Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1912 — COUNT INVOLVED IN SCANDAL [ARTICLE]

COUNT INVOLVED IN SCANDAL

Russian Minister to China Elopes With French Girl and Father Pursues Them. Peking.—Count Korostlvler, Russian minister to China, 69 years of age and a grandfather, has caused a scandal by eloping with Miss Peary, an unusually pretty French girl of 17, whose parents are well known in society here. Mr. Peary gave chase and found his daughter, disguised as a Chinese boy, pigtail anjl all. Diplomatic intervention is expected, as Peary has a high position in the postoffiee and is universally respected. He declares he will cause the count to leave the diplomatic service for good, but the Russian diplomats here think otherwise, though they do not expect their chief back in Peking. Revolver in hand, Peary scoured the town, but not finding them, demanded a search of the Russian consulate. TMsmeant some delay. When he got Inside at last he found a Chinese boy, whom the consul said the minister engaged as servant, but Peary pulled the pigtail and it came off in Ms hands. His daughter refused to go home with him, and'consented only when she heard that the minister, fearful of Peary’s revolver, had disguised himself as a sailor and escaped on a native junk.- Thence, when Peary was home-bound, he took a goods train to Harbin, where he caught the Siberian express to St Petersburg. Mr. Peary has applied to the French minister to lay the whole story before the Czar personally. Count Korostovier Is going out in St Petersburg In

the best of spirits and declares that Miss Peary is the most delightful woman he ever met, and that he will marry when he gets a divorce.