The Red Cloud chief., 1879-05-22


ed-and who dares say it shall noi?-
the result would be 8 greater boon TO
agriculture, East and West, in its slim
illus to intensive culture, in its aid 10
csttle-feeding, than the mere addition
to the wealth Of the country by the
amount OF sugar produced.-Nev York
Tribune.
BLOOD MONEY.
A Peculiar Custom Connected With Turk.
tsh CRIMINAL Jurisprudence.
From the Philsdelphis Tinies.l
CONsrANTINOPLE, March IA re-
voting instance Of vindictiveness and OF
''bloOd money" purchase Of exemption
from capital punishment took place in
Beyrout last month. II is so illustrs-
tive Of the demi-civilized customs which
prevail in the Turkish Empire, that l
give you the details: The Lebanon re-
gion is inhabited by people of fierce
natures and stormy passions. Whether
they be Christian Maronites or Mussul.
man Druses, or others of the hybrid re-
gions that exist there, they all alike are
prone to strife, to bloody deeds, and 10
taking the law into their own hands. A
blow is Immediately followed by a dag
ger thrust or q rifle shot. The offense
and the punishment go together. Every
body goes armed to the teeth, whether
at work in the fields or journeying on
the road. But little account is taken OF
assassinations growing out Of feuds.
Justice Is 50 venal that q man who feels
himself aggreived prefers to take his
own redress on the spot. Sometimes,
however, q female relative makes COM
plant TO the authorities, and cOgnizance
must be taken of the crime. This was
the case in the affair in question. Three
years ago, in q quarrel, young MarOn-
ite killed another Msronite of the ORR
entail Greek rite. Both Of them we're Of
poor families of the mountain. The all.
thorities having been stirred up TO ac-
tivity by the persistent outcries of q
member of the family of the slain, they
arrested the fugitive after great difficult
ty, and put him in prison at Beyrout.
There he lay for three years, nothing
more being thought Of the prisoner or
his crime. There being some doubt,
also, as TO his being the real culprit, his
offense was likely to be expiated by an
extended term of imprisonment.
The mother Of the victim, in February
last, suddenly appears on the scene.
She insists on his being sentenced TO
death. As the crime was proven &C.
cording to local judicial forms, she OBJ
tanned from Midhat Pasha, the Govern.
or Of Syria, q firman for the execution
of her sons murderer. As the superior
authority could not be disObeyed, a day
was fixed for the hanging. In vain the
notables of all creeds and races, Mus
sulmans and Christians, appealedtO the
old woman to be merciful, for upon her
word depended the life of the Maronite.
They represented to her that If he did
do the deed it might have been in self
defense; that at any rate his guilt was
not perfectly clear; that he had already
grievously suffered in body and mind
BY his Imprisonment, and that the peo-
pie of Beyrout did not want q capital
execution in their midst. Neither the
Turkish Ulemas, the Greek and Armeni-
an bishops, or the Turkish officials
could soften the heart of this cruel me-
CARA. ~ have the firman for his exc
cutiOn," she said, "and his fate is in
my hands. l will not spare him." In
the night of February 5, three hours at.
ter midnight, he was taken from his cell
and led to the place of execution. An
immense crowd of people gathered
around the scaffold. There took
place a scene of the most
extraordinary kind. The woman was
told BY. the e~xecutioner that the
mans relatives were ready to pay her
any sum in their power Il she would, as
custom authorized, allow him to 60 free
on the payment of blood money. She
shrieked and foamed for vengeance.
For an hour and more she refused to be
merciful, Notwithstanding the entreaties
of the mass Of men, women and chill.
dren. In the meanwhile the young man
stood OF the gallows with the halter
about his neck, trembling for his life.
Finally, worn out by the prayers of the
people, and tempted by the high figure
to which the relatives of the Aaronite
had run up the bid for his life, she con-
sented to accept 5000 francs a. blood
money. The hangman let 60 his hold
Of his expected victim, and handed him
e TO his relatives, who carried him on
amid the acclamations Of the spectators.
In Persia, in similar cases, Tie criminal
Is delivered Y to the relations Of the
murdered person to put him to death or
to make any disposition of him they
please, and such Is generally the Gus
tom through the East In Numbers,
XIV, IS, It is said: "The revenger
Of blood himself shall Stay the murder
En-" These customs are c~onsecrated
by immemorial usage in Oriental coun-
tries. Such scenes As that which l have
related, occurring As it did in M of the
most intelligent and best ordered cities
of the empire, win 60 far TO making jus
tee absolute master in her own domain.
To find out wbether . garden has
been planted or not paper gives the
following rule: eff one f0rgets wheth-
or beds are planted or not, agood way