Dolgorukovo

The Grand Duke Nikolai,* the Grand Duke Cyril,* Prince Felix Youssoupov, and other pre-eminent Russian emigres well know where to find many a gem and golden ruble buried and hidden by themselves before they fled Russia. Recently Prince Dolgorukovo, relatively small aristocratic fry, entered Russia in disguise to retrieve some of his buried treasure. . . .

Prince Dolgorukovo has been resident in Paris since the Red Revolution, has sunk to penury. Riches indisputably his were to be had for the digging, in Russia. By great good fortune he was able to buy a forged Russian passport from a Soviet official in Paris. Fifty per cent of the to-be-dug-up-treasure was all the official asked, and he entered Russia with Prince Dolgorukovo to insure good faith.

Soon rubles, family plate and gems were unearthed and divided at the onetime Dolgorukovo estate near Kursk. Then the Soviet official produced a whistle, blew, summoned agents of the secret police who seized Prince Dolgorukovo. Last week he was executed by order of the Soviet Cabinet in the Lubianka prison, Moscow. Callous, the Soviet executor merely walked into the room where stood Prince Dolgorukovo, drew a revolver, and shot him, without preliminaries, in the back of the head. Soon the corpse of Prince Dolgorukovo was flung into a cart with those of 18 executed criminals, dumped with these into a common grave.

*Pretenders to the Imperial Throne of Russia.