The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-28
sGoxTKNEGRo's CAPITAL.


Something About One Of tbs Most liz
sraOrdinarv Towns Of Europe
Saturday Review.
Cettinje is the most extraordinary capital
In Europe. IL consists Of one long street,
with four smaller ones crossing il. and end
ing vaguely in the fields. The whole town
covers perhaps thirty or forty acres. The
principal building Ia the hotel. which
wOrthiiv blocks the end OF the main street.
II IL q bare and rickety looking structure.
bat 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 righthand side.
and in front OF the gates. on q lawn, the
prisoners amuse themselves by playing
various rude ganaes-bowls, with
pieces Of rock for balls. ieap-frog
and soon. few Of them are engaged
In odd building jobs about Cettinje. and
hew weed in the mountain. They are not
chained. but appear seldom to dream
Of running away. When q case of
evasion happens. one or two fellow-con-
victs are dispatched to catch the run
away and bring him pack. The theory OF
setting thief TO catch thief Is here prac-
ticed most literally and methodically. The
convict and free citizen Is that the
the former is deprived Of his arms. This
IL an equal degradation to the usual dress
or brand elsewhere. Close to the door is
the royal palace, whitewashed house
with green Venetian blinds, which Is pop
uiariy supposed to have cost million Of
francs owing 70 the expenses OF trans
porting the materials. Over against
4 H.. hail Afvx.w
known as the "Bigliardo. II re-
ceivcd this nickname from an English
billiard table having been set up there.
The carrying Of this piece OF furniture by
fifty men over the mountain was con-
sidered- and undoubtedly was--a great
feat. While the porters struggled man
fully under the slate pilot stood astride
on high. and shouted his directions a. 70
how 70 get around awkward corners. The
'Bigiiardo" ID now used ~ Offices for the
different ministries and . parliament
house. The church is very small. capable
Of holding. perhaps. $50 people. On either
side of the entrance are the tombs Of
Prince Danilo and his brother. Mirko
Petrovitch. and in the chancel . sort Of
sarcophagus. which is opened on solemn
occasions. containing the embaimed re-
mains of the Bishop-Princ Peter I.
The old monastery faces the palace.
Fifty or sixty years ago this monastery
and twenty or thirty cottages round il
represented the town Of Cettinje. Behind
the monastery 70 the famous Tower Of
Skulls. In the old days no Montenegrin
was entitled to be considered an able
bodied soldier until he had decorated the
tower with Turks head. The last ooca-
sion en- which il received its CHASTITY dec
orations was after the battle of Grahovo.
which took place on the 18Th of July, 1889.
The Montenegrins lost 400 men and
brought in 400 skulls, at least SO says ira
ditson. The account is more or less con-
ifmcd by independent witnesses, one OF
whom. an Austrian officer. counted 1850
skeletons ON the field several weeks after
the famous fight. The custom has. how
ever, now died out. having been abolished.
together with the most practices OF SINH
lar nature. by the Draconian code and in
flexible rule III Daullo I.