Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-10-27
The Capital Of Montenegro.

Cettinie IS the most extraordinary capt.
tai in Europe. 1t consists of one long
street, with four smaller ones crossing 1t,
and ending vaguely IN the fields. The
whole town covers perhaps thirty or forty
acres The principal building IS the hotel,
which worthlly blocks the end Of the main
street. 1t is a bare and rickety-looaing
structure, but represents the acme Of
luxury at Cettinje. The other public
places are the prison, the church,
and the school. The first of these
lies on the right-hand side, and in front Of
the gates on a lawn the prisoners amuse
themselves by playing various rude games
bowls, with pieces Of rocks for balls, leap
frog. and so on. A few Of them are engaged
in odd building jobs about Cettinie, and
others hew wood in the mountain. They
are not chained, but appear seldom to
dream of running away. When Q case OF
evasion happens one or Two follOW-cOn-
victs are dispatched 20 catch the runaway
and bring him back. The theory of setting
a thief to catch a thief Is here practiced
most literally and methOdcally. The only
distinction letwecn "A condemned convict
and free citizcn is that the former is de-
prived Of his arms. This is an equal de-
graduation TO the usual dress or brand else
where. Close to the hotel Is the royal
palace, a whitewashed house with green
Venetian blinds, which Is popularity sup
posed to have cost a million OF francs OW-
ing to the expenses of transporting the
materials. Over against it is a long, low.
red building, known as the "BigliardC."
1t received this nickname from an Eng
lish billiard-table having been set up
there. The carrying of this piece Of furni-
ture by fifty men over the mountain was
considered and undoubtedly was-a great
feat. While thepOrters struggled mantully
under the slate, pilot stood astrde on
high. and shouted his directions as 10 how
to get round awkward corners. The " Big
liardO" is now used as Offices for the differ
ent Ministries and a Parliament house.
The church is very small, capable OF hold
ing, perhaps. $50 people. On either side
of the entrance are the tombs of Prince
Danilo and his brother. MIrko Potroyitch,
and in the chancel sort Of sarcOphagus,
which is opened on solemn occasions con-
tainIng the embalmed remains of the
Bishop-Prince Peter ] The old monastery
faces the palace Fifty or sixty years ago
this monastery and twenty or thirty cot
tages round it represented thetown of Get
TIME. Behind the monastery IS the Ia
nous Tower Of Skulls In the old days no
Montenegro was entitled TO be considered
an able-bodied soldier 1ntil he had de-
corated the tower with n Turkish
head. The last occasion or which 1t
received Its CHASTITY decorations was
after the battle of Grahoyo, which
took place on the 18th Of July, 1889. The
Montenegrins lost 400 men and brought IN
1000 skulls, at least so says tradition. The
account is more or less confirmed by indie
pendent witnesses, one of whom, an Aus
TRAN officer, counted $500 skeletons on the
field several weeks after the famous fight.
The custom has, however, now died out,
having been abolished, together with most
practices of similar nature. by the Ora
CONAN code and inhexible rule of Danllo !.