The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-04-14
Tenth Page

Flnns. An, M leurI TINS country, once
90 prosperous, is q blot upon the face Of
Europe. His methods are the worst and
most unscrupulous of any employed by
Russia. Before he came here he was
the best hated man in Petersburg, and
that, they say, is why the Emperor sent
him to us" .r, f.a
"And he is uncle Of this young lady,
Elma Heathp
"Unclei Ali ! don't know that,
m'sieur. / have been told 80. His
niece--pOor young lady!--can that bef
Surely not!
"Why notY asked. .,
But the woman gave me no reason;
she only exhibited her palms and sighed.
She seemed to have compassion upon the
girl sought; her heart was really softer
than / had believed IL to be.
"Where does this Baron liver" I asked,
surprised that he should occupy so high
q place in Russian ofiicialdom--th rep
resentative of the Gear, with powers as
great as the Emperor himself.
"At the Government Palace, in Hell
singfors."
"And Elma Heath is herein this
grim fortress! WhyT
"Ah, m'sieur, how can l telli BY rea-
SON OF family secrets, perhaps. They
account for so much, you know"
''That is exactly my opinion" ! said.
She has been brought here against her
will"
"Most probably. This is not cheer
ful place, as you see. We have five
months OF ice and snow, and for four
months are practically cut off from civ
ilization and see no new face"
"Terrible!" gasped, glancing round
at those dark stone walls that seemed
to breathe an air of tragedy and mys
terry. The old castle had, / supposed,
been turned into o convent, as many
have been in Germany and Austria. Back
in feudal times 1t no doubt had been
grand old place. "And have you been
here longp / asked.
"Seven years only. But am leaving.
Even I, used as am to a solitary life,
can stand ID no longer. l feel that its
cold silence and dreariness will drive me
mad. In winter the place is like an ice
WE'LL"
The fact that the Baron was ruler of
Finland amazed me, for r had half.ex-
pected him to be some clever adventurer.
Yet as the events of the past flashed
through my brain, recollected that in
Rannoch Wood had been found the min.
nature of the Russian Order of Saint
Anne, a distinction which, in all prob.
ability, had been conferred upon him.
II 80, the coincidence, to say the least,
was q remarkable one. I questioned my
companion further regarding the Baron.
"Ah, m'sieur," she declared, "they call
him The Stranger of the Firms Il was
he who ordered the peasants OF Kasko to
be fogged until four of them died--and
the Czar gave him the Star of White
Eagle for it-he who suppressed half
the newspapers and put eighteen editors
in prison for publishing a report OF q
meeting of the Swedes in Helsingfors;
he who encourages corruption and brib-
cry among the officials for the further.
ance Of Russian interests; he who has
ordered Russian to be the official Ian.
guage. who has restricted public educa.
ton, who has Over.taxed and ground
down the people until now the mine is
laid, and Finland is ready for open re.
volt. The prisons are filled with the in.
nocent; men are logged; the poor are
starving, and The Strangler,' as they
call him, reports to the Car that Fin.
land is submissive and is Russianizedl"
had heard something Of this abom-
Unable state Of affairs from time to time
from the English press, but had never
taken notice Of the name Of the oppres-
sor. So the uncle of Elma Heath was
"The Stranger of Finland" the man
who, in four years, had reduced pros.
porous country to state Of ruin and
Tevolti
Cannot I see herr" I asked, feeling
that we had remined too long there. II