AMAZING STORY OF RASPUTIN.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16152, 5 March 1918, Page 8

AMAZING STORY OF RASPUTIN.

i * ; TI3E "BLACK 3IOXK OF KUSSIA." (BY THE COUNTESS RADZIWILL.) Xew Zealand Rights Specially Secured by ;i The Press." j CHAPTER VIII. (Continued). THE MURDER OF RASPUTIN. ! Of the details of the murdrr of J Rasputin r,o know very little, and | even the travellers who have gon t , abroad since it was committed could only speak vaguely about the circumstances that attended it. It is certain, however, that 1 !:ere was a ' deeply-laid and well-organised plot to kill tlie ''Prophet"; that about a dozen persons, some of them belonging to the best and to the highest social circles, were concerned in it: and that at last lots were drawn to select the man who was to execute the victim. Among those persons were members of the Conservative faction of the Duma, some officers of several guard regiments, and even ladies of the smartest set of Petrograd. That something was known concerning this plot in Governmental circles can be <ei n from the fact that the Minister of the Interior, l'rotopopoff, who had always been one of the- most ardent disciples of Rasputin, and who had been working with liim for the conclusion of a peace which both considered to be useful to their personal interests, hearing that lie was going to have supper at the house of Prince Youssoupoff, 'sent there the Prefect of Petrograd, General Balk, with instructions to watch over the "Prophet." SJhen the Prefect appeared upon the S»-eue, le was politely asked by the master of the house to withdraw, as his presence was not required. Young Prince Youssoupofr, who, by the way, was well-known in London, is the husband of the Princess Irene of Russia, the first cousin of the Czar. By virtue of his position ho could do whatever he liked, even to dismiss curtly the principal police official of the capital. At tho supper which he gave on the night when Rasputin was killed about a dozen people belonging to the best circle of Petrograd society were present. BODY DROPPED IN THE RIVER. What passed during tho meal, and how the murder itself was committed, is not known even now, though several versions of the crime aro given. Some say that it was done during the meal, and that the pretext for it was tho conduct of Rasputin toward one of tho ladies present at the table. Other i people relate that tj<iey waited until the "Prophet" was on tho point of departing, and that as he was putting on his overcoat the young man. who had drawn the lot designating him fur tho deed shot him -with his revolver at tho foot of tho stairs. Tlie body was then wrapped up in a blanket and put into the automobile of a very high personage, which was waiting in the garden of tho house where tho event took place, and driven to ,the Neva, where it was dropped under the ice. It seems that after this had been accomplished, one of the conspirators went to Tsarskoe-Selo and informed the Czar of what had taken place, as well as of his own share in tho deed. In the meanwhile the authorities had become suspicious. At three o'clock in tho night screams had been beard by a policeman on duty at the corner of tho street in which was situated tho houso of Prince Youssoupoff. He also noticed several persons coming out of the house, not by the usual entrance, but by the garden, which had a door leading into another street. After this, an. automobile was seen driving out of that saiflfe garden, an altogether strange circumstance. This automobile was sosn by another policeman about one hour later in the islands which .surround Petrograd, driving close to tho Neva and not on the usual road. The next day the garden of Prince Youssoupoff was searched By Secret Service agents, who found some blood traces on tho snow, but the servants of tho Prince declared that it was the blood of a dog that had been shot tho day before. No one dared say or do anything more against the supposed murderers, especially as the body of their victim had not yet been found. The river was dragged, and it was not until twenty-four hours after the event that the dead man was discovered under tho ice in a frozen conditirn, with the features so completely battered that they could he recognised onlv with difficulty. ° The curious thing i s that, though it was known exactly where th© body hadi been dropped, it could not be found at oncc, having been carried *away "by the current further than had been expected. This gave rise to all kind of rumours, and tho friends of Rasputin tried to spread the news that he had escaped and was hiding away somewhere from his persecutors. The tale, however, conld not be kept up for any length of time as the whole capital, with an un-heard-of rapidity, became aware that tlie most detested man in the whole of Russia had at last met with the fate" which he so richly deserved. REJOICING BY THE POPULACE. Tho joy of the public could not be suppressed, notwithstanding tho fear of tho police. In all the theatres and public places the National Anthem was sung with an immense enthusiasm. No ono rogretted what had happened, and the people suspected of having had a hand in tho murder received messages of congratulation from every quarter. In fact, they bocame at once natioual heroes. The murderer so far has remainjed unpunished, and it is more than I likely that no one will be brought to I account for it. As for tho body of Rasputin, it was at first kept in the hospital whore it had been taken after its recovery from I under the ice. Tlie police received orders not to allow it to be seen by tlie i crowds, which one feared would j flock in numbers to hare a In,«t j look at their "saint," the I "Blessed Gregory," as he was called. But,_ to the general surprise, thes? crowds did not manifest any curiosity to view the mortal remains of tho mail about whom so much fuss had been made in his lifetime, but after whoso death the whole Russian world seemed to breathe more freely than it had I been able to do for the last ten years or so. Among the clergy satisfaction j was openly expressed, and it was only a feT hysterical women who were found to weep over the end of the career of one of tho wickedest men who had over lived. (To be concluded to-morrow.) —— I