The Washington times., 1905-02-12
CHAPTER XII.
Prince Miehael's Anger.


Nobody but myself. in all Russia. was
familiar with the secrets and the mys--
teries of the Brotherhood of Silence In
organizing it [ had anticipated just such
4 moment as the one that faced me
now that is. an emergency where I
would have to depend entirely upon the
loyalty of my men, and my own superior
/ knowledge Of who and what they were,
for my safety.
The partial description already given
of that organization conveys only a
/ faint idea Of It's perfection and COM
/ pleteness. The different departments
were thoroughly under the control of
| their several heads. and those heads
/ were all men whom I could implicitly
| trust, and [ knew that I might even
/ dare to snap my fingers at the power OF
the police system itself, SO great was my
| own.
| I had men everywhere, and the gift
| of remembering names and faces. gift
/ the Almighty had bestowed upon me.
gave me the advantage OF knowing
nearly all of them by sight, although
| there was not a score, all told, who
knew me; and those were every one i'm
| portations of my own, upon whose de-
Votion [ could thoroughly depend. even
| in the face of regular police opposition,
| More than that. I had men within the
ranks of the police. even within the fold
| of the mysterious and dreaded third
| section.
I realized fully the danger to my own
person in going upon the street at that
hour, when I had within SO short a time
F.; been condemned 10 death by the ex-
trenists-thc most impIacabIe element
among the Nihilists.
| They DO not dread death themselves.
50 long as they accomplish the death OF
him who has been condemned, and one
who has fallen under the ban of their
| fiisapproval is in as great danger in
broad daylight. among d hundred com
panions, as he is on dark streets and
among unfreducnted byways
| 1 thought it best, therefore. to provide
as well as possible against another at
| tempt to assassinate me, and, there
fore, sought my own apartments before
going to the palace. I intended to adopt
a disguise of some kind, and, moreover.
I had given orders for several OF my
/ leaders to meet me there. and I knew
that I would find them waiting
They were there when 1 arrived
! CoyIe. Garfield. Malet. St Cyr. and with
| them several of their Heutenants.
There was another one there also,
whose hands were tied behind him, and
| whose feet were fastened together. while
by way of additional security, he was
lied 70 the chair in which my friends
| l1ad seated him. That man was Ivan,
the brother of Princess Olga
I did not glance at him as entered,
but notwithstanding his presence. pro-
! ceeded at once to business. instructing
my men in exactly what they were To
! do that might
| He listened intentIy, first with anger
and even rage. then with scern and con-
Tempt, but finally with wonder and gem
uine fear.
In Srder to convey some idea Of the
moral effect that the meeting had upon
him I must outline q part OF it. One
by one my men read of lists OF the
Nihilists under their jurisdictions, accu-
rately describing them, as well as the
several disguises that they were in the
| habit of wearing, the meeting place Of
the different. branches OF the society and
! where the members Of those branches
were TO be found at certain hours
| Included in the lists were names Of
many prominent people in the city, off1-
GERS in the army. policemen on duty.
spies in private families, in hotels and
cafes, in the palace, at the barracks, in
the prisons and, in fact, everywhere.
AS name after name was read off,
| until the number amounted to many
hundreds, the face OF Ivan d'Echeveria
became as pale as death, and when, at
last his own sisters name was read,
and | remarked grimly that she was
already a prisoner, and would be on her
way to Siberia within the week, he
broke out into curses and threats. 10
which, of course. not one of US paid the
slightest attention.
0uen he found that we did not notice
him in any way. but proceeded quietly
with our business, he relapsed into
moody silence and I knew that my
moral lesson was working. I knew that
I could save Olga's brother, for that is
what I meant to do.
When the lists We're completed, and
had given my orders regarding who was
to be arrested that night, and VINO was
TO be spared, having directed that GER
tain of them be told that they could
obtain passports out of the country I'M
| der certain conditions, l dismissed my
leaders. and at last stood alone IN the
| presence of Ivan-
Now. sir 1 said coldly, what do
| YOU think of it?
II think that this night will see the
end of our cause, until others are born,
and grow up TO know the wrongs to
which the people of Russia have to SUBJ
: nit You may crush out Nlhihsm to-
r day but it will spring up aStun' hhe-
Like the poisonous weed that II Is.
| expect that, but this present growth
will be cut down tonight You do not ask
what is to be done with you, Ivan.
| why should Il I know
II am afraid that you do not
. "One who would send my beautIful
sister TO Siberia-Bah! I Will not talk
5 Have I been unmerciful except to
those who are confessed murdefefS, and
those who are only awaiting Il chance
to kiIl?'
No" he replied reluctantly.
fglK INN ell i,fa {z
+ to accomplish what your people want
; To do by the commission of crimes
u You who were one of the men waiting
| 10 kin me as soon as I came out of the
II bouse of your SiSter-What was your
: | first thought when my men fell upon
land arrested you? Did you not think
u that your sister had betrayed YOU all 10
e me?''