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11
UNPUBLISHED LETTERS OF RASPUTIN'S MURDERER.
BY PRINCESS 'I.
11 HOW THE DEED WAS DONE.
A FATEFUL TEA-PARTY.
AUGUST 24TH,
F}
Rasputin asked-Foussopoff, whose–ren-- dering of gipay songs be greatly admir- ed, to sing. Accompanying himself on a uitar, watching Rasputin and waiting, Youssopoff sang. Still nothing happened. After half an hour, Youssopof, in despair, again ran upstairs.
The poison has failed to act," he said quickly. We must use other means." Turning to Purishkevitch: Have you
1926
ARMED THREATS.
SEQUEL TO PRAYA INCIDENT.
..ik
FINE OF $100 INSTEAD OF LMPRISONMENT.
The conclusion of the case, in coanee any objection if I shoot him!" And tion with the recent, incident on the without waiting for an answer, Yous-
411
HOME VIA SIBERIA.
SOVIET MANAGEMENT.
WHAT ONE NEEDS FOR THE JOURNEY.
Shanghai to London in 17 days:—And, only 11 clear days from Harbin, our
For many months preceding the actual poff took a revolver from his writing Praya, when two men from the Labour jumping-of place, to the bustle and table and rapidly ran downstaire. Maintenance Burenu were alleged to have confusion which spells Charing Cross Rasputin, tired of sitting at the table escaped from the police by pointing and home-a common place before and waiting for a hostess who did not come, rose from the table, and went to revolvers at them, has been reached, the war, but in these difficult days the that part of the room which had been When the case came before Mr. R. Edcing of it seems to bring that "home" arranged as a sitting-room.
He stood before the old Italian cabinet Lindselt last week, niter the., two men very definitely nearer to those of us who admiring it
"had"ecrrendered, "one man was sentenced live in the Far East:----- "That is a beautiful piece of fur-to six months' hard labour for assault, We left Shanghai, writes a correspon- niture," said Rasputin.
but sentence was suspended on the ap dent in the N-6. Daily News, on Friday plication of the C.S.P. (the 'Hon. Mr.in a down-pour of rain and wind and
murder of Rasputin Prince Youssopoff cultivated his acquaintance. He frequent ed the house of Madame Golovine, where both mother and daughter (tha M. Golovine" mentioned by Princess Irene Youssopoff in her letter to her husband) were ardent disciples of Rasputin. Dur- ing these months, when Prince Youssopoff was planaing an opportune,ocension for the murder, Rasputin apparently became attached to Prince Youssopoff. Raspu- tin's personality, however, was not at fractive to Prince Yousopod, and even Rasputin syprotic powers, to which he submitted himself, produced nothing but the usual physical state of trance. Nevertheless, there were moments when Youssopoff would have wavered were it not for his passionate and almost fana- tical desire to save his country from dia- honour and chaos, and the ruling dynasty from that fate which he believed to be approaching rapidly The murder of Rasputin was, so. Prince Youssopoff and his confederates believed, to free Russia from her greatest danger.
All the details of the murder were
planned with the great care and pre- cision. The five who participated in and prepared it were Prince Felix Youssopoff, the Grand Duke Dmitri, Purishkevitch, Sahotin (a personal friend of Prince Youssopoff's), and Dr. Lazovert. The Intter was in charge of Purishkevitch's Red Cross train. It was he who supplied the cyanide of potassium which was given later to Rasputin, and who took away the blood-soaked garments and burned them in the stove on this train. 5,
"LOOK AT THE CRUCIFIX."
Better look at the Crucifix," answer-E. D... Wolle). ed Youssapoa, coming to his side.
Rasputin turned quickly, astonished at Youssopoff's tone, Youssepo raised his revolver and fired. Rasputin fell on the great white bearskin spread before the cabinet.
The case has again been before Mr. Lindsell, who stated that he had sus pended sentence at the previous hearing conditionally on Mr. Wolfe enquiring
The four men rushed down the stairs further into the matter, and tendering electric light switch, and the room was imposed. at the first shot. Someone caught the his views as to the proper penalty to be plunged in darkness.
As soon as the light was on again, the Grand Duke Dmitri said, We must
move him of the rug. There will be
bloodstains."
The body was lifted off the bearskin and laid on the stone floor. Life was not yet extinct, but after a few moments the heart stopped beating, and Rasputin was left for dead.
An hour passed, during which the five confederates decided in the room upstairs all the details for the removal of the corpse.
