Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-10

Special Correspondence
ONDON. March l)--Who was
Carl Joubert?' The question,
which is now puzSling London,
does not seem likely to be answer
ed for some time TO come, on the other
hand an almost complete mystery sur
rounds the antecedents OF the We
hement writer who suddenly appeared
IN England from nowhere, published
three sensational books against the
czar and czardom, and recently sue
cumbed to an illness of which pratical-
IS no details have been nude public.
Even his real name-or title--is UNI
known, the author having informed
his publishers that the name he used
was an assumed one and that II would
not be safe for him to reveal his real
idcLtlty, 1t is declared, too that
"Joubert' was no, 10 Russian, although
he had lived IN the cars country for
many years and evidently knew It from
end TO end. One thing is certain how
ever aud that is that "JOubert
was comparatively young man-was
IN close touch with the inner circle OF
the Russian revolutionary party for
the forecasts I'm his books had an cN-
traOrdiuary way OF coming true, and
his intimate knowledge of the ruling
powers was unmstakable.
In appearance "Joubert' was the
typical stage revOlutionist-tall and
slender with wcl.cut features and Jet
black hair. lie came TO London slight
~ over two years ago and soon after
ward published the book which made SO
great a sensation on both sides Of the
81 A ~ / l.
was followed, something like n year
later by a still more startling work.
"The Truth About the Car" and for
this, "Joubert" stated In a PREDATORY
note, he had been supplied with special
information by officials then In the en-
tourage Of Nicholas II, "Joubert's'
last book was published I'm both Eng
land and the United States only week
or so ago. IT was called THE White
Hand and took the form Of novel,
though It served mainly to set forth
the convictions and beliefs Of its mys-
FERROUS author
Meanwhile 1t Is probable that "Jou-
bert died as the result Of severe
operation which he was Obliged TO I'M
| dergo IN last November While con-
| fined to his bed at that time, he ls-
sued statement in which he said he
! had received information from the revo-
| mtonary party IN Russia that the inn
| perial family were in imminent dan
| ger Of their lives"
Rider Haggard has evidently decided
| that the shoemaker should stick to his
! last-and the novelist TO writing novels.
| For a while Mr. Haggard persisted So
in writing books about farming ana
such like matters that his readers ne
gan TO despair Of ever having any more
romances from his pen, ana even when
he did begin to turn out fiction again
he mixed II up with advocating the
back to the land" movement in a way
that did not please his public. Whether
or no the public retaliated It would not
be politis to say, but at any rate, Mr..
Haggard seems TO have made up his
mind TO stick to storytelling. hereafter.
"Ayesha," the sequel TO She" made a
good beginning, and now | hear that the
author has completed n now novel the
scene of which is laid partly In Eng
land and partly In the Soudanese des-
ert. Briefly, It Is the history OF an
English officer who IN his youth COM
mits a serious moral error and who reg
listers a vow that thenceforth his life
shall be kept unspotted. lie keeps his
oath, too. though under circumstances
Of great trial and difficulty, and the
success of his great platonic expert
ment is shared by an eastern woman
Of high rank Meanwhile, having writ
ten "nnis'' to his novel, the author OF
King Solomou's Mines has straight
way embarked upon another one,Whlch
he says. Is q Spanish romance OF the
period Of Ferdinand and Isabella.
There are few better read men than
John Burns. the president OF the local
government board and the first working
man TO be given a seat IN British
cabinet. He has the most extensive prl-
vate library relating TO labor condl-
tions ana social problems to be found in
England His reading in other direc-
tions covers wide range Of literature
NC is natural that among poets he
should prefer his Scottish namesake,
and Is not little proud of the fact