National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-03-22
A King for an Hour.

klng IOT III u"Ws
On the 18th OF December, 1754, ut
eight o'clock in the morning, the Dey OF
Aigiers was distributing pay to his SOL
diers in the courtyard OF his palace.
The Grand Treasurer was with him, be-
sides his secretaries and usual divan
and the number of soldiers was about
three hundred. II was understood that
these were all unarmed, ms il was there
custom to he on such occasions Though
there was no suspicion OF any dissatisfac
ton among them I; and when one OF
them, after receiving his pay, and kissing
the Dey's hand, suddenly drew dagger,
il produced a great sensation in the
court. When, instead OF repenting him
Of this indiscretion, and putting 1t
back again into his girdle, he proceeded
TO sheath II in the Deys breast, and
then To shoot him with pistol, the ex-
citement rcdoubled. Yet, seriously
enough, nobody stirred, except the Dey.
lie rose, and walked few yards
well recollect the bald description OF the
writer in that gazetteer" calling ont
his attendants Among so many OF you,
can YOU not destroy such villain MS
this 2 and then dropped If his High
ness could not do more, 1t is scarcely I'M
aginable to conceive how he could have
done less but his assassin was prompt in
action as the other was slow; he no
sooner had his victim on the ground,
than he snatched off the Deys turban,
capped il on his own head, and seated
himself on the throne. In the meantime,
n friend of this audacious character had
lodged pistol ball in the High Treas
urcr's collnr-bcne, given him two sabre
cuts over the head, and cut his right
hand Off while four more conspirators
for there were only six in all-were
"hard at work with their pistols and sa-
bres among the company generally.
In recent American description OF a
free fight. we read that "crowbars and
other sedatives" were used ; and that
pistols and sabres seemed in this case
also to have had nacotic influence, for
the company actually listened with pa
tience, during all those anarchial pro-
,eedugs, to a speech from the throne,
a sort of programme issued 10y the new
Dew, respecting the system OF govern
ment that would be pursued in the flu
ture for the man on the throne had an
idea that the virtue of sovereignty lies
in what it sits on, and really imagined
that he was firmly seated in that supreme
power which he had himself shown to be
so precarious even in Legitimate pos
,ssor of it,. He told them that he was
henceforih about to govern the country
on good principles, and especially that he
would declare war against a good many
people who fancied that. no danger was
hanging over their heads. "The coun-
try is at peace" said he, with good
deal coo many and he especially babe
them to take notice that he was a sover
eign "who would do justice to oil, y OF
which observation he brandished his
sword about his head in what was, doubt
less, felt to be a significant manner.
Then he ordered the drums to beat
and the cannon to be fred, to give no
tice to the city Of a changed dynasty
While this was being done, one Of the
chiauses, or messengers, OF the palace
took heart of grace, and suddenly snatch
) ing up carbine, shot the usurper dead
5 at Which action everybody seemed to re
cover from their stupor, and the work o
r cutting his five accomplices to pieces, at
2 ter the Eastern manner, at once com
. menced Even All Bashaw, the new
, Dey, acknowledged that if this audaciou'
rebel had kept his seat but few min
, utes longer, and until the cannon wa
fired. the government would have beer
! subverted Never was treason on sucl
humble scale so near a success. Thes'
Fix men were the sole conspirators, bu
the inaction OF the surrounding soldier,
Ito whom they themselves belonged i
) explained by their ignorance of the ex
tent of the plot, and their fear of being
supposed to be mixed up in it. As i
was, the chief rebel was the shortest De,
? on record--a king for an hour. Cham
hers Journal.