Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1875 — History of the Gruff Dike Alexis’ Matrimonial Exploit. [ARTICLE]

History of the Gruff Dike Alexis’ Matrimonial Exploit.

TotK remember the vague rumor* concerning the marriage of the Grand Duke Alexis, the handsome youth about whom so many society belies in New York went half wild at the time of his visit to the United States. The story has never been told in print except in a very fragmentary way. Among the demoiselles d'honneur of Her Majesty the Empress was a very pretty and attractive girl, the daughter of a high official who was a member of the Council of Empire. She was attached to the Imperial household and lived in the palace; Alexis fell in love with her—fell in love over head and ears—which was very wrong for a Grand Duke. He declared his passion and found it reciprocated, and with the headstrong imprudence of youth he proposed to elope with her and be married. She, poor girl, did not weigh the consequences, and probably was not aware what a mess she would make by accepting his offer. One day while the court was at Moscow the twain met by appointment, sought a priest, and were united. The marriage was kept secret for two or three months, but marriage, like murder, will out, and this case proved no exception to the rule. When it became known there was a scene such as does not often happen. The Emperor swore and the Empress cried and the whole imperial family was in a funk. Alexis was talked to in a very plain, old-fash-ioned way. R~vvas determined to send him on a long, journey in the hope of curing him of his love, and: so he was started on the voyage that brought him to America and took him home by way of Japan and Siberia. Mrs. Alexis was sent out of the Empire by a special train, and the eye of the police was not taken from her until she was safe over the frontier. The priest who peformed the ceremony was packed off to Siberia in spite of his protest that he didn’t know the parties and that he married them just as he would any other couple. They didn’t let on who they were, but only gave their names, a la Russe, as Alexis Alexandrovitch and Marie Paulovna, which are about as traceable or suspicious in this country as John Smith and Mary Jones would be in New York. Alexis came back after an absence of three years and he is now commander of one of the crack ships of the Russian navy. It is intended that when the Grand Duke Constantine, present Grand Admiral, has passed away to make Alexis his successor, and so his voyage round the world cannot fail to do him good. The wife and priest are still in exile, the former in Switzerland and the latter in Siberia. Alexis has repented of his folly and the family quarrel has been partially smoothed over. The laws of Russia very stupidly do not permit a divorce, and when you marry here you have no hope of release from trouble except by the intervention of the old man with the hour-glass and mowing-machine. In a case like this you can get round it by an imperial decree, hut even that cannot be done without the disappearance and supposed death of one of the parties. Last winter they tried to fix up the business, and the undertaking was made by no less a personage than Count Shouvaloff. The Count has the reputation of never failing in any difficult and delicate piece of diplomacy that he takes in hand, and in the present instance he was confident of success. He went and he returned, and since his return he has not been in favor as he was. Mrs. Alexis was stopping at one of the hotels on the Quai du Mont Blanc, in Geneva, and one day a card bearing the name of a Russian nobleman whom she did not know was sent to her room. In order to preserve an incognito the Count traveled under one of his inferior titles, and it was with this name that he presented himself. She descended to the parlor to see the stranger, and at once recognized the redoubtable Count, having become familiar with his face and its huge mustache at court. After the usual commonplaces the Count proceeded to business and managed it with all the skill of which he was possegsed. It was proposed that she should renounce all claim to the hand of Alexis, should change her name and disappear, and let the places that had known her know her no more forever. In return for this trifling and perfectly feasible service she would receive roubles down and an annuity of 75,000 roubles, which would be continued to her child in case the latter survived her, and it was devoutly hoped he would not. About this time the child was brought into the room, and the Count observed, doubtless with sorrow in his heart, that it was in vigorous health, and there was no reasonable hope that the gods would love it and enable it to die young. The Count used all the arguments at his command, and there were plenty of them, but to no purpose. The woman was obstinate and spurned the offer with an ait of indignation worthy a tragic actress. “But remember,” said the Count, “you can never see Alexis again; you will* not be allowed to return to Russia, and his movements will be so arranged that a meeting will be impossible. YoiThave learned by this time that even were the marriage recognized by the Emperor you could never appear at court or receive the imperial recognition. If you love Alexis release him from the consequences Of his youthful passion, and enable him to fill the position which belongs to him.” But she would do nothing of the sort, not even when she was told she could naine the financial terms and receive the money when and where she wished. She loved Alexis and had married him, and would remain his wife until death should do the graceful thing for one of them. Possibly the Count hoped that the pale warrior would begin on her at an early date, but if he thought so he didn’t say so. The interview lasted a couple of hours and was as unsuccessful as the most earnest admirer of pig-, headed constancy in love could Next day the diplomat called again but she would not see him, and after trying the intercession of a Russian lady of high position who happened there in Geneva he gave up the effort and took the train for Paris. “ Rum things is the women,” said the elder Weller when Sammy told him of the capers of the old woman. “Rum things is women,” muttered Count Shouvaloff as he shook the dust of Geneva from his delicate boots and settled into the corner of the first-class compartment which his aid-de-camp had secured on the through train. And so the matter stands. It has been hinted that an effort was ?nade a few months ago to coax her and her child back to Russia so that they could be quietly secluded from the world, but I am, inclined to doubt it. A hundred years ago such a proceeding

would have been en regie, but times have changed, and however much this woman’s death may be desired the Government would hardly take toy measures to hasten it. The marriage of the Grand Dnke Alexis in his proper station of life is indefinitely postponed, and Count Shouvaloff and his imperial master must wait, Micawberish, for something toturn up.— Bt. Petersburg ( Russia ) Cor. N. Y. World.