The Washington times., 1920-12-26


young Prince o in his chateau in the old prov
nce Of Moscow. The Prince possessed typical estate
Of the old regime it existed before the liberation of the
serfs vast princpalty covering hundreds of square
miles and including forests churches and
villages within its limits Five thousand sers had be-
onged to the estate before the liberation and fully that
number still lived there little changed in condition. dur
ing my visit do not give the Princes full for OBJ
vious reasons but those who in Russian society
that time will Secal the tragedy going to describe
Here opportunity for me to the old bar.
barous Russia longed to know it.
Prince O--s dwelling a wonderful old CASTLE
OF roughly hcwn stone. As savage looking as some
stronghold of the early dark ages The great dining
hall large a church, with its windows placed in
embrasures Deep The castle had of course been
built to withstand a siege.
Around the hall scattered trophies taken from
wild beasts killed the vast estate. There ire
mendous horns of the aurochs, the gigantic wild bull
which abOunded in early historic times in Europe and is
extinct everywhere but in Russia There also
skins of the great fierce bears Killed this estate
Beneath the castle the most extensive cellars
known to exist beneath any building IN Europe. They
had been used for the storage of gunpowder wne
spirits beer food grain leather and everything needed
for the maintenance of an army: The cellars had in
deed been constructed to enable the garrison of the
castle to resist q long siege.
learned from the Prince that there 2OO,OOU
bottles of wine in the cellars including specimens of all
the famous vintages of Europe. There were, for in
of the celebrated 1893 vintage There in addition
hundreds of bottles of the finest old Cognac Charreuse
Benedctine Curacao vodka, Kirsch Kummel and other
lqueurs. Fine old ale stored in twenty barrels
immense that dozen men could have drowned them
selves in Of them.
Night after night the young Prince entertained
with the contents of his cellars 1t February, and
the deep upon the ground. After day of
sleigh riding, wolf hunting or some other exciting
sport would return to the castle famshed and ready
to do justice to the banquet of rich game and spen
After
ing of music, gambling and Irritation great blaz
ing log fire in immense fireplace helped our jollty
and seemed to invite to feast recklessy.
During visit Prince o planned fancy dress
ball in which we were all to wear historic Russian
taken from the great collection in the castle.
NY husband and attired in the extraordinarily
rich picturesque of Russian nobility of the
medieval period-"boyars" they were called My cos
of crimson velvet adorned with gold lace and
red and crystals. high, stiff collar. bordered
with pearls rising point at the back, emphasized the
decoletage of the front. Upon my head wore richly
decorated hat of the mtrelke form, which originally
Russian and has lately into fashion in this country
and his feet he high boots of Unframed doeskin
gold laced the tops and curling to point at the toes
All the other dressed in costumes OF
similar magnifcence.
That was night of mingled splendor dissipation and
tragedy that shudder now to recall Heavens and
earthl What night it was! The hours flew by with
dancing feastng and reckless drinking. At oclock we
summoned to the great banquet hall OF the
castle.
Among the company were two very beautiful and tenn
peramental Russian women-the Princess Narishkn and
the Princess Gnka, superb brunette, with wealth
of black hair and eyes Of midnight the other Venetian
blonde with cheveure of the richest Titan red
The liberal use had enjoyed of the Princes cellars
prolonged day after day. beginning to tell on'the
nerves of more than of As consequence rela
tons between the progressing to the point of
the duel while rtaons between those Of opposite sexes
had in several gone to a corresponding extreme
One of the guests Prince ROmanowsky, was engaged
in an absorbing with the Princess Narishkn
and seemed annoyed when Prince o. reminded her
of feat he had performed in shooting twelve wolves in
five minutes.
"why, Dmtri, you couldn't shoot old cow at
twenty Yards" sneered Romanowsky
II could shoot a card of your head at fifty yards
with pistol if you had courage enough to let me try It,
retorted Prince o
"Thank you. I'm not thinking Of suicide just now
replied Romanowsky.
An odd view OF the situation occurred to Prince
o. Just then lie had been drinking AZ heavily as
any of them and his ideas perhaps hardly natural
"Somc of my friends have more confidence in me
Countess would be afraid to let me shoot card oil
vonr headfD Prince o asked OF me-