Show S jf h L LAKE r 1 of Russia's Russia Mis Miss Miss- S ins ing Crown SECTION Jewels CiS WI MORNING S PT 9 1917 W Will the Rumored Disappearance Disappear Disappear- ance of the Magnificent Russian Imperial Gems Gems' Involve the ex-Empress ex in Peril at the Hands of Revolutionists Like That Which Overtook Marie Antoinette Antoinette Antoinette An An- toinette J L 4 Sceptre of Peter Pater I the Great x r Ft r Princess Alexandra Alix Mix Wt of Hesse Darmstadt l ex-Empress ex of Rua Russia 1 If If this Te Teutonic tonic t princess granddaughter rr ter of Queen Victoria S and t cousin of the tho r pres-r pres- pres t t u ent British monarch is ever placed laced on trial for her life one of the fit ta S chief charges against t her may be that she sheO shei i O sent the Russian crown L' L jewels to Germany at atthe atthe g the very outset of the war c 8 it u. u By Dy EDWARD IT ll SMITH y S the stage being set in d I It IS Petrograd I S a for another of those passionate scenes which seem seeni to be inalienable U from the drama of liberation 1 Will fl Russia do what the goaded French at once drunk and thirsty Ii with a new freedom found expedient n in 1793 To complete the dramatic analogy must another queen be madeL madet made t L the sacrifice sacrifice paying paying the penalty for L autocratic misdeeds I It is no secret among those who are familiar with the trend of things in j Russia that the Teutonic Czarina is in some danger of being placed on trial for her life lite Even Eyen through the clamor It of more vital events in the great Jt Slavic nation events on which the t future of a ara race e- e end and nd a a world r c ni may rest rest f 11 I the potential rumblings of the executioners executioner's executioners executioner's l are arc suggested The M mob is shrieking again outside the Tuileries That certain extreme elements clements in Russia have been demanding the blood of the has been known since the first days of the revolution On the other hand it has been generally generally generally gener gener- I ally accepted that the calmer elements had held in check the sanguinary impulses impulses im im- It pulses of the rabble A revolution without with with- f out deliberate horrors has been expected ex ex- h 6 outside Russia where details d f of bloodshed and cruelty have notor not penetrated or been lost in the tho rush rushI I of more vital news The fact seems to be that there has has developed a steady and growing demand demand de de- de- de def f mand in Russia for the trial and punishment pun pun- rl of the royal family This is isnow 1 now seen to be partly due to the cont continued continued con con- t pressure of the more primitives primitive s elements among the ultra-Radicals ultra but quite as much to the growing discovery discovery dis dis- v covery covert of the intrigues and treacheries 11 of the Czars Czar's household As detail t after detail of the perfidy of the royal family came to light the passionate anger of tho the people apparently nucleated nucleated nuclei i with increasing firmness about the Czarina The fact fad that she is a 1 princess of the German house of Hesse-Darmstadt Hesse has not helped her j ia spite of her time one-time popularity But far graver and more solid charges are now beginning to be he spoken of e In Inthis this connection the tho following c story which would form one one of the principal pieces of evidence against i the dethroned Empress if sho she cameto came amo cameto to t trial will be Ibe illuminating i In Tn the course ourse of th the recent American American Ameri Ameri- t can visit of the Russian Commission t a wealthy American society woman entertained one of the Commissioners with whom she had long been heen ac ac- In the course of the conS conversation con con- S she asked the Russian if it on Centra his return to his own capital he het i q t WN- WN Crown Jewels Ii ramous of the tho crown Jewels is the Orloff centre many legends and whose basis for innumerable stories dealing dulin with ich ieh is is superstitIously said to follow the thoc tb certain Jewels The Orloff diamond also Nur h i- i was stolen by a French soldier ft f a Britain Brahmin Idol again stolen from him captain and sod after much bloodshed and tares tures tures sold in Amsterdam where it was f Russian count I Orloff for g Orloff lf presented the Jewel to his r friend Catherine II IL who handed It down to eh her which weighs 4 1943 carats cut M ad of the tho imperial sceptre and Is called arno amond r eted ed by all the Romanoff autocrats from le of t the tho h house use to the present ex-Czar ex perorations gold god ornaments and price price- tnt ft i the he mi hoard I r r Ii IiI I F f 4 would find out whether two magnificent magnificent magnificent cent pearls in the collection of the Empress might be for sale She had hall seen the Jewels worn by the Czarina at a Cowes regatta some years ago e had bad remembered them for their extraordinary extraordinary ex ex- r beauty and always cher 1 r fished the secret wish to possess them I She was willing to pay the provisional Government for them she l e said A rather sheepish smile played upon the Russians Russian's face He evaded The 4 society woman persisted To tell the truth he said finally it would be better to begin such of negotiations in Berlin Th The hostess was astounded Ber Ben Berlin BerUn lin Un Yes Yes said the Russian v official The royal jewels have been spirited out of Russia and are known to repose safely at Darmstadt in the keeping keepin of oJ the German brother of the Em Em- press Explanations followed Shortly afterward afterward aft aft- erward a brief note appeared in tho the U Chronicle the dollar copy society paper which recounted the revelation of or the official This started a number IU of investigations In setting forth the following supposed sup sup- posed facts in connection