Just as they were making a move they noticed that Youssopoff was missing and beard, a commotion in the downstairs
room
Late at night, on December 18th, Prince Youssonoff, with Dr. Lazovert as chauffeur, drove to Rasputin's apartment on the Gorohovaya, and having got past. the soldier who always stood on guard at the entrance, went through the court-men, hurled themselves down the stairs. yard and up the dark service stairs. This was all in accordance with the arrangements made by Prince Youssopoff, and Rasputin, who, as he was strictly guarded Test evil befell him, had to get away from his house without being ob- served by the police spies watching him.
RASPUTIN'S LAST RIDE. Rasputin was looking forward to his visit to the Yousso poff Palace, which he had never visited, and to seeing Princess Irene, whom he much desired to know. Prince Youssopoff arrived at the kitchen door, gave the required number of knocks, and, after a pause, Rasputin himself opened the door. He seemed in
the gayest of humours, and rapidly get ready to go with Yoursopoft
One of the most intensely dramatic pieces of writing that I have come across is Prince Youssopoff's description in his memoirs (which I have been privileged to read in manuscript) of his emotions while Rasputin got on his overebous and fur coat preparatory to starting on his last fatal ride. There are many who con- sider that the whole course of events in Russia would have been very different had the momentary vacillation of Prince. Youssopofi, when in Rasputin's room, prolonged itself.
WAS
Mr. Wolle replied that he had carried out full investigation and had received apologies from officials of the Labour Maintenance Bureau for what had hap- pened, and also an undertaking that bet ter control would be exercised with the view to preventing a recurrence of this and similar offences.
Mr. Wolle said that the defendants had rendered good service during a critical time and if his Worship would look at the case in the same light, Mr. Wolfe though it would be one for exercising the option
Purishkevitch threw open the door of s-small-fine. It was the first case of leading to the stairs, and Youssopoff, its kind that had occurred, although it with his eyes starting from his head, his was a very serious one, and might have face livid and distorted, shrieked:
He's alive! He's alive!" The four led to serious consequences but for the discreet way in which certain police Rasputin was alive! As he saw the cer's acted. people he turned and fled through a door
Mr. Lindsell converted the sentence of which led to the courtyard. After him rushed the five men. Rasputin, running six months inflicted on the first defendant through the snow, turned and screamed: "Felix! Felix! I'll tell the Empress into a fine of $100. As regarded the second defendant, his Worship said that everything.".
Purishkevitch fired at the running in any case he did not find any evidence figure twice and missed. With a tre
of assault. The man was accordingly mendous effort of will be hit his left wrist and concentrated all his powers discharged. and fired I third time. Rasputin' staggered. Again Purishkevitch fired, and Rasputin fell on a heap of snow. Purishkevitch ran up to the prostrate Agure and kicked Rasputin othe temple.
The corpse, this time definitely a corpse, was then dragged, back to the
vaulted room.
Prince Youssopoff could not believe that Rasputin was dead, and, in a frenzy of nerves, threw himself upon the corpse. In no literature in any language have I read anything more terrible or power ful than Prince Youssopoff's own descrip- tion of this scene. As a human document this piece of writing is unique.
NO RESTITUTION.
J.C.J.L'S SHROFF'S SENTENCE CONFIRMED.
│
woke next morning to the clear sunshine of Tsingtao-n happy memory of a long lazy morning on the beach-the afternoon. spent racing along wonderful roads (German made !) under spreading acacia groves to that quiet spot where ten wooden crosses mark the graves of the. South Wales Borderers who fell in the taking of the forts. Dinner on a moon- Hit verandah by the sea, dancing, till the small hours, then up at six and along the coast road to the Racecourse to watch marck with ita maze of subterranean the gallops; a hasty dash to Fort Bis- barracks; and back to the Sakai Mary to sail at noon.
Dairen Monday morning half-an-hour too late for our connecting train, so we decided to spend the day at Port Arthu and catch the night express to Harbin. We found a clean and comfortable train whicit seemed to have stepped straight from America-with green-cur- tained sleeping-berths, and drawing-roen cars complete, and after an easy change at Changchun we reached Harbin at 11 o'clock on Tuesday night.
- SOVIET MANAGEMENT. Wednesday proved a busy day spent in collecting a through ticket to London and a Polish visa, together with 200 cher- vonetz roubles for our journey-all managed quickly and easily through the good offices of David, the hall porter of the Moderne Hotel.
8.50 that night saw us comfortably set- Chinese Eastern Railway and provided a tied in a train which did credit to the very real contrast to the dusty, untidy 15 at the carriages which awaited frontier-Manchouli-next day.
