The sun., 1916-12-27
SAYS RUSSIANS ARE
READY FOR PEACE
mad Monk" Declares Gear Is
Likely to Make Oyertures
to Germany.
IAsPUTIN A r O MAN
9tufAnoff Tells Weird Tale
At . Studio Gathering
Hero.

0srgius Michaslow TrufanoR, known
N two continents ~ '1liador. the Mad
Monk" declared with flashing Eyes and
rising voice Last night that there was
every possibility Of Russia making .
separate peace with Germany and thus
bringing the war to q close. This and
ether statements bearing on fact md
fancy were made before q select gath.
erlns In the 0amoiioff studio In Carnegie
Hall.
80 great 10 the power Of GREGORY
R~asputin. the mystic lay monk, over the
imperial family and the Csar that the
Duma will Be dismissed and the peace
move started" he stated. The present
German peace proposal has played into
hb hand like nothing else could have,
Prom the very day that The Crown
Prince Of Austria was assaAsinated Ras-
Dvtin's hand has guided the Govern
ment. Only In n or two Instances has
he been successfully crossed. And now
he will have more power than ever be-
fore
TELLS Weird Talea
II vas a strange, almost weird tale
Of fanaticism. court immortality. in
triSues. ~jealousies. dreams and the
hidden power Of Governments that this
uIao kOh9 " I'LL llLlI0 RIOuO OK
tense listeners. OF medium height,
large Of shoulders. with Q short cropped
square beard. long tousled hair and
snail black y ct deep In . heavy
no that haA the pallor Of "a esthete.
he spoke In . deep intoned voice that
grew impassioned At times.
AZ frst he reviewed his life, des-
efSbing how he had become the personal
esnfessor Of the imperial family and .
dees adviser Of the Car. gaining the
Dtscs through the influence Of Rasputin.
In four years. Of intimate connection
with the Cars family and with Ras-
putin he had learned the secrets OF the
court and the true character Of the
monk. With this discovery he had
turned against his former friend. Ras-
putin. and from then on had fought him.
This had caused his flight from Russia
and his exile In Norway and his subse-
Suent visit to the United States. where
the suppression OF his articles on Rus
sian court life had caused somewhat Of
. sensation two months ago.
Raspstia . stronG Figure.
"Raaputin's part in the present war
cannot he overeetimated." he said
through his Interpreter. "The day after
the Crown Prince Of Austria was killed
he blessed the Csar n his troops and
advised that the soldiers be rushed to
the Austrian frontiers and that Russia
strike first. Favorins war at III start.
later through the dictation Of a heavenly
vision. he threw his influence for peace.
"When Prime Minister Goremykin was
superseded by Stuermer the monk a
putin was the guiding hand. German
gold had its induen {. Recently the
Dums. backed by the English Govern
meut. iAaisted h Stucrn,er he replaced
BY Trepon. who. though supposedly
anti-Germsny. is very close to Rasputin
and somewhat under his influence. But
now. with the German move for peace.
Essputin is stronger han ever before
An Interested listener to the mad
months talk was Count Leo Tolstoy. son
Of the great Russian leader. The Count.
who IL in America TO deliver a series OF
lectures on the history of his father. re-
fused to further than to say
that the expressions Of Iliador were not
In accord with this political n religious
beliefs of his illustrious parent.
Mention was made at the end Of the
discourse that the mad monk" would
deliver the first OF & series Of lectures
on The Russian Gnu IN and Rasputin"
At Cooper Union Janua.y 1.