In the meanwhile, in view of the mysterious telephone message and the reports of the police, a search had begun. When, there fore, a golosh was discovered near the Petrovsky Bridge, it was taken to 64 Gorokhovaya for recognition. The Rasputin family at once recognised it as Rasputin’s. The river in the neighbourhood was carefully searched. The great cold made this difficult, as the divers were not at all anxious to work. Eventually on Monday morning, something was seen in the ice. After great difficulty it was pulled out, and found to be Rasputin’s body, completely frozen into a block of ice. Both his hands were raised, and one side of his face was badly damaged by the fall into the river. The body was put into a motor lorry and ordered to be taken to the Vyborg Military Hospital. The whole party, examining judges, police and the rest, then went off to have luncheon with a German Jew who is known as Artmanov. They had not begun luncheon, when they received a telephone message from Protopopov saying that on no account must the body be taken to the Vyborg side, because it was a workman’s quarter, and there might be demonstrations. They replied that it had already been sent there, but Protopopov said that it must be stopped. They asked how could it be stopped. He said that he did not mind how, but that stopped it must be. Accordingly, they informed all the police at the street corners along the route through which it was to pass that they were to stop the lorry, when they saw it approaching. The lorry was finally stopped, and was ordered to proceed instead to the Chestminsky Almshouse, a desolate institution on the road to Tsarskoe. The examining judges had previously arranged that the post mortem examination should take place after twenty-four hours, as the body was so frozen that it was impossible to make any examination before that time. Protopopov, however, telephoned to say that the examination must be finished by 8.00a.m. the next morning. The judges and the doctor declared that it was impossible. Protopopov, however, said that it was necessary, and that the body was to be returned to the relations at 8 next morning. The judges then asked, how were they to reach the almhouse, that was some distance from Petrograd, as they could not afford a motor that would cost 200 roubles. Protopopov said that it would be all right as far as payment went. Accordingly Sereda, the examining judge, Got hold of Kosorotov, the well- known surgeon, and went off with him in a motor to the almshouse.
Their difficulties were not ended. Although the almshouse was lighted with electric light, there was no light in it at all when they arrived, and no means of lighting it. The three gorodovois, who were there, said that no light was necessary, as ‘dead men need no light.’The judge and the surgeon declared that they must have some light. Accordingly, they sent out, and obtained two small lamps to hang upon the wall, whilst one of the gorodovois held a lantern. After a while, the gorodovoi declared that he felt ill, and that he could not hold the lantern any more. The judge and the surgeon, therefore, were left alone in the partially lighted room.
They found that Rasputin, although 46 years of age, had the look of a man of only 36. He was dressed, as was his habit, like a Russian mujik. He was wearing, however, a pair of very expensive boots and a blue shirt with yellow cornflowers sewn upon it. This shirt had lately been given him by the Empress. It should also be noted in this connection that two days afterwards, when a small and periodical operation was being performed on the Tsarevich’s knee, the blue shirt was noticed by the surgeon to be under the operating table.
The examination showed that there were three wounds, one in his back and two in his head, all showing signs that they have been made by shots at a very close range.
Whilst the examination was proceeding, one of the gorodovois announced that two ladies had come for the body. Sereda and Kosorotov declared that this was impossible. A message then came back that they must give up the clothes. This, they did.
At last the examination was finished, and Sereda and Kosorotov returned, frozen and dispirited, to Petrograd. Since then, Zarvastsky, the other examining judge, has resigned, and another judge, Staravitsky, has been appointed to replace him. The body was subsequently taken to Tsarskoe. Whilst it was being conveyed from the station to the church, the garrison was confined to barrack in order to avoid any demonstration. Bishop Isidor, and not the Metropolitan Pitirim, conducted the service in the church.
APPENDIX 4
The following document, found among the Scale Papers, lists the members of the British Intelligence Mission in Petrograd at the time of Rasputin’s murder:
Lt-Col. Hoare
Lt-Col. Benet
Lt Rayner
Capt. Scale
Capt. Alley
Capt. Hicks
Capt. Schwabe
Capt. Bromhead
Lt MacLaren RNVR
Lt Garstin
Lt Steveni
Lt Lee
Lt Urmston
Lt L. Hodson
Lt A. Hodson
Mr H. Grant
Mr F. Hayes
Mr F. Ball
Mr L. Read
Mr L. Webster
Mr H. Anderson
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
CAB — Cabinet (UK)
CUL — Cambridge University Library
EGAF — Central Archive of the Russian Federation
FO — Foreign Office
GARF — State Archive of the Russian Federation
GATO — State Archive of the Province of Tyumen
HLRO — House of Lords Record Office
MI1c — Military Intelligence 1c (see SIS)
MI5 — Military Intelligence 5 – the Security Service
MI6 — Military Intelligence 6 (see SIS)
NYSC — New York Supreme Court
PRO — Public Record Offce (now TNA)
SIS — Secret Intelligence Service (MI1c now MI6)
TFGATO — Tobolsk Branch of the State Archive of the Province of Tyumen
TNA — The National Archive
WO — War Office
NOTES
CHAPTER ONE: MANHUNT
1 The Ochrana, A. T. Vassilyev (Harrup, 1930), p.47.
2 The statement of Fyodor Antonov Korshynov, yardkeeper, to Lt-Col. Popel of the Detached Gendarme Corps, 18 December 1916, Fond 102, Schedule 314, Case 35, GARF, Moscow.
3 Statement of Maria Grigorievna Rasputina to General Popov of the Detached Gendarme Corps, 18 December 1916, Fond 102, Schedule 314, Case 35, GARF, Moscow.
4 Statement of Anna Nikolaevna Rasputina to Lt-Col. Popel of the Detached Gendarme Corps, 18 December 1916, Fond 102, Schedule 314, Case 35, GARF, Moscow.
5 Statement of Ivan Manasevich Manuilov to investigator G. P. Girchich of the Provisional Government Extraordinary Commission 1917, Fond 1467, Schedule 1, Case 567, Folios 191-4, GARF, Moscow.
6 Statement of Akim Ivanovich Zhuk to investigator I.V. Brykin of the Provisional Government Extraordinary Commission 1917, Fond 1467, Schedule 1, Case 567, Folios 31-6, GARF, Moscow.
7 Telegram to Tsar Nicholas II from Okhrana, 17 December 1916, Fond 111, Schedule 1, Case 2981a, Page 1, GARF, Moscow.
8 Dmitri Pavlovich was the only son of the Tsar’s great-uncle Grand Duke Paul, who, after the death of Dmitri’s mother, had made a morganatic marriage and gone into exile, leaving Dmitri and his sister to be brought up by Grand Duchess Elizaveta and Grand Duke Sergei.
9 Statement of Yulia Dehn to investigator F. P. Simpson of the Provisional Government Extraordinary Commission 1917, Fond 1467, Schedule 1, Case 567, Folios 364-7, GARF, Moscow.
10 To General Voikov, Palace Superintendent, December 1916, from Head of Interior Ministry, Fond 102, Schedule 314, Case 35, GARF, Moscow.