These were comunandeered from the Wagons Lits Company during the Revolution and have been run ever since under Soviet auspices a régine which at present seema to spell dirt, muddle and inefficiency wherever it goes. During the week we spent crawling slowly across Russia- from Thursday evening when we left Manchouli, till the following Wednesday when we reached Moscow-we did not see a single soul who looked happy or pros perqus, or even clean, nothing but ill- kempt, unshaved men, and slatternly women, no-one who could ever have be-
classes.
The hope that restitution of the monies, amounting to $12,000, would be made to bring about an amelioration of the sea-longed to the bourgeoisie or middle- tence was not fulfilled when a shroff,
It was
GERMANY RUSSIA
an extraordinary contrast to
ing and find oneself getting gradually
charged with embezzlement of various amounts belonging to the J.C.J.L., ap.. In the meantime the shots and cries peared again before Mr. B. E. Lindself cross the Polish border on Friday more- End attracted the attention of a sleepy yesterday after a week's remand. policeman, and he came to make la- It appears that the cousin from whom back to civilization, till finally on Satur quiries. To him Purishkevitch explain much was expected by the defendant, did day we reached Berlin with its clean sad ed that Rasputin had been killed and not fulfill the expectation, and the defer- shining streets and crowds of happy, Russia would be saved, but that he must dant this morning said that in the alterna- well-fed people-the two countries seem say nothing of what he had seen or tive he could offer to return $1,500 cash, to have managed their Revolutions # heard. Hurriedly the corpse was wrap the balanced to take the form of a pro- very differently! Even the smallest way- side station in Germany spelt prosperity ped in a coat and "walked out by two missory note. of the confederates to the waiting car. This offer was refused, and the Magis and cleanliness, with neat brick build trate confirmed the sentence of rings window boxes gay with flowers: Duke Dmitri, dashed off towards the months' hard labour imposed at the pre- while in Russia a dead level of dirt and
neglect was visible everywhere. islands the pleasure resort at the mouth vious bearing. of the Neva.
The car, driven furiously by the Grand
The drive to the palace on the Moika short one, and Rasputin was shown at once into the rooms which Youssopoff had so carefully prepared, and where the finishing touches were put only a few moments before he went to fetch the victim.
Rasputin admired the rooms, and especially a beautiful old Florentine cabinet, and near by an antique crystal and-silver cruifix. The table was laid for broken, and the corpse was pushed into agreed upon by the five men, and strictly from the Channel and then the white
M
the habitual Russian evening tea, with the samovar steaming and the table spread with sweets and cakes. The table had been carefully arranged to present the appearance of having been left by guests who had gone to the upstairs rooms, where a gramophone was kept playing from the moment Rasputin ar rived. The Princess Irene was, he was told, upstairs with other guests.
In the centre of the table stood a dish of pink-and-chocolate cream cakes. The pink ones were hollowed out, and con- tained cyanide of, potassium. On a side table stood bottles of wine and glasses. Two glasses stood on one side already Elled with wine and poison. The guest cf the evening seated himself at the talle and drank tea. Breathlessly the four men waited upstirs, standing close to the door opening on to the stairs lend- ing down to the fatal room. All seemed quiet, and as the minutes passed slowly their anxiety grew.
POISONED WINE.
At the table Rasputin sat, talking of trivialities, drinking only tea. The cakes- he refused. Soon he expressed his a tonishment at the non-appearance of his hoetess. Prince Toussopoff rose and went upstairs to ser, he said, why his wife had not appeared. Rapidly he consulted his companions in the room upstairs.
He seems almost suspicious; will eat nothing and drink nothing," said Yous sopoff.
"Be patient," counselled Purishkevitch and the Grand Duke. He must drink wine sooner or later"
Youssepoft returned: The Princess, he said, could not slip away from her other guests unnoticed, as there were but a few. Rasputin seemed reassured. Again the minutes dragged slowly, and again Youssopoff went upstairs and consulted the others. He was becoming nervous and impatient. On his return, he at last persuaded, Rasputin to drink. Up- stairs, thoir. nerves strained to breaking point, they heard the sound of córką, be ing drawn. But the sounds they awaited did not come.
Rasputin gulped the glasses of poisoned wine.
Nothing happened.
tributary of the Nevs, the ice had to be There, by a bridge crossing a small
the dark water.
At the Youssopoff Palace, meantime, Prince Youssopoff was active, obliterating traces of the murder. A dog was killed in a shed and thrown upon a heap of
now. the trampled snow.
This accounted for the blood and
adhered to, about the shooting of the dog. Prince Youssopoff was submitted to a searching cross-examination by the sutho- rities. He had his story complete.
