The Washington herald., 1920-11-29
EXILES STILL
HOPE FOR GEAR
Reports That Nicholas Is
Alive Quickens Pulses
Of Monarchists.
By KARL H. Won wIEGAND.

BERLIN, Nov. 2S.-Russian Emil
GRANTEES" circles, as the Russian
monarchistic and nationalistic DEM
ocratic exiles abroad are known,
are again startled by reports that
Gar Nicholas may still be living.
More than 100000 Russian Czarists
and national democrats who fed be-
fore the Red wave which engulfed
Russia are strangers in strange
lands" living OF bounty of others,
on proceeds of jewels smuggled out
when they fied, or from other
sources, waiting for the overthrow
of Lenin and Trotzky.
That hope in their hearts has been
strengthened by investigations made
by secret agents of some of these
groups. whose reports, summed up.
are that proof of the death of the
Gar is by no means complete or
convincing. A high officer of the
staff of Baron Wrangel. commander
Of the anti-Bolshevik army in
Crimea, has told me that he visited
the place where the bodies of the
Gar and his family are reported
to have been cremated. and that 1t is
by no means certain that 1t Vas the
Gar himself, and that it was nor
wholly improbable that il was a
double of the Czar who died for his
emperor. Proofs mentioned in the
official British and French reports
of Investigations made on that spot.
among other things the finding of
metal buttons worn only by the
young Czarevitch, he declared, fail
to satisfy many loyal Czarists that
Nicholas is dead. He pointed out
% int IT. n
completely burn up human bodies
would also partly melt metal but
tons, but that the buttons alleged
to have been found were merely
black, but otherwise perfect.
Secret agents of the various
groups of Emigrantes have been run
ming down every clue, rumor and
report about the Gar. They cling to
the idea that a general who looked
like a twin brother of Nicholas sac
rifced himself for the latter. They
assert that a large part of the Rus
sian people want their Gar back
and that the Bolsheviki, knowing
that, of course, have produced proofs
of the death of the family.
Gen. Woyeikow, commandant of
the Cars palace at Tsarkoe Seloe,
near Petrograd. and one of the last
officers to leave him, declared re-
Gently to me that he was convinced
thai Nicholas was still alive. He
would not or could not state upon
what he based thot conviction.
Nicholas is reported to have fed
to distant Siam, where he is con-
cealed by the King of Siam. Other
reports in Emigrante circles have II
that Nicholas, so affected by the
death OF the Czarevitch and the
Czarina, who are generally believed
to be dead, escaped to Thibet and Is
there in an inaccessible monastery
with the famous occult masters. The
daughters. outraged by Bolsheyik
soldiery, are believed to be in a
monastery in Siberia.
French newspaper reports from
Siam are that not the Car, but his
brother, Michael Alexandrovitch, in
whose favor Nicholas abdicated in
March, 1917, has taken refuge with
ring Tchatrobon. The desire of thu
RUSSIAN peasants for normal con-
dltions again and the wishes of the
Emlgrantes to return to their homes
are SO strong that many believe a
pseudo Nicholas could easily take
suFantase OF the situation to sud-
1eniy appear when Lenin and
Irotzky's regime is at an end. Other
rumors are that the French are
keeping Michael in Siam until the
proper moment, when they will sun
port MIN for the throne.