The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-15
SAYS REMORSE MADE
T0LST0Y FLEE FAMILY
Son Of Great Russian Writer
Thinks lie Was Con-
science Stricken.
MYSTERY SOLVED BY WILL
Oppressed by Thought Of Hav-
ing Revoked Document Civ
ing Estate to Wife.
MYSTERY SOLVED BY WILL


PARIS. March Count Z las Tolstoy.
a son OF the great writer answers in the
Revue de Parts the question, Why did
Tostoy leave Jasnaja Poljana before his
death?
Since the death OF my father" he
writes. Il have often wonderedEHhat i'm
peled him 20 seek a new life when he
was on the edge % the grave, was
quite puzzled until his Will offered the
solution OF the mystery.
He made first sketch OF his last
will in his diary on March %, 1855. The
fourth paragraph contains the request
made to his heirs TO surrender the copy
right Of his works for the benefit OF the
public, This will. which lacked the legal
forma.!ties was a testimony TO my fathers
confidence In his family -Four years
later lie made his FIRST regular will. signed
by three witnesses. In october OF that
year he must have made another.
"Strakow came to Jasnaja Poljana.
whe'e he did not expect to ma my mother.
TO convince my father how painful { wouli
be to his friends 20 know that he had
supported his family In the preservation
OF the copyright Strakow has himself
described how on his second journey to
Jasnaja. whore he acted as witness OF
this new WILL he felt conscience stricken
as he took leave OF my mother
But the text Of the second VIII did not
please the advisers and friends or my
father. and they induced him 10 make
a third will In June. 1910, in the forest
% Limonowo, near the estate OF Tschert-
kow.
How wretched this whole affair is
and then IL is So unnecessary. SAID my
father, as he signed this will. That was
his real opinion Of it, II = stranger Ike
Strakow felt conjunction about the at
mosphere OF conspiracy which hung round
the drawing UP OF these Wills, "hat must
Tolstoy himself have felt!
"lt VAS Impossible to tell his wife
everything: that would have given Of
fence 10 MS friends. Il would have been
still worse - tear II up. My father con-
ce!Ncd that he was under q moral obllSa-
ton TO them Add To this his attacks ~
.alntaess, The progressive dull.ug Of his
powers Of thought. his tirm belief in the
uearness of his own death and The deo'!-
!ty OF his wife, which continually m
creased, as she felt iiIst'nctively the I'M
natural cstrlngement Of her husband, and
could not account for IT, II she asked him
what he was hiding from her, was It his
duly to tell the truth or not
What could he do In this intolerahle
position OF afrairs- The dream ~ leaving
Jasuaja roljana. which he had been cher
ishing 10Y good long time thrust itself
forward now as the only solution My
father did. not leave his hearth ana home
In order to turn his dream into fdct' nut
he went away to conceal his unjust course
Of action.
- am too old and too weak TO start on
a new NE he said to my brother Scrslus,
some days before his departure. Physi-
cally and morally sick, and oppressed by
his own thoughts, he went forth without
any fixed aim, but with the sole object "
Kidding himself OF the moral torment,
which he could bear no longer.
Fly n.y., he repeated with his last
breath on his d.athhed at Ostapowo"
Tho explanation of Tolstoys srlf're-
proach Is that ne revoked the VIII Leaving
his estate 10 his wife. AMI eft al any rate
the greater part OF II 10 his second daugh-
ter