South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-01-01
CZARINE CALM TO
MOMENT OF DEATH
Empress Was Not in Sympathy
With Germans, Former
Tutor Declares.

survivor OF the party imprisoned
with them al TobOlsk
The author. VI. Pierre GIliard.
vas French tutor 70 the czarevitch,
and was reported in the early ac-
counts OF the murder OF the imper-
b. family 90 have persisted with
bnsm At Ekaterlnburg. Il was no
gault az ms that he was not with
them at the last. The Bolshevlki
tarted him from them a few weeks
before the final tragedy And thus
be has come back az from the grave
a. defend their memory and TO vim
nicats tho empress from cruel
wrongs
IN September, 1920. after stay
ing three years in siberia" he says.
~ was able 10 return to Europe.
aIy mind was still iull Of the poig-
aant drama with which I had been
closely associated. but I was also
sdu deeply impressed by the wOr-
6erful serenity and flaming faith OF
tnoss who mad been IT, victims"
The empress was never in sym
pathy with the Germans and the
y foul stories about her relations with
y 5lasputin were ERECTED by Keren-
eky's commission which sought in
avery possible way to blacken her
character The French ambassador
g. PetrogIad thus describes her;
Empress and Rasputin.
Her education. upbringing, her
intellectual outlook were entirely
English. She was English IN aD-
pearance and bearing. in a certain
element Of reserve and Puritantsn,
On the intractable and militant aus
terity CT her personal habits"
Her one consolation was in her
child. the czarevitch-
II was discovered that she had
hemophilia bleeding which could
not be stopped from the slightest
injury from her childhood. She
had heard - spoken Of as a dread
fuI and mysterious thing, against
which men were powerless. And
now her only son, the child she
loved more than anything else on
ssrth. was affected. When the
mother realized that no human aid
could save hSn, her last hope was
ln God.
Il was then that Rasputin. a sim
pie Siberian peasant. was brought
40 her. and he said: Believe IN
the power OF my prayers. Believe in
my health and you son viii live"
Gar Shy and Retiring.
As for the car seen at close
|. quarters:
He was shy and retiring by ma
Suro. He belonged to the category
bf human beings who are always
hestatinE because they are too dit
ferent and are very slow to impose
their viii on others because they are
TOO gentle and sensitive He hal
little faith IN himself and imagined
that he was one Of the unlucky ones.
As for Rasputin. the author says:
I do not think ne was German
agsnt-in the usual sense OF tbs
word-in Germany's pay-but he
was certainly q formidable weapon
On the hands OF the German gen
oral stan. which was vitality inter
ssted IN the prolor CATION OF the life
OF so valuable an ally and had sur
rounded him with spies who were
also guards.
His murder came on the empress
ga 2 thunderbOlt-
Her agonized features betrayed
how terribly she was suffering. Her
Erief was incousoiabIe. Her ideal
bad been shattered. He who alone
could save her son had been slain.
Now that he had gone, any misfor-
sumo. any catastrophe. was possible
Absent From Revolution.
she was absent from the ca st
SnS revolution and his abdicauon.
The czarina's despair almost dc
Aed Imagination. but her great
sourags DID not desert her. Her
faith was terrible 70 see. but with a
/ strength Of Will which was almost
suporhuman she forced herself to
come 10 the chudren's room as
usual. She reached che extreme
limit OF human resistance I'm this
last trial in which originated that
wonderful and radiant serenity
which was 10 sustain her and her
family 20 the day Of their death.
hen il was believed that the Ger
man government was demanding
shelr surrender 10 Germany the en-
press words were. After what they
have done 20 the car. I would ra,h-
er die IN Russia than be saved by
The Germans" This scornful repu
diation was probably the true cause
Of the Ekaterinburg murders. Tile
Russian sovereigns were slaughter
ed because they were faithful 20 the
allies. When The order OF the Boil
sheviki for their removal 20 ElIater-
tnburg was given the author quotes
from his diary. this passage
The car and ezarina we're calm
and collected L is apparent tina;
they sre prepared for any sacrifice
even OF their lives. If God In His In
scrutable wisdom should require il
for the countrys welfare. They
have never shown greater kindness
or solictude
Brave 10 the last.
At the last farefeu those abou,
them broke into tears. The author
saw them no more. Some weeks
later he visited the room where they
had met their death. OF which he
Rives full and authentic particulars
The appearance Of the room was
Ginlster beyond expression The
only tight altered through a barred
window at the height OF a mans
head. The walls showed numerous
traces CT bullets and bayonet scars
To the last they were brave. They
had kept that wonderful faith
which a. TObOlsk had been the al
nairation or their encourage. and
which had given them such strength
such ssrsnity in sufferinss. They
were already almost entirely de-
taahsd from this world