The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-07-20
THE TURKISH ASSASSINATIONS.

cape of the Minister of marine.
[Therapia June 1S) Correspondence of the London
Times.]
The Council Chamber, Midhat's best
room on the upper floor, large hall
with bay window and balcony at one
end, enjoying an extensive view on the
Sea of Marmora, and at the opposite
end door leading to the inner apart
ments on both sides of this door are
two dlvans, on which the Ministers sat,
Hussein Avni and Raschid Pasha on the
side facing the lateral door leading to
the staircase, and on the other side the
Grand Vizier and Halet Pasha Said
Efendi, the Mustochar, or Under Secre-
tary of the Grand Vizier, and Mahmoud
Bey, Grand Referendaire of the Coun-
Gil, sat apart on another divan. Midhat
Pasha had then got up and stood before
them, debating a telegram to them.
Hassan, as he entered the lateral door,
found himself face to face with Hussein
Avni and Raschid Pasha, and stepping
up to the former, revolver in hand, cried
not stir, War Minister y He fred, and
Hussein fell, badly wounded, but not
dead, vainly attempting to draw re
volver he had in his pocket. Terror
seemed to seize the other Ministers.
Midhat Pasha at once made for the bot
tom door, rushed through it to the inner
apartments, and was followed by all his
colleagues with the exception of Raschid
Pasha, who remained as if spell-bound
and nailed to his seat, while the Minis
ter of Marine, Ahmed Kaisserh, who
alone showed some presence of mind,
Immediately closed with the assassin,
seized him round the waist and pinioned
down both his arms. Hassan, however,
by strenuous exertion, succeeded in
disengaging his right hand, and with
his Circassian knife inflicted several
wounds on Kaisserh, who at last re-
leased him, and joined the other Minis
tiers in their fight. In the mean time,
Hussein Avni, who was not dead, had
risen and was crawling with great diff
Guilty toward the entrance door. There
upon Hassan, leaving the Marine Minis
ter, whom he would otherwise have
killed, and rushing upon Hussein Avni,
overlook him, and hacked at him with his
knife, cutting his throat, and never leav-
ing him till he lay motionless at his feet.
He turned then, and perceiving Raschid
Pasha, who had never stirred, and alone
remained in the room, seated on the
divan-in the opinion of some persons,
already dead with fright-he pointed his
revolver at him, exclaiming, do you
stop here to arrest me 2" and shot him
through the head. The assassin then
went up to the bottom door, which the
fugitives had fastened and barricaded
from the inside. and, shaking it Justify,
| 10 al H,,a.,I Ni1iaT tho
no harm to you is intended - and called
out that the Minister of Marine should
be delivered up to him. The old Grand
Vizier, greatly terrified, cried out, it is
said, from behind the closed door: "My
son, not now you are too much excited
to listen to reason" Hassan, batfied in
his rage, sent two pistol shots through
the door, fortunately without result.
Unable to force open the door, the as
sassin upset the furniture, set fire to the
curtains, and broke the luster Or chan
delier, so that the large room was only
lighted by one single taper.
Several minutes elapsed during this
horrid butchery, the people in the ante
chamber below stairs, though they heard
the report of the firearms, not dar-
ing to stir, as they apprehended that
the murderer was only the instrument
Of some conspiracy in which some of the
persons present might be implicated,
and for some time looked at each other
with blank amazelnent, every man sus
pecting and fearing his neighbor. At
length Midhat Pasha, having armed him
self with revolver, went downstairs,
and raised the spirits of those persons,
two of whom, one his own servant,
Ahmed Agha, the other Hussein Avnl's
aid-de-camp, Chukri Bey, ventured into
the slaughter As these two men
entered the apartment both fell dead,
struck by Hass ans unerring revolver.
But by this time the police and soldiery
from the nearest post arrived on the
spot, and Hassan, after killing a police
officer and wounding six Zaptiehs and
soldiers, was overpowered and secured,
being seriously wounde I. The soldiers
would have killed him on the spot had
not Midhat Pasha, through his sion-in-
law, Retik Bey, hidden them take him
alive. The whole affray lasted from
twenty minutes to half an hour, some say
three-quarters of an hour.
The assassin was taken to the Seras-
kierate, or War Office, where on the fol-
lowing morning, Friday, he was ex-
amined, tried and sentenced to death.
On Saturday at daybreak, a. nl., he
was hanged on a tree in the open space
before the Seraskierate. He would not
allow the surgeons to bind up his wounds,
and was greatly exhausted by loss of
blood before he reached the place of
execution.