The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-04-04
Il KING FOR An HOUR.
ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY REV.
oLUTIONs ON RECORD.

=
/ oLUTIONs on RECORD.
On the llth Of December. 1854. at
eight o'clock in the morning. the Dev
/ OF Algiers was distributing pav to his
/ soldiers in the courtyard of his palace
The Grand Treasurer was with him
/ beside his secretaries and the usual di-
van: and the number of soldiers was
about three hundred 1t was under
stood that these were all umarmed. as
it was their custom to be on such oc-
casions (though there was no suspicion
OF any disatfectiOn among them) and
when one of them, after receiving his
pay, and kissing the Dey's hand. sud
denly drew dagger, it produced a
great sensation III the court. When.
instead Of repenting him of this indis-
cretion, and putting it back again 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 lie rose.
and walked a feE yarsLs''-I well re-
collect the description of the writer in
that azetteer-calling out TO his at
tendants: Among SO many, can YOU
not destroy such villain as this -
and then dropped.
If his Highness could not do more.
1t is scarcely imaginable to conceive
how he could have done much less.
But his assassin was as prompt in ac-
tiOn as the other was slow: he no soon
er had his victim on the ground than
he snatched off the Dev's turban. clap
ped it on his own head, and seated
himself on the throne
In the meantime a friend Of this alI-
daciOus character had lodged pistol
ball III the High Treasurer's collar
bone, given him two sabre cuts over
the head, and cut his right hand off !;
while four more couspirators-for they
We're only six in all-were hard at
work with their pistols and sabres''
among the company generally
In q recent Amer lean description of
q free fight. we read that .tcrOw bars
and other sedatives" were used and
pistols and sabres seemed in this case
also to have had a narcotic influence.
for the company actually listened with
patience, during all these anarchiaI
proceedings, to a speech from the
throne, a sort of programme issued by
the new Dey, respecting the system
of government that would be pursued
in future (fOr the man on the throne
had an idea that the virtue of sover-
eighty lies in what he sits on, and real
" imagined that he was firmly seated
in that supreme power which he had
himself shown to be so precaTious even
in legitimate pOssessOr of it.) He
told them that he was henceforth about
to govern the country on good prin-
ciples, and especially that he would
declare war against a good many peO-
pie who fancied that no danger was
hanging over their heads The cOun-
try IS at peace" said he, with a good
deal too many" and he especially
bade them to take notice that he was
a sovereign who would do justice to
all, :" at which observation he brandish-
ed his sword about his head in what
was, doubtless, IcIt TO be I significant
manner.
Then he ordered the drums to beat,
and cannOns to be fired, to give notice
' %
While this was being done, one of
the chiauses. or messengers, of the
palace took heart of grace, and sud
denly snatching up a carbine, shot
the usurper dead at which action every
body seemed to recover from their stu
por, and the work of cutting his five
accomplices to pieces, after the East
ern manner, at once commenced. Even
All Bashaw, the new Dey, acknOwl-
edged that if this audaciOus rebel had
kept his seat but a few minutes longer,
and until the cannon were fired, the
government would have been sUbvert-
ed Never was treason on such an
humble scale SO near a success. These
six men were the sole conspirators, but
the inaction Of the surrounding sol
diery (to whom they themselves be-
longed) is explained by their ignorance
of the plot, and their fear of being
supposed to be mixed up III it. As 1t
was, the chief rebel was the shortest
Dey on record-a King for an hour,
Chambers Journal.