Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-21
speelal correspondence.

Special Correspondence
ut. PETERSBURG NOV. i0--l7ull as
s':::: IS: !: !. !: i:
bound, 10 he rulers OF provinces
as large as France; of cigarette-Neho7
ors whu die minister's Of cooks VINO
are made university professors ana
of gypsy girls who become queens
the career OF Alexis Lomott impresses
even Russians with its rapit' change
and its sordid ending. First humble
servant in the imperial palace, then
n favoritc of the car. AicNander IL,
now Il beggar--such is the iiie-StofS
told To the police who arrested MN
for asking aims in the streets OF 81.
Petersburg and-what Is nofe-i"ullu
to be true.
Alexis LomoT began life in a char
actnristjcally miserable village where
the inhabitants live on black bread
for one half uf the year and on roots
during the other. Being a handy SORT
of boy, however, the administrator OF
the ncighboring palace, which formed
part of the imperial domain, took nm
as Il servant He remained for some
wears there when at last the ear, then
Alexander ii. visited il for shooting.
Lomoff attracted his attention by his
bright eyes and deft manner and,
when the visit was over, he Followed
in the emperor's suite to the capital
For some time it seemed as though
the young peasant had been quite for
gotten by his royal master for he was
set to sweep and dust in some parts OF
the palace thar. as far as any notice
the emperor took of them, was as far
removed from the imperial family as
Lomom's native village one day,how-
xI>,, n I'm int l1n "a ~
peror's way. He was walking down one
of thccorridors when his foot slipped and
he would have fallen had not Lomoff,
who had been sent on Il message from
one courticr to the other, deity caught
his arm and prevented tn" fall. Alex
andcr II, who happened to be alone,
looked keenly at him
RECOGNIZED BY THE GEAR.
'Wherc have seen thee before?" he
asked, for his memory for faces was
said TO be marvellous. AT "" was
the prompt reply. Your Most Brilliant
and Imperial Hishness degned to
take me into your service.
"lAnd why, then, do | never see
thee" the emperor asked probably
again attracted by the bright young
face and ready answer, Where do
you scrve?"
The boy mentioned the name Of the
courtier and was told to leave him and
so Immediately to the imperial apart
ments
This was not all Mexandel's per
sonal valet who had been undar a
cloud for some time. was dismissed
at once aud replaced by Alexis Lonl-
off. He remained in This dangerous,
though cnried, place for over 20 years.
Such a mans fortune is made. Few
who have not amy connection with
the cars imperial palace. can guess
at the number of supplicants who
present themselves to his personal
valet and pay large sums Of money To
have petition given TO the imperia,
hands Alexis Lomoffs did not waste
his opportunities. Tho car, always
inclined to talk to him, soon made
him his cuulidantc. Lorpoff knew
what was going to happen in lie im
perial Offices before the ministers
themselves. the consequences was thai
they bowed Low before him ana paid
him wei i'll order to learn who was
to be the favored and who not. Warm
ed beforehand, many high officials had
time to save their offices or .. least
nut by q fortune before their fall.
Little by little. by diut OF tact and
sound common sense, he began TO give
his master advice.
FREEDOM OF sERFs.
It was Alexander II who freed the
serfs and abolished slavery, Though
he had first formed the project and
would probably have carried ii out in
any case, many Of his ministers dis
suaded him and the ukase lay await
ing his signature for n long time Ii
is said that Alexis Lolnoff--hiinseif a
peasant and therefore u scrf--iid
much to hasten the completion of this
plan, not only by advocating it, but by
stories OF the way III which serfs wcra
treated. the starved condition so many
of them lived in. and their misery,
filth and ignorance.