The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-30
For the Press.l
Rulers Who Have Been Assassi-
mated.


of "Assassins." Their leader, the infamous
"Old Man of the Mountain" pretended to
have revelations from Heaven designating the
unfortunate victims of his fanaticism. "Moyed
by the spirit" he sent his followers forth to
midnight murders Thousands were thus Sc
cretly slain. In the time of the Crusades these
"Assassins" numbered nearly $4,000. Soyer-
eigns feared them and pensoned their chief.
Philip Augustus of France, hearing that his
own murder was decreed by the Asiatc terro-
rists, formed body guard armed with ows and
brass clubs. For long time he never ven-
tured out without this guard. He himself car
ried also club loaded with gold or iron.
Among those slain by the "Assassins'' was
Conrad, Marquis of Monferrat, murdered in
the market place of Tyre, A. D. 1872.
This fearful sect fourished for long time
on Mount Lebanon, but they were weakened
by the Moguls and at length extirpated by the
Egyptians They are justly abhorred by the
civilized world, yet they have had virtual be-
levers from that day to this, and the rulers of
nations have ever been the objects of their i'm
itators' hate.
The inward spirit directing regicides has
oSSh 'OhSOdhOo VI ldudblClSu Ut lONG OI power.
Some, like Charlotte Corday, have thought to
rid their country of a tyrant. Others, like
Richard I'LL, have paved their own way to
power with the bloody corpse of a rival. 9th.
ers yet for gold have become secret murderers
Among the most noted of the victims of assas-
sination are Julius Caesar, Henry w. of
France, William the Silent of Holland, Abra-
ham Lincoln of the United States, and Alex
ander III. of Russia. Their careers present
some points of similarity that 1 will endeavor
to briefly indicate:
Caius Julius Caesar. Dictator of Rome, was
born b. G. 100. OF noble family, a distin-
guished orator, liberal and able, he early be-
came the most popular man in Rome. He was
elected member of the first triumvirate, soon
after became consul, and obtained the govern
ment of Gaul. In that new province of the re-
public his military genius had full scope. His
exploits in Gaul, in Italy and in Egypt raised
him to the highest pinnacle of honor, and he
was declared Perpetual Dictator The people
were dazzled by his genius and wished to make
him king. Brutus and others, penetrating his
designs, formed the base plan of stabbing him
in the Senate House. Unterrified by letters of
warning he went to the Chamber on the men,
orable idRs of March, B. c. Al, and fell by the
hands ofthe conspirators. He was the great
est statesman of his age and, excepting Cicero,
its greatest orator.
Henry " of France was the first of the
house of Bourbon. He was Protestant while
most of his people were Catholics. He was al
so the first of a new dynasty, being only seven
teenth cousin to the previous king. These cir
cumstances made him unpopular with many of
his subjects. A secret league was formed
against him and he only saved his throne by
uniting with the Catholic church. Modest for
giving, usually sincere, always fun-loviDg, he
was soon beloved by many of his people. His
Judgment in choosing counsellors was excel
lent, and his minister, the Duke of Sully,
helped him to form wise plans and execute
them. Many great national improvements
were made. Public buildings were erected. The
taxes We're diminished and large sum was
kept constantly in the treasury. In the midst
oi all this prosperity the cry arose, "Our king
is dead-Ravalllac has assassinated him!'' The
murderer was arrested, but he gave no reason
for the act. Whether he was influenced by
the gold of the secret league or by the impulse
of his own disordered brain will never be fully
known. The deed was done, and France, both
Catholic and Protestant, suffered from it. The
kingdom of the Bourbons was more firmly es-
tablished, and the posterity of the murdered
Henry occupied the throne for nearly 200 years.
Louis XVI, "iudicially assassinated' by the
Jacobins in 1898, bore the blood of Henry ".
to the scaffold.
