New Britain herald., 1923-03-02
P|TIFUL illness
OF THE CzAREVICH
Family Tutor Of Emperor NichO-
las Lectures in Switzerland

Lausanne, March "A large num-
Der OF Russians refugees have found
a home In Switzerland, where they
try 20 earn living by making and
selling Russian peasant handiwork
Many OF them, In the old days, were
among the wealthy patrons of the
Swiss hotels. Here also Is Pierre Gil
lard. the SwisG who was tutor IN the
family OF the late Emperor Nicholas
for 10 years, JIG Is ecturing on tho
Imprisonment and tragic daath OF
Nicholas and tho members OF his
family. and he turns over all he gains
from this woys to help these unfor-
thnate eyiles
Gilliard was with the little Care
,ich for nca'ly five years previous 10
the boys dnl:h in the cellar at Ekat-
crinburg, where he was shot by the
Bolshevists together with the Car
the Czarinl ana tho four grail duc5-
esses. He accompanied the imperial
family in exile at Tobosk, Siberia,
and went with them TO Ekaterinburg
In the spring of 1917. But be was
not allowed TO live with the family
there. and he was one of the few
members Of the Cars household who
was not executed.
Billiards intimate description of the
serious malady which constantly
threatened the little Czareyich's life, |
aid the shadow which 1t cast over
the life of the Czarina, the Car and
the grand duchesses, throw new light |
on the tragic existance of the boy, |
who was in constant danger Of suf-
ferng from slight accident which
might end his life.
suffered From HaemophiIia
According 70 Gilliard the Czarevitch
suffered from haemophilia a disease
he inherited from his mother. One
OF her brothers and two of her
nephews died OF this disease Dr..
Dereyenko, physician to the Care
witch, explained the nature of the
disease to Gilliard, said the tissues or
the child's veins and arteries were SO
thin that the slightest shock caused
internal hemorrhage. His blood hao
no power of coagulating. Consc-
qucntly any slight wound, even a
nosebleed, might have caused his
death. He was frequently confined TO
bed for weeks and near death, as
result of u slight fall. Once he mar
rowly missed death from bruise on
his hip caused by accidently bump
ing into a railing on the imperial
yacht Another time a slight bruise
on his ankle nearly ended his life,
In common parlance a person who
suffers from haemophilia is called a
bleeder. The disease was diagnosed
in the little heir to the RomanofT
throne when he was very young, and
Gilliard attributes the melancholy
which marked the later years Of the
Czarina's life entirely to the terror
lest something might end her sons
life, and to constant brooding over the
fact that the child's affliction was an
inheritance from her family.
When the boy was ill., Gillard says,
the Czarina would sit with him con-
sstantiy. and scarcely trust him alone
with nurses. Several of the boys in
Juries caused nervous ana muscular
affections OF the legs which famed
him for a long time. Two sailors
from the imperial yacht We're assigned
to look after inn. and frequently car
ried him about for weeks at a time.
He was unable to walk at the time he
was shot in Ekaterinburg, but his
sailors had been sent away by the ,
Bclshevists, and the Car himself car c
ried his 13-year-old son into the col
lar the night he met his death.
Appeal to Rasputin
Cijlliard declares the Czarina ap.
pelied to the Monk Rasputin to pray .
for her son when lie lad serious at
tacks, and apparently believed the :,
PRAYERS of the renegade were heard
Gilliard explains, however, that the .
grief. stricken mother was a mystic :,
who was apt to turn to any holy man
for help when her sons life was III
danger. The former tutor wholly dis -.
credits the stories circulated about :
iiasputin which reflected upon men,