Two Russian incidents.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 November 1914, Page 4

Two Russian incidents.

1 * On the occasion of the corination of the Czar, thousands of people were crushed to death owing to the j a;ipalin,gly inadequate arrangements I made by the officials. An attempt ': was made to hide from the Czar the extent of the disaster. But, in ; spite of the hurry to take them away, the number of the victims [ was so considerable that it was i found impossible to dispose of ; them all at once. The Emperor was expected at any moment, and he ; could not be allowed to see all these bodies scattered everywhere about. : Soldiers were requisitioned, and they ■ hastily—will such fatal stupidity be > believed ?—thrust the corpses under ; the very pavilion in which the I So\ereign was to alight and from , the balcony of which lie was to witi ness the feast. Thus by a terrible blunder, of which he knew nothing, ! but for which he was ever after I bitterly reproached, Nicholas 11. ac- .\ tually stood for more than five ! hours over the dead bodies of his . subjects, killed in their endeavour ■to welcome him." j The old Emperor Nicholas had his j own way of asserting the need for j military discipline. This is the manner in which he punished an officer who had gone to bed while on duty in charge of a guard :— "The Emperor had .-slept badly, and went out at the early hour of I six o'clock. When lie .passed the guard-house and saw that the ofi'icer did not come out, he had his carriage stopped, and inquired where the officer was. Upon receiving- the reply that he was indoors, the Emperor went in. The first sight that met his eyes was Captain X , sleeping upon the camp bod which was reserved for the officer in case jof need, and completely undressed. [ The Sovereign shook him by the ; arm. One can fancy the feelings of the unfortunate man ivhen he saw ! who it was that was awakening I him, ' Get up,' said the Emperor, ; ; ' and follow me. NTo ; don't dress yourself—com;- as you are.' And he dragged him as he was, without even the most indispensable garment on, and ordered him to sit beside him in his carriage. Thus, completely undressed. he brought him j back to the Winter Palace, where •he ordered him to be sent, still un- | dressed, to the Caucasus, where he i was degraded to the rank of a common soldier. — From '• I Jol> md the j Veil of the Russian Court," by Count Paul Yassili.