LEO TOLSTOY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 978, 19 November 1910, Page 5

LEO TOLSTOY.

NOT DEAD. REMARKABLE DEMONSTRATION. By. Telegraph—Press Association—Copyriclit, St. Petersburg, November 17. The report of the death of Count Leo Tolstoy was untrue. The Count is still lingering. v The announcement led to a remarkablo demonstrations in Russia. Later. Count Tolstoy's condition is more favourable. The Countess, refrains from seeing her husband lest she may excito him. Tolstoy's leaving home was partly due to his wife and children upbraiding him for refusal to accept the Nobel l'rizc, and for his rejection of tlio hundred thousand pounds for the publishing rights of his works. The news of his death, which emanated from a member of the family, caused the cancellation of lectures? Lengthy press obituary notices wero published in Europe and England. THE LATEST. ALTERNATELY UNCONSCIOUS -AND DELIRIOUS. EXCOMMUNICATION MAY BE RESCINDED. (Roc. November 18, 9.30 p.m.) St. Petersburg, November 18. Tolstoy's temperature is 101 degrees. His pulse ranges from 100 to 120. He has frequent stoppages of respiration. He has no appetite, and suffers, from continual drowsiness, being alternately unconscious and .delirious. Astopovo is only a railway station with a fewhuts. Tolstoy's family are living in a sidetracked railway, car, and a crowd of newspaper correspondents in another car. The stationmaster has given Tolstoy and his nurses his one story log house.. The Holy Synod has favourably discussed tho question of rescinding Tolstoy's Excommunication, after a report of tho Bishop of Parthcnius's conversation with Tolstoy, in . which he expressed a desire for reconciliation. The Bishop of Tawboo has left for Astopovo.. ' 1 THE SLEDGE AT THE DOOR. A STKANGE STOEY. Several times during the last ten. years Tolstoy lias been ■ seriously ill, and on at least two occasions ho was hardly expected to survive. In the year 1901, after recovering from a serious crisis, to said to one of his daughters: "Tho sledgo was at the dopr, and I. had only to get in and go; but suddenly tlio horses turned round and the vehicle was sent away. It's a pity, for it was a good sledge road, and vchen I'm ready to start again, it may be rough." .A remarkablo story is told of another crisis, which ocourred.early in 1902, When Tolstoy's marvellous vitality, even in Ms 74th year, overcame an attack of angina pectoris complicated with inflammation of the lungs. Mr. Aylmer Maude writes in his admirable and conscientious "Life of Tolstoy": "News that he was not expect-ed-to survive. reached tho Holy Synod; and Pobedonostsef issued secret instructions that in the event of Tolstoy's death a priest should immediately enter the house (to which,, as it contained a chapel, the clergy had right of access), and on coming out again should announce that Tolstoy had repented, returned to the bosom of the Mother Church, confessed, and received the Eucharist, before his death. This news would have been cabled round the world, to supplement the efforts of tlio Censor to destroy the effects, ol Tolstoy's ..teaching."