Gilpin observer., 1913-05-22

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- up after the havoc OF the Mongol fury
lew sttte around the obscure city of Moscow.
is one OF the most remarkable in history. Yet in
1911 all their work seemed undone. Ivan ",
prematurely aged. worn out brokenhearted. hav-
Ing murdered his eldest son in At of maniacal
fury. passed away In circumstances of the utmost
horror In 1884. For the next twenty years the
real ruler of Muscovy was Ivan's great minister.
Boris Godunov one Of the new men, whom his
reforming zeal had called to the front. Godunov
was in many ways excellent ruler-he
perhaps the most enlightened of the pre-Petrne
monarchs OF Russia. But the great mobiles dis
liked him. and there is little doubt that he
cleared his path to the throne by making away
with Dmitri, the halfbrother of the nominal Gar
Feodor l., and his natural heir The great family
OF the Romanoffs stood near the throne. for Feo-
doris mother had been a Romanon. While Feo-
dor lived Godunov dared not attack them but
when the weak monarch died in 1898 and the
minister. despite his more less feigned reluc-
tance. was elected his successor. the whole fam
lily banished
Suspicion was the bane OF the otherwise bene-
ncial rule OF Boris. Finally. adventurer named
Gregory Otrepev gave out that he Prince
Dmitr who had escaped from the assassins Of
Boris and raised a formidable insurrection aided
by sigismund III. king of Poland In the midst
OF the war Boris died. and the fatal period of
troubles of Russia began.
The supposed Dmtri soon overthrow the
youthful Feodor H., of Boris. He proved an
admirable ruler. but he Roman Catholic
and was murdered by the mobiles. Shuiski one
OF the conspirators. elected Gear under the
title Of vasili ". but obtained no firm footing
Revolt everywhere broke out, sprang up in every
direction. raised armies of miscellaneous ruhians
and Polish adventurers, and spread terror and
devastation to the gates OF Moscow. For years
this anarchy lasted The worst OF the pretenders
was "the Thief" whose lair at Tushino near
Moscow. but everywhere the wretched country
overrun and wasted by gangs Of Cossacks
1. e., robbers The desolation was fearful; in
fve years the fruits Of century of effort ap-
peared to have been hopelessly lost The wretch
ed Shuiski purchased. by the surrender OF terri
tory in the Baltic provinces the aid OF Sweden;
but the result was to bring about Polish inva.
sion. In 1909 Smolensk was besieged; next year
the great Polish general. Zolkiewski. defeated
and captured Shuiski. entered Moscow and pro-
claimed Wladislaw Of Sigsmund Ill., car.
BY skillful diplomacy he occupied the Kremlin.
and gained some measure of support for wladis.
law.
Russia seemed lost Smolensk held out with
bitter desperation for two years, but was at last
taken. 1.-The Thief" was murdered but his fol.
lowers held together and contested the posses
sion of Moscow desperately with the Poles. Half
the wretched city was destroyed in the course
Of the struggle, but the famous Troitsa monastery
the capital resisted siege after siege dur.
ing the anarchy and refused to submit
Here the movement to put end to the pre-.
vailing misery first took definite shape. The
abbot. Dionysius and the administrator Abraham
Palitsin, took the lead In October 1911. letters
were sent all over Russia calling upon the peo-
pie to unite Ia defense OF their religion. Mini
Novgorod. led by Kuzma Minin a master butcher
at once responded with enthusiasm. Kazan,
Jealous Of Mini Novgorod, held back but all
down the Volga the towns Joined the movement,
and and money came pouring into the
patriot city. Prince Dmitri Mikhailovich Poz.
harski brave noble who had consistently op-
posed the Poles and had been wounded almost
to death In the fighting round Moscow. was elect.