Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-08
Friend Says This Is Custom
With Her When There
Are Strangers Near.
ATTITUDE IS CHANGED
Powerful Influences Oppose
Her Identification as
Nicholas Daughter.
BY GIEB f. B0ThIN.


was Saturday. Frau Won TchaikoVsky
was i'll, but she sent word that on
SUNDAY she would see me in the
garden. | spent the day with the
Duke Of Leuchtenbers, her host. most
of it discussing her case with him.
On Sunday. the dukes Son-ln.la"
showed me the castle. Every stone
in il seemed to be an antique. The
castle Incorporates large church and
a chapel, each containing pflceIess
images and frescoes. There are skeie
tons Of saints in glass cases, salht>
who lived at the monastery. Ihefe Is
also a COLLECTION Of articles that pe
longed to Empress Josephine ana q
notable library.
We were walking through a corridor
when a door cpered and young
woman wrapped in a fur CLOAK ap,
peared before us. Seeing us she drew
fha collar of her coax before her
face and walked away rapidly. Her
hair was dark blonde | could no'
distinguish her features.
who is that" | asked.
"The invalid" N'rau Won Tchalkov
skvl, said my companion. She always
covers her face when she sees
strangers.
Where does she go?" l asked.
"Oh. she leaves her room now ana
then when she thinks no one VIII
see her"
Upset by Press Attacks.
We went forward, and from a
distance saw the invalid standing al
an open window overlooking the
garden. She remained there some
minutes, then, covering her face. re-
turned to her room.
In~ the afternoon the duke spent
several hours with her, discussing re
cent attacks on her in the German
press. He left her room saying she
was so unset and exhausted from the
conference that she had asked to post
pone meeting me until the morrow.
"She said again." the duke told me
"that she fears you will write about
her in the American newspapers.
told her to discuss that with you wfer
you met"
There being no chance of seeing the
invalid that day, I went for walk
in the mountains with members OF
the dukes family. They were all pre-
occupied with newspaper articles
which purported to identify Frau vor
Tchaikovsky as a Polish working
woman. They told me of Frau Won
Relationships conformation with
detective and other persons involved
in a German newspapers articles
One of them talked to her in Polish
She listened in apparent astonish
ment.
What language is that?" she asked
"Rumanian?"
She was told it was Polish.
POLISH she said. why should
any one talk Polish to me?"
Because you are supposed to be
Polish" they explained.
"Oh," she said, 'how clever"'
Powerful Influences at Work.
The Leuchtenbergs were excited BY
this campaign, for although the duke
had never officially acknowledged Fra,
Won Tchaikovsky as The grand Ouch
ess, attacks upon him in the German
press and the latest stack upon Fras
Won Tchaikovsky convinced them tina
powerful personages in Germany die
not want. the invalid identified as the
grand duchess.
On thai walk 1 learned much o.
the condition and personality of thu
invalid. Her health, slightly improved
in the last few months, was still very
bad. She had suffered a relapse IL
the last few days. She had tubercu
losis, which had necessitated the re
moval of the bone in her left elbow
She was extremely nervous, suspectint
every one either of profiting from hel
case or of being openly hostile to her
She spoke very bad German will
q foreign accent. She understood
s-1-
believed that at one time she had los
speech and memory. She was grad
ually recovering both, but was still
far from normal.
At times she gave way to outburst.
of anger and her eyes would assum,
a fearful expression. But no matte
how angry she became. they said, sh,
never used an uncouth or rude expires
sion. Her harshest rebuke was: "Yol
fail in your duty. After all. am thu
daughter of your Emperor"
Frau Won Tchailovsky is very much
interested in politics. they said. Sh'
discusses European politics as one ia
mlliar with them. She likes the Eng
lish and dreams of living in England
A Woman Without Hope.
I asked what she thought of he
oAS Ac~A4oAs hCy Sdlo SIIc WAS eIlllTCt,
without hope, and they feared sh
might attempt suicide. She asks 70
nothing except recognition by he
relatives.
She had said several times that tn,
only way to prove her identity was t,
make an investigation in Rumania
where evidence supporting The stor.
of her life, after she had escaped from
Russia, could be found.
| tried to learn the attitude of tn
members Of the imperial Russian fam
lily. But the Leuchtenbergs were a
perpfexed as l. At one time or an
other most of the members of thu
family had seemed ready to acknow
edge the invalid as the grand duchess
but none Of them had ever acknowl
edged her officially. With the develop
.ment of various intrigues the mem
bers Of the family We're divided. som
Of them believing in the invalid an
others bitterly opposing her.
One incident they told me was in
pressive. Last Easter she decided t
make her devotions. She went t
church daily, went to confession an
partook of holy communion. TIL
priest testified that she went throug
the elaborate ceremonies as only
person reared in the Russian Churc
could. During confession she reitei
ated that she was Grand Duches
Anastasia.
These things, and the realizatio
that any endeavor to establish VIII
members Of the. Russian imperia
family and other interested person
took this or that attitude would len
only to months of investigation. mad
me the more anxious to sec and tai
with the invalid herself. ] went
bed impatient for the next day.
Copyright 1927 in all countries by Il
North American Newspaper Allance.)
(Note.-(Nr. Botkin's article tomo
row will describe his first meetin
with Frau Won Tchaikovsky, and to
of his conviction that she was til
Grand Duchess Anastasia)