The Washington herald., 1912-03-24
RUSSIA FACING A
SUICIDE EPIDEMIC
Even Among Children the Mania
for Self-destruction Is Show
ing Itself.

st. Petersburg. March 23-The influ-
ence Of the Suicide Club. which the
authorities hoped had been destroy d,
Is still strong. The other night a young
man wearing the uniform of a student
walked into Cubat's, one of the smart
est restaurants in ST. Petersburg, and
asked to be shown a room, ordering an
elaborate supper.
After the meal had been served, the
student remained in the solitary splen-
dor of the daily room for a couple OF
hours. Becoming curious after a time,
q member of the staff of the restaurant
opened the unlocked door of the room
and to his horror saw the young man
lying on a sofa, toying with a revolver,
which he occasionally pointed tentative
ly at his breast and at his head AS a
consequence the police were sent for,
and the youth languidly admitted that
he had intended TO shoot himself.
Afterward a search of his house re-
vealed the fact that the young man had
been a member of the Suicide Club.
whose members are known as the
Friends of Death" The mania for
suicide here is even spreading among
mere children. A son Of Mime. Krivono-
gova, widow Of a merchant, disappeared
the other day, leaving a brief note in
which he said that he had gone away
TO kill himself His age is fourteen. and
he has not yet been traced Two other
children, one by the name OF Blokhim.
thirteen years OF age, and another
named Laslin, fourteen, have also run
away from their homes in the Russian
capital 1t is believed that both have
been influenced by the Friends of
Death Neither have been found, dead
or alive.
A rN1a va1 HrrN NNn
Dekenven has just been sentenced to
prison to serve a two-year term for
fraud. He had obtained money from
people in all parts of Russia, including
Mr.. Watson. the United States consul in
st. Petersburg, by representing himself
10 be an agent Of an American company
for the exploitation of naphtha conces-
sions. He let it be understood that a
group Of American miIlionaires. including
]. P. Morgan and John ID. Rockefeller
were interested in the company. His
usual plan was to say that an expected
check from America had not been re-
ceived and to ask for a loan until its
arrival. After securing a few hundred
rubles from those negotiating with him,
Dekenven, although styling himself to
be an American citizen, proved to be
a native OF the Baltic provinces. He
speaks French and German fiuentIy. and
his general bearing and address inspire
confidence. Several other consuls heve
have fallen a victim to his swIndIIng
scheme.
Grand Dukes Exhibit.
An exhibition of the drawings by Grand
Duke Peter Makahilovitch, Of Russia, will
be held in the Academy of Arts, in Ber-
lin: in May. The grand duke has pur-
sued his passion for architectural design
ing in the quietest manner, and his ef-
ficiency in the craft was practically un-
known until a design made by him for
a church to be erected TO the memory
Of Russian soldiers who fell in the war
with Japan was accepted by judges ap-
pointed to look over the designs OF COM
petitors. An interesting exhibition is
promised. Most of the drawings are OF
an ecclesiastical nature, being designs for
crosses, churches, wayside chapeIs, ana
sacred vessels. The grand dukes works
are imbued with a spirit OF Russian arch
itecture of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, but critics point out that II
is always original The personal SIM
plicity OF his efTects. moreover, are es-
pecially notable. One of his designs for
a church to be erected on the estate OF
Prince UsoUpor1 is exceedingly beautiful,
and when erected Will rival a splendid
church already built on the princes es-
tate at Strelna.