The Washington times., 1923-03-11
Madame HaneafeIdt, Once Bud
Of Diplomatic Corps, Now
Earns Living by Lessons
WIDOW or CARS AIDE
Forced to Flee Petrograd With,
Daughter in Red Revolt.
Brought to U. S. by Friends
By RILLA ENGLE.

Exiled and impoverished, Nine.
v. p. Haneafeldt, one-time belle
of the diplomatic corps here and
widow Of famous Russian gem
eral, is back in Washington earn.
ing a living for herself and her
fourteen-year-old daughter, Zene,
giving lessons in Russian cooking
at the National Woman's Party
headquarters.
AS pretty and vivacious Marie
Mertvago, daughter Of the popular
naval attache of the Russian en-.
bassy, Capt. /. T.. Mertvago, Nine.
Haneafeidt made her debut IN
washington in 1895. In the four
years that followed she was the
acknowledged belle of the diplomatic
corps, and when at the end OF her
fathers term here she returned to
Petrograd to become the bride of
an officer OF the cars own
private guard, she left trail Of
broken and patched hearts long
enough to stretch from one end OF
Sixteenth street to the White
House.
KILLED IN WAR.
Her husband. General Haneafeldt.
gave his lovely young bride
handsome residence in Petrograd.
summer home in Finland, and an
unlimited allowance that won her
the reputation of being one of the
t-dressed women at the Russian
imperial court. At the outbreak Of
the war, General Haneafeldt was
given command of regiment, and
was killed two months later, leav-
ing his wife and young daughter
to the care of q son by q former
marriage.
At the first threatening sound of
the Bolshevik uprising, Nine. Hanea-
feldt's stepson sent her with little
Zene to their estates in Finland,
the two leaving under the cover
of night, with only the clothes and
jewels they could carry in q small
suitcase.
The success Of the revolt cut off
entirely any revenue from Russia,
and later, at the outbreak of the
Finnish revolt, Nine. Haneafeldt.
again in the middle of the night
forced to flee with her small
daughter.
The charity of the. old friends of
girlhood days in Washington. ac-
cording to Nine. Hanefeldt, pro-
vfded funds to bring the two to the
United States, where the Russian
gentlewoman who had never done
a days work in her life, found her
self absolutely dependent upon her
own resources.
BECOMES BOOK AGENT.
The story of the years that fol-
lowed read like q nightmare to the
sensitive daughter Of the centuries
of gentlefolk. Her music, without
which the education of q Russian
gentlewoman was never complete,
served her in good stead, and she
obtained position as teacher Of
French and music in girls school
in New Jersey. Later, losing that
position, she was forced to earn the
bare necessities for herself and her
child by serving as a nursery gov
erness for a wealthy American
family in Florida. Last winter the
plucky littl1 lady went to Phiiadel-
phia and was employed as book
agent by firm publishing a GER
tain pseudo-medical book.
I'VE. were taught" says Nine.
Haneafeldt. her eyes big with agon-
lied remembrance, Ito place one
tress of the establishment could
not throw us out"
A few months ago the two, Nine.
Haneafeldt and the small daughter,
came to Washington.
II had nothing to do" said Nine.
Haneafeldt in her soft voice, ';and
was desperate until / remember.
ed my skill in cooking learned
years ago, before came to Wash
ington to be bud in a famous
school of domestic science in
Petrograd."
The suggestion that she open
the class at the National Woman's
Party came originally from Mrs.
Harvey Wiley, wife of the famous
pure food exponent, who is ex.
tremely interested in what Nine.
Haneafeldt is trying to do. She
hopes to introduce in Washington
not only the famous dishes OF her
own country, but those of other
foreign kitchens little known in
the United States.