Evening star., 1912-11-17

nv life many times" he said to me. Dur
ing the great exhibition in 1896. in Mini
\ovgorod. | was to visit it on a Sunday
afternoon and have dinner with the COM
mittee and various functlonar1eS OF the city.
Before going to bed l heard a noise in the
thick stone walls under my bed. Pulling
out nv bed | beheld huge black snake
crawling out from the wall. 1t looked at me
with such piercing eyes that for a moment |
was paralyzed. As soon as | was able to
move myself | called my bodyguard but
at the place where a few moments ago | had
seen the snake we beheld only drop OF blood.
There was no trace of the snake. | felt that
| should not go the next day to the eXhbl
ton, and did not go. The very hall where
should have dined was blown up at the
time | was to be there, and many were killed.
One Of the Cars greatest disappolnt-
ments was the result of the Japanese War.
He fully believed that Russia would win and
he would become ruler of the Orient, which
weeks before the war the Czarina implored
him many times to yield to Japan demands
and settle the question automatically. But
heard the Gar reply to her:
MY dear Alice, | follow divine inspira-
ton. | have heard a voice from the statue
Of Peter the Great distinctly saving that |
shall be Gar of the Orient.
The Czarina smiled and seemed to take it
sseptically. | remember distinctly when
the Gar received the letter of President
Roosevelt offering his services for peace
negotiation. The Gar read it many times;
but he would not think of making peace
until Japan was beaten. If it had not been
for the fear Of a revolution and the Czarina 5
continuous cntreaties, the Gar would never
have accepted the friendly offer Of President
Roosevelt. Witte also influenced the Gar
TO consent to peace negotiations. But after
peace was made and Witte returned from
America to tell the Gar personally OF the
details of the conference the Gar was angry.
heard him saying to Witte:
This treaty has Inundated me and my
army. This is an American bluff. You, my
dear Count, have been fooled. | will never
more listen to anyone's advice when my in
tuition is opposed to it.
A GREAT mystery surrounded the birth
"A OF the Czarevitch. | remember dis
tinctlv the disappointment OF the Gar
whenever a daughter was born. 10 have
an heir apparent was his fondcst hope. Be
fore the birth OF the two last daughters he
had consulted the most prominent gynecolo-
gists OF the world. DR.. Schenk in Vienna,
Professor OFT in St. Petersburg, DR.. Martin
in Paris. and an Italian specialist did all that
science could do to influence the birth of a
son; but in vain. | heard the Gar say to
Princess Louise that medical science was
nothing but fake.
\ wear or more before the birth of the son
the Czarina went to the famous Sarof Mon
asterv. where she was treated by the monks,
and later on a Spanish and two French spir
itlsts lived for month at the palace and
| treated her with hypnotism.
The birth of the Czarevitch was an
nounced officially three days after he was
| born. According to the official bulletin,
Alexis was born August II, 1904; but
| heard the cry of a newly born baby from the
| Czarina'S apartment on August 9, at eight
o'clock in the evening. The next day |
asked the court frau, Baroness Nolcllen, if
| it was a boy or a girl She shrugged her
| shoulders and replied that she did not know.
| wondered why public announcement was
not made, and asked my colleague, Prince
| Viasemsky. He replied that he knew just as
| little as did. was surprised to read the
| third day after had heard the cry OF a baby
| that the Czarina had a son, and a bulletin of
her condition was published by Professor
| OFT. surgeon Of the court.
All those days the Gar looked strange and
irritated and refused to see anyone, except
his intmates. | was unable to learn why
everything was 50 mysterious. But the fact
IS that since the birth the Czarina has been
:, r,h,-oir.l and nervous wreck