The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-02-25
THE LAST DAYS
OF THE CAR
IS Title Of Newly Published
Book Which Tells of the
Murder of Gar


was inspired by the Cemnaun-
Slst opinion that the story of the
s execution. should be told from. the
Eplsheeist side. But apparently it
dsd not meet with the approval OF
the higher officials for, although 1t
was published in the closing days
: Of 1921. it was Immediately with
drawn from circulation. The book
Mas. printed by the state printing
5 department OF the Ural district
government in this city and gives a
y general review Of The labor revolu-
Stion in. the Crais The last chapter
IN it records the enlperor's death
and is entitled. The Last Days OF
the Gar.
The book was obviously censored
carefully before it was published
as it lacks. many details of the exc
cutio1 which ordinarily would have
been given by eye witnesses. 1t at
temp,s to justify the execution by
explaining that the OrenburG Cos
sacks were then threatening Ekat-
erinburg from the south; the
Czechosiorak forces were. pressing
in from the cast and letters had
been received showing that plots
were being formed to deliver the
5mperial family TO the counter-rev-
, clutionists. Two extracts from let
tiers are quoted as evidence of the
existence of these plots.
According to Bykoff's account the
last words OF. the emperor when he
Z and hs family were lde unexpected
Iy into the basement of their pris-
on and told that all the Romanoffs
must die. were. But are We. not to
be taken anyWhere?'
The empress and her four dcugh-
ters (the Grand Duchess Olga, Ia
fiana, Anastasia and Marie} and
the little Czarevitch. and the re-
manning. members Of the house
hold of / were so stunned that they
said nothing when Avdieff. the
eornmandant of the house ordered
them TO line up against the base
meat wall and nd-pronounced the SEN
senee.
s.. Bykon says that firing squad Of
aaur shot the former imperial fam
ily with revolvers. The identity Of
the members of the execution squad
is not revealed.
The pamphlet places the respon-
sibility: for the execution Of the
Roma9ofs directly upon the Ural
district. soviet. which decided early
( in; July. 1918, that the Car and
] his family must die and entrusted
the execution of the sentence and
the destroying of the bodies Of
Peter Ern1akeG, an old worknas.n Of
the Epper-Issetslly Works.
Aydief, comaandant OF the
house; read the sentence. accord
iaS to Bykoff's story, and there
were only four witnesses. But i.
is not indicated whether Avdieff
shot, or even witnessed the death
o6 The imperial famil,-
There were no statements in
Rykoa.s account which indicate that
the ,Ural district soviet carried out
the execution under direct orders
from Moscow.
- Tne Romanoffs were in their or
dinary clothing when shot. 1t was
nos their custom to retire untii
long after 10 O'clock at night. Con-
seeuently all We're still dressed
when the ill-fated group of 11swas
unexpectedly ordered to tile base
,ncnt and shot.
Bykof's story says the guards
outside the house and the public
were kept in ignorance OF the
shooting by q. noisy automobile out
I side which drowned the pistol re-
ports.
- AT one o'clock the next morning
the Il bodies were secretly rrmov-
ed from the house and taken TO "a
neighborinS wood. There the
clothipg was removed. The bof,ies
were burned first and tl:ep the
clothing. Bykofi says the jewels
and fragments of jewelry which
ADMIRAL Kolchak's officers later
clainlsd to have found IN the ashes
Sere probably concealed in the
clothing and overlooked by the
men who disposed of the io4i"s-
In addition to the Gar ard
eszarina Alexandra and their four
daughters and one son. the persons
who met death in the basement
were Prince Delsoroukoff. Or. Bod
Kin. who was physician to the Ro-
manoffs, a laayin- waiting and u
man who was nurse to the Care
sitch. The ramcs of the last two
are not given in Bykoff's pamphlet.
Grand Duke Michael. brother Of
the. late Gar. was shot. at Perm
IN July. 1915. according to By
koff's account. and the Grand
Dukes. Sersius Mikhailovitch, Igor
itch. Konstantin Kon-
stantinovitch and ivan KonStantin-
ovitch were killed about the same
tine a: Alapaievsky. north of Eka-
terinburg. These members of the
Eonauoff family had previously
Neen held as prisoners in Ekaterin-
burg, but were transferred because
OF the uncertain position OF Eka-
terinbrrg with the approach OF the
Czechosiovaks.
swedish Prince Sent to Italy for
Health.