Rasputin the Rascal Monk Disclosing the Secret Scandal of the Betrayal of Russia by the Mock-Monk Grichka and the Consequent Ruin of the Romanoffs. With official documents — A Closer Reading

The Cult of the “Sister-Disciples”

Le Queux introduces Rasputin as a “middle-aged, uncleanly charlatan” who invented a variation of new religions to attract “a host of silly, neurotic women.” The chapter title itself—The Cult of the “Sister-Disciples”—signals a focus on the monk’s manipulation of female followers. Le Queux’s own travels before the war, exploring the underworld of politics, are cited as the source of his knowledge. He describes hearing of the “drunken, dissolute scoundrel from Siberia” who cloaked himself in religion and asceticism. The Arctic fishing village Alexandrovsk is mentioned as a setting where he encountered rumors of Rasputin’s influence.

The Tsar’s Autocratic Orders at the Monk’s Dictation

Le Queux presents a specific incident: the Tsar wrote an order for prisoner release and dismissal of a patriotic governor at Rasputin’s dictation. The monk is portrayed as a lying agent of the Kaiser, acting on instructions from Berlin. The narrative claims that the Russian Empire had already fallen beneath the “Mailed Fist” even as its soldiers sacrificed their lives. A secret meeting at Rasputin’s house with Prime Minister Stürmer and Protopopoff is described, lasting from three to eight o’clock, after which the monk went to the Empress. He warned her that pressing the German enemy would bring God’s wrath upon her house and her son the Tsarevitch, causing her to tremble.

Berlin’s Plots and the Kaiser’s Displeasure

Le Queux alleges that within a fortnight of Rasputin’s prophecy, a plot to infect General Brusiloff with tetanus was attempted via a soldier named Koltchak. The coffee containing the deadly culture was drunk by a Major Dobrovolski, who died in agony. An attempt on General Korniloff involved a hand-grenade that killed his horse and cut his eye. Le Queux claims documentary evidence exists for these attempts. He states that Berlin expressed extreme displeasure at Rasputin’s failures, sending a message through Swedish sources reminding him of the Kaiser’s words during a secret audience where he accepted proposals to become chief agent.

Le Queux’s account is a wartime polemic that blends espionage thriller with political exposé. Readers should note his reliance on anonymous sources and the absence of corroborating evidence within the excerpts. The work reflects the anti-German propaganda of 1917 and Le Queux’s own reputation as a writer of invasion scares. Approach the documents he cites as claims rather than verified facts, and consider the historical context of the Russian Revolution unfolding as the book was published.

There’s something haunting about reading Le Queux’s certainty, his tidy cipher-trails pointing at Rasputin as the Kaiser’s man. It reminded me of another voice, just as sure, crying treason from the shadows. Reading Colonel John Brown, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Brave Accuser of Benedict Arnold — A Closer Reading felt like listening to that same lonely timbre — the accuser, convinced, yet forever arguing with history’s noise.