Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-25
'RASPUTIN
Devil or Saint?
By the Princess Radziwill

tC0pyrisht. 1917. Public Ledser Company
AuRights Reserved

During the spring of the year 1914.
RaSputin. TO the general surprise az cv-
erybody. declared TO his friends tlsa- h
intended to leave the capIt,i ana return
for a few months TO, his native Village
Of Pokrowskoie in Siberia 20 rest from
his labOrs. strenuous efforts were made
TO detafn him IN Pstrograd. buc he -e-
NAMED inflexible and rudely thrust aside
those who would fain have kept him
back He. declared that he was tired
and weary OF the existenoe which he had
been leading the last year and that the
various annoyances and difficulties that
had been put in his way by his numer-
Gus enemies had quite sickened him.
such. at least. was the explanation which
he chose TO give and TO which he STUCK
Others. IL is true. declared that the real
reason for his departure was that he
I'D been given TO understand that he
Nould do bette to absent himself from
St Petersburg during the time when ihe
visit OF the president OF the French re-
public was expected. as his presencs
there might prove embarrassing from
more than one Point of view. T3la h.ut
had enraged him. and he hal jeJermia-
ed TO so away for n much Longer time
than he had been told 20 do. He had
even declared TO n few OF his: closest
friends that he was not gOirg 20 re-
turn TO the capital any more. but .hat
ne would remain in Siberia. where. -
he graphically put IL. there was a great
deal more money to be made than any
where else in the world"
whether the above is strictly true or
not I. am not in position to say. bur
IL does not sound improbable. The
fart remains that Rasputin left ST. Pc
tersburg for Pokrowskoie. where he ar
rived in the first days of June. 1914,
-
his constant companions. He was re-
-cefved with such honors that he might
have been the sovereign himself in
stead Of the simple peasant khe was A
crowd composed of several thousand
men and women met him at the gates
OF the village and threw themselves at
his feet imploring his blessing and call
ing upon him to pray with them, and
TO show them the real way TO God.
which he was supposed to be the only
one in Russia capable of indicating.
For few days this kind of thing con-
tinued and Rasputin's house was liter
ally beseiged by crowds of people who
had gathered at Pokrowskoie from all
parts Of Siberia eager to pay homage
to their national hero. for such he was
considered to be- Rasputin smiled and
chuckled and rubbed his hands. as
his wont in those moments when he
overpower him. II in ST Petersburg
he had been considered as a prophet
here in this remote corner of Siberia
ne was fast becoming a kind of small
god at whose shrine a whole nation
was worshiping. This was just the sort
of thing TO please him and to make him
forget any small unpleasantnesses he
might have experienced before his de-
parture from the capital
NNE morning. it was the 18th of
July 1914. Rasputin was leav-
ing his house on his way TO.
church. whittier il was his custom t.
repafr every day. On the threshold of
his dwelling a woman was awaiting
him She had her face muffled in
shawl in spite Of the warm weather
When she saw him she threw herself
on her knees before Him. as persons of
her kind invariably did when they met
him. The prophet stopped and ask
ed her what il was she wanted from
him. Her only reply was TO plunse
into his stomach a large kitchen knife.
which she had held the whole time
hidden under her shawl
THE ATTACK on RASPUTIN.
Rasputin uttered one cry and sank
upon the ground The crowd which
was always following him rushed to-
ward him and lifted him up, while two
local policemen who had been set by
the authorities to protect and guard
him threw themselves upon the woman
and seized her violently by both arms.
She remained perfectly quiet. declaring
that they need not hold her as she had
not the slightest intention of running
away. She knew very well what she
had done. and she had meant to do ii
for a long time. When asked what
had been her motives. she declared that
she would speak before the magis-
trates. and only asked to be protected
in the meanwhile against the fury Of
the mob that was threatening to tear
her to pieces in its rage She did not
seem to be in the least disturbed by
what she had done and throughout she
showed the most extraordinary cool
+. ness and self-possessiOn-
Very soon il was asserted that she
was native Of the government of
Saratofr and that her name was Gou-
ciewa- When RaSputin had been
preaching in Saratoff she was among
the women who had been taken in by
his speeches, and. though married. she
left her husband and family to follow
the prophet" He very soon proceed
ed TO clean her from her sins" accord
Ing to his favorite expression We
know. OF course, what this meant. and
Gousiewa. who at that time was young
and pretty. only shared the fate of -.
many other women. deluded by the
neaiy-mouthed utterances of the new
saviour that IL was only by means
of complete union with himself that
they could be saved and their sins for
given TO them The unfortunate Gou-
siewa had only been one of many.
When she had found it out an intense
rage had taken hold Of her, which had
been further enhanced and strengthen
ed BY the monk IlliodOre. to whom she
had related her misfortune. He had
already az the time she sought him out
become the deadly enemy of his former
friend. Rasputin- The miserable woman
had lost everything-home. children
husband. relatives-On account of mel
mad infatuation for the deceiver. who
hard made her forget her duties by the
fascination which he had exercised
over her weak mind. She swore that
she would revenge herself and kill the
prophet" so that at least other WON
en- could be saved from the awful fatt
which had befallen her.
After Rasputin had dismissed her she
had been compelled to lead a dreadful
kind OF Existence in order to obtain g
piece OF bread. At last she had become
attacked By an awful disease, which had