The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-03-29
lssAsslRAnoAs m RUSSIA.
The People are Following the Ex-
ample Set by Their Rulers.

the Fe0plo are Following the Ex-
ample Set by Their Rulers.
In assassinating members of the i'm
perial family of Russia, says The
Washington Star, the people merely
are following the dreadful precedent
established by their rules.
1.he history Of the Cars is drenched
With blood, the greater part of which
sta ms imperial hands.
= In the Tretyakof gallery at Moscow
is picture representing the first OF
these revolving murders-the inaugu-
ration OF the shocking system Of kill
Ing, members Of the imperial family.
And this crime was committed by a
sCzar-Ivan the Terrible. The pic
stul.e, lurid in colors, shows Ivan
holding in his arms che son he has
iusIt stricken to death with his heavy
staff. The instant the deed is done
this imperial madman, the aottocrat
Of nation of slaves. is horror strick-
en-. He cronches on the ground with
tho body of his dying son in his arms.
He seeks to stop the blood streaming
from the gaping wound and dyelng
the, carpet. He kisses the hair where
his, death dealing club struck. Inere
are, tears and terror in his eyes-he
has killed his son: he, the Car, the
arliter of million lives, can do moth
in5, TO save the boy. His fierce. un-
checked anger that ruled the nation
an fear is now gone, and In It's place
are, sorrow and remorse.
Ivan died of a broken.heart soon
safierWard in 1854.
Not far from this picture, in the
same gaIlery, is another CHASTITY scene
.of imperial life in Russia. Sophie,
sister of Peter the Great, is shown In
her prison cell, forced to witness the
hanging Of her faithful bodyguards on
scaffold just outside her window. 1t
is3a fair example Of the brotherly at
serltions bestowed by these former
rulers of Russia, and history hints
that this same Peter caused his own
son to be put to death.
Modern Russian history begins with
Peter the Great, OF, as some writer's
sav, it ended with him, because he
was the last of the real Russian
Cars. After him came succeeding
generations of German intermarriages
until scarcely a drop of Muscovite
blood remains in their veins. But
time and again there cropped out the
madness and the blocdthirstiness of
th,3 barbarians that ruled for centur-
les as Moscow.
More than century and half ago.
when empresses ruled Russia because
the men were killed off, a poor little
chap came to the throne and assumed
the title Of Ivan l. His predecessor
had been the Empress Anna, and her
lover, Biron, set himself up as the
regent over this youth.
But such things.could not last. 1t
was merely question Of how soon
conspiracy could be formed stronger
han the regent. The time was short.
Swords and daggers did the work, but
poor little Ivan was thrust into prison
and there forgotten during the entire
reign of dissolute woman, who took
tho name of Empress Elizabeth and
who made adventures and lovers min
listers Of sta5e.
Yet Elizabeth was nothing as COM
pared with the woman who next
astended the throne, Sophie Augusta,
Princess of Anhalt- Zerbst, who took
th, title of Catharine II. It is
strange that these dissolute, immoral
m,rderesses who ruled Russia all died
natural deaths, while Cars and grand
dukes were assassinated right and left.
tCatharine was not empress in her
oNn right. She had a husband, Peter
ILL who came to the throne January
5, 1852. Six months later he was
dead man, murdered BY the order OF
his own wife.
This crime is one Of the most shock
ing and tragic in Russian history.
All between the morals of husband
and wife there is no choice. Each
w,ls conspiring to put the other out
of the way, in which little game
Cntharine won out by appearing in
dashing costume before the guards
and getting them on her side.
Peter tried to run away, but was
caught and put in prison. Thither
vent Count Orloff, chief Of Catbar-
ines lovers, and tried to poison the
Czar. But Peter detected the poison
in the glass Of wine and refused to
drink. Then the powerful Orlotf
seized the Czar and strangled him.,
for which crime hereceived the thanks
and continued favor of the empress.
Having got rid of her husband,
Cs.tharine quickly Topped off all other
claimants to the throne. She found
DOOR little Ivan inhis forgotten prison.
q deluded lieutenant of the army
had attempted to set him free, so that
he might take the throne as lawful
Gear. The governor of the prison had
hin, orders what to do in such an
event. He shot poor little ivaa. who
had been a prisoner twelve years, and
th,st was the end Of another Gear.
.9hese two crimes of Catharine are
but fraction of those she committed.
There was an illegitimate daughter of
Elizabeth living quietly at Pisa,
Its.ly. Catharine hadher abducted and
taken to Cronstadt. That was the
last seen of this imperial princess. /
.rhe sins Of one generation often are
visited on the next. The bloody
Catharine had son who, after his