The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-04-04
One of the Most Extraordinary Revo-
lutiOns ON Record.


On the 11th of December, 1754,' at
eight o'clock in the morning, the Dey of
Algiers was distributing pay to his SOL
diers in the courtyard id his palace. The
Grand Treasurer was with him, beside
his secretaries and the usual divan and
the number of soldiers was about three
hundred. 1t was understood that these
were all unarmed, and it was Their Gus
tom to be on such occasions Though
there was no suspicion of any disafec-
ton among then) and when one of
them, after receiving his pay, and kissed
the Dey's hand, suddenly drew a dag
ger, it produced great sensation in the
court. When, instead of repenting him
of his indiscretion, and putting it back
into his girdle. he proceeded to sheathe
it in the Dey's breast, and then to shoot
him with a pistol, the excitement re-
doubled. Yet, seriously enough, no.
body stirred, except himself He rose,
and walked a few yards"-I will recol-
lect the bald description of the writer
in that gazetteer" calling out to his
attendants Among SO many of you,
can yeu not destroy snch a villain as
this : and then dropped" "a
If his Highness could not do more, it
is scarcely imaginable to conceive how
he could have done much less. But his
assassin was as prompt in action as the
other was slow he no sooner had his
victim ON the ground, than he snatched
off the Dey's turban, clapped it on his
own head, and seated himself on the
throne. - $50
In the meantime friend of this au-
dacious character had lodged pistol
ball in the High Treasurers collar-bone,
given him two sabre cuts over the head,
and cut his right hand off while four
more conspirators- they were only
six in all--were "hard at work with
their pistols and sabres' among the com
pany generally. .... .. -.... ..'
In recent American description of a
free fright, we read that crowbars and
other sedatives" were used and pistols
and sabpes seemed in this case also to
have had parcotic inheence, for the
company actually listened with patience,
during all these anarchial proceedings,
to speech from the throne, sort of
programme issued by the new Dey, re-
specting the system of government that
would be pursued in future (for the man
on the throne had an idea that the vir-
tue 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 possessor of it, He
told them that he was henceforth about
to govern the country on good princi-
pies, and especially that he would de-
clare war against q good many people
who fancied that no danger was hang
ing over their heads. "The country is
at peace" said he, /" with good deal too
many" and he especially bado them to
take notice that he was sovereign
"who would do justice to all" at which
observation he brandished his sword
about his head in what was, doubtless
felt to be significant manner.
Tnen he ordered the drums to beat,
and the cannon to be fired, to give no.
tice to the city Of changed dynasty.
While this was being done, one of the
chiauses, or messengers, of the palace
took heart of grace, and suddenly
snatching up carbine, shot the usurper
dead, at which action everybody seemed
to recover from their stupor, and the
work of cutting his five accomplices to
pieces, after the Eastern manner, at once
commenced. Even All Bashaw, the new
Dey, acknowledged that if this auda-
cious rebel had kept his seat but a few
minutes longer, and until the cannon
were fired, the Government would have
been subverted. Never was treason on
such humble scale SO near success.
These six men We're the sole conspira-
tors, but the inaction of the surround
ing soldiery Ito whom they themselves
belOnged) is explained by their ignor-
ance of the evtent of the plot, and their
fear of being supposed to be mixed up
in it. As it was, the chief rebel was the
shortest Dey on record-a King for an
hour.--ChamJerS Journal ..t