Right, Hikaru. People snuck the money in from outside. The difficulty Romanov supporters and friends encountered in raising the money and smuggling it into the city makes it even more tragic.
But I think that the money was sent to her in Tobolsk, not Ekaterinburg, now that I think about it. Not that this changes much.
Hikaru,
Please assist me in disputing the technical inaccuracy of the above-referenced post.
1. "the difficult Romanov supporters encountered in raising the money".
a. The Romanov supporters, of which at that particular moment in time there were relatively few, did not indeed need to engage in fundraising activities. While the financial system was in ruin, personal fortunes had NOT yet completely been nationalized (1918) and the very, very rich remained if not very, very rich, then just rich, at least privately. The great large collections of works of arts and works of literature, as well as the other means of wealth (1918) had yet to be fully confiscated, although the uneducated mobs destroyed a certain portion of it on a continuing basis. The banks continued to function, albeit chaotically, in the larger cities (1918), and the trains, such as there were, ran, but irregularly, and by all reports, with the exception of the pillaging and looting and the murder of the educated classes by the Godless hordes, life in the larger cities, where the "Romanov supporters" were still quartered, continued in a rather humdrum, if not chaotic and strikebound pace. I would refer all to Chaliapin's memoires on this subject.
b. Those wealthy families that could have been of assistance to the Imperial Family had, with the exception of the Yussopovs, become estranged from it. The Apraxines and the Obolenskys and the Sheremetivi were all "refroidis". The Tatishevi, who were ardent supporters to the end, possessed no great wealth as neither did the Troubetkois and thus would not have been in a position to assist the Imperial Family. The Galitzini, whose wealth was only second to the Yussopovi, had placed much distance in their relationships with the Imperial Family because of their feelings towards the Empress. The Imperial Family drew only limited support from the remaining middles classes in 1918 and their financial resources would have been so limited, as a result of the war and the ensuing hyperinflation, as to preclude any form of financial assistance. The Church was in a measure to provide assistance but such records as there are have not come to light.
2. One did not "smuggle" money into a tightly-controlled city the way one goes to market. There existed a form of "propicka" for entry into the city and many, many, many persons were not allowed nor granted the Revolutionary equivalent of the "propicka". The Red were quite aware of class distinctions and regularly either expelled, or refused, entry or executed others.
3. It comes to mind that the only source of such great sums of money might have been the British Royal Family and thus the British Legation in Petersburg. It also comes to mind that perhaps the Kaiser might have helped financially and that funds might have been transferred through the Swedish Legation which was still functioning.
Thus, Hikaru and Belochka, FormAdm, are you aware of any now declassified files in the British archives which could or might confirm that that the British government (under Lloyd George) or the Windsors forwarded money to the Royal Family? And even if the British Royal Family had forwarded money, privately, would that not have had to be done with the consent of Cabinet?
Thus, in closing, I can only say that this was not a fundraising even in an American fashion and that one did simpy not hop on a train and go to Tobolsk and say "Well, Your Majesty, Here is 10,000 gold rubles". It is important that the readers and posters on this forum bear that in mind.
