Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-22
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Although found in all the prominent Ian
guagss of Europe, it is not indigenous to
European soil. 1t is an exotic, transplant
ed into the tongues of Europe from the
East. In the eleventh century there
sprang up in thst part of Asia known as
the Levant, an spostate sect of Mahomme-
dams, called sometimes Bstmites, sometimes
Ismaileans, and yet more frequently than
either Assassins. They are described as
hsving at first been a religious or philo-
sophical sec" and they called themselves
the "family of wisdom" Their religion
was q mixture OF Mohommedan supersti-
tions with some of the speculative traits of
India. In the twelfth and thirteenth CEN
turies they became numerous throughout
Persis, Syria and Egypt. The great event
of their history was the initiation at Cairo
In 1880 of Persian, Hssssn ben Sabah
who at once became the head of the body.
He assumed the name of "Old man of the
Mountain" name also borre by his
successor-and changed the nature OF the
sect from "relIgious or philosophical to
military order. Hsssan selected as the
seat of his power a fortress in Persia TO the
southwark of the Caspian, though another
centre, in the times Of the Crusaders, was
Mount Libanus of the Lebanon range.
Hsssan was a man of boundless ambition,
and sspired TO the universal empire; this
he proposed to attain through the secret
use Of bis followers, dsggers. Murder was
considered by them ss one Of ihe fine arts,
and to excel in its perpetrstor the
] highest ambition of life. Before entering
upon these peculiar enterprises, these fanat-
icsintoxicaIed themselves with the Hsshish,
an opiste made from the leaves of a species
of hrIIIPj fFOII lIiCtI rsICT TIBy were csEITeu
Hashishins. This name, in passing into
the western languages, has dropped the |
and became AsSdSSias. 1t would be
easy to fill larger space than it is here !
intended to occupy with the deeds Of this |
wonderful order; suffice it to say they |
were thousands in number, and for more |
than a century and half their dsggers |
lurked in the cities of Europe IS well as |
Asia, causing kings to tremble at the men
ton of their hated name. SoVereigns were |
wont to psy them in secret large sums TO /
secure their own lives. The Assassins en-
couniered form liable fees in the Knights |
Femplsrs, in the days of crussd;ng but /
we're not extirPsted of the earth until |
1854, when that act of mercy was per /
formed by Holcyoo one of the Mogul |
conquerors.
Says Mr.. Gibbon, in the sixth volume of
his great work mot vestige is LETT of the |
enemies of mankind, except the word as
ssssin, which in the most odious sense has
been adopted in the languages OF Europe"
The fact that it was thus adopted shows |
how deeply the consciousness of Europe
was impressed, while the languages were
in the formative period, by these implaca-
BILE enemies of man.
Butthe practice of assassination is thous-
Rnds of years older than the hated name /
given by Christendom TO the man who
committed the act. To one who has made
it 8 subject of thought, the large number
of great characters who have been connect
ed with assassination, either as victims
real or intended, or as instgators, is sur
prisiDg. In the darker ages the blunted
moral sense of man did not condemn the
resort TO assassination 10 accomplish pri-
Yate ends or gain political objects.
A few great names must serve as Illus
trstions Of the many more that cannot here
be mentioned. Philip of Mscedon, the
father OF the crest Alexander, who most
efectuslly paved the way for his sons sue
cess, was murdered by one of his own Off
GERS TO svenge q private wrong. Caesar
fell in the Senste Chamber 10 Rome, at the
foot of Pompey's statue, having received
twenty-three strokes from the dsggers of
his murderers. His last words, EEt tn
Brute" bear everlasting testimony to the
fact that in ancient times personal friend
ship was no shield to. q man In exalted
station. Formerly the assassination of
Caesar was considered sn set OF patriotism
later scholars are adopting the conclusion
that no more fatal blow was ever struck at
the best interests of Rome. The history
OF the Empire is one continued history of
blood and carnage, intrigue and murder,
and 1t were vain to attempt an enumea-
tion of the illustrious victims to hatred,
envy and malice.
Coming nearer to our own times the rec
ord is hardly less revolving, until we reach
period very recent. Henry III of France,
the last king of the Vslois line, after hsv-
ing lived life of dissoluteness, was made
way with in 1858, only. to make room for
Henry w, the hero of fIvry, to whom the
murdered king bequesthed the CROWN
The Catholic party were unwilling this
chivalIic prince should reign because he
was Protestant. After fighting many
battles and finally sbiuring his religion
and embracing Catholicism, he wes
crowned in 1894. He governed with great
wisdom until 1910, when, by the procure
e h -F,Lk IL I
Rsvaillsc as he was riding in his carriage |
throul the streets Of Paris.
William of Nassau, also known in his
tory as William the Silent, and Father
William, after laying the foundation of the
liberties and prosperity OF the Dutch Re
public, was shot as he was psssing from
the dinner table 10 his own apartment, in
1884. The miscreant who did the foul |
deed, Burgundisn named Gerard, died
terrible death in expiation of his crime,
but his family was well feed by the Span
ISL king. The king had previously offered
twenty-five thousand crowns of gold to
any one sufficiently generous of heart to
rid us (the dng) of this pest, delivering
him to us dead or alive.
Wallenstein, that man of iron, who !
swore he would take Stralsund seven if |
bound to heaven with chains of adamant,"
the only general Of the Imperialists who |
could make head against the great captain,
Gustavus Adolphus, during the thirty |
years war, was killed by halberd, in obe-
dience to the wishes of his master, the En-
peror.
Dsrnley, the husband of Mary Queen of
Scots and father Of the first Stuart who sat |
upon the English throne, james VI'
was blown up by gunpowder in Edinburgh |
An assassination to which it is yet amOot-
'd point whether his royal wife was q par
y. Be this as it may, her subsequent mar
riAge with Boutwell,, the chief actor in the |
murder of Dsrnley, so exssperated the |
Lcottish mobiles that Mary thought It best |
| 70 Ask the snrntactinn of her cnnsin Film