Omaha daily bee., 1911-06-25
'EXTLES ASK FOR PROTECTION
Movement Started for the Repatris-
ton of Russians.
REMARKABLE REASON ADVANCED
Countess TOlstOy wins Suit for the
Possession of the Manuscripts OF
Her Husband, which WIN
Re Published.
BY GEORGE FRASER.

ST. PETERSBURG, June A.-(Special to
The Bee.)-Another evidence OF the fact
that the Russian is unusually susceptible
to queer ethical and religious kinks comes
in an appeal to the government through
the cardinal general at Constantlnople for
funds to repatriate from Anatolia the
descendants OF colony of Cossacks in
that part of Turkey. The request has
been granted and reveals a really remark
able story.
The forefathers OF these Cossacks left
Russia for voluntary exile $50 years ago.
Their departure was occasioned by an at
tempt to enroll their names for census
purposes in writing. According to the
creed of these peasants, the writing down
Of their names jeopardizes their chances Of
salvation, for It involves the curse of the
anti-Christ enabling him to set his seal
upon them
During the whole OF this time the Cos
sacks have kept their identity absolutely
intact. They speak Russian dialect
bearing the same relation to the language
of the present day as does our modern
English to that OF Chaucer. They wear
the Russian dress of three centuries ago,
and even grow herbs. uncultivated else
where in Anatolia, to make the dishes
that were the food of medieval Russia
Called On to Fight.
A few months ago this little band OF
Russian exiles found themselves suddenly
faced by the same danger that threatened
their ancestors in the sixteenth century.
The Turkish government. having decided
to call upon It's Christian subjects for mill
tary service, demanded the enrolment of
these men OF the community who were of
age, and again they were in danger Of the
seal of anti-Christ
This time a split occurred among the ex-
Hes The young men urged that since
they could not avoid the enrolment, 1t
were best to serve in Russia among their
kindred, hut the older men were in favor
Of remaining. The arbitration of the Rus
sian consul in Constantinople was invoked,
and through his agency funds were OBJ
tanned from the Russian government to
enable those who wished to do so to re-
turn to Russia, leaving the rest to live
on. a tiny chronological island among the
races of Anatolia- There are about $500
of them.
Countess ToIstoy Wins.
The dispute between Countess Tolstoy
and M. Tchertkoff over the possession of
Tolstoy's manuscripts will probably be de-
cided in the countess favor M. Tchert-
koff will be able to copy the manuscripts
for his edition OF Tolstoy's works. The
, Imperial Academy VIII. II iiss. understood,
also publish an edition.
.sIt seven People Murdered.
A dreadful seven.fold murder. has oc-
curred at the Russian village OF sboroii.
Recently 1t occurred to the neighbors of
the place that nothing had been seen of
the inmates of a villa belonging to a
wealthy man named Schastok, and, sus-
pecting that all was not right, they broke
open the door. In the entrance hall they
found a man servant, bound and wounded
while in the various rooms were lying the
| corpses of the owner and his wife, two
ladies who were staying in the house as
guests, and three maids, all with cloven
skulls. t..\
The apartments were despatched with
blood. and everything of value had been
removed The man servant related that In
the night four masked men had broken
into the house and made their way into
the bedrooms of the women. whom they at
once butchered with axes with the excep-
ton OF Schastok's wife.
While they were engaged in this carnage
Schastok himself appeared. but was i'm
mediately feIled with couple OF Ratchet
blows. His wife was then assaulted by
two OF the murderers and also slaughtered
in the same manner. After systematically
plundering the house. the miscreants were
about to make off when they noticed the
man servant, who had been hiding behind
a partition. They bound him hand and
foot and gave him bloY on the head,
which rendered him unconscious. They
then decamped, leaving no traces which
are likely IN lead IN THAR discovery