Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-17

the officials whom Abdul Hamid has at
tached toshis person, and this man, who
more than any one else, finds pleasure anC
amusement In the association and CONVEX
sation of clever European friends and &C
quaintances, is reduced to the sole society
of the stupid Levantine women who com
pose his harem and to that of the eunuchs
In attendance. Neither Emperor William
the duke of Edinburgh, the duke Genoa
nor any other of his former intimates and
friends has been allowed either to see hin
or even to take any notice of his existence
during their visits to Constantinople, and
his imprisonment in his palace is quite as
strict as that of the ex-Sultan Murad, who
was Abdul Hamid's predecessor.
Murad succeeded to the throne June |
1876, on the deposition of Abdul Aziz who
four days later was assassinated. Murad
is absolutely free from any suspicion OF
cognizance with the murder, the traglcal
circumstances of which almost entirely
shattered his nerves. No notice, however
would have been taken Of his disturbed
condition of mind had he not attempted to
introduce reforms, especially In the expen,
ditures of the imperial household. One OF
his very first acts, indeed, was to reduce
the monthly expenditures of the palace
and of the seraglio to 100000 a month,
instead of double and even treble that
amount, which had until then and con-
tinues to be now the sum needed for the
purpose. Economy on the part of sultan
of the Ottoman empire seemed unnatural
and uncanny, and when the numerous
parasites and hangers-on of the imperial
household realized that their interests
would suffer by the reforms, they at once
persuaded the kislar aghassl, or grand
chief of the eunuchs-and as such one of
the highest officials of the realm-to pro-
coed to the sheikul-Islam and inform him
that Murad had become insane.
Now, the sheik-ul-Islam, as the chief &C.
clesiastical dignitary of the empire, has
power to depose sultan from the throne
whenever he deems that insanity depriyes
his majesty Of the power of administering
the government. Accordingly, Aug, 81,
1876, a palace revolution took place and
Murad was'deposed in favor of his younger
brother, Abdul, Hamid the present sultan
Since then, that is during almost sixteen
years. Murad, who is far more sane than
Abdul Hamid, has remained strictly con-
fined in the palace of Teheragan, ON the
shores of the Bosphorus. His only COM
panions are the ladies of the harem, all of
whom are kept as close prisoners within
the palace precincts as himself. No one
has seen him since the day of his DISPOSE
ton, and, as in the case of the khedive
Ismail, armed men patrol the waterfront
of the palace, warning of all boats from
approaching within several hundred
yards of the shore.
Until three months ago Murad's mother,
the Sultana Nadine, lived with him and
watched over him with the most maternal
solicitude. Not mcuthful would she per-
nit him to eat or drink without having
herself superintendent its preparation and
tasted it previous to its being set before
him. Unfortunately for the prisoner, she
died in October, and with her demise
vanished all hopes of his recovering either
his liberty or his throne; for the present
sultan is in mortal dread lest the sheik-el
Islam should proclaim eX-cathedra the no
torious fact that Murad has recovered his
full mental powers. On the day that such
a proclamation is made, Murad will be re-
stored ipse facto to power, and Abdu
Hamid deprived of the throne of which he
is de jure, merely vekil, or regent, pend
ing his older brother mental malady. In
deed, until the day of Murad's death, tht
present sultan claim to the throne will bt
neither complete nor secure.
At the present moment Abdul Hamid :
position is more than usually critical; for
since the visit of the German emperor, hi
relations with the sheik-ulIslam have beer
exceedingly strained. The sheik, whose
name is Omar Lufti, is tall, lank man
with a repellant. parchment-colored face
and sternly opposed to everything foreign
Both he and his fanatical clergy were OPP
posed to the visit of the German emperor
and were Mortified by the sultan's publ,
attentions to the empress. Indeed, Oma
| alone of all the great dignitaries of the OF
toman empire, refused to put in an ap
pearance at any of the ceremonies or func
| tions during the German majesty's pres
ence in the city,
In view CT the above circumstances the
deaths of both Murad and of Khedivt
lsmall may be expected to occur at any
moment. The former is dangerous t.
Abdul Hamid on account of hisclaims tt
the throne, and the latter on account O.
his vast wealth and clever1ess. In the
case of each the death will be due tx
something in the coffee, which was one
Of Khedive Ismail's favorite methods O.
getting rid of persons whom he regarded
as obstructive to his projects. If these
methods should appear medieval and i'm
probable to those who regard CONSTANT
nople as a European capital, within few
hours distance by rail from Paris, Vienna
and Berlin, it is only necessary to refer tx
the case of the famous statesman and re
former, Midhat Pasha, and of Sadyl
Pasha, both men as well known On thu
Paris Boulevards and in the London salons
as at Constantinople. The autopsies III
such cases are always performed by Italian
or Levantine physicians belonging to thu
palace, who are in the pay of the sultan
Hence the official diagnosis of the deatl
never mentions the fact that it was due t.
something in the coffee
A Ghost Under Tree.
II