New-York tribune., 1920-11-28

pieced together all the details Of the
royal murder possesses the ghastly
thrill o. an exciting detective romance.
This story is now made available for
American readers in The Last Days
or the Romanovs (Doran). The first
part Of the book. prepared by George
Gustav Telberg. formerly Minister Of
Justice III the Omsk government, con-
tains the official depositions Of various
members of the Cars household and
Of several Red Guards who were en-
ployed about the person Of the Car
in his last days. This testimony is
supplemented by the personal narrative
Of Robert Wilton, correspondent Of
The London Times in Siberia, who
gives substantially the same account in
more vivid and imaginative form
Imprisoned After Revolution
Immediately after the March revo-
luton the Gar and his family, TO-
gether with several devoted attend
ants, were kept under arrest in the
imperial palace at Tsarskoe Selo. In
the beginning their treatment was ex-
cellent. Later, however, some of the
soldiers who constituted their guard
became infected with extremely radi-
cal ideas, and the Kerensky govern
ment decided that it was best to send
the imperial family to Tobolsk, in ST.
berla, far away from the centers of
political disturbance. Here again they
were we'll treated for a time. The
Car sawed wood and taught the Gar
evltch history; the Czarina gave her
children instruction in theology; the
whole family often played games to-
ge.her.
A change for the worse was noticed
soon after the Bolshevik came into
power. The privileges Of the prisoners
were curtailed; the soldiers became
ruder and more insolent in their con-
| duct. Finally, the family was removed
to Ekaterinburg and imprisoned in the
house Of man named Ipat:eff. Here
they were subjected to many insults
| The Russian workmen who guarded them
at first were supplanted by Let's
| Finally, on the night of July 16, 1920
the Car and his whole family, with
several attendants, were taken into a
room in the Ipatieff, house and shot down
! by order Of the Bolshevik official. You.
rovsky.
! Bodies Burned
After the massacre the bodies were
loaded on waiting motor lorries anc
taken to lonely spot in q neighborinl
! wood. Here they We're hacked to piece.
and burned. The cinders were throw
Il down the shaft of an abandoned iror
4 mine.
4 This destruction of the bodies, togeths,
with the false and misleading clew.
H which were spread broadcast BY the per
II petrators OF the crime, seriously i'm
II peded the investigation which was Sc
! on foot by the Kolchak government a
I soon as the White armies occupie,
l Ekaterinburg. Ultimately, however, tn
| patience and skill Of NJ. Sokolov, tn
| prosecuting official in charge of tn
| case, ovcrcamc all obstacles. The step
/ leading up to the murders were recon
i structed by the examination Of man
|, witnesses. The manner in which tn
| bodies were disposed of was revealed b
| the testimony Of peasants who asserte
| that Gordon Of Red soldiers was throw
about a certain section Of the WOO
| after the tragedy.
ii Conclusive Evidence
Il search of this part of the WOO
Il brought to light overwhelming ev
Il donce. Among the articles discovere
II were a number OF jewels belongin
/ to the Czarina and her daughters.
Il pocket case in WHICH the Car alwas
Il carried his w-ife's portrait, lart
II spectacle glass such as the Empire:
II wore at Tobolsk, remnants Of IL
II Czarevitch's haversack, etc.
II Some OF the circumstances leadi1
up to TIE massacre are not altogeth
clear. certain Yakovlcv appears
the scene at Tobolsk. Armed with
| commission from the government
Moscow he attempted to supervise t
removal of the imperial family to sor
unknown destination. MI Wilton a
vances the theory that Yakovlev wish
to take the Gar to Moscow, in order
obtain his signature for the Bres
Litovsk Treaty. This scarcely see,
II plausible, as the Soviet governme
ii would scarcely have invited such a q
clsive repudiation OF its own autho ri
On the other hand, Yakovlev was 6
cused by some Of the local. Bolshevi
} Of desiring to spirit the Car away
Japan. Whatever his mission, it fsile
and he was compelled TO turn over t
III prisoners TO the Ekaterinburg Soviet.
n Mr.. Wilton places the responsible
for the execution of the Gar and I
family squarely upon the shoulders
the central government at Mosco
! He insists that Yourovshy was actil
under orders from Moscow and tn
> the Let's who did the actual shoe
ing were special troops Of the Extr
II ordinary Commission. He asserts tn
H SverdloF, at that time chairman
II the executive committee Of the A
. n Russian Congress Of Soviets, was G
0 II termined 10 extcrminate the enti