New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-25

sisted on his right to question the witnesses, giving
as an instance of the need of it the fact that he
In an inquiring frame of mind to how ignorant
wrestler from the streets had learned the metric sys
tenn of measurement so that he should testify that
his knife penetrated to the depth of five cenmeters
The public prosecutor replied that the testimony had
been altered to give the audience clear idea of
what the witness meant to say, and took the ground
that the assassns testified nothing directly against
Midhat Pacha, Mdhat had no right to cross-queston
Them Moreover, the men were criminals, ai'd noe
witnesses. As criminals no one but the Court had
right to say anything to them
Then Mithad Pacha eloquently charged home
upon the Court its utter lack of valid testimony OF
the murder. The nineteen eminent physicians " no
held inquest over the body the sultan the mother
OF Sq AGd AK TG w"S hCan must have secn
the assassins enter the Sutans room, had not been
called TO give testimony. The murder had not been
mPissgab sT@ eS Who could be hired to say any,
thing. Until that murder was proved he could
not be charged with completely in it. He, there
fore, demanded the right to croSsquestion the wit
nesses failing i'll this declaration from the Court
touch him.
This was an entirely view of the case to the
judges, and after some private deliberation they
decided that the Court would question the witnesses
in Midhats presence. The first man called was the
pugilist Mchmed, who read again bis testimony as
to the manner in which he had killed the sultan
Mldhat Pacha then requested the Court TO ask the
witness the meaning of the phrase five centimeters"
which he used i'll his evidence. This the Court
declined to do ordering Midhat to disprove the
testimony If he could. Midhat replied that his de-
fence was the worthlessneSs of the testimony; that
he had twenty-seven questions which he w shed to
put to this man. and that he must also insist upon
the summons of the various people already men-
TONED who knew details of the affair and who had
not been brought into court.
Upon this the Court fatty refused to put Mdhat's
questions and again ordered him TO make his de-
fence Midhat persisted and the Court declared him
egncrs o shared W dh M hc a hc
president of he court said: For the last time
command you to proceed with your defence
of tlnut he tine. | h.,ra Ia
fence" said Mithad.
Then your trial is completed" said the Presi-
dent.
FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED.
The Judges now retired for consultation and in
half an hour returned with the announcement that
they had found all the prisoners guilty, but would
defer sentence until the day. The next day. at
the appointed hour the prisoners excepting Midhat
Pacha-who was brought in alone after the others
were disposed of-were brought in and ordered to
hear their sentence The President of the Court
then sentenced two of the subOrlinates to mprson-
ment with hard labor and proceeded to convert this
farce of trial INTO a horrible tragedy by passing
upon the six remaining subordinates, with Nour
Pacha, Mahmond Damad Pacha and Midhat Pacha,
the sentence of death.
The trial IS its comment. The worst feature
of the for the outside world is perhaps the fact
that the Turkish Government is SO devoid of the
sense OF justice as unbluShingly to hold up
such proceeding to the scrutiny of European
dlgmtarleS; and that the Turkish people are so
Ignorant of the meaning of the word Justice to
lind nothing to criticise in the whole proceeding
except the imprisoned appeal of Midhat Pacha tor
the right to sift the evidence against him.
AT first sight this trial appears give more prob
ability than TO the theory that Sultan Abdul
Aziz Killed himself The unwillingnesS of the Gov
eminent 10 have any public testimony from the
jury OF surgeons and others tends i'll this direction
THE TRIBUNE correspondent has received the pri-
vate assurances of perfectly trustworthy men who
were on that jury, to the enect that their eXamna-
ton of the body thorough, and revealed moth
ing to corrOborate the theory of murder. But on
further collation. of evidence there posi-
bility of longer doubling that Abdul Aziz was
really murdered by men who calculated To have
their work examined without detection In this case
the strange suppression of evidence the part of
the Government can only be connected with its
relentless determination to convict Midhat PaSha.
II is he and not the Government, who would profit
by full revelation of the facts in this mysterious
case. An eminent Turkish theOlOgan and lawyer
SAID yesterday: The trial may not have been all
that one could wish, but. evidence or no evidence
the Court did well to sentence Mdhat to death. He
is an enemy to religion He has dared to treat
christians as our equals and he deserves to die"