The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-02

; GUARDING THE CARS HEIR.
: A Whole Regiment Of Cossaeks
: is Set to Watch the imperial
: Baby.


the infant heir TO the throne of Russia
steps out of his crib i'm the morning
until his curly head snuggles again OF
the pillow at sunset, his every move,
ment is watched over by a lynx eyed
general, a tall, handsome man. who
wears gorgeous uniform. sparkling
with stars and medals in charge OF g
special regiment OF Cossacks.
When the young prince is indoors
In the vast palace, his bodyguard Il
there also. The soldiers stand like
statues in the corridors. seeing and
hearing everything, but never by word
or sign betraying the fact that they
are alive. When the child is taken In
to the great garden, there the soldiers
also are stationed. In the dark shad-
ows OF the pine trees stand fur clad
Cossacks with fixed bayonets, silent
and motionless. AS the curly headed
youngster. enveloped in priceless furs,
romps by in his games building snow
houses or snowballng his nurse, the
nearest men present arms, silently and
reverently. The gates OF the garden
are zealously guarded by more senti-
nels, and none may enter without the
password
No other little boy In the world is
guarded so assiduously against lurk-
ing perils. BY the express wishes OF
both the car and czarina this military
protection of the czarovitch must be
constant but not onerous to him, The
.tl<
General Vladimir Dedjulin, governor
of the Peterhof palace, and IL is min
gled with an ever present danger. Ded-
julin knows that he will be assassin
ated II any one of the terrorists can
reach him In an unguarded moment
He is aware that his three predecess-
ors in this responsible position met
with ugly deaths, and the harboring
Of these memories causes him TO exer-
else unrelaxing vigilance. which only
can save him from similar fate.
But this Russian general boasts a
down his life to save that OF his mas
ter. the car, or that OF the heir to the
throne. His own duty is to protect
them. The czar Is a comparatively
easy man to guard, for he is always
surrounded by soldiers he has a great
staff of officers armed with swords
and pistols, but the baby czarowitch,
not yet four years old. must be watch
ed over in his bed. at play in the nurs-
cry and the snow. He and his sisters
must have perfect freedom to play
their games, ride their Shetland ponies,
build snow forts and slide down hills
on their bobsleds, and they must never
realize that the silent soldiers who
follow in their footsteps from morn
till night do so for their safety.
And yet on one occasion a man got
through. 1t happened when Alexis
was seven months old The plot was
Matched In Vienna. and there Is no
doubt that at that period had II been
the cause Of the death OF the caro-
witch, II would have led to the over
throw OF the Russian dynasty. One of
the palace carts came in one day
bringing forage as usual, and exactly
how it was the man came to be con-
cealed in that cart among the straw
will probably never be known but il
was thus concealed that he came to
the imperial premises, and was found
wandering about suspiciously near the
lawn where the royal children have
their playground. In vain he protest
ed that he was one OF the imperial
tradesmen who had lost his way. The
Russian police who can be as astute
as any in the world when they like.
had wind of plot in course OF prepa-
ration, and, though they had missed
their man, ii did not take them long to
put two and two together when they
found him again.
The regiment which forms the car |
owitch's bodyguard is composed of fif- |
ty of the most loyal and trusted Co.'S
sacks. They are big men, and have
been promoted into the regiment for
some special act of bravery. Twenty |
men form the day staff, and are sta
toned at different grounds. They go
on duty as soon as their charge opens
his eyes in the morning. and remain
otdtiOhtu 10 dSictp again o.
night. Their places are taken by re-
serves from the regiment at meal
times, and only three picked men. in
with General Dedjulin, actu-
ally associate with, and follow, the
czarowitch throughout the day. At
night two sentinels remain stationed
outside the door of the royal sleeping
apartment, two under each window,
while the general himself sleeps with
enc eye open in the next room, and Of
ten makes a tour of the building to
see that the men are still faithful to
their duty.
In no other country are such strin-
gent precautions necessary for the
of royal head. but in
Russia the nihilists and terrorists are
without mercy. and schemes for the
destruction OF the imperial baby are
being planned and thwarted every day.
Thus General Dedjulin breathes an
atmosphere of perpetual danger.
He knows that his food or drink may
be poisoned; that the very sentry at
his door may be an assassin. 1t takes
a brave man to stand this life.
Within a few DAVIS of tho birth of the