The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-10-26
STRANGE COVER
HAS A MEANING
Black Smudge Across the November
Number Of Metropolitan Maya
zine Contains Key to Mysti-
cal Figures.
BIGGEST STORY OF YEAR
Lawsuit Filed in New York Brinqs
to Light Alleged Reasons
Why the Article Was
Withheld.

No doubt a number of Keokukians
have been mystified by the strange
cover on the November number Of the
| Metropolitan magazine. At the top
OF the, cover page against black
background Is the line THE biggest
magazine story of the year" But the
| story is missing.
The cover depicts two figures,
gloomy, beetle-browed Svengali, at
| whose feet sits a young woman in a
gorgeous costume. This mystical
picture has no meaning unless one has
| guessed what lies beneath the black
! smudge that runs across the page be.
hind the picture.
The Hidden Letters.
| When the page is held up to the
light, underneath the black mark these
words may be made out, beginning
| llliodors revelation of Rasputin, the
! Sacred Devil Of Russia" The Octo-
Der number of the Metropolitan adver-
tised the story, and promised 1t should
be sensational story Of the Russian
court as it is today, told by Illiodor,
driven from the court, who consented
to tell America about the influence OF
Rasputin on the court. But the story
does not appear as advertised.
According to light thrown on the
matter through a law suit that has
resulted, it would seem that the
gloomy figure on the cover page is
Rasputin, the Russian peasant monk
who dominates the cars household
and the elite Of Petrograd society,
the woman at his feet, the czarina.
Law Suit is Brought.
| The following dispatch from New
York tells why the story was with
held:
NEW YORK, Oct. 25.-Whether
certain articles dealing with the al
legged influence Of Rasputin, the so
called Russian mystic, over the Rus
sian court, and written by 1lliodor, a
Russian monk, and alleged to have
been withheld from publication by the
Metropolitan magazine, may be pub
lished elsewhere, is the object Of in
junction proceedings brought by lilo
dor against the magazine in the SUI
preme court here
The plaintiff asks the magazine be
restrained from interfering with me
in the publication Of my articles" al
leging that after the Metropolitan
had agreed to publish them for $4,000
ance of the Russian government the
Metropolitan magazine refused to pub
lish these articles and is willing to
pay me in order to suppress them"
Sees Injury to Russia.
Illiodor, who says he arrived in the
United States from Norway, in June
last, alleged that "the suppression of
~ ;y,fN of WI
may weaken or destroy the Rasputian
influence and intrigue may work an
incalculable injury to Russia and will
defeat the purpose for which I am
working and have suffered in prison"
Characterizing Rasputin as IAN illit-
crate and uneducated peasant, who is
known as q pilgrim possessing certain
supernatural gifts" Illiodor describes
in his complaint the alleged DONNA
ton Of Rasputin over the Russian
court, asserts that Rasputin is strong
" pro-German and is now engaged
in a cons piracy to bring about a sep
arate peace with the Russian govern
ment," all of which was to have been
the basis Of his articles.
Promised Pardon and $25, 900.
He alleges that when 1t became
known the articles we're to be pub
lished he was promised by the Rus
sian consul general here, Oustinoff,
and Archbishop Evdokim "$25,O00 and
a full pardon SO that could return to
Russia II 1 did not publish them" and
that later on. pretending to take up
the negotiations Oustinoff paid him
$1,000. The Metropolitan, he alleges,
claims the articles as its property,
and will enjoin him from publishing
them elsewhere. Illiodor claims they
are his through breach Of contract.