A TOOL OF GERMANY.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2968, 4 January 1917, Page 5

A TOOL OF GERMANY.

RUSSIAN MONK RASPUTIN ; Paris, January 2, j. A correspondent at Petrograd' states thet the police traced a. blood-staittedi track from Prince Yusupoff'sjpalace to a newly-out ice hole in the Neva, and! that divers recovered the body of the> monk Rasputin. Domestics' in the- palace ■ informed the police that the blood was due to the shooting of a mad dog, and they exhibited the body of ffie animal.Prince Yusupoff left Petrograd, aftetrtj Rasputin's disappearance, for his Cri- I '.! mean estates. He returned on Monday.] The "Paris Journal" points out thaV the Germans used Rasputin as a tool, and that the German ophile _M. Stunner: (ex-Prime Minister of Russia) clung to office through him, whilst the Grand' Duke Nicholas . [Grigory Rasputin' ("Gregory thai' Rake") first appeared at Peirograd in j 1911, when he was about thirty-fivei; years of age. TJp to that time he hac?. , ' been one of the "religious guides," found in large numbers in almost every- , Russian village. Some of these.mea simple hermits, who are permitted by, the Church to expound elementary doc--trine to the villagers; others, of whom; Rasputin was one, are mere charlatans., Rasputin, who came of humble peasant stock, made his way, thanks to a charm; of manner which has been described as'hypnotic. Certainly he sprang almost, instantaneously into, favour, in. aristo-j cratio circles iu Petrograd, and his trigu'es against certain high, dignitaries* in the Church drew upon ' him many,) attacks in the Duma and the Press-. But Rasputin's influence prevailed; and, while his friends wertfj promoted in various capacities, hiss] enemies—among them so important al personage ,as the Archbishop Antony of "Volhynia—were either disgraced, or ; superseded. In July, 1914, a woman, who , said she, wished to-avenge one-of the "monk's" girl yictimSj stabbed Mm! when he was visiting his native village of Pokrovski, in Tobolsk, but the wound! did not prove fatal.] ■''."■' TWO PERSONS CONCERNED '. ONE WELL KNOWN TO LONDON '■ SOCIETY (Rec. January 3, 5.5 pjn.) London, January 2. The "Daily Chronicle's" PetrogracT correspondent describes the assassination of Rasputin. He states thai! two aristocrats motored to Rasputin's resi- , dence, and too£ him to ■ Prince Yusupoff's house, from whence the polio* heard shots and cries. The body was placed in a car and driven towards the . mouth of the Neva. The two persons concerned hold high?.; rank, and one is well known to society.—Atis.-KZ. Cable' Assn. '

FLOODS IN QUEENSLAND

CAUSED BY TORRENTIAL RAINS.Brisbane, January 3. Light rain commenced at midday on, Wednesday, and became heavy at sun» t down and torrential throughout , the night. A constable warned' the residents of low-lying parts that the creefci was overflowing, but only a few moved across the lagoon. Before daylight the . water rose with unprecedented rapidity, reaching the lagoon bridge before 7: o'clock. It is believed the first two. fatalities then occurred;"' 'A"man who ; attempted to reach "the .'.bridge was swept down the stream; and a stock in* specter named Young, who rode down,, and attempted to cross, met a similar-, fate. .. -. ■ . - ■ ' An hour later the clubhouse and Courthouse were swept away.. Theflood rose so rapidly that-none" were able to cross from the flat to.'the south side within thirty minutes after the water first appeared in the street. Meanwhile the residences on the, creek fiat had fared badly. Houses and families were hurled along bodily, and many persons were drowned. Others were rescued from roofs and trees. A terrible current continued to sweep through tho town until Sunday,, gradually demolishing property until Clerlnont was almost unrecognisable. . The miners' are providing rescue parties and special constables. Owing to a shortago of food, supplies were commandeered, and a relief system organised. The weather is now clearing.—Press Assn. ; GREAT DISTRESS PREVAILS. LOOTING STERNLY SUPPRESSED. Brisbane, January 3. Sixty-two bodies have been recovered at Clermont. ' -nr The greatest distress prevails. Many: people are homeless, and are sheltering at the convent. __ Looting commenced immediately after the flood subsided, but it was sternly, suppressed. Three men are now await-* ing sentence. Telegrams reeoived by the Railways 1 Department indicate that there are floods in tho whole of the Great Northern system, not only in the coastal region, but also in the middle area between Charters Towers and Hnghenclen. The country for five hundred miles west of Cloncurry has been visited by floods.—Press Assn. . . ROCKHAMPTON IN DANGER. FRASER RIVER IN FLOOD. (Reo. January 3, 8.10 p.m.) Brisbane, January S. All the Northern Railways have beea damaged by floods, and there is a general dislocation of traffic. During the past week an average or . seventeen inches of .ram fell 14 the Mackay district. . '. It is estimated that owing to the floods a hundred thousand tons of ' cane, equal to ten thousand tons of sugar, will not lie harvest-able. The loss of live stock in the flooded districts is extremely heavy. Rescue parties have been out, and & number of people marooned on tr6BS a'nd elsewhere have been rescued. A big body of water is coming, down the Fraser River, and is expected ta ■ reach a day or (Sro. i Precautions are being taken against the flood. All residents In low-lying • areas are packing up,—Press Assooiii-* ■tion.- • . •