Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-07-28

This story 10 going the rounds Of the
newspapers here, and 10 said to point 70
some circumstances which have recently
occurred in Turkish town, If not ct
Constantinople itself 1t certainly in
worth telling as curious picture of the
wild life Of Turkish, Arabian, or Asia
Minor countries. There was in one Of
the poorest quarters of Constantinople IN
old Greek potter. Although he was .
Giaour, and lived in a purely Moslem
neighborhood, he was popular because his
honesty was proverbial. He was q Wild
over. He had only one child daugh-
ter, who was marvelously beautiful. Her
name was Helle. She was the housekeep-
er, maid of all work, and cook OF the
Aovel in which her father and she lived.
She went to the Moslem houses to sell to
the Turkish women the earthenware her
father made. When she entered a harem
twas festival to all the inmates her
presence was like sunbeam entering .
dungeon. The women would scream:
"Ahi here comes beautiful Helle, the
potter's daughter" Lovely as she was.
nobody was jealous of her, for she did
not seem to be at all proud of her beauty.
One day, the Sultan's favorite son
took it into his head to lounge about town.
He was or horseback, and several habitu-
al companions Of his pleasure were with
him. The van-couriers ran ahead of them,
with silver. headed cane in hand, with
which they struck right and left, belabor-
ing the people in order to open passage
| for the Sultan's son. Men, women, chill
dren, and old people screamed a. they
took to their heels. Two or three children
fell and came near being trampled on by
the horses. just at this moment Helle
came out Of her fathers house. She went
straight on, bearing on her head tray
which contained the earthenware her
father had made. One of the companions
of the Sultan's son bent toward him, whis-
pered and pointed to the lovely creature.
One Of the van ccpriers, who twas about
to strike her, was petrifled by admiration,
the upliited stick fell not, but he gave her
a sudden push, and the tray and its con-
| tents fell from her head and all the earth
enware was broken into shapeless frag-
ments. just at this instant the horse Of
the Sultan's son stood In front Of her; he
which streamed from her eyes, smiled,
and rode on. Next day Helle had
disappeared from the neighborhood. The
poor old potter ran about everywhere beg
| ging some intelligence of his daughter.
He was almost beside himself with grief.
A woman who had witnessed the scene
just described told him what she had seen.
He understood all its import. He went in
front of the palace and stood there all day
long, day after day, waiting the hour when
the Sultan's son should again sally forth
to lounge through the streets. The hour
came. The old potter ran to the horse1
| side and asked the rider for his daughter
| No one heared the words exchanged.
| Suddenly the Sultan sons drew his scimi-
ter, and the head of the old potter rolled
on the ground. As soon as the Sultan's
son had passed on some distance, the peO-
| pie picked up the corpse and carried 1t to
the potter's house. As he had no
kindred, they placed it in his shop and
there left 1t. Everybody went 10 see It
There was great excitement in the neigh
borhood, and such throngs of people stood
in front Of the house as TO block up tho
street The Sultan himself saw from a dis
lance these great throngs and asked their
origin. He was told by the Grand Vzier.
He at once issued orders that trum-
peters should go through each quarter OF
the city and make proclamation that he
himself should see justice done, and the
assassin Of the poor potter punished. The
| following day he rode down toward the
potters house. His son was behind him.
An unusual number Of janissares sur
rounded them. There was larger crowd
than had yet assembled IN front Of the
potter's house The Sultan ordered the
corpse to be brought out of the house and
placed in the centre Of the neighbOfing
square. He babe his son dismount, stand
at the corpse's feet. and gaze on II. The
sight was horrible, for, despite all the
pains taken, the corpse was in a putrid
state. The Sultans son stood gazing on
the decaying mass. He was as pale a.
death, and the smile he tried to force upon
his face did but made his anxiety tho
more visible. This scene lasted for .
quarter Of an hour. There was not word
| spoken. At the end OF fifteen minutes
the Sultan drew his scimeter, and his
sons head rolled on the ground. The
Sultan said Bury them both together,
and let trumpeters announce throughout
all the town that justice hath been
wrought. Allah only is great r"-Paris
Cor. Boston saturday Kuening Gazette.