The daily Alaskan., 1918-01-09
A ROYAL TRAGEDY
The Gloomy Paths That Led to
 the End of the RomanoffS.
PLOTS OF A MODERN B0RGIA.

A Russian Wrlter's Picture of the cza-
 rina of Alexander llI., Maria Feodo-
 rovna, and Hsr Ruthless Efforts to
 Grasp the Reins of Power.
 In her book, Russia of Yesterday and Tomorrow, Baroness Souiny, wid- ow of a Russian nobleman, gives the following behind the scenes glimpse of the tragedy of the last of the ROmanoff dynasty:
 Gayety did not mark the reign of Alexander III. Shadows of pale fear followed the heavy czar and obscured hls life and that of Maria Feodoroyna, the Danish princess. Her whole hope was in the future, and with the atavism of queens who mixed polSons for their husbands she dreamed of her own au- tOcracy.
 With the terrible ambition of ruling Russia the czarina did not prevent her husband from heavy drinking. The giants heart was weak.
 Circumstances favored the hopes of Maria Feodorovna. Secretly she form. ed her party. the Camarilla of Maria Feodoroyna. Her sons were frail lit tie boys with all kinds of inherited diseases. The CZareyirch, the stub born little Nicholas, was no obstacle to her. Her sons became men, and Alex ander, notwithstanding his heart dis ease, lived longer than the physicians prophesied. Maria Feodorovna became restless.
 All the czarina's schemes developed rapidly. Alexander's enormous body swelled and swelled. Day and night be sat in his big armchair, tortured by suffocation and worrying about Nicho. las. who was so poor czareYitch.
 Maria FeOdorovna smiled on the czarevitch's pseudo court. She let her camarilla nourish and support his idea of marrying a dancer Then, she was sure, his light as 'czar would never burn, and Michael, who was sick and good natured, would be OaIy too glad to leave the rcins Of the government in the hands of his mother.
 The ministers revealed 10 the c2ar the dangerous ideas of the rzareyitch and the machinations of Maria FeOdOrov- mas camarila. He wOs still the czar, though the dying cZar. He summoned Nicholas and forced on him hls mar. riage to the Princess AliX of Hesse. Alexander III. expired. The pomp of the funeral was over The czarina mother took up her residence at the Annitschkof palace. the residence of tue widows of the vzars.
 The czariua's hope was in the child she was expecting Her irStbom was princess. and the poor czarina became timid before sinister fate. She saw herself and the czar drifting apart un- der the influence Of thc cZavina-mother. Her second child, SD anXiously longed for came Again little girl.
 The morning came when the sound Of all the bells, followed Gy the twenty one gun salute, announced to all Rus sia the birth of au heir.
 The czarina mother Maria FeodO- royna, had to carry the child, the unwel. come grandson whO nnnihilltcd all her efforts and her ambitions for her son Michael She held the little bit of potential manhood in her arms, breath ing on the babe worthless curses. Poor little boy so ardently Ionged for and then persecuted at his entrance into the world!
 The czarinu treLJ,ed for her new happiness. Her htt'e treasure had to be watched. and even then she was never sure which of all the nurses or ladies in waiting, bought by the cZarina mother. might betray her
 The camarilla never hesitated at as sasslnatiOn. Positively true Is the stO- ry that one morning when the cZar. evitch was put into his bath the CZar. ina, in a neighboring room, heard the child utter a terrible scream, followed by helpless whining. She rushed into the nursery to find the boy lying in his tub with q blue face aud desperate ly struggling to get out of this death bringing danger. The cZarina snatch ed her son out Of ice water The ter rible mistake was attributed to the nurse.
 All that was not plotted by the an- archistS the cruel. fantastic camarllIa invented The little freedoms of the young suvereigns Were under terrible espionage. For every thcater party, for every entertainment, they provided cleverly arranged and dramatically dis. covered asSaSSinS.
 The camarila worked well Terror crept through the palace, Crept through the doors into the private rooms of the Sovereigns They fled from the capi- tai to bury themselves in the solitude of Tsarsko Selo. nowhere sure that plots would not be forged in their clos est entOurage.
 And sO it was and so the grim trag. tdy was enacted until the revolution that sealed the fate of the luckless dynasty.