, '
i i 11 ii r.
r m & b m m mi
lie Ledger Compan
EVENING LEDGRr-POOILADELHIiV, FKIDAY, OCTOBER 2(3, 1017
AH rights reamed.)
f he Russian Secret Police, the Scourge of Russia
for Uecaacs wanted to Be Rid of Premier
Stolypine, Who Persistently Refused to Per
mit the "Okhrana" to Violate the Security of
the Citizen's Home as It Had Been Doing in
' the Past
HYNorsis op nti:cR!Na inbtallmknth
Tlie cnrr nf Urrsory Him(ln, the "llladi Monk of Hu...
,.n lie compared to the UU'ot n comet. Iiotli In It pliy.lcal fll.lit
croi the Uy and In It. effect upon a tlillilllke people wl.u.e fi i,
, bound up n inl Iclini anil n.ipcr.titloii. (tut of the ohm ion of
Ihe .mull K'1,'"'"" """' I'okronnUole, lU.putln nppr on the
horlion of political ltu.l and wielded an Influence mer the Slat
,j tliurili nuch ha. neter been duplicated by a civilian and
l.jnm".
There are many torle ronrernln the relatlonihlp exl.tlne
between lta.putln and the Kinpren. of Kii.nla, but the author Yar
-TWY 7TT cm-ol C A TlvTT
&y TkePiririCGSSRadziwjlL
"People began to dread Rasputin because they saw that he had managed to gt -into
association with individuals utterly unscrupulous and ready to, resort to tvtrfm
means, even to assassination, in order to come to thcir-own ends' r
tint tie ;" ',rV 1."" ""UK" merel) an a Person who could
--.. .I.a llr nt III Mllltlw U. rl.. .1 .... ' .Wu,
,...... ...- ....CIBl;1(( aiiiii me "1'ropnet." or
-llleed tlreiorj," an lux . leti.lcr, ,i.l ,ll( u u n leid a power,
ful Influence over the Sllnliitrr and Court I. emph.dlied In
,ini.le lifter Maniple. The name .pell which he cant or the
moujlk." of lila natUe town brought the eophlitlcated Kutalan
nobll.ty under III. power. Ile.plte I.I, nithy, unkempt and revoTt"
Im appearance, they. In company with the uneducated million,
f peasant" and townspeople, i.nti.ne In tlrtotnl lollonrrs.
Ilasputln'M "creed" contained prerepta objectionable to the
Orthodox Church nnd to the person not blinded hj hi, nn.tlrl.,.
and after many un.ucce.iful attempt, he was filially "exiled" o
hi. old home, After two jears he returned to the capital. wherS
he continued IntrlBulnK nsnlii.t hi. enemies. He .klllfu ly' turn,,!
'leto? lot "li'ni.Vlf BruwlnK u' ' '' lknn War Into
.
CHAPTER III
AMONG Rasputin's adversaries was Mr. Stolypine, who, with strong
. common sense and great intelligence, had objected to the im
portance which certain social circles in St. Petersburg had tried to
give to the soothsayer. At first he had regarded the whole matter
ts kind of a wild craze which was bound to subside in time as other
craies of the same sort had dwindled into insignificance in the past.
Later on, however, some reports that had reached him concerning
the persons who frequented Rasputin had given him reason to think
that there might be something more than stupid enthusiasm in the
various tales which had come to his ears in regard to the Prophet
of Pokrowskoie. He, therefore, expressed the wish to see him, so
j to be able to form a personal judgment on the man, and a meet
ing was arranged in due course at the house of one of the ladies
ho patronized Rasputin. It is related that after he had cast his
eyes upon him Mr. Stolypine, when asked to give his opinion on
the personality of the individual about whom he had heard so many
conflicting reports, had simply replied:
f "The best thing to do with him is to send him to light stovos;
1-. he is fit for nothing else."
Stolypine Opposed to Rasputin
The words .were reDcated nml ritvnlnrprl -frnnlu in ct p.to...
v bure: tliev reached Rasnutin. nnd enrnirprl him tho mnro iim,
IjS ihortly afterwards, it was Mr. Stolypine who had insisted on his
m? being expelled irom the capital, and who for two whole years had
Mm? KAiiian 4rt nllr-i! klm a ntnm it- 1 u 1IT 1 a J.1 . il
tciuacu ui u.nvn nml iu hiki 11, uyiwu. tvneii, inureiore, in ine
early autumn of 1912 the "prophet" at last was allowed to return
to St. Petersburg, it was with the feelings of the deepest enmity
against the Minister who had exiled him. He had the satisfaction
of finding that during his enforced absence the popularity of Mr.
