Helen Krebel – Varlam Cherkezishvili’s Anonymous Wife

Abstract

In 1906, Marie Derval committed suicide at a hotel in London. Reports soon revealed that the woman was a victim of anarchists’ revenge. She was charged with reporting the anarchists to the police, spying on by order of the Russian Empire. The case was placed in the centre of interest of British and American newspapers and was a sensation for some time. This case has attracted our attention, as there are some reports saying that the famous Georgian anarchist Varlam Cherkezishvili had a marital relationship with Marie Derval and that the latter played a leading role in leading the woman to death. In its turn, if the materials we have seen in the press tell a story close to reality, we are dealing with a completely new page in Cherkezishvili’s personal life.