Miss K, M. Percy-French's Recent Death in Harbin Atter a tong and colourful career, which took her, in turn, from the courts of Europe to the gaols of revolutionary Russia, from the manors of Ireland and pomestias along. the Volga to.the desolate wastes of Mongolia, Miss Katherine M. Perey-Ffrench died in Harbin on January 1 the age of 74. Coming of two old and distinguished families—her father, 4 prominent British diplomat and a Kanight of the Order of Malta, traced haig ancestry. back to the Normans while her mother came of the ancient Kindlakort family of the" Russian nobility. hus having every oppor~ tunity of living in the Monivea Castle In Irland after. the revolution had Aung her out of Russia, she preferred to share the exile of her aristocratic friends in Harbin, "Received at most European Courts and having a per-Sonal acquaintanceship with many of the world's rulers, of impressive appearance, extraordinary culture and. erudition and exceptional linguistic ability—she spoke English, Russian, French, German and Italian sluently—she may well be termed one of the most interesting personalities of our time, 'Mist, Perey-Ffreneh was born in' Brussels n 1864 where her father was a diplomatic representative of Great Britain, but at the age of sixteen she left for her grandfather's huge estates in Russia—about $0,000 acres: stretching along the banks of the:
She settled down at Kino diakovka, the main estate in Simbirsk a certain steep in-had inspired 1. A. his famous "The Precipice," dealing with the life and exploits of an early revolutionary. property and soon'
the social centre of the district, patronizing the arts, the: ~thoatre' ind being often visited by: famous writers and other men of prominence. At the same time she did much to spread popular education among her peasants, was active in charity work and became Chairman of many organizations like the Red Cross Society, the Christian Nuts Society and others, When the Great War came she organized, on, her private resources, a Red Cross division with which she oft for the front. The Bolshevik Revolution found her back in Sim-Dirsk, but thinking that her British Papers would guarantee her safety, she decided not to flee. When th Bolsheviks swept into Simbirsk, how ever, she was arrested, east into gaol and then taken to Moscow where she was incarcerated in the famed Lubianka prison. Only through the energetic efforts of the British Emassy was she released, She sailed Immediately for England, but hearing that most of her friends of the Russian nobility were in the Far East, she} came to Harbin.
Soon her paths once more lod into Russia. Several of her friends had remained in Simbirsk, and_thinking to help them out of the country she boarded a train for the land of the Soviets, She did not get further than Irkutsk. "There she was arrested by the G. P. U, and was taken to Moscow by way of every principal gaol en route. The British Embassy once! again' made representation on her be~ half and for the second time succeeded gotting her to England. Soon, however, she was back in Harbin, Her untiring energy precluded the possibility of an unruled existence, ind in a. short time she decided to better acquaint herself with Mongolia the country from which her ancestors on her mother's side had swept into Russia with Genghis Khan. She organized a scientific expedition and accompanied it herself as far as Urea, visiting many places that were yet uncharted.
Hier last years were spent in Harbin where for the first time in years nothing disturbed the even tenor of her life, She resumed, on a less grand scale, her ancient life and threw her house open to her many friends. She was often visited by members of the Consular Body, and her exceptional personal qualities soon made her the well-loved "grand dame" of the city, Tt was said that any distinguished visitor to Harbin ult-mately found himself a visitor in her house, As the year 1037 drew to a close, Miss Perey-French seemed to sens¢ that her life was likewise approaching Ins end. On New Year's Eve she held tu quiet party attended by her most Intimate friends, Next day. she was dead. 1. M, Consulate which unsealled her will found that she wanted to be buried at a Russian Orthodox. cemetery five days after her death, fand later to be taken for permanent rest to. the family sepulehre Monivea Castle in Ireland, On Jan-unary 2, after a brier Catholic service, her body was placed in a zink casket, and later an Orthodox burial service was conducted by the Rev. N. Pono-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.