Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-11-24
TOLSTO| is DEAD
THE GREAT AND VENERABLE RE-
FORMER AND WRITER
SOUGHT REST
FROM MADDINC CROWD
Death Heard His Wish and "Touched
His Tired Heart"---His Faith
full Wife Was With Him
When He Died

4 Astapova, Nov. 2O.-Count Tolstoi
died peacefully at $3.50 this morning.
Sunday, DR.. Makovetsky and the
other attending physicians and the
Countess Tolstoi were at his side
when the end came. 1t was recognized
long before that his case was hopeless
and at o'clock in the morning, after
the countess had been summoned and
the other members OF the family had
\ gathered in the adjoining room, the
/ physicians issued bulletin announc-
ing the activity of his heart had al
most ceased, and Tolstoi's condition
was extremely dangerous.
Several OF the physicians were
greatly overcome by the approaching
death of Russia's great writer
Tolstoi, accompanied only by Dr.
Makovetsky, left his home at Yasnaya
Pollana, for the purpose of ending
his days in solitude, to which he was
more and more inclined during his
latter years. His pilgrimage LED him
to the Monster yShamardine in the
province of Kaluga, where he remain
ed as guest of his sister Ma lie, who
/ is a nun or the ClOlSter.
Learning that his retreat had been
discovered, he insisted upon proceed
ing on his journey to Caucasus,
where he hoped to spend his last days
close to the Tolstoian colony, on the
shore of the Black Sea. But during
the railroad journey he was overcome
with exhaustion and cold, and Dr.
| Makoyetsky was compelled to have
him transferred to the flag station OF
Astopova, where he was made as COM
Portable as possible in a rude wooden
building.
I For five days, he had laid there suf-
fering, first from bronchitis and later
from inflammation of the lungs Spe-
cialists were called from Moscow and
other places, but notwithstanding
their utmost efforts the heart of the
great Russian responded but feebly to
the restoratives On Saturday, the at
tacks of heart failure increased
alarmingly, and many hours prior to
the end the physicians had given up
hope.
Countess Tolstoi was adm tied to
the sick room for the first time last
ngiht, but her husband failed to rec
ogtize her.
She had fastened to the bedside
when she learned, several days ago,
that his illness was serious, but the
physicians had deemed it advisable
that she be kept away from the
count, fearing her presence might
cause the patient emotion. The other
members of the family were admitted
to the presenc of thir father, and his
daughter Alexandra has been in con-
slant attendance.
Tolstoi had suffered several serious
attacks OF heart failure during the
night. During the early morning
hours, these followed each other in
rapid succession, but were quickly re-
lieved Between the first and the
second attack, the members of his
family We're admitted to the bedside.
The patient slept little. Doctors
Thtichuroysky and Usoff nevertheless
held out but slight hope, and did not
hesitate to predict a quick end.
During one of the heart attacks Toll
stoi was alone with his eldest daugh-
ter, latina. He suddenly clutched her
hand and drew her to him. H He seem
ed to be choking, but was abe to
whisper:
Now the end has come. That is all''
latina was greatly frightened and
tried to free herself, SO she might
run for doctor, but her father
would not release his grip. She call
ed loudly Tolstoi raised his head,
then drew himself to sitting posi-
ton. When he had recovered his
breath he said:
There are millions of people and
many sufferers in the world. Why
are you always anxious about rne?"
Lyof Nikolaivitch Tolstoi. USUALLY
called Count Leo Tolstoi, novelist and
social reformer, was born on August
%, 1928. at Yasnaya Poliana, lula,
Russia. When % years old Tolstoi
entered the army and served in the
Caucasus and in the defense of Sebas-
topol against the British and the
French After the Crimean war he
devoted himself to literature.
His War and Peace told of the
invasion of Russia by Napoleon, and
is regarded in Russia as his master
piece, though anna karenina," writ
ten in 1876, and 4The Cossacks" found
greater favor abroad, where his Kreut-
ger Sonata" translations, which were
published in 1890, also attracted wide
attention Tolstoi wrote much on ed
ucation and published short stories
and "reminiscences, but of recent years
he devoted himself to religious teach
ings. He made return not evil" the
keystone OF the Christian faith. and
insisted that literal Interpretation
;:s IL the e:..cn the mount was the
only rule for Christian life.
In 1901 Tolstoi was ex-communi-
Gated by the holy synod and IN 1902,
he deposited his memoirs and diaries
with the curator of the Rnmyen zoff
museum on the condition that they not
be published until ten years after his
Dastardly sheepherder
Deadwood, Nov 19.--For an at
tempted assault upon 9-year-old Myr-,
tie Showers, who resides near here,