New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-24
Stalks

reigned by virtue of the first Catherine 3
testament, Ivan vi by that of Anne ana
Peter III by nomination of Empress
Elizabeth. 1t is almost impossible TO de-
scribe the crueltes TO which CzaroWltch
Paul was subjected by his mother who
hated him toward the latter part OF her
reign with such a bitter detestaton that
his life was i'm constant danger. She re-
peatedly sought to have him put out OF
the way, and left will disinheriting nm
In favor of his eldest son, Alexander VINO
was her favorite. This document now
ever was burned Immediately after her
death by Count Kurakin, friend OF Paui'
and the latter assembled the throne.
Alexander I became Emperor without
ever having been CHarowitch, that uue
having been conferred upon his younger
brother Constantine, as a reward for MS
DISTINGUISHED services in the Italian cam
paign. Yet on the death of Alexander
without male issue it was not Cohstah-
tine that succeeded TO the throne out
his younger brother Nicholas l.. II Is
said that Czarowitch Constantine.s re-
nunciation of his right of succession 10
the throne was due to his remorse LOT
the part which he played in connection
with the shocknglt brutal assassination
Of his father. Emperor Paul.
AFFAIR SHRoUDED IN MYSTERY.
Others assert that he mad been forced
10 renounce his. rights to the succession
on contracting morganatic marriage
with a Polish countess. To this day the
entire affair remains shrouded in the
densest mystery, no one, save possibly
some of the members of the reigninS
family Of Russia and the keepers OF the
imperial archives, being cognizant OF the
real motives that prompted Constantine
10 make way for his younger brother,
Nicholas There has always been a ques-
ton As To whether he did. so willingly
or not, for he accepted the oath OF
allegiance from the Council OF the En-
pjre and from the troops as sovereign
after the death of Alexander !, and with
drew only when the act OF remuneration
which he had signed was produced by
his mother. Those who declined 10 trans
fer their allegiance from CzarowitCh Con
stantine to Nicholas were thereupon
either banished 20 Siberia or put to death.
literally by the thousand. Nicholas, IN
fact, may he said to have waded through
A sea Of blood in order to reach the
throne which his elder brother had for
some unknown but potent reason been
forced to abandon in his favor.
1t was only after Constantine's death
that Nicholas / by a ukase dated Sep
TENDER 10, 1881, invested his son Alex
ander at that time fourteen years old.
with the title of Czarowitch, and although
the latter lived to succeed to the throne,
vet he met with the most appalling death
that it is possible to conceive. the entire
lower part of his body being blown to
pieces by the nitroglycerine bomb of the
Nihilists in 1881,
His eldest son, Nicholas, was invested
with the title Of Czarowitch at the time
of his own accession, in 1855. But the
young prince died eleven years later at
Nice of tuberculosis of the lungs, brought
on by a blow from his younger brother,
Alexander, in the chest, delivered either in
the course Of boxing or in some rough
horseplay. Just before Czarowitch Nicho-
las expired at Nice, in the south of France,
he placed the hand OF his betrothed, Prime
ess Dagmar of Denmark. in that of his