Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-09-12
RUSSELL TELLS STORY OF
DEATH Of MONK RASPUT|N

BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL.
(Copyrlght 1917, by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.)
l don't know anything that better
illustrates the utter lunacy Of the old
system in Russia. the system the revo-
luton scrapped forever, than the
amazing story of Rasputin.
Here was a moral idiot q creature
Of the most depraved instincts, ignor-
ant bestial, an arrant knave and trait
| or, and yet under the old system he
came to be the actual ruler of all
Russia.
He put men up and pulled them
down. determined policies, held in his
hand sthe nations destines
His power was without limit ex-
cept his own fear of the assassin.
He proved the truth of the old de-
scription OF the Russian government
under czarism 1t was "a despotism
/ tempered only by assassination"
! All the government was controlled
by the czar the czar was controlled bs
The czarina, the czarina was control
led BY Rasputin.
| Rasputin--this world will be much
lolder than 1t is now before it forgets
THAT sinister and historic figure. He
has put In the shade all the kings fav-
orites that ever were written about.
He played a game that makes theirs
| look like matching pennies.
| Men IN al the ages to come Will
wonder as much about his figure as
about his almost incredible career.
Oiled Hair and Giittcring Eyes, He
Looked like a Stage Sevengali.
| He was very tall, iank and some-
what swarthy, with long black haif
that he kept extensively oiled and wore
n. @rsx~ IA. "A
He had very long features. little black
eyes of the kind always described as
beady, a large mouth and a prominent
nose. With his slickery hair and gilt
| tering eyes he must have strongly
suggested the stage edition of Svengali.
according to all accounts he had no
charm of conversation nor of man
ner. and his ignorance was as plain
as his arrogance the instant he be-
gan to talk.
Altogether here was about the last
man in the world that you would think
a self-respecting woman would have
AN amour with. Yet 1t is related that
over many intelligent and rather wise
women he exercised an extraordinary
power and over hundreds of others
what seemed like an uncanny fasoi-
nation. All this Is usually account
ed for In Russia on the theory that he
possessed some secret of hypnotism.
With the other unpleasant traits he
was famous booze-fghter. Even
after the prohibition of vodka he
seemed always to be we'll supplied with
liquor and 1t was the common belief
among those that observed him that
he could stand more rum than any
other man In Petrograd. When he was
on drinking bout he chose the most
disreputab1e companions and went on
q wild bat that lasted for several days
and wound up in the lowest dives OF
the city.
The police knew him well and fear
ed him, for they had accurate know
ledge both of his power and remor-
seless use or t. When he came In his
borrowed robes OF q priesthood he
had no rigSt to claim. roaring and rois-
Itering, they stood aside and let him
go. Any person that was with him
was immune; II he were n criminal
that the police had long wanted, no one
dared lay hands on him. He was a
friend of Rasputin, and Rasputin was
the all powerful OF Russia.
He had a power to pull himself to-
gether as great as his other unusual
gifts The next day after q frightful
debauch he would appear In fresh can
onicals and go about talking piety and
dolling up his eyes to heaven, and
those that saw him even at close range
could hardly detect any sign of the