Evening star., 1923-12-21
By THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

BIZ THE MARaUISE DE FONTESOY.
Impenetrable mystery has always
existed as to the fate of Grand Duke
Michael Alexandrovitch, in whose IA
vor his brother. the late Emperor
Nicholas II, abdicated in February
1917, the throne of Russia, which
Michael, however, refused to accept
until his possession thereof had been
ratified by a constituent assembly of
the nation. The only thing known
for certain is that he disappeared
mysteriously, in the closing days of
July, 1918, from the city Of Perm, on
in relative liberty. in the leading ho-
tel. allowed to receive visits of friends
and where his morganatic wife. the
Countess Brussoff. was allowed to
join him and to spend several weeks
there in his company.
He was attended by his devoted
English secretary. Charles Johnson,
who had been with him for years; by
his valet, Basil Tchillicheff. and by
his chauffeur, Barounoff. Then he
vanished, and the only intimation that
has been given out or published as to
his fate being a story, open to con-
siderable doubt, printed last year in
the Moscow kommunisticheksi-T Trud,
the official organ of the Lenin-
Trotsky bolshevist junta. to the effect
that he had been shot at Perm on or
about the goth day of July, 1918. that
is to say, few days only after the
massacre of the emperor and the en-
press and their children, at Ekat-
rinenburg. The statement was signed
by "Comrade Miasnikoff," one Of the
closest confidants and old-time friends
his having blown out the brains of
the grand duke.
That the soviet government, as now
constituted, should wish the world,
and especially the people in Russia,
to believe that Grand Duke Michael
was no longer in existence is easy
to understand. For his name is still
cherished by the peasantry, who con-
stitute 80 per cent of the population.
They recall his long struggle with
his family over his romantic mar
riage to a woman of the nobility, a
lady in every sense of the word, al
though not Of royal blood. as a proof
of his democracy and of his sin
cerity. Old stories Of his generosity
are recalled, and among the numer-
Gus imperial princes who took
part in the great war, with the ex-
ception of the generalissimo. Grand
Duke Nicholas Nicholaiovitch, none
but Michael Alexandrovitch won fame
and honor. In command of a division
Of the army in the Carpathians. he
led his men with reckless courage,
exposing himself to shrapnel and
eloquent appeals to their bravery,
and Offering a stubborn resistance
to the Germans, Austrians and Hun
garians in the region of the Lomma,
and numerous stories of his heroism
still circulate among the masses. In
spite of the statement issued by the
Lenin-Trotsky official press. at Mos
COW, proclaiming his death, the Rus
sian people insist taat he Is still
alive.
This belief ell, ha. a,,i Just received a
tion by Princess Olga Poutiatine, a
close friend of the grand duke and
of his morganatic wife and children,
who has just published, in the
Revue des Deux Mondes,. In Paris,
a remarkable and convincing ac-
count Of his disappearance.
X y n
Princess Poutiatine relates that,
after the revolution and the grand
dukes public refusal to accept the
throne which his brother, Emperor
Nicholas, abdicated in his favor, until
the nation had had the opportunity
Of giving expression to Its wishes in
a national constituent assembly to
be held at Moscow. he was allowed
to remain In perfect liberty and un-
molested, with his wife. Countess
Brussoff, and his children. on his es-
tate near Gatchina- BY and by. after
the overthrow of Kerensky. he re-
ceived orders OF the soviet govern
ment to move into Petrograd, SO as
to permit of closer surveillance of
his movements. There he took up
his residence with his wife and his
English secretary, Johnson, under the
roof of Princess Olga Poutiatine,
other members of the princess house
hold being her children's English
governess, Mrs. Amy Beating, who
had been prevented from following g
the remainder of the family to
Switzerland because Of Ill health. The
grand dukes friends entreated him
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