South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-14
BY VICTOR A. CAZALET

tAolA t4t Ndy LiidL Luey were LOT
hidden 20 attend church they were
never allowed outside the house
again. As long as Kerensky re-
NAMED I'm power they were fairly
we'll treated. They were guarded
by some three hundred men, half
OF whom were loyal 10 the car and
the other half could have been
bribed TO either side. The com
mandant was "A kindly disposed in.
dividuaI, and their rescue would
have been an easy matter for some
enterprising Englishman. who could
have sailed down the OBJ before II
was frozen and taken them OF. Ope
wonders whether Kerensky rather
hoped that they would escape from
Tobolsk. but. on the other hand. it
Is extremely doubtful as 10 whether
they could have been induced TO go
away.
Immediately the bolsheviks came
into power their treatment was in
hnitely worse. They were subject
20 the same invasions as they had
been at Tsarskoe Selo: at any time
truder might come in and would
call out their names one by one and
they would have 10 appear. 1t does
not require much imagination TO
understand the feelings OF the car
Of all the Russians on these occa-
sions
Garden is Enclosed
Attached TO the house at Tobolsk
there was a small garden in which
the whole outdoor exercise which
the imperial family could take was
concentrated II was enclosed by
high railing. 50 as to prevent
anyone seeing either in or out. Dur
ing the winter. the children had
formed a plan for making a slide on
which 10 utilize a little sledge which
the Tsarevitch had Day after day
they used to build up this slide by
pouring water on it. The night be-
fore it was finished one Of the SEN
tries came in and hacked the whole
thing 10 pieces, because he said that
standing from the top Of it they
were visible from outside.
The general attitude of the fam
lily during all this time. as far as
the children were concerned. was
one Of resignation to fate and the
firm conviction that il would all
come right very soon. 1t appeared
20 them like an ugly dream, a big
practical joke. the illusion Of which
would disappear as rapidly as ii had
happened The empress bore her
self with great dignity throughout,
the emperor with great patience
but apparently from the evidence of
an Austrian prisoner who had seen
him at the window OF his house in
Tobolsk he was looking extremely
III. The one great comfort OF the
whole family was that they were
together; il is impossible TO imagine
more united or devoted family.
The Tsarevitch was i'll nearly all the
time. but this fact only helped 10
unite them all the more.
The Bolshcvik Trial.
In March, 1918. the bolshevik
soviet at Moscow decided TO try the
emperor and his family. and for
this purpose they were ordered to
be brought to Moscow. The emperor
and empress started on the journey
alone. as the. children. owing to ill
ness. remained behind. but were 10
follow afterwards. The thaw had
just begun, which made travelling
extremely uncomfortable They
were driven 10 Tumen in a cart
without springs. and We're often
compelled 20 walk through slush
over q foot thick They were al
lowed to take with them only one
change of linen. and very little else
besides on one occasion. while
crossing a river, the ice and snow
had just begun to melt and the
whole party We're obliged to walk.
the freezing slush being up to the
knees of the emperor. The empress
had 10 be carried across by one of
the escort as she was far too i'll and
feeble 20 walk There is no doubt
that the material conditions did no
worry them half as much as the
thought of what was happening 70
their children When they reached
the station il was intended 20 take
them by train 10 Moscow via Omsk,
i'm fact, the train bearing the imper-
ial prisoners did reach Omsk sta
ton one night (four versts outside
the town ITSELF, but on account OF
the strength of the czechs in that
neighborhood and the possibility of
their being rescued they decided TO
take them back up the line they
had come and through 10 Moscow
by Ekaterinburg. The British con-
sulate at Omsk heard the following
~, oy-,, inc fbof tho fraiu had q rrived