The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-04-04
II KING FOR IN HOUR.
ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY REV
0LUTIONs ON RECORD.

ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY REV
oLUTIONs ON RECORD.
| On the 11th of December, 1854. at
eight o'clock in the morning, the Dev
of Algiers was distributing pay to his
soldiers i'll 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 unarmed, as
it was their custom to be on such Oc-
casions Though there was no suspicion
of any disaffectiOn among them) and
when one of them, after receiving his
pay, and kissing the Dey's hand, sud
denly drew a 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
i'll 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 few yarsIs"-I well re-
collect the description of the writer in
that gazetteer-calling out to his at
tendants: Among so many, can you
not destroy such a villain as this p"
and then dropped.
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 ac-
ton as the other was slow; he no soon
er had his victim on the ground than
he snatched off the Dey's turban, clap
ped it on his own head, and seated
himself on the throne
In the meantime friend of this au-
daciOus character had lodged a pistol
ball in the High Treasurer's collar
bone, given him two sabre cuts over
the head, and cut his right hand off ;
while four more conspirators-for they
were only six in all-were hard at
work with their pistols and sabres''
among the company generally.
In a recent Amer lean description OF
free fight, we read that "crOwbars
| and other sedativeS" were used anC
pistols and sabreS seemed III this case
also to have had narcotic influence
for the company actually listened Will
patience, during all these anarchial
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 SeateC
i'll that supreme power which he haC
himself shown to be 50 precariOus ever
in a legitimate possessOr of it, He
| told them that he was hcncetOrth abOu
to govern the country on good prin
ciples, and especially that he woulC
declare war against good many peO
pie who fancicd that no danger wa
hanging over their heads. '"The cOun
try is at peace" said he, with a gOoC
deal too many;" and he especial,
babe them to take notice that he wa
a sovereign ''whO would do justice t,
all, ;" at which observation he brandish
ed his sword about his head in wha
was, doubtless, IcIt to be a s1gnifican
manner.
Then he ordered the drums to beat
and cannons to be fired, to give nOtic'
to the city of changed dynasty
While this was being done, one o
the chiauses, or messengers, of th'
palace took heart of grace, and sud
denly snatching up a carbine, sho
the usurper dead at which action every
body seemed to recover from their stu
Dor. and the work of cutting his fiv
accomplices to pieces, after the East
ern manner, at once commenced. Eve
All Bashaw, the new Dey, acknOwl
edged that if this audaciOus rebel hat
kept his seat but few minutes longer
and until the cannon were fired, tn
government would have been subvert
ed. Never was treason on such a
humble scale so near a success. Thes
six men were the sole conspirators, bu
the inaction Of the surrounding so
diery (to whom they themselves be
longed) is explained by their ignoranc
of the plot, and their fear of bein!
supposed to be mixed up i'll it. As l
was, the chief rebel was the shortes
Dey ON record-a King for an hour
chambers Journal.