The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-27
RASPUTM HELD
 RUSSIAN EMPRESS
 NV FEAR OF HARM
Celebrated Monk Who Was Killed Is Said to Have Had Wonderful Influence Over Royal House hold by Little Tricks-Always Threatened Life of Grown Prince, and Empress
 Was Afraid

Petrograd, March 25.-(via London March 26.)-The superstitious belief that the health and even the life of Grand Duke Alexis the young heir apparent, depended upon the presence of Gregory Rasputin, the mystic monk-a notion which is generally known to have ac- counted for Rasputin's tremendous in fluence over the imperial family-is ex- plained in the following extraordinary manner by the Russky Slovo:
 Rasputin, according to the newspaper, stated in confidence to friends at con- vival moments that he was able to fortify this superstition with the help of Madame Viraborau, lady-in-waiting to the Empress, and M Badmaef court physician until the Empress was abso- lutely convinced that the life of her son depended on the monk. Whenever Ras- putin was absent for any length of time from the court Madame Viraborau ac- cording to the monks story, as given by the newspaper, obtained poisonous powders from the physician and eontrived to place them in food brought to Alexis. The result was that during RasputinSs absences the delicate health of the young heir apparent grew steadily worse until Rasputin was summoned back to the court. when the powders were stopped and Alexis became immedia tely better
 Rasputin always announced that 40 days after his death Alexis would fall i'll. This prophecy came true with start ling accuracy, being caused, the news paper declares, by Madame Viraborau administering another powder slyy to the little grand duke in the hope of con- tirung the tradition of Rasputins in fluence over the imperial family, and DreDa ring the way for a SlIccaSSor tO him
 PASSPORT DEMANDED
 On announcing his desire to visit the grave of Rasputin the soldiers demanded his passport of the Associated Press correspondent and then led him to the kitchen entrance of the palace prison, which is the headquarters cf the guards. Behind the kitchen entrance stands a complex system of low buildings built around courtyard and ending in a se- ries of subterranean and semi-subterra- l. mean galleries, running the whole way under the palace. The first of the two entries leads under an arched portico into a small, untidy court, surrounded by one story buildings. At the second entrance were four sentries of the first Tiralleur regiment from which, out of the five reg iments now garrisoned in Tsarskoe-Selo, were chosen the guards, as the result of the regiments revolutionary conduct at kiev 10 years ago.
 Inside the second entry small hall crowded with soldiers, an ill-painted ikon with red lamp burning hangs over dingy wooden desk, at which the soldiers note the names of all those entering.
 All this part of the palace Is dirty, dingy, ill-lighted and unimpressive, not at all such as might be expected of the surroundings of a great monarch in cap tivity. Beyond two lateral staircases at the back of the hall lies the mysterious part of the palace. Leading away from between the stircases runs an intermin- able vaulted gallery, broken by shorter right and left transverse galleries All are windowless. At nearly every other door on the long gallery telephone is affixed, for some mysterious reason. Ask ing his soldier escort if these telephones were connected with the spy and pro- tective systems, the correspondent got the answer: Precisely so.'
 LOOKED LIKE CELLARS
 The rooms off the gallery seem also to be underground, but judging by their or namented, padlocked doors, they are not cellars Two only bear an inscription. One reads: Servants of the Most Au- gust Children the other bears a pa- card from pre-revoutionary times. show ing 1t to have been the bureau of the officer of the day of Emperor Nicholas underground guard. In this room, to which he was led by soldier. the corre- spondent met the officer of the day, Cap tain Bowers, who sharply censured the man for bringing the correspondent and who said to him. You are the only per- son other than a soldier or prisoner who has passed through the galleries since the revolution"
 The captain sent the correspondent to the palace commandant. Captain of Cav airy Kotzebue. Captain Kotzebue's head quarters are in an angle of an old and now untenanted section of the Tsarskoe- Selo palace. He gave the correspondent a soldier escort and a permit to pass along the road to Rasputin's grave. The captain is Nicholas chief jailer and re- sponsible to the Duma that no flight takes