San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-11-27
TURKEYS SAD SULTAN.
FRIGHTENED ALMOST TO DEATH
LEST HE BE ASSASSINATED

Sultan Abdul Hamid has an empire nearly
half the size of the United States, over which
he is absolute ruler, and his word means life
and death to more than 80, 0O0, 900 people. He
is the spiritual head of the great Mohamme-
dan religion and 200, OOO, 900 lips speak his
name in worship every day. Multitudes in
India, North Africa, China and South Europe
look upon him as the Shadow of God" and,
like the Turks of Asia Minor, regard him as
the representative of Mohammed. He has an
income of sl0,0O0,O 900 a year. His treasury
is flied with diamonds His palaces are num-
bered by scores and he counts his Arab horses
by the thousands. He has countless servants
to satisfy his every wish.
If physical comfort, sensual enjoyments
and worldly power are the chief ends of life,
this man, now in his prime, ought to be the
happest man in the world He is, on the
contrary, one Of the most miserable. Every
one of the roses of his life concealS a thorn,
and in each of his palaces the skeletons of fear
hide in the closets. stand behind the marble
columns of the salons and poke their heads
out at him through the perfumed steam of
his luxurious Turkish bath. Having absolute
control over millions of lives, he exists in
daily fear of the loss of his own and trembleS
as he spends his nights aud days inside his
great palace surrounded by his guards.
GUARD OF 1000.
He moves among his people only when he
is forced to do so by the religious observances
which are incumbent upon him as the head
of the Mohammedan religion, and his only
outing is on Friday afternoon when he goes
in state to worship at the mosque.
The ceremony is one Of the grand sights of
Conctoptinnyla Tho paopla would riSa in in
surrection if the sultan omitted it, and it
takes 1000 troops TO guard him on his way
from his palace to the place of worship A
wide, winding road leads from the palace to
the mosque, and at the side Of this house
has been built by the sultan for distinguished
foreign guests This house is just opposite
the mosque and its windows command fine
view of it and the roads leading to it.
Armed with the card of the American min
ister and accompanied by my Mohammedan
guide, l was received by the officer in charge
when I called at this house. I was given a
seat at one of the windows, and for two hours
preceding the ceremony was interested in
the massing of the soldiers and in the prepa-
ration for the coming of the sultan. First
came little army of carts drawn by donkeys
and led by hare legged men in turbans
These carts were filed with soft yellow sand
anu spread over the road to the depth OF sew
eral inches. As time goes on the soldiers
march up, division after division, and rank
themselves along the highway.
There are regiments Of cavalry on the
finest of Arabian SGee Is each regiment hav-
ing horses OF the same color, and nea ly
every res iment uniformed differently. Here
IL troop of Circassans. v 18th black caps six
inches high, upon the crown of which are
i3e crosses. They are dressed in European
urifcrr,s and upon their breasts are rows of
cartridges Below them are cavalry from
Asia Minor, and coming down the hill in the
distance are troop. after troops of bronze
facet, fine looking H.. 80 turbans and caps
On. "a, -. - $3.50 rises n"'.e soldiers
a. toll. broad shouldereA and ST aight.
Down anovuer road march long lines Of in
fantry, some in the green colors of Moham-
med and others in Gle hes of blue trimmed
with red.
As the hour for the coming of the sultan
approaches, the Ioais turn into rivers of
color, and along the side of them back of the
soldiers, are seen the curious characters of a
Mohammedan crowd. There at the right is
patch of white, and you note that the hun
dred balloon-ike bags of white cotton or silk,
which seem to stand upright ON the ground,
are alive, and taking your glass you see that
out of each bag, near the top, peep two black
eyes, and You know that these are the ladies
of several Mohammedan harems, who have
come out to get view of the sultan. Now
come the officers of the court. They drive up
in carriages drawn by magnificent horses.
Some of them come on horseback, and the
Ill
their clothes, of European cut, fairly blaze
with gold lace. Each man wears a bright
red fez cap, which looks like a gigantic red
tumbler inverted, and these caps crown the
heads of the soldiers as well, making the
whole crowd look like a great human flower
bed of red.
LOOKS LIKE JAY GOULD.
There is a cheer from ten thousand threats
and the music is heard in the distance. the
cry goes up that the sultan is comin,, and
now around the corner, preceded by q gor-
geously dressed guard upon horseback, sur
rounded by officers with swords drawn, comes
a low barouche, drawn by the most magnifi-
cent black horses you have ever seen. These
are driven by coachman whose body is re-
splendent in a red velvet suit embroidered in
gold. He has fez cap on his head and as
he holds his reins tight his gold sleeves hang
down like those of the ladies' fashionable
dress of some years ago. The carriage is
black, but its trimmings are gold.
In the carriage itself three persons are
seated. On the front seat e. tie fine gray
whiskered old man. 1t is Osman Pasha, the
hero of Plevna, and beside him is a younger
man, the favorite of the sultan. On the back
seat sits the sultan himself. He is more SIM
ply dressed than any one of the ten thousand