Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-28
THE CAR ATPETERH0F
Virtually a Prisoner in His
Pretty Villa.
.TREPoFF STANDS GUARD
Daily Paper Printed for the Russian
Emperor.
VERY FOND OF HIS FAMILY
Wastes His Time on Trifing Details
Instead Of Concentrating His
Attention on Great Problems.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chica
Record Herald

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
ST. PETERSBURG, July II, 1905
The car is virtually prisoner In pref
ty villa surrounded by beautiful forest
at Peterhof, about twelve miles from the
capital where Peter the Great used to
spend his idle hours, and where his sue
cessors have lived in splendor. Ambassador
Meyer describes his life there as that OF
a country gentleman. The villa is COM
paratively small. and Nicholas II is seek
ing domestic happiness with his WIFE ana
children, to whom he Is devoted, although
we cannot imagine him as having much
peace of mind under the circumstances.
Gen. Trepoff, commander or the Paiace
Guards, notorious for his determination and
the horrible atrocities that have been COM
mitted under his orders lives in the villa
with the imperial family, and is supposed
to be there for the purpose of protecting
the life of his master, but his constant
surveillance over the emperor and every
one who visits him is ascribed to another
motive 1t Is asserted that Trepon not
only reads all the cars letters, but inter-
cepts those which he does not wish his
majesty to see. He also is accused OF pre-
venting information from reaching the car
which might affect his policy or his good
opinion of his present advisers.
A daily paper is published for his majes-
tvs benefit, an ingenious device TO keep
the regular papers out of his hands In
order to save him time and trouble, which
is an excellent pretext. three or four ex-
perienced men, employed by Trepor as edi-
tors read the morning papers of st. Pc
tersburg and other Russian cities and sew
eral French, German and English journals
for him, clipping such articles as 1t is con-
sidered advisable for him to see. These are
reprinted on sheet of convenient size and
laid upon his majesty's desk every morn
ing. Ten or twelve other copies are print
ed for the use of the grand dukes and other
members of the court, who are too busy
or too lazy to read the newspapers for
themselves. In this way Trepoff prevents
his imperial master from being prejudiced
against his own policy, for you may be
sure the clipping is done with great care,
and he never reads anything that is not
proper for him to see.
The czar told a recent American visitor
that he read nine newspapers every day,
and that is the way he does 1t.
Enclosed by High Yellow Fence.
Ten or twelve acres of beautiful forest
are inclosed by a high yellow fence, to
which there is only one entrance, closely
guarded by Cossacks. Near the gate
guard house has been erected in which the
officer of the day the officer of the
night, one or the other, is always on duty
with a guard of ten or twelve men, while in
the barracks. a mile or two distant and
connected by telephone, are between 5000
and 1000 men, cavalry, infantry and artil-
lery. 1t was in those barracks that the
mutiny occurred the other day in the regi-
ment of imperial guards of which the car
is honorary colonel. The press dispatches
have told you the story.
Within the Enclosure his majesty is at
tended by none but Tartar servants who
81 ted
perfectly reliable. 1t is a remarkable anom-
ally that the head of the Orthodox Greek
Church should employ none but Mohamne-
dams in his household because he cannot
trust Christians Priests of the Orthodox
Greek Church teach that revolutionary SEN
timents are heinous sin because the car
is the chosen of the Lord and His vice re-
gent, so far the Greek Church is con-
is afraid to employ members of his own
church in his family. Tartar servants,
however, are more popular everywhere than
Russians because they are more reliable,
and they do not drink or steal
No person is admitted at the gate except
those who are known to the officers of the
guard, members of the imperial family,
cabinet ministers and others who have the
pie must obtain permission to visit him be-
fore leaving St. Petersburg, and will be no.
tilted what train to take. There is train
nearly every hour back and fourth, for
of the Baltic sea and reaches the most
popular suburban towns and summer
sorts around the Russian capital Guests
are met at the station by one of the impe-
rial carriages and are driven directly to the
villa.
The members of the ministry come once
week, bringing portfolios containing pa
pers for his majesty to examine There
are twelve ministers whose duties require
them to see his majesty frequently, and
each has his particular time for coming,
while cabinet meetings, councils and Con-
situations are frequently held.
The Gear Fond of Detail.
The car insists upon detail which Is
evidence Of a narrow mind: Not long ago
an American gentleman was employed to
act for the Russian government in flnan-
cial transaction, and when-she finished the
business he presented a bill of expenses.
Even that had to go to the czar, who re-
quired an explanation of every item be-
fore he would approve it. Last week a
gentleman who has been In the employ of
the treasury department for nearly forty
years. prepared a financial statement, show
ing a comparison between the condition of
the treasury at present and for several
years past When the minister of finance
submitted this memorandum his majesty
occupied an hour or more in a critical
examination of 1t, and then asked to have
the man who prepared it sent out TO Peter
hof in order that he might ask further
questions as to details. The other day he
received a printed statement of the earn
ings and expenses of the Great Siberian
railroad-the ordinary report issued to the
public every three menths. The minister
who carried 1t to him had many important
matters to report, but his majesty occu-
pied the entire morning in discussing the
condition of the railroad. In neither of
these cases did he disapprove the actions of
his minister or show official concern. He
seemed to be actuated by curiosity more
than any other motive. and l am told that
1t is always so-that he wastes his time In
the consideration and discussion of trifiing
matters while problems of vital Importance
are ignored postponed.
Nearly every pleasant evening he takes
a drive with his wife and children through
the park at Peterbof. attended by guard
of Cossacks. Like President Roosevelt he
plays tennis In the afternoon; he rides a
bicycle around his grounds. and often goes
out with the children on their ponfes. His
fondness for his children is one of his re-
deerning traits. although his ministers often
complain that the time he spends with them
is stolen from more important duties They
occupy time and attention which should be
given to state affairs He leads very do
mestic life: he does not seem to take pleas
ure In anything but his family affairs, and
Is naturally of retiring disposition. These
traits. his critics say. may be commendabie
in an ordinary citizen. but an emperor has