1939-10-23 — Page 15

THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 23, 1939.

TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE

WHO WAS STEPHEN THE LITTLE?

2

After her husband had been

cast that into prison it was given out he had been put to death. Five years later, however, there appeared In Cattaro, a seaport of Dalmatia, stranger identified as the supposedly dead Peter III by a person who had once made a visit of state to the court of Russia, According to this witness, the newcomer had the exact features and mannerisms of the late Czar, whom he had seen in St. Peters- burg.

were

ruler. Evil-doers were no longer able to escape punishment by bribery or threats. He established courts of law whose sentences

carried. out. Thieves were shot and criminals tremble in of all classes began to their boots. He sought to improve transportation systems and went far as to abolish Sunday labour.

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Other nations appeared to have Arst accepted Stephen's story of his identity, but gradually, as Montene- gro's strength began to excite the an- xiety of its neighbours, his pedigree was looked into more closely, Venice, becoming fearful that he would take Dalmatia away from her, joined with the Turks in a war against Montene- gro. Although Stephen is said

to

BY VINCENT TOWNE Catharine, daughter of the Prince Anhalt-Zerbst, married in 1745 Carl Peter Ulrich, grandson of Peter the Great. Seventeen years later, when her husband succeeded to the throne as Czar Peter III, she immediately entered into a conspiracy with her paramour, Gregory Orloff, to have htm deposed. So Peter III was put in prison by his treacherous wife, who six months after his succession usurp-have been terrified by the approaching ed his throne as Catharine II. She Turks, his courageous people fought and proved to be a strong ruler. No sover-

on against overwhelming odds, eign since Ivan the Terrible had ex- just as ignominious defeat was star- tended the frontiers of the empire by Ing them in the face their courage such vast conquests,

was rewarded by a strange stroke of fate.

There arose above the horizon

broke a terrible storm which

just above the Turkish camp and leveled it to the ground. While the Turks fled in panic, the Montenegrins swooped down upon their stores and seized a wealth of ammunition which abled them to defeat their foes.

Montenegro now loomed up as power to be reckoned with. The Em- press Catharine of Russia, hitherto her ignoring Stephen's claim to be husband, began coquetting with the About this time there reigned over Montenegrins by sending them Montenegro the Vladika Sava, who munitions, but at the same time wrote having been shut up for a score of a letter denouncing Stephen as years in a monastery, was not prov-impostor. As Russia was strong. he ing himself a strong ruler such as was put in prison and it was needed to fight off the threateningnounced that he admitted Catharine's Turks. Montenegro was in а sore accusation. If so, his alleged confes- plight when there crossed its fron- sion did not seem to spoil his peo- de. tiers no less a personage than the ple's confidence in him. They stranger previously identified at Cat-manded that his strength be again taro as the lost Czar. The story of enlisted for their protection. his, identity spread and the man mystery, with apparent reluctance, confessed that he was Peter III. As yearned for & the Montenegrins strong ruler they now listened to his strange story.

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Catharine then sent to Montenegro Prince George Dolgourouki, who in in her name made a move which, view of the Empress' supposed mur- der of her husband and of Stephen's of her claim to being that victim

indeed ad- treachery, was

remarkable. he prison, his Taking Stephen out of

he was known, successfully governed Montenegro until 1774, when by order of his enemy, the Pasha of Scutari, the Greek he was assassinated by actor, Casamigna.

He pictured many wonderful ventures befalling

since escape from the death intended for recognized him as regent and restor- him by his false consort and he stated him to power under the auspices ed that his disgust for his treacherous of Russia. court was such that he would never Thereafter "Stephen the Little," as return to Russia. So the Montene- grins lost no time in asking the newcomer to lead them against their enemies and the Vladika agreed to look after the spiritual wants of his people and allow the supposed Czar to attend to their temporal affairs. Inasmuch as the Vladika combined the powers of pope and king, it was not him to such a difficult matter for divide his authority.

Thus "Stephen," as the alleged took Peter III now became known, over the actual government of Mon- tenegro. He proved to be a strong

→

If-Stephen the Little was an im postor, he was the only one in his- tory who died upon a throne freely given to him. Whatever he was, he was a man of brains and a possessor of a high order of intellect, as well According as a wonderful resource. to the Vladika Sava, he was not in descendant of fact Peter III, but a Stefano Czernovich, the successor of Giorgio IV.

Who he really was the world will never know.

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