The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-03-09
The Certificate of Death.

I1e StFtlIICdIe Oh DeaVI1s
Wanda, tired, was lounging in
her boudoir. 1t was morning and
she had not long before returned
from meeting of the secret COM
mittee. At midnight they had con-
vened with delegates from Kieff,
Odessa and Moscow to determine
the fate of a number of enemies
of the cause.
Bitter had been the denuncia-
ton of such men as Trepoff by
the majority of the members and
while Padlewsky had counseled
caution and Wanda had made an
eloquent plea against violence,
asking them to preserve the cause
from acts of vengeance and bar
barity, the vote was overwhelm-
ing, and Trepoff and several trail
tors to the cause were sentenced
to death.
/ Wanda was called upon to draw
1.-THE lots and select the person to
carry out the sentence on Trepoff.
She placed her hand in the urn
and taking out one of the bits of
paper read the name, Vera Zas-
soulitch."
Two days after that, on the 23d
of January, a young girl was walk
ing with firm step towards the
palace in which the chief of police
daily received his petitioners.
She stood in the ante-chamber
waiting for Trepoff. Vera Zassou-
Itch held a revolver in her hand,
concealed by her long fur cloak.
AS Trepoff passed in front of her
she raised her arm, fired, and the
general, severely wounded, fell at
her feet.
And the telegraph carried the
news to the four quarters of the
globe.
Two days later, at a grand ball
given in Biajan by one of the
wealthiest families of the city, the
dead body of a young nobleman
was found stretched out at the
foot of the principal staircase. He
had betrayed a friend of the cause.
Also at Odessa, the son of rich
merchant was found stabbed to
death in a lonely street; and upon
his breast was pinned a paper,
with this inscription: "Killed for
denunciation of the socialists"
Prince Kryloff entered his
daughters room, holding in his
hand large envelope banded and
sealed with black.
Il accused you unjustly the
other day, my dear child" he said.
81 suspected that your mother was
in Russia; but this letter informs
me tina"
"My mother! Oh, what is the
matter? Let me read it," and she
snatched the envelope out of her
fathers hand.
1t contained two Enclosures
the one was a letter signed Mich
ael Federoff; the other was a
certificate of the registry of the
death of Alexandra, late princess
of Kryloff."
Wanda fell stunned and bro
kenhearted, upon her divan.
Dead! dead!" she cried, land
I was not with her! And you, my
father, have caused all this
wretchedness! You are truly
guilty of her DEATH"
The prince frowned. "In the
presence of DEATH" he said, 81
forgive you; and he left the
room.
Wanda sat still, repeating over
and over again the one word:
Dead! Dead" At last she sum-
moned courage to read Federoff's
letter. 1t contained a full ac-
count of her mothers terrible
death.
AS she sat there. crushed by
grief, Katia burst in upon her, and
told her that Raymond Chabert
was waiting to see her, with an
dispatch.
YES" she said, "I suppose it is
something about my mother"
Your mother is not dead!" ex-
claimed Chabert, almost before he
had entered the room. Here is a.
letter from the doctor. and one
from the princess also"
These words produced such a.
reaction In Wanda's heart, such a
revulsion of feeling, that she
threw herself, nearly fainting, in
to Raymond's arms.
This bliss of holding this wom-
an to his heart, of feeling her
lovely form in his arms, intoxicat-
ed him with rapture; he would
willingly have shed his life-blood|
for that short moment of ecstasy.
However, Wanda recovered herl
'self-possession In a few seconds,
and then sat down to read two
letters.
The one from DIR. Federoff was
addressed to Raymond Chabert. I'll
informed him of the princess con-!
sent to her daughters marriage,
and then went on to disclose a
plan which she and Federoff had
formed to return to Russia and bel
near her daughter. As Wanda
could not have entire possession
of her mothers fortune during
that mothers lifetime, they had
taken advantage of a little trip in
the mountains of the Oberland,
and of their guides avarice, to
bride him to swear before a mag
istratel that Princess Alexandra
Kryloff had come to her death by
fall from a precipice.
The second letter from Waudase|