The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-11-20
COLONEL eHGAPARn's CRUSADE.
He Undertakes to Convert the Sultan
"A Million Dollars to Make Chris
New York Times.

New York Times.
Iu course of tine the world may real
ize the scope of that good man, Colonel
Elliott F. Shepard, editor, manipulation
OF stage company stock, religious cru
sa6er, and politician
The latest revelation concerning the
notorious uoralist Is to the effect that he
once had an idea of converting to the
Christian faith 10 less person than the
Sultan OF Turkey. and that not by the
sword, as the crusaders of old sought to
effect their purpose, but with the jingle
OF good American dollars, some of them
having In time gone by belonged to
William H. Vanderbilt.
One beauty about this Incident in the
Colonel's career is its absolute truthful
ness, which can no. be said of some
things told Of public and historical char
acterS like Mr. Shepard.
1t seems that when the Colonel was
abroad some four or FIVE years ago he
visited Coostsnlinople, and there he was
entertained by the wife Of Pasha. The
pious Colonel studied the Turkish char
acter and the Moslen creed at length,
and his tender heart bled at the thought
that so mahy human beings knew not the
blessing of Christianity. On his return
to this country he put into practice a
plan that had suggested itself on the
way over.
He wrote to the Pasha's wife request
ing her to inform his majesty, the Sui
CaorIv ha r,Iopol
words that be, Colonel Shepard, would
present him, the Sultsn, with S1,000,000
in cash if be would embrace Christian
ity.
Embrace" was the word the Colonel
used, and, considering his well adver-
tised reputation for morality and mod
esty. it would seem that he might have
employed term less susceptible of a
double significance. 10 his letter Dir.
Shepard gave as his reason for writing
to the LADY iu question the fact that her
husband was close to the Sultan, and
consequently could easily find an oppor-
tunity to MAKE the proposition.
On bis return to this country, Colonel
Shepard conveyed the idea to his friends
that while his reception in all the Euro
| pean countries was enthusiastic, it was
in Turkey alone that he made what the
atrical people term chit" Had this
been the case. however, he would have
known" saic a prominent Turkish trav-
eler yesterday, that Christian, no
matter how high bis rank, would never
De aoe to approach the Sultan on any
thing like intimate terms. And the
Pasha to whose wife the Colonel's letter
was written, never speaks to his imperial
master except in relation to the stables,
for his duties are connected with the
Sultan's horses.''
When the Pasha's wife received the
letter her amusement was unbounded,
and she told about it with great glee at
a public reception. Not so her husband.
the General. BE looked at the matter
in an entirely different light. What, ask
Mohanmed's viceregent to forsske his
creed2 The very idea caused cold per
spiration to break out on his forehead,
and sent floating through his mind Wis
ions of the bowstriug, the rack, and the
cool waters Of the Bosphorus.
Yesterday reporter of the Times
asked the Turkish traveller already re-
ferred to what would have resulted had
the Pasha transmitted the Colone's mes
sage to the Sultan. ''Wby," was the
reply, "the thing is absurd on the face
of it; but, for the sake OF argument,
suppose that the offer had been made to
the Sultan. The Pasha would have been
dismissed instantly, and would have been
wonderfully fortunate had that been the
end of it,
1t is not known whether Colonel Shep-
ard had certified check for 81, 600, 900
made out in tSs@ evens~af-the impecu.
aaieas Sss4sss Willingness to ''embrsce"
Hhristiaoity