The Russellville Democrat., 1877-05-31
Turkish Capture of Constan tinop le


 Turkish Capture of Constantinop lt
 For nearly 425 years Ocnstantinoplt has reHained undisturbed in the pos session of the Turks. On May %, 145S
 the city was then the capital of the Byzantine empire--it was stormed by the Turks, the first Byzantine Emperor Constantine III., losing his life in the defense. The taking of the city is thu, powerfully described by Richard Knowle, in his history of the Turks. published ir t6O8, and a second edition in 1610:
 A little befoH day the Turks ap preached the walls and began the assault where shot and stones were delivered upon them from the walls as thick g; hail, whereof little fell in vain, by reason of the multitude of the Turks, who, pressing fast into the walls, could not see how to defend themselves, but were, without number, wounded or slain ]; but these were of the common or worst sol diers, of whom the Turkish king made no more reckoning than to abate the first force of the defendants. Upon the first appearance of inc day Mohammed gave the sign appointed for the general assault, whereupon. the city was in a moment and at one instant, on every side, most furiously assaulted by the Turks for Mohammed. the more to distress the defendants, and the better to see the forwardness of the sol iers, had before appointed which part of the city every colonel with his regiment should assail which they valiantly performed, deliver. ing their arrows and shot upon the de. fendants 80 thick that the light of day was thcrewith, dafkened; others, in the meantime, cSufsgeously mounting the scaling ladders and coming even to hand strokes with the defendants upon the wall, where the foremost were for. the most part violently borne forward by them which followed aftel. On the other side. the Christians, with DO less courage, withstood the Turkish fury, beating them down with great stones and weighty pieces of timber, and so over whe med them with shot, darts and arrows, and other hurtful devices from above, that the Turks, dismayed with the terror thereof. were ready to retire.
 M,hammed, seeing the great slaughter and discomfiture of bis men, sent in fresh supplies of his ianissaries and best men of war, whom he had for that purpose reserved as his last hope and refuge by whose coming on his fainting soldiers were again encouraged, and the terrible assault began afresb. At which time the barbarous king ceased not to use all possible means to maintain the assault l; by name calling upon this and that promising unto some whom he saw forward golden mountains, ard unto others in whom he saw any sign ot cowardice threatening most terrible death; by which means the assault became most dreadful; death there raging in the midst of many thousands. And albeit that the Turks lay dead by heaps upon the ground, yet other fresh men pressed on still in their places over their dead bodies, and with diverse event either slew or were slain bytheir enemies.
 In this so terrible a conflict it chanced Justinianus, the general, to be wounded in the arm, who, losing much blood, cow ardly withdrew himself from the place of his charge, not leaving any to supply his room. and so got into the city by the gate called Romano, which he had caused to be opened in the inner wall; pretend. ing the cause of his departure to be for the binding up of his wound, but being, indeed, man now altogether dis. couraged.
 The soldiers there present, dismayed with the departure of their general, and sure charged by the janissaries, forseok their stations and in haste fled to the same gate whereby Justinianus was en- tered with the sight whereof the other soldiers, dismayed, ran thither by heaps also. But, whilst they violently strive together to get in at once, they so wedged one another in the entrance of the gate that few of so great multitude got in {; in which SO great press and confusion of minds 800 persons were there by them that followed trodden under foot or thrust to death. The emperor himself, for safeguard of his life, flying with the rest in that press, as a man not regarded, miserably ended his days, together with the Greek empire. His dead body was shortly afterward found by the Turks gnioDg the slain, and known by his rich apparel, whose head being cut off, was forthwith presented to the Turkish tyrant, by whose commandment it was afterward thrust upon the point of a lance, and, in great derision, carried about as trophy of his victory, first in camp, and afterward up and down the city.
 The Turks, encouraged with the fight of the Christians, presently advanced their ensigs upon the top of the utter most wall, crying victory" and by the breach entered as if it had been a great flood, which, having once found breach in the bank, overfows, and beareth down all before it {; go tho Turks, when they had won the outer wall, entered the city by the same gate that was opened for Justinianus, and by breach which they mad before made with their great artil- lerv, and without mercy cutting in pieces all that came in tbeir way, with. out further resistance became lords oi that most famous and imperial city.
 In this fury of the barbarians per ished many thousands of men, women and children, without respect of age, sex or condition. Many, for safeguard of their lives, fled into the temple of So. pbia, where they were all. without pity slain. The rich and beautiful ornaments and jewels of that most sumptuous and magnificent church.--the stately build ing of Constantine the emperor---were in the turning of a hand, plucked down and carried away by the Turks; and the church itself, built for God to be bonored in, for the present converted into g stable for their horses the image of the