with the affair affair affair af af- fair a certain amount of explanation is due The statements are given on f the authority of three Russians known 1 to be In Intimate touch with present affairs in their own country They Ther are of opposite parties One of them inclines to sympathize with the Ro Ro- perhaps with the Germans No o hand first-hand knowledge is represented represent represent- o a aed ed but hut statements in the Russian newspapers and the tho accounts of Russians Russians Rus Rus- official and unofficial who have hava lately come ome to America are the chief bases 4 I ISome Some weeks after the revolution i had installed the free government in Petrograd an inventory was ordered of the private possessions of the royal family There was a movement afoot to sell the great collection of diamonds dia dla- j monds pearls rubies emeralds and other precious stones which are known as the crown Jewels Accordingly c several officials were sent to the 1 Hermitage the palace-museum palace where the he Jewels were kept in a a. special safe 4 Crown of tho the fr Czar Michael s r r Cli t e ti t l I This was opened with the aid of removed removed removed re re- re- re moved royal functionaries and safe Experts Tho The imperial crown was found in place as were others of the themore themore themore more important pieces Apparently Apparent y yonly only decorations and smaller pieces had been removed On investigation however according according according accord accord- ing to the story It was found that every jewel remaining in tho the safe was simply paste The officials were stunned and summoned other experts The verdict was the same The true gems had been abstracted and hidden A long and thorough search was instituted in in- without result Officials of the former Czars Czar's household were ere then summoned and rigorously questioned again without t result Finally it is isid said id the Czar and his consort were brought from Selo Solo where they were then residing under guard and ond separately grilled on tho the subject of the missing gems Neither either could or would give any information One story is to the effect that it was after this episode that the r removed from their calace and nd placed d ii I J in actual imprisonment The Inquiry concerning the fate of the collection was continued with the result these insiders say that it is isnow isnow now pretty well wen established that these precious possessions of the royal roya family family fam family fam- fam ily to which the Russian people now assert their claim were secretly packed in one or two ordinary wardrobe wardrobe wardrobe ward ward- robe trunks and spirited out of the I country under diplomatic passports and taken to Darmstadt the grand- grand d ducal cal residence e of the Czarinas Czarina's family family fam fam- ily Further investigation Lion tion in the Hermitage Hermitage Hermitage Hermi Hermi- tage and the Winter Palace revealed it is said that many of the almost priceless canvases canvases' which formerly hung in the latter palace had been removed from their frames rame and re replaced replaced replaced re- re placed by valueless copies s. The originals originals I nals too seemed to have been got out dut ut of oe the country If these statements proved correct it would seem apparent that tho there thore removal re ro moval of the valuables was not not effected effect effect- ed in the last hours or days das The fall faU of or i J the Czar and d the accession of or the i 1 r. r f i J ft II j fI ti J 1 1 popular government was ac accomplished oSt so suddenly that no time would have been available to make paste replicas of the tho magnificent crown jewels and copies of the paintings Thus whoever whoever whoever who who- ever was responsible for the substitutions had long foreseen the danger of revolution and taken steps to save the most precious accumulations of a no dynasty of magnificent despots I It is said that detectives of the Provisional Provisional Provisional Pro Pro- I visional G Government following out such a line of deduction made a minute minute mi mi- nute auto examination of ot the passports out put of Russia since the beginning of hostilities hos hos- and evidence got from certain customs officials on the Finnish border border border bor bor- der of Sweden appeared to indicate i that several trunks were taken through from Russia into Sweden and thence Into Germany at the very outbreak outbreak out out- bre break k of the war These pieces of baggage were in the hands of courtiers courtiers courtiers cour cour- tiers who have not since returned to Russia it ia ds said S One other theory is g also stated At Atthe Atthe Atthe the height of the German drive into Russia in 1915 when th the Teutonic r r troops appeared likely to take Rigs Riga and advance on Petrograd a general alarm seized court ourt circles There was demoralization in the army and a collapse collapse collapse col col- col- col lapse was feared It is considered that the forehanded royal family took steps at that time to get the imperial jewels to a safe place What more likely it is asked thant than t that at the Czarina would under such a stress resort to the expedient of getting getting getting get get- ting the jewelS into the hands of her grand-ducal grand brother where they would ho bo safe from loot by German soldiery or by a revolutionary populace and I strong ties of royal blood might be depended upon to cause the restoring o of the gems gems gems' to their owners once the I Iwar war was over It is said that there is also evidence i of mysterious baggage having been 1 I sent out out of Russia under diplomatic passports at that stage of the ware war The episode of tho the Jewels and paintings according to report caused aused a great up flaring-up of the f feeling against the royal family and assisted on Succeeding Page Paget |