Sharp County record., 1880-12-23
Prince Nitka and His Patriarchal Court.

There are few customs and Specta-
cleS still lingering in this age to remind
us that the world was not always pro-
sale, utilitarian and unbelieving few
surviyals of the time when the super
Stition or the loyalty of all classes found
uncriticised expression in magnificent
ceremonies. They are dying fast. The
simplest, but also the most interesting
of such quaint shows is seance of the
Superior Court of Appeal in Montene-
gro. To the left of the palace gate
stands lime tree of very moderate size,
surrounded by bank of turf neatly
edged with boulders. Hither towards
eight in the morning strolls the Prince,
followed by his officers and guard. At
a certain distance from it they halt and
uncover. while His Highness steps
briskly forward and seats himself at a
square nook left hollow in the wall to
accommodate his legs. If personages
of distinction are present they receive
an invitation to take place on either
hand, and the court is open without
more ceremony. Sometimes the whole
space in frontis crowded with peasantry
in silent ranks, come to behold their
chief and hear his wisdom but in this
time of war, which makes such heavy
demands on the labor of the few who
stay at home, the audience is small l
have seldom beheld finer subject for
painter, At q distance of twenty
yards or so, on the right front of His
Highness, stand the veterans of his
body-guard ranged in line, tall fellows
mostly, grim of aspect, wearing crosses
and decorations, heavily armed. The
long fringe of their plaids sweeps the
ground, or one end is thrown across the
shoulders in Spanish fashion. On the
other side, at little distance, stands a
group of peasantry, cap in hand, wait
ing to explain such complicated griev-
ances as neither the village Elders
Court, nor the district tribunal can ar
range to their satisfaction. To the left
rear of the Prince aideS-de-camp and at
tendants of the Waywodes present take
up station; they wear their caps, being
" out of court" by legal fiction,
though nearer to the sovereign than the
rest. Every one being placed, in two
minutes proceedings begin, The first
complaint, which His Highness eX-
planned to me on one occasion, was that
of weazened veteran, very ragged and
dirty, but wearing two silver-mounted
pistols and a yataghan. In a sing
song voice, without hesitating for an
instant, his petition was made. He had
answered the lawful summons of his
chief and repaired in arms to the camp
at Sutornans, whence General Bozo
Petrovitch had dismissed him as too old
and war-worn for service. 81 am not
old, Gospodar,h he lamented, "fOr am
strong And if l have bullets in my
body, is that a reason | should be in
sultedP pray you, Gospodar, to write
to Bozo Petrovitch and order him to let
me fight" The anxiety Of the poor
man was painful to watch, as he turned
his cap ceaselessly, awaiting the reply,
which was not given in my presence.
Of another suitor His Highness told
me that in some fight he lost his COM
rades and was attacked, all alone, by
five Turks. Four he killed and wound.
ed the fifth, but fell himself in the strug-
gle. Snow lay on the ground and the
evening chill restored him to conscious
ness. When his eyes opened he saw
the Turk painfully crawling to gather
wood and he proceeded to assist the in
idel. When arrived certain comrades
at dawn they found these two sharing
their last ration across the fire, and the
Montenegrin would not be removed
until he had seen his late foe placed in
a litter. Together they were carried
to the hospital at Cettinje. A brawny
little man of the body-guard was point
ed out to me as the hero who brought
in dozen and a half of heads after one
battle. The Gar presented him with
all the decorations possible-I saw
them-and the Russian ladies subscribed
q pretty souvenir in the form of head
chopping knife, encrusted with precious
stones, at the expense Of E1,200. This
| did not see, for the owner leaves it
with his parents, an example to the
youth of that vicinity. In regard to this
head cutting, General Bozo Petrovitch
told me that he would not try to stop
it, in the hostilities daily expected when
l was in his camp. He declared it
modern practice, taught within this
century by the invading armies of the
Porte. Nose -slicing is still more recent,
for until late years prisoners were never
MADE. In the last period of the war,
however, when whole battalions sur
rendered, the practice was dropped of
necessity, and we may even hope that
it will never be revived. The Prince
himself told me that he made 11,60O
prisoners, whom he could not keep for
want of means. The Turkish Govern
ment had none to exchange, for several
good reasons; it would not ransom them
and he was obliged to send them back
unconditionally-one officer was capt
ured three times. Cor. London Stand
ard.