The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-24
WHAT sTAMBULoFF WAS LIKE.
A Lifelike Portrait of the Murdered
Bulgarian.


The present writer came to know him
just year ago, when he was sitting in his
house at Sofia, nursing hopes of vengeance
amid the pangs of disappointment. As an
other writer said of him, he was like a
Gagged lion, but lion who had been free
five minutes before. He was constantly
and always in a rage during the last years
OF his life, and at times seemed to bless his
pain OF body in that it somewhat relieved
his agony of mind. His were curious
head and face. The head was dome-,haped
and bald at the top, and looked like first
cousin to the little silver Krupp bullets
which stood upon his writing-tabie in the
form OF inkstands and letter-welghts. A
story hung by those bullets, if one might
belleye his enemies, for he was said TO have
taken big sums from the firm in return for
orders for his army. But his head was dis
tlnctly bullet-like; the eyes were almost
concealed by deep black, bushy eyebrows,
which crowded down over them as his
glance read the inmost SOIL of his guest.
his eyes were small and black and OF ex-
traordinary piercing brilliance; his teeth
sharp and pointed, but very white-in fact,
very Tartar teeth, writes r. 2. Mahaffy in
the London Saturday Review.
He spoke with his lips pursed up, and
when he talked looked rather as if he were
whispering. His French was very hard to
garlan words when he got excited; but
then he would see your difficulty and
laughlngly give the French equivalent
his arms were extraordinarily muscular
and seemed constantly about to burst his
coat sleeves; his whole figure was suggest
i've of violence and strength.
Many people have said that he was per-
sonally coward, adducing the evidence of
those ever-present guards. But personal
experience and the story of his looking on
and talking cheerfully while his hands
were being cut off give room for doubling
this charge. He certainly was always pre-
pared to fight for his life. A long Mann
licher leaned ominously against his desk,
and there were other indications that the
man who shot at him might get as good as
he gave If he did not kill his game at the
first shot.
The weakest points in NJ. Stambuloff's
character were brought out strongly by his
conduct during the last year. He did not
know how to take backdown blow. 1t
came Suddenly after long period of VIC
tories and success, and he nursed his de-
feat and disappointment in impotent rage
and with reckless determinations against
his successors. The proof of leader for
the ''Svoboda" was on his table on the
evening | met him, and when it appeared
next day it was simply mass Of sour
rilous and yindictive abuse. Stambuloff
had nothing to help him through those
cruel Gays OF disappointment. The blow
was hard, indeed, to bear, and men who
have in other spheres suddenly received
such crushing blows, and felt their whole
life and mind paralyzed and vilely cast
away, can sympathize even if Trey cannot
excuse.
His study and house were SIMPLE to
fault and practical to ugliness. The bare
walls and the comfortless chairs, the rooms
sparsely decorated with half dozen ILL.,
placed and tawdry ornaments, reminded
one of the houses of Irish Catholic priests.
Cigarettes were the only amenity; abund-
ance of these, branded with his own name,
OF his own special tobacco. But the indi-
viduality of the man submerged all these
details. and while in his presence one
could only watch him and listen to him
with amazement, tempered at times by
kind of vague fear. He had sound sport
ing instincts and was fond of sports of
many kinds-a fair shot, a good card
player, but chiefly devoted to gambling
games. To see him and to talk with him
was an education and discipline The
remembrance of him will always be one of
the deepest and most lasting impressions
Of their lives to those who knew him.