The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-24
THE EMPEROR PAUL The Story of the Assassination of Russia's Ruler
 in 1894. TOLD NOW FOR FIRST TIME. The True Story of the Dreadful Decd
 al Last Made
 Public.
TOLD NOW FOR FIRST TIME.

As if is near the anniversary of the death of Paul I of Russia, perhaps YOU would insert the following inter- esting account of his assassination, writes I'll. C. S." to the Boston Tran script. It is taken from 'Etude Critique du Materialisme ct du Spirit ualisme par la Physique Experimen- tale" by Professor Raoul Pictet of the University of Geneva:
 q am about to relate an historical event which was told me by an eye witness of the assassination of the 1 Emperor Paul of Russia, on January l15. 1894. This witness was one of my aunts. who died at the advanced age of 93 years, in 1S69 having preserved the fullness of all her intellectual fac ulties until that extreme old age. As young lady of the Lyonian nobility, having been born Countess Sievera. in the capacity of one of the empress maids of honor.
 "The last few months of the Elm peror Pauls reign were signalized by eccentricitics verging on madness. This monarch, whose brain was turned by his absolute power, ordered carriages and sledges to be stopped on the streets, and obliged all his serfs, lords, nobles and villains to alight on the carriage road and kneel before him as he passed! In short, those about him determined to obtain his abdca- ton by fair means or foul Some days before the execution of the palace plot my aunt noticed some uneasiness at the drawing-rooms and during the receptions. Various sentences exchang- l ed in low tone, suspicious behavior 1 and secret conferences In corners of the rooms did not escape her observa- 1 ton. The Emperor, too, guessed that something was brewing against him. and appeared to be more reserved, as l if on his guard
 The very evening of the crime there was a grand court at the pal ace; all the official world and the diplomatic body were invited The foreboding signs had become so evil dent that, about midnight, my aunt, who had retired to her rooms, which opened on to the long corridor of the Winter Palace, instead of going to bed, wrote a long letter to her father. who was at that time marshal of the Livonian nobility. She had half-un- dressed herself, and sat writing at her table With uncovered shoulders and wearing short petticoat Qes n n of nY, et,,As Ia \ About 1;30 an unusual noise was heard in the corridor. This corridor, which was very long. traversed the palace from end to end, and termin- ated at the Emperor's private apart ments. Seized with emotion and fear. my aunt hurriedly took up the taper which was on her table and opened her chamber door. At the same mo- ment Count Pahlen, the grand cham berlain, went by very agitated and ac- companied by four other nobles of the court
 What passed through my aunts mind then no one can say; but this is her true story of what happened l heard it more than twenty times at least during the two years l lived near to her at Paris in 1S6S-9, when ] was studying at the Ecole Polytechnique and at the Sorbonne. My aunt loved to tell me this tragic adventure, which still moved her so much after sixty four years that she never dared to write it down.
 50 l seized my taper, and, implied by a force for which I cannot even now account, followed Count Pahlen and his four acoytes. Not one of them was astonished to see me following them thus in so unusual a costume. We walked a distance of about sixty yards to the emperors chamber. The five men only exchanged gestures. not word was uttered. Count Pahlen entered first without knocking; he held in his hand roll of white pa per. Behind him walked his colleague carving a taper in his hand; then all the others and myself entered. The Emperor Paul was seated at his table writing. Evidently he expected some- thing and his suspicious were aroused. Count Pahlen first addressed him: We come, your majesty, to ask of you. for the good of the country and your own, your ahdicationi Your health condemns you to retirement; all the physicians and we have arrived at the conclusion that your abdication. has become necessary. We bring you the documents to sign
 The emperor drew back a little behind his very large table. It was A heavy piece of furniture: on the em- peror's left hand a chandelier of five branches lighted the letter he had be- gun to write; in front was a mala- chite paper-press formed of a great ball fixed on a very massive rectan- gle.
 During Count Pahlen's speech. pronounced in very firm voice. the five men had progressively advanced toward the edge of the table: the sec- ond taper was set down beside the inkstand. while the emperor. who was placed on the other side, recoiled in voluntarily to increase the distance which separated him from these men.
 "'Yes he said; you are deficient in respect for me: you think | am too severe with you, and you want to take my place in order to give it to my more yielding successor. 1 shall resist thatJ shall resist that, and, as he uttered these words tho emperor pushed back his chair toward the par tition against which he had been al- most leaning, and which was close to the wide fireplace in which some er1- bers were dying out
 Sire. we wish for your abdication at any cost. we require it for the pl,b lic good Al the moment he pronounc- ed these words Count Pahlen. a tan and powerful man. passed his arm over the table with sufficient rapidity to seize the Emperor's hand The lat ter recoiled hastily, and endeavored with his other disengaged hand +o
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