Stolypine had decreased, and that a considerable number were
openly talking about overthrowing him. Rasputin very soon dis
covered the use which could be made of this state of things, which
lurpassed by far any Hopes he might have nursed of being ablo to
be revenged upon the P-esident of the Cabinet for the injury which
he imagined that the letter had done to him. He proceeded in all
his sermons to compare him with the Antichrist, and to say that
Russia would never be quiet so long as he remained one of its rulers.
. The police agent, whose name I have already mentioned, Mi.
Manassewitsch, ManiulolT, who always Lad his eye on Rasputin and
who1 had hastened to call upon him as soon as he had seen him
return to the capital, was not slow to notice the now outspoken
animosity of the latter in regard to the Prime Minister, who was
offensive to him as well as to the whole secret police. The secret
police, finding that it could no longer do what it pleased and that it
had to respect the private liberty and life of the peaceful Russian
citizens, or else be called to account by Mr. Stolypine, who ever
since his appointment had been working against the occult powers
of the "Okhrana," had but one idea, and this was to get rid bv
1 fair means or by foul of a master determined to control the police.
ic is Known in itussia mat iur. atoiypine's assassination was the
work of the secret police itself, who had found the murderer in the
person of one of its own agents, to whom it had furnished even the
revolver with which ti ktll the unfortunate Stolypine. But few
people dared relate all that they suspected in regard to his heinous
crime, and fewer still were aware of all its details, and of the
manner in which it had been planned.
The truth of the story is that Mr. ManiulolT secretly took to
Rasputin's house two or three police agents, to whom the latter
laid that God himself had revealed to him that Russia could never
be saved from the perils of revolution until the remoal of Mr.
Stolypine. He even blessed the officers, together with a pistol with
which he presented them. It turned out afterwards that this pistol
wag the very weapon that the Jew DagrofT fired at the Prime Min
ister in the theatre of KieiT during the gala performance given
there in honor of the Emperor's visit to the town. When Stolypine
had succumbed to his wounds, Rasputin made no secret of the satis
faction which h'9 death had occasioned to him, and exerted him
self in favor of several people who were supposed to have been
privy to the plot that had been hatched against the life of the
Prime Minister. He told his disciples that the fate (which had over
taken the unhappy Stolypine did not surprise him at all, and that
very one of those who would venture to oppose him would meet
Uh a similar fate in the future.
In a certain sense, this threat had an effect on those before
whom it was uttered. People began to dread Rasputin, not on ac
count of any supernatural powers he might have been endowed
With, but because they saw that he had managed to get into asso-
I
century. Had ho lived in the middle nges it is certain that Rasputin
would have been burnt nt the first stako to be found for the purpose,
which, perhaps, would not hnvo been such a groat misfortune.
I have seen a photograph representing tho "Prophet" drinking
tea with tho ladles who composed tho nucleus of tho new church
or sect, which he prided himself upon having founded. It is n curi
ous production. Rasputin is seen sitting nt a tabic before a. samovar
or tea urn slowly sipping out of n saucer the fragrant bevcrago so
dear to Russian hearts. Around him arc grouped tho Countess I.,
Madame W., Madame T. and two other of his feminine admirers,
who, with fervent eyes, nre watching him. Tho expression of theso
ladles is most curious, and makes one regret that one could not
observe it otherwise than in a picture. Their faces are filled with an
enthusiasm that bears tho distinct stamp of magnetic influence, and
it is easy to n'otico that tho ladies are plunged into that kind of
trance when one is no longer accountable for one's actions.
The method used by Rasputin was to humiliate nil the women
of the higher circles whom he had subjugated, and who had been
silly enough to allow themselves to fall under U spell. Thus ho
liked to oblige them to kiss his hands and feet, to lick the plates out
nf -Uiich he had been eating, or to drink out of the glass which ho
1 1 Hkifi&iS tfSfllJ hi
ill! 'P'HHH&nl
"ill ViHBBSHlHrfffll
"Once he commanded one of the ladies to walk in one night
to the Ullage of Strelna, a distance of about twenty-fne
miles from St. Petersburg, and to return immediately."
ciation with individuals utterly unscrupulous and ready to resort to
every means, even to assassination, in order to come to their own
ends. They thought it better and wiser, therefore, to get out of his
way and not to attempt to thwart him. He became associated in
the mind of Russian society with conspirators similar to the Italian
carbonari or Camorrists. The conviction that under the veil of re
ligious fervor he was able to persuade his satellites to do whatever
he pleased, and to hesitate at nothing in the way of infamy and
crime, gradually established itself everywhere until it was thought
advisable to have nothing to do with him, or else to submit to him
absolutely and in everything. It was very well known that he had
had a hand in the murder of Mr. Stolypine, but not one single person
could be found daring enough to say so, and an atmosphere of
impunity enveloped him together with those who worshiped at his
shrine or who had put themselves under his protection.
