Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-08-16
Council of Ministers De cides on Change As Neces-
 sary to Safety of State.
DEPARTURE KEPT
 SECRET FROM PUBLIC
Only Local Military Officials and Councillors knew of Plan, Which Miscarricd in Part Through Delay
 in Arrival of Special Trains.

Petrograd, Aug 15.-Thc sem-of- ficial Russian news agcnty announced tonight that Former Emperor Nicholas
 and his family were removed today
 from the palace at TSarko-Selo and
 that it was reported they were being
 transported to Tobolsk, Siberia.
 No one but officials and the local
 military witnessed the departure and
 according to a statement made to the
 Associated Press by N. V. Nekrasvoff,
 vice president of the council of minis
 ters, the account published in the only SleWspaper which reported the depart
 ure was imaginary.
 Nicholas was very depressed in ap-
 pearance, but eX-Empress Alexandra,
 who was seen walking for the first
 time in months, seemed lively and
 pleased at the prospect of a change in
 surroundings In view of the need for special precautions. the guard was not composed Of any single unit, but of
 delegations of eleven trusted men
 from each battalion of tn eTsarko- Selo garrison.
 An hour after the train arrived,
 Nicholas appeared on the steps of the
 palace, in colonels uniform and khaki blouse. He entered an auto mobile accompanied by Prince Dal- gOroukOff and Count Benckendorff, former court marshals, who thus far have shared his captivity. They were followed -by the former empress, the four grand duchesses, with their maics of honor, and finally by Alexis, the former heir to the throne, at whose side was the gigantic sailor, Derevenko, protector of Alexis since his birth and his constant companion. . In order to keep the departure se- cret the train was kept on the side track to which the party went. The public was unaware of the transfer until late last night. To keep up the fiction that Nicholas was still in the palace, the guards were retained and the people were kept away
 Many rumorS are current as to the motive for the removal and it's des- tination. The semi-offic;al news agency says the demand for the trans fer was due to fears that attempts would be made to liberate him in connection with a counter revolution. One theory is that the discovery of a, letter in which General Turko, for mer commander of the southwestern front, expressed loyalty to the former and plot to effect his es- cape, caused the council to demand hi sremOval to either TobOlsk or Con- truma, which was the original seat of the Romanoff family.
 M. NekraOff said, however, that all stories that the removal was connect ed with the Turko affair CT with at tempts to liberate the cZar, were un- true. the transfer having been decid- ed roon last month.
 Our motives were political and he continued. "We decided tc get Nicholas out of the way before might occur which would make this difficult"
 It appears that the plan was to re- move Nicholas before dawn, but the train arrived in Tsarko-Selo several hours late. Fifty servants accompan- jed the former ruler and his family into exile
 They were removed in an ordinary train instead of in the gorgeous im- perial train in which Nicholas was brought to the palace. The former appeared to be very much | depressed. Former Empress Alexan- 1rla seemed to be pleased at the pros | beet Of change. MT. Nekrasoff, the | said today that the re- nOval of Nicholas was decided on af- l ter a series of secret sessions Of the | council of ministers last month. The l motives of the ministers, he said, are | and military. It was decid- ed to get Nicholas out of the way be- fore circumstances arose making 1t | When the former emperor caches his destination the facts will l De announced.
 At the time of the revolution ,.Nich- )las was at the front. On his way l pack to the capital he was arrested md taken to the Alexandrovsky Pal zee at Tsarko-Selo, 15 miles south of | where the former imper- al family has since been confined.
 Tobolsk is an out of the way town n western Siberia, far from the rail road and visited only by steamers which ply the Irtysh river. In former .imes it was an administrative center Or exiles banished to Siberia by the Russian rulers. It is city of some hing more than, 10000 inhabitants. The climate is extremely severe in winter.