New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-01
AMNESTY FOR PRINCE.
Peter Kropotkin Permitted to Re
,,r,u TO Russia and to Enter France.

ratification from the French government
-. me decree OF expulsion issued against him
Gears ago at the instance of the Muscoyite
.e,.ssv at Paris had been annulled. The prince
- therefore, been able TO quit the modest villa
:. pror,Iey IN Kent, where he had made his home
y. several years PAST and TO travel without him
.-.rc4 through france 70 his native land, for
s1.b he sacrificed rank and riches For Prince
-ter belongs TO enc Of the few families which
- fheir descent from the house of Rurik pos
.sss 2 lineage more inustTious than that OF the
s1.r and Is the son of a general OF great wealth
as corresponding influence.
Tq,e prince. like other young mobiles. was edu-
,sted at the expense of Emperor Nicholas L at
IKE so-caIed College OF Imperial Pages at St.
r,e,srsbure and was frequently called upon to dg-
:, ss page Of honor to tho Emperor the Empress
-. grand dukes and the grand duchesses at court
emotions on receiving q commission in the
crsr5s he was attached TO the personal staff Of
che Governor General Of Eastern Siberia, and
xbIe there developed e taste for geographical
.rplorstion. achieving much distinction IN CON
r.ctiou herewith that his return TO ST. Peters
+,,rg be was appointed secretary of the Imperial
Geographical Society and chamberlain to the En-
-,.ss on the death Of his father he succeeded to
= very large fortune. It about this time that
tour through Finland in behalf of the geographi-
al society brought him into contact with the
-,ssses and with their sufferings, and he deter
r,,ned thenceforth 10 devote himself to the bet
tsring Of their condition. During the few years
that followed he became affiliated with the Inter-
national Workingmen's Association at zurich.
In course of time the authorities at st. Peters
burg began to hear of a mysterious and eloquent
ssftator among the working classes who, arrayed
:. the humblest garb, delivering addresses
and lectures to them with view to forming them
selves into unions for the purpose of lettering
their lot Among the downtrodden weavers this
MYSTERIOUS Individual who went by the of
-Borodin" particularly active. and well
vas his Identity concealed that nearly two years
ELAPSED before through treachery, his arrest was
accomplished and the discovery was made that
Borodin" was other than Prince Peter Kro-
rotsn the Chamberlain Of the Czarina.
The discovery created a tremendous sensation
:, Russian society. and for three years he
sspt closely Imprisoned In the fortress of St
peter and St. Paul, without trial. At the end
Of that time he escaped under exciting crcum-
stances from the hospital OF the prison. to which
he had been transferred The escape has been
frequently described in print that it is unnecessary
10 recount it again here. Let It suffice TO say
that # DID credit 20 his ingenuity, to his daring
and 10 the devotion OF his friends Getting out of
Russia in the disguise OF police officer. he made
his way through Finland to Sweden and Norway,
70 Scotland and thence to London.
In England he has since that time made his
home, save for three years. which he spent in
prison in France on trumped up charge of or
Fsn1ging labor disorders Lyons The SEN
tence was for a much longer term. but the French
government arrived at the conclusion that he had
heen unjustly condemned and restored him TO
liberty It nevertheless deferred to the Russian
government which had protested against his par
don to the extent Of issuing decree of expulsion
against him.
let me add that Prince Kropotkin. although the
most eloquent and able member of the revolution
ary party and a famous scientist, has never at
any time advocated murder or robbery means
attain the end which has now been reached,
namely. the grant OF a constitution to the Russian
people Moreover, he differs from the vast ma
joTity OF his fellow revoutonists in having sacri-
feed wealth. rank and position in the society to
which he had been born. for the cause Of Russias
freedom.
OLD LORD GRIMTHoRPE's 800 WILLS
Lord Crimthcrpe who is now in this country
and who is constantly being referred 10 in the
newspapers here as Ernest Beckett the name which
he bore PRIOR 10 his accession to his uncles peer
age and other honors. and under which he was
married N New-York. TO the daughter of William
Tracy Lee, OF thfs city is having no end of trouble
N connection with the estate OF the late peer |
Old Lord Grimthorpe was one of the most famous !
nat ilainentaTy lawyers IL the United Kingdom be-
sidss being banker and amateur clockmaker the |
creator OF the gigantic clock OF the tower Of the
Houses OF Parliament az Westminster and Of Other
equally notable tinIepleces. Yet like SO many
other great lawyers he failed to leave av sensible
VA q ent ana dried direction to the disposal
o. his estates, valued at some sl5.00oo0 or more
a seems that, instead OF making one will he /
vas IN The habit of 1otting down on sims Of ra,ar
'estshentary directions. Some three nUrdred OF /
.Hese nave been discovered, besides a couple OF /
Hunofeo letters or so containing testamentary in
suNelohs, many OF the latter being of a contra
a.e'ory character. Added to this there are ten
"e eaiEaants ard about threescure other persons
tho imagine they have beneficiary interests in
Hs estate, their pretensions being in some IN
stances confirmed by the memoranda In fact the /
e'atuslon IS something appalling and VIII cost
40 emu OF money in legal expenses and judicial
proceedings 70 straighten out
IL is peculiar fact that most of the leading
English Judges chief justices and lord chancelicrs
'na ls to say. the very digntaries called upon to
'@ls wills and TO determine iudicialiy the valid
NE ef testamentary dispositions-have failed to
ea'e satisfactory Wills themselves In many in
,a'css Their wills, owing TO some defect or error
ave eecome the subjects OF long and costly law
sllts' ana as an instance taer of l may cite the
wa OF ths first Lord St. Ieonards. for so many
ss@fs Lord High Chancellor Of the realm. who in
ms Jay vas regarded as the greatest authority in
'Nt'eaee on The subject OF probate