has been classed
as the most reactionary member of the
imperial family and as the head Of
what is referred to as the war party,
and has been stigmatized by the Lib
erals as 'Russia's evil genius"
As Governor General of Moscow he
was intensely unpopular. His advent
as Governor General was followed by
expulsion Of the Jews from the central
provinces and throughout his admin
istration his rigorous and harsh meas
ures aroused the greatest hostility.
especially among the students Two
years ago, after the student riots in
which many were killed or wounded.
several hundred expulsions to Siberia
Duke Sergius and General Trepoff.
AS there were many threats made
against his life, the Grand Duke
was obliged to fee to his summer resi-
dence, twenty miles from the city.
During the recent strike disturbances
the Grand Duke left the Diskoutohny
Palace on the outskirts of the city
where he had been living and took
refuge inside the ramparts of the
Kremlin, where he had since lived in
what is known as the Little Palace.
opposite the famous statue of Alex
ander. II. The trip to the Kremlin on
that occasion was made at night, be-
tween solid lines of troops.
Grand Duke Sergius was tall, hand
some and cordial in manner, in spite
of the ruthless fashion in which he
exercised his authority as Governor
General. His record as a soldier was
not brilliant. He suffered a disastrous
defeat at the hands Of General Kuro-