Rasputin. 3

The Murder

In November, about a month before the murder, Felix contacted Maria Golovina, a long-time friend of his who also happened to be close to Rasputin. He complained that he had been having chest pains that doctors had been unable to cure. She immediately suggested that he should see Rasputin for his healing powers, as Felix knew she would. Maria arranged for them both to meet at her apartment. The contrived friendship began and Rasputin began calling Felix by a nickname, “Little One.”

Rasputin and Felix met a number of times between November and December. Since Felix had told Rasputin that he didn’t want his family to know about their friendship, it was agreed that Felix would enter and leave Rasputin’s apartment via a staircase in the back. Many have speculated that more than just “healing” went on at these sessions and that the two were sexually involved.3

At some point, Felix mentioned that his wife would be arriving from the Crimea in the middle of December. Rasputin showed interest in meeting her, so they arranged for Rasputin to meet Irina on the night of December 16-17 at 12:30 a.m. It was also agreed that Felix would pick Rasputin up and drop him off.

For several months, Rasputin had been living in fear. He had been drinking even more heavily than usual and constantly dancing to Gypsy music to try to forget his terror. Numerous times, Rasputin mentioned to people that he was going to be killed. Whether this was a true premonition or whether he heard the rumors circulating Petrograd is uncertain. Even on Rasputin’s last day alive, he was visited by several people who warned him to stay home and not go out.

Around midnight, Rasputin changed clothes into a light blue shirt, embroidered with cornflowers, and blue velvet pants. He couldn’t get the top button on his shirt fastened so his maid helped him button it. He rested on his bed until the caller came. Though he had agreed not to tell anyone where he was going that night, he had actually told several people, including his daughter Maria (who was living with him at the time) and his close friend Maria Golovina (who had introduced him to Felix).

Near midnight, the conspirators all met at the Yusupov palace in the newly created basement dining room. It was a cozy room separated into two parts, a dining room and a small living room. Two small windows opened to the courtyard at ground level. A fire was ablaze in the large fireplace and in front of the fire lay a polar bear skin. Pastries and wine adorned the table. Dr. Lazavert put on rubber gloves and then crushed the potassium cyanide crystals into powder and placed some in the pastries and a small amount in two wineglasses. They left some pastries unpoisoned so that Felix could partake. After lacing the pastries with poison, Dr. Lazavert removed his gloves and threw them in the fire, causing a large amount of smoke which then had to be aired out. After everything was ready, Felix and Dr. Lazavert went to pick up the victim.

Around 12:30 a.m. the visitor arrived at Rasputin’s apartment via the back stairs. Rasputin greeted the man at the door; the maid was still awake and looking through the kitchen curtains, she saw that it was the Little One. The two men left in a car driven by a chauffeur (Dr. Lazavert).

When they arrived at the palace, Felix took Rasputin to the side entrance, across a marble entrance hall, and down the stairs to the basement dining room. As Rasputin entered the room he could hear noise and music upstairs, “Yankee Doodle Dandee” was playing. Felix explained that Irina had been detained by unexpected guests but would be down shortly. The other conspirators waited until after Felix and Rasputin entered the dining room, then they stood by the stairs leading down to it, waiting for something to happen. Everything up to this point had been going to plan; that didn’t last much longer.

While supposedly waiting for Irina, Felix offered Rasputin one of the poisoned pastries. Rasputin refused, saying they were too sweet. Rasputin wouldn’t eat or drink anything. Felix started to panic and went upstairs to talk to the other conspirators.4 When Felix went back downstairs, Rasputin for some reason had changed his mind and agreed to a few pastries. Then they started drinking the wine.

Though potassium cyanide was supposed to have an immediate effect, nothing happened. Felix continued to chat with Rasputin waiting for something to happen. Noticing a guitar in the corner, Rasputin asked Felix to play for him. The time wore on and Rasputin wasn’t showing any effects from the poison.

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