Russia Trembled Before Rasputin
It was during this same winter of 1912-13 that the name of
Rasputin became more and more familiar to the ears of the gen
eral public, which until that time had only heard about him vaguely
and had not troubled about him at all. It was also then that rumors
without number concerning the prayer meetings at which he pre
sided began to circulate. Innumerable legends arose in regard to
those meetings, which were compared to the worst assemblies ever
held by Khlysty sectarians. In reality nothing unmentionable took
place during their course. Rasputin was far too clever to apply to
the fine ladies whose help he considered essential to tho progress
of his future career the same means by which he had subjugated
the simple peasant women and provincial girls whom ho had de
praved. He remained strictly on the religious ground with his
aristocratic followers, and he tried only to develop in them feelings
of divine fervor verging upon nn exaltation which was close to
hysteria in its worst shape or form. In a word, it was with him
and them a case like that of the nuns of Loudun in tho sixteenth
hud just drained. He made them say long prayers in a most fatigu
ing posture, compelled them sometimes to remain for hours
prostrate on the ground before some yncrcd image, or to atand for
a whole day in one place without mowng as a penance for their sins;
or again to go for hours without food. Once he commanded one of
them to walk in one night to the village of Strelna, a distance of
about twenty-five miles from St. Petersburg, and to return immedi
ately, without giving herself any rest at all, with a twig from la
certain tree he had designated to her.
There is a curious account of an interview with him which was
published in tho Retsch, the organ of tho Russian Liberal party,
immediately after the death of Rasputin, by Prince Lvoff, who had
had the curiosity to speak with the "Prophet." The Prince is one of
the leaders of the progressive faction of the Duma. This is what
he wrote, which I feel certain will interest my readers sufficiently for
them to forgive me for quoting it in extenso:
I have had personally twice in my life the occasion to speak
with Rasputin. The first time was toward the end of the year
1915, when I was initcd to meet him by Prince I. W. Gouranoff.
When I crricd Rasputin was already there, sitting beside a
large table, with a numerous company gathered around him,
among which figured in the same quality as myself, that of a
curious stranger, the present chief of the military censorship
in Pctrograd, General M. A. Adabasch, who was the whole time
attentively watching the "Prophet" from the distant corner
Rasputin's Share in the Assassination of Stolg .
pine .Consisted in Relating to Several PolU.
Agents That God Himself Had Revealed i
Him That Russia Could Never Be Saveji From '
the Perils of Revolution Until the Removal
of the Prime Minister
whither he had retired. Rasputin was dressed in his usual char
acteristic costume of a Russian peasant and was very silent,
throwing only now nnd then a word or two into tho general con
versation or uttering a short sentence, after which he relapsed
into his former silence. In his dress and In hi mnnnera h was
absolutely uncouth, and when, for instance, he was offered an
apple he cut out a hole at its top with his own very dirty pocket
knife, after which he put the knife asido and tore the fruit in
two with his hands, eating it, peel and all, in the most primitive
manner. After some time Rasputin got up and wen to the next
room, whero he Bat down on a large divan with a few ladles who
had joined him, toward whom his manner left very much to be
desired.
Lvoff's Description of Rasputin
I had kept examining him tho whole time with great atten
tion, seeking for that extraordinary glance he was supposed to
possess, to which was attributed his power over people, but I
could not find any trace of it or notice anything remarkable
about him. The expression of his face was that of a cunning
mougik such as one constantly meets with in our country, per
fectly well aware of the conditions in which he was finding him
self placed, and determined to make the best out of them. Every
thing In him, to begin with his common dress and to end with his
long hair and his dirty nails, bore the character of the uncivilized
peasant he was. He seemed to realize better, perhaps, than .
those who surrounded him, that one of his trump cards was pre
cisely this uncouthness, which ought to have been repelling, and
that if he had put on different clothes and tried to assimilate
tho manners of his betters, half of the interest which ho excited
would have disappeared. I did not stay a long time, and went
away thoroughly disappointed, and perhaps even slightly dis
gusted nt the man.
A few months later, in February of the present year, 1916,
I was asked again to meet Rasputin at Uaron Miklos's house.
There I found a numerous and most motley company assembled.
