Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-11

known in the polltlcal circles ol ~
Petersburg:
Il swear to you with the word OF
honor Of an honest man that the letter
in which | called Sabler and Damansky
the instruments of 'Gricha' (Rasputin)
contained nothing but the solemn truth,
and | repeat it once more, that accord
ing TO what Rasputin told to me on the
twenty-eighth day of June, 1911, at a
O'Clock in the afternoon in my httie
cell. SabIer really kissed the feet OF
Gr:cha, who. in relating this story 10
mc, showed me with an expressive pan
tomime in what way he had done SO.
consider as utterly false and as bare
faced lie the declaration of Mr. Sapier
that he had never FRUSTRATED himsef
before any one. before the sacred images
Respectfully yours,
IS. NJ. TROUFANOFF,
FORMERLY the Monk Illiodore.'
II is difficult 10 say. of course, how
much reliance can be placed on those
assertions of Illiodore, and whether Mr..
Sabler really thought it necessary to
fall on the ground before Rasputin. But
out of this letter one can infer that the
Influence of the latter was considered
to be important enough tor people 10
trouble themselves about relating stories
of the kind to show 1t up. Altogether
one may safely conclude. out or the
very spare material which so Tar mas
come to light in regard TO the actlVlly
of Rasputin, that we have not yet
heard the whole truth about the cir
cumstances which have accompanied
his sudden rise and fall, and that there
must have have been in both events
things which perhaps will never come
to light But all of them point to some
dark intrigue in which he was but one
of the pawns whilst believing himself
to be the principal actor. One must
not forget the tar himself is most
liberal in his ideas and opinions, and
that il was entirely due to his personal
initiative that the constitution, such as
it is. which Russia possesses at the
present day was promulgated. This
was not done without arousing terrible
animosities, provoking terrible discon-
tent. From the first hour that it's con-
tents were published there were found
persons who began TO work against it,,
and who by their efforts brought about
the revolution of the year 1905, with
the help of which they had hoped to
bring back the days of absolute gov
eminent, when every public functionary
was a small tzar in his own way and
when the caprice of the first police Of
fical could send away to distant ST.
IBERIA innocent people. This abuse Nj
cholas III had determined from the first
moment that he had assembled the throne
of his ancestors not to allow any long
err This determination, of course, was
not forgiven by the crew of rapaclouS
crocodiles who UP to that day had ad-
ministered the affairs of the Russian
empire, and they it was who determined
to take their revenge for this noble
and DISTINGUISHED step of their soVer-
eigh.
Rasputin became the instrument of
the reactionary party. which he, contrlv-
ed to make instrumental in. carrying
out his own views and aims. His head
had been turned by the unexpected po-
sition in which he had found himself.
1t is not surprising that he lost his
balance and that he ended by consider
ing himself as being what he had been
told by so many different people that
he was-prophet of the Lord, having
the right to say whatever he liked, to
calumniate whom he liked. to make use
of whatever means he found at hand to
eliminate from his path any obstacles
he might have found intruding upon
it. His name became synonymous with
that of this ultra-conservative party
which was leading Russia toward it's
ruin, and which always contrived to re-
duce to nothing all the good intentions
of the tar. Rasputin was a sympbol
and a flag at the same time; the SYM
Dol of superstition, and the flag OF dark
reaction. 1t is impossible to know to
this day whether he was not also what
everything points to, that is, an agent
of the German government who had
entered into German interests, and who
had during the last months of his life
been working together with Mr.. Stur-
mer and the latter's private secretary,
the famous Manassewitsch Maniuloff,
towards a separate peace with the cen
trail powers, the conclusion of which
would have dishonored forever the tzar,
together with his government, and
which would have provoked such dis
content in the country that the dynasty
might have collapsed under its weight.
There exist at least indications that
such a thing was within the limits OF
possibility, and, if so, those who put
an end to the evil career of this danger
Gus man deserve we'll from their coun-
try, and the leniency which has been
shown to them is but the reward for an
act of daring which, though unjustifiable
from the moral point Of view, is never
theless to be condoned by the circum-
stance that it's patriotic aim was so
great that il was worth while risking
everything. even remorse. in order to
accomplish il.
In a certain sense, RaSputln was the
curse of Russia. Thanks to him, the
purest existences were subjected to a
whole series of base attacks and of vile
calumnies Thanks to him, our enemies
were given the opportunity to pour out
upon u.s. upon our institutions, our
statesmen and even upon our sovereign
the poison OF their venom and to rep
resent US to those who do not know US
| in a light which. thanks be rendered
to God. is an absolutely false and untrue
one.
! Russia is far too great for such things
to touch her. That Germany rejoiced at
every tale which reached it's ears in re-
gard to Rasputin is evident if one reads
| its newspapers. That it was in under
standing and accord, if not directly
with him, at least with some Of those
who were his immediate friends and
| habitual confdents, has been proved to
the satisfaction of all impartial persons
| And that he worked continually toward
establishing an understanding between
! the tzar and the kaiser is another fact
! of which more than one man in Russia
/ is aware Whether he did so intention
!, ally or whether he was the unconscious
! instrument of others cleverer and more
cultivated than he ever was or would
become, is still a point that has not been
cleared up TO the general satisfaction
But that his so.called influence only eX-