Leo Tolstoy: another premature obituary

I've just looked up Wikipedia's list of premature death announcements and they haven't got Leo Tolstoy. Does that make this a scoop?

The Times had been speculating for some days about Tolstoy's decision to get himself to a monastery [click on the links to read the original Times pages]. Peter Kropotkin wrote to the paper from Muswell Hill to clarify that the Count was unlikely to be having a religious crisis: "Let me say that 'retiring to a monastery' does not mean becoming a monk. In several Russian monasteries a log-hut, built on the monastery's lands, in its woods, may be hired or a new log-hut may be built, by someone who intends to retire from the worldly life".

On November 17, 1910, appeared the news that Tolstoy had died, with an obituary and leading article. The following day there was a news story: "At 4 o'clock this morning the St Petersburg newspapers learned from Moscow that the news of Count Tolstoy's death was untrue", and a couple of days later an apology, of sorts: "We greatly regreat that in common with the chief Russian newspapers and practically the Press of the whole world, we published on Thursday last a premature announcement of Count Tolstoy's death."

The obituary was not reprinted, but there was an appreciation by Dr Charles Hagberg Wright, the librarian of the London Library. Hagberg Wright had visited Tolstoy a couple of years earlier, to deliver the 80th birthday greetings of 700 or so well-wishers. He described his visit in a letter to The Times.

Another premature obituary? There seem to have been a few. I think I'll start a collection.

• Note on authorship from Nick Mays, The Times record office: The obituary was principally written by Thomas Humphry Ward (1845-1926) a special writer and leader writer from 1880 until his death.  The brief report above the memoir was written by Robert Archibald Wilton (1868-1925) was the paper’s correspondent in St Petersburg, 1905-1921.  Other sections were contributed by Arthur Clutton-Brock, who also wrote the leading article on the death, and F. Gribble.  F. Gribble may be Francis Henry Gribble (1862-1946), a regular contributor to the TLS and a leader writer for the Daily Graphic though this is not certain.

Comments

[Asit Chaudhuri]

Dear Sirs,

Flabbergasting information! And thank you very much. But who would tender another apology? Is it "We greatly regreat (sic) ..." or 'We greatly regret'?

Regards.

Asit Chaudhuri

[m k harikumar]

hai, good, memorable
mk

[m k harikumar]

hai,
memorable information.
thanks
m k

[MK Idziaszek]

Ten years ago Les Humphries, English founder of the Germany-based international pop music group The Les Humphries Singers, staged his death: He called up a Bavarian radio station, introduced himself as his brother and announced his death. Weeks later he rang up again and announced his resurrection. Les Humphries, who had fled Germany to his native England because of immense tax debts around 1980, had been living in total isolation for decades. Last December he died from pneumonia and a severe heart attack. He was 67 years old. In Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria his name is a household name up to these days.

Les Humphries aka John Leslie Humphreys was interred at Alton (Hampshire) cemetery alongside his mother. May he rest in peace. But rumors have started........