THE COUNTESS WITTE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 7282, 15 February 1913, Page 5

THE COUNTESS WITTE.

x'OO DEMOCRATIC FOR RUSSIA. Count Witte has no chance at court just now. Tho Czar has set his face against him, not on his own account, but on account of Countess Witte. That lady has never known how to ingratiate herself with the Imperial family. She is known as "Matilda Sans Gene." Tho Czar told Kokovsoff recently that he would rather have goodness knows what intrigues about him than admit the 'Countess into court again. The good kdv has democratic, ways which shock the royal family.. Then, her fast and firm friendship for a St. Petersburg dressmaker. Esther, whom she quoted on every possible occasion, set tho Czarina against her. So Witto will only be called back to offico -when some great "emergency makes his presence at the helm a necessity, St. Petorsburgers were overjoyed to hear that "Matilda," as they call Countess Witte, is likely to be in disgraco for a long time. It .will bo remembered that sho was not what is generally called "a lady," and many stories of her adventurous youth go tho rounds. On o is that she and the late Czar were once great friends. When sho went to court for the first time, some years ago, she mentioned this to tho present monarch, who resented tho remark.

Her last sin in the pyes of her enemies was her friendship with Capta:n Hurko. who mvstoriousiv frittered away 3,000,000 roubles of the Famine Relief Fund. Evil tongues accused them of mooting in Esther's house. Esther herself is a celebrity of St. Petersburg. A fashionable dressmaker, for years eh« has enjoyed the intimate friendship of many smart men. She and Hurko are said to have planned a way of getting th=. Famine Relief Fu.nd into their hands, with the result that tho polico raided her house, when she was arrested. She was in prison for a short time, but managed to rehabilitate herself, and is now carrying on her business again.

Siva is a remarkably handsome woman, of tho dark Eastern type and js credited with having directly and indirectly .engineered more " intrigues than any other woman in thft capital. Sho is between thirty and forty years old. Her friends say her father is a Rabbi in Zytcmierz, but she is most ret r eent about her family. Though many are jealous of tho position she enjoys and tho money she makes, her fiilo-":i? are always crowded with smart customers, as nobody turns out dross lik> "that unir-iV-ablo Father." Countess Witte's fc:;d:icas for her ha:: cost, both tho Countess and her husband dear.