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part05+-第25章

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to the principal bookseller in St。 Petersburg; and was told that;



by virtue of my diplomatic position; I could have them; but that;



in order to do so; I must write an application; signing it with



my own name; and that then he would sell them to me within a few



days。 This took place several times。







Still another difficulty is that; owing to lack of publicity; the



truth can rarely be found as regards any burning question: in the



prevailing atmosphere of secrecy and repression the simplest



facts are often completely shut from the foreign observer。







Owing to the lack of public discussion; Russia is the classic



ground of myth and legend。 One sees myths and legends growing day



by day。 The legend regarding the cure of the Archbishop of St。



Petersburg by Father Ivan of Cronstadt; which I have given in a



previous chapter; is an example。 The same growth of legend is



seen with regard to every…day matters。 For example; one meets



half a dozen people at five…o'clock tea in a Russian house; and



one of them says: 〃How badly the Emperor looked at court last



night。〃 Another says: 〃Yes; his liver is evidently out of order;



he ought to go to Carlsbad。〃 Another says: 〃I think that special



pains ought to be taken with his food;〃 etc。; etc。 People then



scatter from this tea…table; and in a day or two one hears that



sufficient precaution is not taken with the Emperor's food; that



it would not be strange if some nihilist should seek to poison



him。 A day or two afterward one hears that a nihilist HAS



endeavored to poison the Emperor。 The legend grows; details



appear here and there; and finally there come in the newspapers



of Western Europe full and careful particulars of a thwarted plot



to poison his Majesty。







Not the least of the embarrassments which beset an American



minister in Russia is one which arose at various times during my



stay; its source being the generous promptness of our people to



take as gospel any story regarding Russian infringement of human



rights。 One or two cases will illustrate this。







During my second winter; despatches by mail and wire came to me



thick and fast regarding the alleged banishment of an American



citizen to Siberia for political reasons; and with these came



petitions and remonstrances signed by hundreds of Americans of



light and leading; also newspaper articles; many and bitter。







On making inquiries through the Russian departments of foreign



affairs and of justice; I found the fact to be that this injured



American had been; twenty years before; a Russian police agent in



Poland; that he had stolen funds intrusted to him and had taken



refuge in America; that; relying on the amnesty proclaimed at the



accession of the late Emperor; he had returned to his old haunts;



that he had been seized; because the amnesty did not apply to the



category of criminals to which he belonged; that he had not been



sent to Siberia; that there was no thought of sending him there;



but that the authorities proposed to recover the money he had



stolen if they could。 Another case was typical: One day an



excellent English clergyman came to me in great distress; stating



that an American citizen was imprisoned in the city。 I



immediately had the man brought before a justice; heard his



testimony and questioned him; publicly and privately。 He swore



before the court; and insisted to me in private; that he had



never before been in Russia; that he was an American citizen born



of a Swedish father and an Alaskan mother upon one of the Alaskan



islands; and he showed a passport which he had obtained at



Washington by making oath to that effect。 On the other hand



appeared certain officers of the Russian navy; in excellent



standing; who swore that they knew the man perfectly to be a



former employee of their engineering department and a deserter



from a Russian ship of war in the port of St。 Petersburg。 It was



also a somewhat significant fact that he spoke Russian much



better than English; and that he seemed to have a knowledge of



Russian affairs very remarkable for a man who had never been in



Russia; but to account for this he insisted upon the statement as



to his birth in Alaska。 Appearances were certainly very strongly



against him; and he was remanded to await more testimony in his



favor; but the next thing I heard was that he had escaped; had



arrived in New York; was posing as a martyr; had graciously



granted interviews to various representatives of the press; and



had thereby stimulated some very lurid editorials against the



Russian Government。







Another case was that of a Russian who; having reached the United



States; burdened the files of the State Department and of the



legation with complaints against the American minister because



that official did not send out the man's wife to him。 The



minister had; indeed; forwarded the necessary passports; but the



difficulty was that the German authorities would not allow the



woman to enter Germany without showing herself to be in



possession of means sufficient to prevent her becoming a public



charge; and these her husband could not; or would not; send;



insisting that now that he was naturalized he had a right to have



his wife brought to America。







I have no apology to make for the Russian systemfar from it;



but I would state; in the interest of international comity; that



it is best for Americans not to be too prompt in believing all



the stories of alleged sufferers from Russian despotism; and



especially of those who wish to use their American citizenship



simply in order to return to Russia and enjoy business advantages



superior to those of their neighbors。







That there are many meritorious refugees cannot be denied; but



any one who has looked over extradition papers; as I have been



obliged to do; and seen people posing as Russian martyrs who are



comfortably carrying on in New York the business of



counterfeiting bank…notes; and unctuously thanking God in their



letters for their success in the business; will be slow to join



in the outcries of refugees of doubtful standing claiming to be



suffering persecution on account of race; religion; or political



opinion。







Nor are Russian…Americans the only persons who weary an American



representative。 One morning a card was brought in bearing an



undoubted American name; and presently there followed it a tall



raw…boned man with long flaxen hair; who began orating to me as



follows: 〃Sir; you are an ambassador from the President of the



United States; I am an ambassador from God Almighty。 I am sent



here to save the Emperor。 He is a good man; he is followed up by



bad men who seek his life; I can save him; I will be his



cup…bearer; I WILL DRIVE HIS TEAM。〃 This latter conception of the



Emperor's means of locomotion struck me as naive; especially in



view of the fact that near my house was an immense structure



filled with magnificent horses for the Emperor and courta



veritable equine palace。 〃Yes;〃 said my visitor; 〃I will drive



the Emperor's team。 I want you to introduce me to him



immediately。〃 My answer was that it was not so easy to secure a



presentation to the Emperor; offhand; that considerable time



would be necessary in any case。 To this my visitor answered: 〃I



must see him at once; I am invited to come by the Empress。〃 On my



asking when he received this invitation; he said that it was



given him on board the steamer between New York and Hamburg; her



Majesty and her children being the only other passengers besides



himself in the second…class cabin。 To this I said that there must



certainly be some mistake; that her Majesty rarely; if ever;



traveled on public lines of steamers; that if she had done so;



she certainly would not have been a passenger in the second



cabin。 To this he answered that he was absolutely certain that it



was the Empress who had given him the invitation and urged him to



come and save the Emperor's life。 On my asking him the date of



this invitation; he looked through his diary and found it。 At



this; sending for a file of the official newspaper of St。



Petersburg; I showed him that on the day named her Majesty was



receiving certain officials at the palace in St。 Petersburg;



whereat he made an answer which for the moment threw me



completely off my balance。 He said; 〃Sir; I have lived long



enough not to believe everything I see in the newspapers。〃







I quieted him as best I could; but on re
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