SURROUNDED BY FLATTERERS AND DECEIVERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14286, 1 May 1917, Page 4

SURROUNDED BY FLATTERERS AND DECEIVERS.

PETROGRiAD, March 20. The history 'of the last hour of Emperor Nicholas as ruler of Russia is related by a correspondent of the Outro Rossi i, of 'Moscow; as follows*:^ "Two tra/ins arrived at the station at Vishera, on. the Moscow-Petrograd railroad,. 125 miles south-east of Petrogradj on the night' of March 1A One train carried the- Emperor's^ suite, the second the Emperor, General Baron Fredericks, Minister* of the Imperial -house,' and, Admiral. Niloff, General! Zaibel, and others. Nicholas, called from headquarters by the Empress, was on.., the way to-J the Tsarskoe-Selo. > • v •'•■■ • • ' "None of the telegrams about the reVolution sent by President Rodaianko of the Duma, had . reached the FAnperor. Every effort was made to keep him in ignorance - of- these .... affairs. . General Zabel protested, declaring that if the others refused to -informi the Emperor lio would' do so. Nicholas, who had been sleeping, was awakened at 2 o'clock in the morning. He went, to- the din-ing-car and demanded : that Admriral Niloff tell him w.bat had! happened :in Petrograd.:' He was told sthat a> crowd ofi students;* hoodlums and .young .soldiers>had terrorised ...the -.Duma-, but that a few detachments of troops would be able to put them down. ••.-■•■•• Just then Oomnnander Voyekoff-, 01. the Imperial traiii^ «nteved with a telegram, stating that 700 of the St. George Cavalry were -on; the' way to Tsarkoe-^Selo topresent a cross to the Emperor, and had arrived at the nearby station of Dno, ! headed by General Ivaiioff. i "Your Majesty/' said Voyekoff,- "it is enough tna-t> you appear at the TsarskoeSelo'in tile midst of' these >heroes and with the Tsa.vkoe-Selo garrison go 'to the, Duma. AH the -troops will remember ( their oath. It will-be-easyto overcome these young soldiers." ''•It is a He., your Majesty," shouted General ZabeL - ''You aoi-e deceived. Read these telegrams. Here is the order :■ 'To , the Imperial train at. Vispera: D6 not send-«the .train to TsarkoeSelo, but to Petrograd.'" 1 The Eimperoru arose and exclaimed.: "What does this meaii? Is it- revolution? i Is Grekoff ; -(who signed -the. order -•; to divei^t the train) commander in Petro- ; fei-adi?" . „ . . Then General Zabel spoke out, saying: "There are 60,000 troops Avith officers backing the temporary Government. ' Your Majesty .has "been declared dethroned.' it is impossible to go further." ■■■', ■-...'• I Nicholas, completely nofiplussed. exclaimed : "Why was I not told before ? Why tell me now when all is finished?" ' After a moment he added, with a' gesture of helplessness : "Let it be sol | Thank God. 'I will abdicate- if tha.t is what the -people want. •' I will 'go to Irivadia (the estate of the Russian liri- ' perial family on the south coast of iho Crimea) to myvgardens. lam so fond of flowers." . > ( The train moved ■■toward Bolpgoe. At J>nb a telegram was ; iraceived stating tliat the Tsarskoe-Selo garrison • had revolted and that tlie Empress had appealed to the Duma for protection. , Nicholas pondered l the situation, and then said: "I shall' go to Moscow. Mcro- ' viski (commander oif the Moscow garrison) used to say Moscow • always would defend me." . , .., ; , ,„. | At Bologoe was received a. telegram ftating- that the Moscow garrison had ; joined "the revolution. The train ,re- • turned to Dno, where it. met. the train bearing General Ivanoff. The general related everything which had taken place, adding: "There is only one thing to do now. It is to open the Dvina front to the Germans and let them quiet the, canaille.. -Nicholas rejected the suggestion exclaiming angrily, *'!■ shall: never become a traitor to my country." „.,.,!.;; „ .{ . ...,;>. | Then .Nicholas 'broke down and wept. ■After a. moment he said : "If only I knew jny wife' and » children were safe I should go to Livadia quietly to finish my life and let Michael govern the country. He ■ ist .well liked -by the people. I will sign my abdication and then go back to ithe army; isay: good-bye ito; the soldiers, and let them do tasithey like. I shall not stand in the way." • > This laat colloquys occurred on tha station platform. 'Nicholas, who was xlressed in a soldier -coat with a, colonel's should er strap and a sheepskin hat»tilted back, frequently. 'mopped . his brow, . < He gazed abouA in. an abstracted manner and /hen mounted the steps of the car. Whci-e upon the train moved off. :i , .;•