Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-01-04
CONTINUED from last issue.)

vt T WAS about that time that the
| Massayedoff incident took place,
| - about which such a lot has been
written and which deserves passing
mention in this record. Massayedo1I
was a colonel who had already given
some reasons to be talked about for
misdeeds of a more or less grave ma
| ture General Rennenkampf, when he
! had received the command of the koVno
army corps, had theoretically protest.
ed against his appointment on his staff
but headquarters ignored his represent
atoms and maintained the colonel in his
| functions.
GERMAN INTRIGUE AND RASPUTIN.
| After the disaster of Tannenberg ana
! the loss of two Russian army corps IN
| the swamps of the Mazurian region, IL
| was discovered that some spying or a
| grave nature had been going on and thaS
| the principal spy was Colonel Massa-
yedoff, who had kept the enemy in
| formed of the movements OF the Rus
! sian troops He was tried and con-
demned to death. which sentence was
duly executed. Together with him sew
eral individuals compromised in the
J same affair, mostly men connected with
questions of army purveyance, were also
| hanged Among these last was man
| called Friedman, who had been one OF
! the parasites who were perpetually
crowding around Rasputin. The latter
| however, when asked to interfere IN
his favor had refused to do so, but
| whether this was due to the desire TO
| get rid of a compromising accomplice
| or the dread of being mixed up him
| self in a dangerous story, it is difficult
| to say or to guess. But others talked,
| if the Prophet" himself remained
! silent, and soon it began to be whisper
ed that he was also, If not exactly
| German agent, at least a partisan OF
! separate peace with Germany.
There certainly exist indications that
such was the case. In spite of the
strong character upon which Rasputin
prided himself, it is hardly possible that
he could have escaped the influence OF
the people who were constantly hang
ing about him, and who were all par
tial to Germany. This was due to the
fact that they hoped If the latter
power triumphed and vanqulshed the
Russians to obtain from the German
government substatial rewards tor
their fidelity in the shape of some KIND
of army contracts for the time that the
Prussian troops remained in occupation
Of some Russian provinces. 1t is quite
remarkable that while the nation IN
general was all for the continuation Oh
the war, and would have CONSIDERED IL
a shame to listen to peace proposals
without consent of it's allies, commercial
and industrial people were always talk
ing about peace to whomever Would
listen. And Rasputin had now more to
do with that class OF lhulNluudiS THAN
with the nation.
II was at that time that he suddenly
ina g.ned himself to be endowed with
perspicacity in regard to maltary mat
ters. and that he attempted to criticize
the operations at the front, and especlal-
w the leadership of the Grand DUKE
Nicholas, whom he hated with all the
ferocitv for which his character had
become famous He was known to be
absolutely without any mercy Tor those
whom he disliked. He disliked none more
than the grand duke, who had, on one
occasion when the Prophet had tried
to discuss with him the conduct or the
ar1paign and even volunteered 10 ar
rive AZ headquarters, declared that II
ne ever yentured to put in an appear
ance there he would have him hanged
Immediately from the first tree ne coulo
find. Rasputin was prudent ana more
over he knew that NlcoldS INIool'.A
witsch was a man who always Kept ms
word. so he thought il wise to leave
vide berth between him and the irasciole
commander in chief. But he applied
himself with considerable perseverance
10 undermine the position of the IatIer'
and especially to render him unpopular
on,one the people accusing him openly
of Encouragement in regard TO mlllt2ry
matters and of want of foresight In MS
strategical dispositions.
In the beginning this did not succeed.
nartlv because the staff did not allow
anv news of Importance to leak out from
the front and partly because the coun-
trv believed so firmly in a victory over
the Prussians that it was very nara 10
shake its confidence in the grand duke
abilities. The early successes Of the
first Galician campaign had strengthened
this confidence, and no one in Petrograd
during the first months of the year 1919
ever gave a thought to the possibility
of our troops being compelled to retreat
before the enemy and no one foresaw'
the fall of Warsaw and of the other
fortresses on the western frontier. Ras-
muffin. however, knew more than the pub
lie at large. He had his spies every
where who faithfully reported to him
everything that was occurring In the
army. He was well aware that the army
was suffering from an almost complete
lack of ammunition, and that II would
never be able to hold against any often
stye combined with artillery attacks on
the mart Of the enemy. This knowledge,
which he carefully refrained from shar-
ing with any one, enabled him to lndulge
in prophecies of a more or less tragic
nature the sense of which was that COO
was furnishing Russia for its sins, and
that with an unbeliever like the COM
mander in chief at the head of its armies
it was surely marching toward defeat
which would be sent by heaven as
warning never to forget the paths or
Providence, and never to disdaln the
advices of the one prophet that it had
sent in it's mercy to save Russia from
all the calamities which were threaten
ing her
He used to speak in that way every
where and to everybody even at T1ars-
koie Selo; not to the emperor and en-
press. of course, but to all those persons
surrounding them who were favoraoly
inclined toward himself and likely TO
spread abroad the prophecies which he
kept pouring into their ears.
But. in spite of all this, ne was not
quite so successful as he had hoped, be-
cause owing to the ignorance which pre-
vailed as to the real state of things in
the army. few people believed him. and
fewer still would own that they did so.
Once more Rasputin's star was beginning
70 wane. and even the empress began
| TO think him very wearisome with MS
SOW them If this can be accomplished
right away. If you expect to pur-