RUSSIAN REFUGEE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17180, 10 February 1930, Page 10

RUSSIAN REFUGEE

. ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY MEMORIES Ol' THE TERROR SYDNEY, Jan. 10. Count Nicolas de LotimouKoit. who was lornierly chamberlain and euuenv to Nicolas 11, the C;dur ol An the nussias, arrived in Sydney by tne Com niissairc. Ruinel yesterday. Lor nine years he has been a refugee alter his escaped from tne Bolsheviks m 19iiu. The Count occupied his high olUcc during Hie whole ol the reign of lho murdered Czar, and was ii mend of the Czarina. ,->peaiang slowly, as he did not commence to learn r.nglish till lie was m years ol age, the Count yesterday recounted his adventures in Russia dining the revolution. "VMien the revolution broke out 1 was in my week-end home in the village of izarskoe Selo," said Count bourdoukolf. "1 received a telephone lubbaugu from St. Petersburg, warning me ot the danger, and describing the armed bands and the fighting in the streets. 1 went at onco through the great parks to the palace. The Czarina was terribly agitated concerning the safety of her children. "You must liy from the Tzarskoe Selo at once," I advised hor. "When the mobs arrive you will certainly be killed. 'What can 1 do? How can 1 leave rny children Whatever happens, i must stop with them,' she saiu. She was arrested at tho palace, and held until the Czar was sent back from the front." LATER ADVENTURES. Count f3ourdoukofi' was soon arrested, and for four months suffered terrible hardship in six prisons. Many of his friends were killed, or disappeared. As soon as he was freed from the prison, although he was told to remain in St. Petersburg and report to the officials, he fled to Ins estate in the Crimea, which at that time was not under Led influence. But the Count was several times in dange." of his life from small bands or irresponsible officials who were terrorising the country. He would have been shot out of hand if they had known he was fleeing from St. Peters burg; but the country was in such u stale of turmoil that his flight was not noticed. He stayed at his estate in Crimea un til the Red armies drove him out, ami then commenced another hurried flight across wild country —this time the Cau casus. There he met his brother, who had fled earlier from the new regime. In a few months the Red armies were driven from the Crimea, and the Count. returned, but, in 1920, tho Bolsheviks triumphed, and thousands, who did not. wish to live under Bolshevik rule, fled to Turkey. "It was then that our troubles really began," said the Count sadly. "From that time we were wanderers, with no place to call our own. Every country in the world has small numbers of oin people, who were forced to leave then homes and start again in a new land without a penny." DAYS OF POVERTY. The Count' reached Constantinople With 10 francs and a treasured suitcase he had when lie was iu St. Petersburg. When he arrived in Sydney by the Commissairo Ramel, tho suitcase occupied a prominent position. "My home is my suitcase," said the Count whimsically. He lived two days in Constantinople wandering about the streets before his 10 francs were exhausted. Desperate with hunger, he decided to visit the best hotel in the city and have a meal whatever the consequences might be. When the meal was nearly over, and lie was beginning to wonder if he would be imprisoned. lor not P a - V ' n ß i° v - m ' was hailed by an Italian he had met in thy diplomatic corps. The two men exchanged reminiscences of their experiences together. When Count Bourdoukoflf left Constantinople lie was well supplied with money. Ho went to Belgium and joined Car dinal Merrier, who was doing an immense amount of work among the Russian refugees, and subsequently travelled through Holland and Belgium lecturing his experiences. Later he went to Paris, where he lived until deciding to come to Sydney, of which friends had told him. Some prominent French dressmakers offered to supply him with gowns to start a shop here. "One must, live," said tho Count, as he went off to see _to the safety of his goods, with which he is commencing his commercial career.