William the Silent was Duke of Nassau and
Prince of Orange. He was born in Nassau, a
province of Germany A favorite of Charles
", he lived while young at Charles's court in
Brussels, and was present at his abdication. He
is called "The Silent because he once over
heard the kings of France and Spain planning
the murder of all the Protestants, and. biding
his time, was silent. OF Protestant parentage,
he was reared at a Catholic court and thus
seeing the good and the bad in both parties he
was disposed to be tolerant. He became
member of the Catholic church and remained
faithful to it till driven by persecution back to
the faith of his childhood. When Philip III.
of Spain succeeded to the throne of the Meth
erlands, he strove to crush out freedom and
Professionalism from the land. William placed
himself on the side of liberty and federation.
The bloody contest in Holland is thrilling his
tory but it cannot here be told. The Neither
lands were aS1ength free and William was
their idol. Urged to be become king of all
the Netherlands he steadily refused, but
reigned wisely and well over the Northern
Provinces under the modest title of Stadt-
holder. Philip II. hated him. The Catholics
OF Spain hated him. Large rewards were Of
fered for his assassination. Many attempts
were made, and at length, July 10th, 1854,
Gerard, Spanish monk, succeeded in taking
his life and received the promised reward.
The story of the life and death of Abraham
Lincoln need not here be told. We know it
Wy uOdIt' LII tuO WOIuo VI luO l<OuuOA
ga felon hand between the goal and him
Reached from behind his back, trigger prest,
And those perplexed and patient eyes were dim,
Those gaunt long-laboring limbs were laid to rest.
The words of mercy were uDon his lips,
Forgiveness in his heartsand on his pen,
When this vile murderer brought swift eclipse
To thoughts of peace on earth good will to men.
The old world and the new from sea to sea,
Utter one voice OF sympathy and shame;
Sore heart, SO stopped when it at last beat high,
Sad lite, cut short just as its triumph came"
Alexander II, Gear of Russia was born A.
ID. 1878. He was the son OF Nicholas L. and
Charlotte, sister of the Emperor William of
Prussia. Carefully educated by his father, of
liberal views, cultivated, kindly, his reign
promised to be one of the most progressive
Russia had ever seen. Mounting the throne
under the shadow of the Criraean defeat, he at
once set himself to work for the good OF his
people rather than his own glory. In spite of
the protests of a powerful sristocracy he issued
the famous emancipation order which freed
10000, 900 serfs. Nicholas had few friends He
was cold, despotic. Alexander, reared under
this icy rule, hated it and resolved to form bet
ter. The old nobility never forgave him. Tney
soon found out where his weak points lay and
labored to blind his eyes, and darken his coun-
sells and harden his heart to the cause of liberty
The Car wished to try representative monar-
chy. The mobiles opposed it. "Referm,' as your
EAbucI ulu tuoy odlus OO SIOd1 tuiuSo, pu1
take the credit of them yourself. Show what
an absolute monarchy can do.'
The zeal of the Gar abated as years increas-
ed. His desires for reform became ftful. The
wrongs of the people were concealed from him.
Like the youthful prince in the Light of Asia,
he saw cities adorned for his inspection when
he went forth to investigate Them The plans
of the Nihilists gradually came to light. The
youth of the nation were corrupted by their
terrible theories. Rumors of assassination,
murder treachery filled the air of the Winter
palace. Like his father, Alexander was mel
ancholy. Not Reform, now, but Life, was his
watchword. He was a believer in omens;
alas, his omens have proved true. The most
intelligent, cultivated, liberal, patriotic Gar
that Russia has ever known is murdered by the
very hand it had been the aim of his life to
benefit ''Hurrah, long live the people," cried
the murderer, when he heard that his bloody
work was finished. 81 would not have my
son mount the throne under such circumstan-
ces," says the weeping Czarowitch now Alex
ander III. There are two sides to the picture
Which shall the patriot of the future love to
gaze on? 1t is a tangled thread the new Gar
must unwind. Who shall tell him how?
have thus briefly sketched some incidents
in this lives of five rulers who have received
the crown of political martyrdom. Others
might have been selected but these five are
enough for our present purpose. The motives
that prompted these acts are various Caesar
was murdered for patriotism" and by those
who claimed to be honorable men," Ra-
vaillac was, perhaps, religious fanatic. Cath