Hermanner Volksblatt. [volume] (Hermann, Mo.) 1875-1928, 1920-01-16

~ TOP off and have afternoon tea
with the czarina," said the
~ magazine editor, as he bade
me good-by.
"Why, yes" l said a little vaguely.
I'D like to, but isn't Siberia rather
larger
set forth gayly, Madeline z. Doty
writes in New York Tribune. But
after twelve days on the Pacific ocean
and twenty days and nights of train
travel through Japan, Korea, China,
Siberia and Russia the czarina looked
like a needle in n haystack.
Besides, the bolshevik revolution
had descended upon me. Each moment
rs we jOurneyed across Siberia we
feared the train would be attacked.
II was made up of tirst-class carriages
and was therefore capitalistic. The
one hope was to be as plebeian as pos
sible.
To associate with the czarina in Rus
sin would be like talking to a member
Of the /. w. w. OF Rockefeller's front
lawn. 1t would have meant Off with
my head. l decided to let the mag
aZine editor have tea with the czarina.
But If l could not hobnob with royalty
could at least see their dwelling
places. The winter palace In Petro-
grad was a disappointment. Outward
" it was impressive, but inside con
slant S had robbed it of It's glory.
There were the marks Of muddy feet,
silk hangings had been torn down to
wrap about freezing soldiers. royal bed
rooms had been turned into offices;
one had the impression that the czar
was long since dead and buried.
Travel Is Slow.
l decided to go to Moscow. The
kremlin, it was said, had remained I'M
touched. 1t contained perhaps the most
gorgeous palace in the world. But to
travel in Russia is not easy. The trip
from ~Petrograd to Moscow took twenty
hours. On each train is an "interna.
tional w%agonlit." But berths in these
rarS are sold weeks ahead for a for
tune. At the last moment / secured
u place for myself and my interpreter
IN the international car.
/ reached Moscow safely, but the
trip back was not so easy. It was i'm
possible to get accommodation on the
international car. We had frst-class
tickets, but that meant nothing. All
classes are the same these days.
The Kremlin formerly was as much
n holy of HOLES as the palace Of the
Chinese emperor in Pekin. 1t has
courtyards and buildings within build
irgs. The great main gateway was
shattered to bits by machine gun fire
during the revolution, and the walls
are battered with bullets. But inside
little damage Is visible. The COM
mandant was a scrubby workingman, in
o dilapidated suit. He hesitated some
time before giving me a pass. The
rooms, he said, had been sealed. But
finally he scrubbed something on a
scrap Of paper.
Prince Acts as Guide.
The untidy, unshaven little man had
ordered Prince Odoviesky to show me
the palace. We made Il way to the
princes apartments. We found him a
courtly gentleman.
l started to shake hands, but he
blushed and ignored the outstretched
hand. / don't know whether 1t was be-
cause he was a prince, or because since
the days of the bolsheviki he has been
an outcast and no one has condescend-
cd to shake hands. / almost think 1t
was the latter, for when we left he
held out his hand quite cordially. The
prince Instructed one of the old court
| servants to take us through the build
ings.
First we saw the respondent little
chapel where the czarina used to pray.
Then we went through the gorgeous
guest rooms used for foreign ambas-
sailors. They were as they had been,
marble baths and all. Nothing had
been Changcd. But now the rooms
were icy cold and empty, and there
was a bullet hole through one of the
windows. That bullet hole was q mys-
rery. The bullet had never been dis
| covered.
Next we visited the throne room and
| ballroom. The splendor was stagger-
ing. Untold wealth must have been
wrung from the peasants to pay for It.