Evening star., 1924-05-13
LAST DAYS AND DEATH
OF THE RUSSIAN CZAR
Authentic Account of Murder of Romanovs Leads to Blood
stains in Cellar.

tion that the kaiser had anything to
do with it is mere madness.
Out of all the evidence l venture to
restate the tale. If my account diff
ferS in several points from those
previously published / can only add
that the variations have not been
made except after close and critical
consideration.
Only Moderate Restraints at First
On March 21. 1917, Immediately fol-
lowing the first revolution, Emperor
Nicholas was placed under house ar
rest in his palace at Tsarskoe-S -Selo,
near Petrograd. In August he and
his family were moved to Tobolsk, a
pleasant city in western Siberia,
where they were housed in the palace
of the former governor general
Up to this time they had suffered no
serious discomfort. They were allowed
to maintain within their palaces
something of their former state.
DO not Forget that your charge is
former emperor. He must want for
nothing; was Kerenskys charge to
guard. On the journey to Tobolsk
the imperial family was accompanied
by a personal staff numbering thirty
eight, including ssyen cooks. a wine
steward, a court reader. maids of
honor and personal maids, an aide
de-camp. physician, two Wallets and
tutor for the czarevitch.
Tne captivity at TobolSk was at
first of the mildest kind. The i'm
rer1ai prisoners were allowed to go
city were friendly, and brought many
gifts. Even the emperoTs mail was
scarcely touched. The chief trouble
was with the strong force of soldier
guards, who, having nothing much to
do. wnxed fat and kicked.
"Red7 Ekaterinburg Makes Demand.
Gradually conditions became more
strict A former political prisoner,
Pankratov, who had spent fifteen
years in captivity in Schlusselburg-
the most terrible Of all czarist prisons
and had been twenty-seven years in
exile in Siberia, was placed in charge
Of the guard over Col. Kobylinsky.
Funds grew short. There was no
money to pay the servants and many
of them had to go.
Then the communists succeeded to
power At first they did not concern
themselves about Nicholas. They had
more urgent tasks and contented
the family must economize.
Nothing was to be feared from
the people of Tobolsk, but trouble
was brewing elsewhere. Three hun
dred miles west OF Tobolsk lies the
city OF Ekaterinburg. beautifully
placed on the lower slopes of the
Urals. IL had already earned the
name OF Red Ekaterinburg' and was
the headquarters of communism in
the Urals. The revolutionary group
there, the Ural council of soldiers and
workers deputies. was jealous be-
cause Nicholas had been sent to To-
bolsk, and demanded that it be given
charge of him. 1t poured letters and
kilograms, each more urgent than the
last, on the central executive COM
mittee (zik) at Moscow. 1t reckoned
on the influence of the president OF
the xix, Sverdloy. 20 get it what it
wanted. for Sverdlov was an old revo-
lutionist from the Ufals.
For once. however, Sverdlov, al
though he ranked as the third most
powerful man in Russia, could do
nothing. The transfer was refused
The Ekaterinburg men worked them
selves into fever over the possi-
bility that the Romanovs would es-
cape. They sent spies and agents to
Tobolsk, and what they learned
alarmed them further.
ITO be continued tomorrov.)