The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-26
CHARGE NICHOLAS
With CRUEL ACT
Grand Duke Said to Have Cut
Off With His Sword
Arm Of Officer.
FIVE TIMES A BANKRUPT
Sir Robert Peel, Grandson Of the
Great Statesman, Is Again
Head Over Heels in Debt.
ny la ,IAuou1sE DE FoNTENoy

by LA MAnouIsE DE FoNTENoy.
IT HERE is no, truth in the absurd
story, widely published in the
Which, Grand pladS' pn nis'fd NiSho,a as
Nicholaiovitch. commanding the metro
politan district of st. Petersburg. be-
came SO angered by the insolence of
q cavalry captain at the funeral of
Grand Duke Michael that he drew his
sabre, and with a sweeping blow
sliced off the hand from the arm which
the officer had raised to protect his
mead. 1t seems to have originated in
the circumstance that on the day of
the obsequics the grand duke had oc-
casion to call to account no less than
twoscorc officers of various ranks for
appearing upon the scene in attire that
was. slovenly and other than that pre-
scribed for the ceremony. No less than
thirty-siN of them We're. by direction
of the grand duke, punished by being
for the space of fortnight--that is
to say. throughout just the very gay
est period of the st. Petersburg season.
Belonging to the Guard Regiment and
cutting brilliant figure in society.
they bitterly resented being In this
manner debarred from participation in
any of the festivities. and IL is TO their
evaporation that may be ascribed the
origin of the story of savagery wrong
ly imputed to the grand duke.
1t was a singularly strange coinci-
| dence tina. his palace at St Petersburg
should have been destroyed by fire on
| King George at Athens, namely. on the
Christmas Eve of the Russian and
Greek Church AT first both confla-
! grations were ascribed to incendiary
origin. The belief being confirmed By
! the hostility manifested of late by the
| Greek people towards their reigning
| house. and by the circumstances that
the burning of the palace of Grand
| Duke Nicholas, who is an object OF par
! ticular cNccration on the part OF the
/ Nihilists was accompanied by loud
| explosion. But the fires now turn out
| to have been accidental in each In
Athens having been due to defective
insulation of the electric light wires.
I, while at St. Petersburg the flames
seem to have started in the motor
amount of gasolene was stored. It
was the explosion of the latter that
gave rise to the story that the con-
hagration had been caused by Mill
/ list bombs.
I The grand duke. whose palace was
| completely Quilted, was not in resi-
dence, as in November last he obtain
i ed permission from the Emperor to
owing to the impossibility of insurins
the safety OF his own home from revo-
lutionary outrages, situated, as it is
on the 1talianskaja-
|
With regard to the fire at Athens
considerable confusion has prevailed
as to which palace 1T was that hat
been destroyed by the flames! many OF
that it was King Georges suburban
home at Tatoi that had been burned
down. This was not the case The
palace which caught fire was that bull
: King Ohio of Greece, on the proclama
r ton of Athens as the capital of the
. newly created kingdom. 1t was bull
on the so-called Square of the Con
stitution, with a western outlook on
: to the broad and handsome boulevard
! known as the Hermes Street. Built o
: marble. according to Bavarian rathe
than Hellenic designs, 1t always looked
r None OF the royal family were fond o
it, and the King and the Queen live'
Q as much as possible at their place a
S Tatoi, only utilizing the palace a
9 ences, etc. While the archives wer
d saved. the beautiful palace chapel wa
y completely destroyed. while many PEG
T pie will probably regard 1t as ominon
5. that among the first things to peris
e in the flames were the throne and tn
S throne room.
e While on the subject of palaces,
c may mention that the Car has give
i ace at Livadia, and the erection on il
"a site of a new palace. at the cost OF
= million dollars, which Is to be com
, plcted within two years at the lates
= and to be constructed of the so-calle
= Balaklava stone. which, when polishe'
gives exquisite amberlike effects. n
n deed buildings Of this particular ston
r. when caught in the light Of the Sc
= ting sun. present an absolutely fairy
a like aspect. Only the imperial chap
it is to be retained; all the e ;si.st,a
" palace Is to go. 1t is really q medic
W Of constructions. the original palat
:, having been built early in the last Gel
:. fury by Count Leo Potockl. In ~
y the Russian court architect, MonlShet'
:. subjected tho palace to many alteri
= tions on its acquisition by the la
- Empress Marie. He left the facade, 81
a added balustrades. vases and car:
y atides; also an immense balcony rul
l. ming along one side OF the palace al
q Score or more of additional building
:, Ills masterpiece, however, was, q
z. chanel, which, purely Byzantine IN
N rnnren1ent and decoration, contai
Or SOMA nriceless frescoes The mossai
q, around the beautiful altar are partlc
or iarlv fine, while before the WHITE ma
$ HE altar screen there STANDS on
y. PEDESTAL OF Crimean porrplyry,, WI y
or marble cross. presented to AlsXSahd
" II, nv the workmen OF L'yapla,
81 token of their gratitude for the ema
st cIpation Of the serfs.
~