Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-01-26
10LSTOY'S ENEMY TO
PROFIT FROM WORKS
Visions Drove Him to Convent
and Caused Him to Make win
In Favor Of Daughter, a Nun. i.

st. Petersburg Correspondent Of New
York World-The Russian Greek
church. which was one OF the bitterest
enemies OF the late Count Leo Tolstoy..
which at the time OF Alexandra III.
and his right hand, -Pobedanos1eff, was
ready to put the famous author-reform.
er In one OF Its gloomy monastery prie-.
on cells. which communicated ana
condemned the prophet Of Yasnaya Po-I
hana, is now anxious to w all the
hereto" This Is one Of the greatest
paradOxes in the history Of this coun--
try. Practically all the Russian peo-
pie and the admirers of the late count
are excited about the outcome of this
case. -
all his literary works to his daugh-
ter, Alexandra, who for many years
has been a nun in a convent in tho
province of Tula. AS Sister Alexandra,
Is q devoted member OF the church,
there is no doubt that she will trans.
fer her rights to the church. Thus the
Greek church will cash the millions Of
profits from the large sale OF Tolstoy'si
works.
The other children OF the late author
are greatly opposed to their father's
will n have brought suit against
their sister. The feeling is bitter. not,
because h other children are inter-
ested in getting the money. but be-
cause they want to prevent their ia.
theirs foe from getting the income of
his works.
1t seems very strange that he made
his will in favor OF a pious daughter
who had been away from the house
for years and opposed her father. Some
think Sister Alexandra hypnotixed her
father. Other a. 1t was a carefully
premeditated scheme of the clergy to
convert the daughter n instruct her
how to act. But the World correspon.,
dent has authentic information that
Tolstoy had a very unusual reason.
Countess Nastasia Tolstoy. q close
relative, was the last person who inter.
viewed Leo Tolstoy. having seen him
q few days before his going away.
The World correspondent saw her at
the Hotel De Nord. She said:
II visited my uncle only four days
before he left his home nj wrote my
interview with him. He told me that
he had such q vivid vision of Alex
andra that he felt impelled to visit her
in the convent. He told me that. do;
what. he would, he could not resist the,
had despised all his life. AS I have,
mailed the interview to a friend In
America / cannot tell you how he
saw the vision or what he told me
about 1T.
"Tolstoy went to the convent. met
oAoSSA AACAaAAOAh dllu tOIO u0T Oh MS
vision. While Tolstoy was talking with
Sister Alexandra (for h did not like
to be called his daughter) he heard q
voice coming from the walls saying:
eel. st. Nicholas. the founder Of the
Greek church. commend you to ask for
giveness from your daughter and leave
her all your sinful works, otherwise
God Almighty will condemn you etern-i
ally
The count listened to the strange
voice and replied:
"'I will think 1t over
"After q short conversation with Sis
ter Alexandra he left the convent and,
continued with DR.. Makovetsky his pill
grimage. In four days he travelled over
200 miles, partly in third class rail-
road trains. partly walking, until he
arrived exhausted at Astapova station.
There he again saw the vision and the
same voice asked him if he was will
ing to make his will. Toistoy sighed
and replied. Yes
1T was then that he wrote the will.
making Sister Alexandra the owner Of
all his life works"