The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-07-30
the HERO OF BULGARIA.
Prime Minister Stambuloff' Rare
Courage and 6agactty.

Prime Minister SCam0ulO0, Rare
Courage and Sagacity.
A Sofa correspondent of the New
York Tribune gives the following
graphic picture of the deeds and
traits of the leader OF Bulgaria,
Stephen Stambuloff, who has pre-
served his country from passing
under the control of the Gear:
ave are getting on" says Mr..
Stambulof: and SO indeed it seems.
There is not q man in the whole
Balkan country in a more trying
position than the Bulgarian Prime
Minister, and there is not one who
has better cause to be satisfied with
the results of his work, for what
Bulgaria is to-day is due almost
solely to the valor and wisdom and
indomitable will of this young
statesman. For years he has held
the whole Russian empire at bay
single-handed. The other powers
of Europe sympathize with him,
but give him no practical support.
Open attack and secret intrigue he
has alike baffled. Assassination he
has defed, though it has often been
tried against him. He has resisted
Russian aggression, he has beaten
Servia in the field and Greece in
the courts, he has made his SOW
ereign's throne secure, he has made
Bulgaria a nation and created a
national public spirit, and he has,
at less than 40 years of age, placed
himself worthily in rank among the
leading statesmen of Europe.
His latest triumph is double
one, over both Russia and Turkey;
won partly at Constantinople and
partly at Berlin. Not long ago he
sent, through his colleague, Mr..
Grekof, a note to the Porte, making
some important demands; among
them, that Turkey should no longer
allow plotters against Bulgaria to
find refuge on Turkish soil, and that
Turkey should demand from Russia
the surrender of certain Pan-Slav
missionaries who had murdered a
Bulgarian officer in the streets of
Constantinople. The Porte was re-
luctant to do so, but it ultimately
granted these demands. Then, a
little later, he called the Porte's at
tention to the fact that an energetic
Pan-Slav missionary at Berlin was
putting forth false reports that the
Sultan was dangerously i'll and had
become insane. AS a result the
Sultan demanded of the Govern
ment that it expel the offender from
the empire, a demand that was
readily granted. The next day the
Russian ambassador left CONSTANT
nople on long "leave of absence" J"
and diplomatic relations between
Russia and Turkey are practically
suspended. This, of course, gives
great satisfaction to the Bulgarian
Prime Minister, whose life for
number of years has been warfare
against the Colossus of the North.
One of the most dramatic pass
ages of arms with Russia occurred
during the war with Servia, when
the Gear showed his hand" in a
decidedly offensive manner. Mr..
Stambuloff has told many times,
and seems never to weary of telling,
the story of Slivnitza. In that bat
tie the destinies of Bulgaria and
Servia were to be decided. Prince
Alexander had gone out to lead the
Bulgarian army in person, leaving
Mr.. Stambuloff in charge at home.
1t was brilliant day, with cloud
less sky and scarcely breath of
wind stirring. The roar of the can
non was plainly heard in the city;
owing, perhaps, to some peculiar
condition of the air, or perhaps to
echo from the mountains. At any
rate it sounded much nearer than
it really was and Mr.. Stambuloff
and the others thought the Servians
were winning the day and were
driving Prince Alexander and his
army in upon the capital. In their
anxiety they applied to the Russian
diplomatic agent for advice. That
gentleman shrugged his shoulders
and said it was no affair of his.
"But," urged the Bulgarian Min
lister, "the Servians are almost at
our gates. You could stop them
with single word if you would. "
"Yes; but that word will not be
spoken; not though they were ac-
tually entering the city, with your
Prince a prisoner, as indeed they
soon will do. On one condition
only will / stop them, and that is
that your beggar of a Prince shall
abdicate at once"
sand that" thundered Mr.. Stam-
bulof, she will not do; no, not for
twenty Russians! !"
With that Mr.. Stambulof sprang
into the saddle and dashed away to
the battlefield, while the Russian
agent sent for his friends to come
to his house and help him celebrate
the defeat of the Bulgarian armies.
A few hours passed and then the
Bulgarian Foreign Minister got a
A1~-.~ c..- Ar. Go h,1l off n q tad