There were two members of the Duma, Messrs. Karaouloff and
SouratcHane; General Pollwanoff, a great landowner of the gov
ernment of Woronege, N. P. Alcxleieff; Madame Swctchlne; the
Senator S. P. liielctsky and other people. Ladies were in a
majority. Rasputin remained talking for a long time with the
Deputy Karaouloff In another room than the one In which L
found myself. Then he came to join us in the large drawing
oom, where he kept walking up and down rith a young girl
on his arm Mile. D., a singer by profession who was entreat
ing him to arrange for her an engagement at the Russian
Opera, which he promised her to do "for certain," as he
expressed himself.
Every fie or ten minutes Rasputin went up to a table on
which were standing several decanters with red wine and other
spirits, and he poured himself a large glass out of one of them.
He swallowed the contents at one gulp, wiping his mouth after
wards with his sleeve or with the back of his hand. During one
of these excursions he came up to where I was sitting, and stop
ped before me, exclaiming: "I remember thee. Thou aria gasser,
who writes, and writes, and repeats nothing but calumnies.' I
asked the "Prophet" why he did not say "you" to me, instead of
addressing me with the vulgar appellation of "Thou."
"I speak in this way with everybody," he replied. "I have
got my own way in talking with people."
I made him a remark concerning some words which he had
pronounced badly, adding, "Surely you have learned during the
ten years which you have lived in the capital that one docs not
use the expressions which you have employed. And how do you
know that I have written or repeated calumnies. You cannot
read yourself, so that everything you hear is from other popple,
and you cannot feel sure whether they tell you the truth."
'This does not matter," he replied. "Thou hast written that
one is stealing, and thou knowest thyself how to do so."
"I do not know how to steal," I answered. "But I have writ
ten that one is doing so at present everywhere. This it was
necessary to do for the public good."
"Thou hast done wrong; one must only write the truth.
Truth is cverj thing," he said.
The conversation was assuming an angry and sharp tone.
Rasputin became enraged at my telling him that all he was say
ing was devoid of common sense, and he began shouting at me,
at the top of his voice. "Be quiet, how darest thou say such
things. Be quiet!"
I did not wish to remain quiet, and I began in my turn to
shout at the "Prophet," who became absolutely furious when I
assured him that I was not a woman whom he could frighten,
that I wanted nothing from him, and that he had better leave
me alone, or it might be the worse for him.
He then howled at me, screaming as loud as, he could: "It is
an evil thing for everybody that thou art here!"
When in the following April it came to'my'knowledge that
Mr. Sturmer wanted to expel me from the capital, I was sur
prised to have Baron Miklos cohie to me one day in the name
of Rasputin, who had asked him to tell mo that Ihou'g'h 1 was
a "proud man," he did not beat; me any grudge, and that if I
wished it, he would take steps to have the order for my expul
sion revoked, and that at all events, he begged me.ndt to think
that he had taken any part in this whole "affair. I categorically
refused to avail myself of the help of Rasputin, and there ended
the whole matter.
(CONTINUED TOMOimOW)
" MmmmmmmmmmT W j U WT ' ly J I k,! ( AVwHLjf tf'FiU. alf JMMMMmtr I 5x w aHiifliiiiiiiilllllBlllllllllllM Ht. JMmwtEfmL 9MmmV3MmmMmmmmmmmmmmv9Mmrf'Bmmm)tWA BlllllllV BllllllllK
aHlaaaaHefPTV'tH
WMmWBBmWmWWmW yJbbiih
HHaL't u mwmtaaBm
VI fVV'ialAtSX aaaaalllllllllH
Kam - & al'
mmmmmZSr - ' 'W-
raaaMMMffftfi-attai tf
t ' ft 1 1 . : rXL JWepfCS
CULMINATION OP THE CHAMPION'S UPWARD
SVY1NU
THE FINISH OF EVANS'S STROKE. TO HIS RIGHT STANDS EUGENE GRACE, PRESIDENT OF THE
BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY
TOP OF THE STROKE. JUST BEFORE
THE CLUB DESCENDS
tuvw Arrmw Piirvrnr.nAPHS OF EVANS'S PLAY WERE TAKEN ON THE PINE VALLEY LINKS BY GEORGE II. BROOKE, FORMER PENNSYLVANIA FOOTBALL STAR, AND S
THESE ACUON fHOloUltAfiia v playsj IN COMPETITION AT THE WHITEMARSH VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB NEXT MONDAY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SOLDIERS
THE CLUB IS DESCENDING vANp
ABOUT TO BOOST THE BAXi
SHOW THE CHAMPION MAKING ACTUAL SHOTS. EVANS
xjun.jjj nurtu
kw
SOME OF THE STROKES THAT MADE "CHICK" EVANS NATIONAL AMATEUR AND OPEN CHAMPION
fr-
H-'
MP
A
&
aw
.m&?m
j. . m Hi T
n .
?-..
i&