The Empress had given orders in the meantime to have the city scoured, and wished also to have Prince Youssapoff, In the room, too, with the assistance of the Grand Duke Dmitri, and Purish a faithful servant, rapid measures were kevitch arrested. The wires to the Gen- taken to remove the bloodstains. The eral Staff, where the Emperor was, were removed, a terrible reaction and fatigue crisis over, and all traces, as they hoped, kept busy.. overcame the young men. But the 'dawn was already breaking, and only few On the second day, Prince Youssopoff hours' sleep could be snatched.
whispering!
By early morning all Petrograd was
The staretz is killed!" (the term applied by peasants to so-called "holy" men).
AN ENGLISH VOICE. My telephone rang, I remember, at about 8.30, and a voice rapidly said in English:
Rasputin was killed last night." I recognised & friend-an official, ··
Purishkevitch is in it. He told a policeman who reported."
DISPOSAL, OF THE CORPSE.
The last lap of our journey came on Sunday morning with wonderful coffee and rolls at Ostend a kindly welcome
cliffs of Dover once again.
Our tickets from Shanghai to London cost £65, and one has to add at least £1 a day to include food and tip to the Provodniks" or train attendants, but even then the coat compares favourably with the £100 fare vid Buez and £120 vid Canada-the saving in time speaks for itself. A passport is essential and four visas must be obtained before leav ing England, German, Polish, Soviet and Chinese.
TRAVELLING ESSENTIALS.
and the Grand Duke 'Dmitri were put
Should you. decide to face the under home arrest. Purishkevitch and journey, you must provide yourself with Lazavert had left for the front.
a tea basket and Sterno out-fit (solidified On the third day the corpse was found. spirit)-and then with the excellent Public opinion was so strongly in bread, milk and butter obtainable at all favour of the men who had the courage stations you may contrive to mitigate to rid Russia of the darkes influence the borrors of the Soviet restaurant that ever held sway over the decadent car which opens when it likes, charges dynasty that no violent punishment was what it likes, and has a habit of disap- possible. They were the heroes of the pearing just when it is most wanted.
hour..
If you add to your outfit a plentiful The entire Royal family, all the Grand supply of soap and towels (none are pro Dukes and Duchesses, and the Dowager vided) and two large kettles, which-you Empress Marie, almost openly express can fill with boiling water at every ed their solidarity with the five men im- station, it will help you to fight the dirt plicated in the murder, and no doubt and dust on the train, and arrive more helped to mitigate their punishment. or less clean at your journey's end." The Emperor, it was said, was not too grieved by Rasputin's death,
I heard the receiver replaced quickly n I crossed myself...
Almost at the same moment, the ser- vants burst, without knocking, into my room, and my maid, an extremely intel- The Grand Duke Dmitri was sent to ligent girl and a great patriot, threw a far outpost in Persic, and Prince herself into my arms, crying, Now, Youssopoff was exiled to one of his thank God, Barinis (Madam) darling, family, estates. we'll bent the Germans., Rasputin is dead Rasputin is dead!'"
"A DOG'S DEATH." How do you know?" I asked. They say so in the street!' That, in Russia, was conclusive evidence, and curiously enough, in the months Preceding the Revolution, rumour was usually not so far out,
།
JUDGES FROM JAPAN. STUDYING BRITISH JUDICIAL"
METHODS.
The corpse of Rasputin, which was taken to a small chapel near Tsarskóe Selo, where the Empress was in residence, A party of nine judges and officials of was interred there, and the grave was the Japanese Department of Justice are visited daily by the Empress. Later on in England studying the British judicial during the Revolution the body was dis system. They have been present "at interred, burnt by soldiers in a bonfire, trials in the King's Bench Division of and the ashes scattered to the wind the High Court, the Central Criminal Princess Paley (the second wife of the Court, and the Newington Sessions, as Grand Duke Paul, the father of the well as inquests held by London coroners.
After staying in England, for three "A dog's death to a dog," the servants Grand Duke Dmitri) commenta, in her told me.
"Shot like a mad dog." Memoirs, that it is curious how the body months they will visit Continental courts During the day of the 17th, the Em- of this singular man, credited with and then pressed to America on their An official of the Japanese Press was told that Rasputin had vanish superhuman powers, and whose death was way home. ed, and later during the day his disso difficult and strange, passed through Embassy told a Daily Mail reporter. that appearance was connected with his visit the four elements-water, earth, fre, and the visit was in consequence of the adop- to the Youssopoff Palace. A story was wind, as the bodies of witches and tion last year of the jury system by the
wizards are supposed to pass.
Japanese Government. (Continued on next column.)