The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-12-19
THE SULTAN'S SERAGLIO.

1t will be surprising TO many TO know
that the sultan's wives are all of slave
origin. The danger of assassination
from the harem has made it the custom
of Turkey for the sultan not TO marry.
This prevents the political intrigues of
a many-branched royal family, and all
of the sultanS have had slave mothers.
Abdul-Hamil had, | was told. 1000 wo-
men in his royal seragliO, and as this
number is recruited every year by slaves
from Georgia and Circassia, the I'M
perial harem probably contains that
number today. 1t is curious TO know
what is done with such a horde of wives
in case of the death of a sultan. 1t is
said that the grandfather of Abdul
Hamid sewed up nearly 200 of the wives
of his predecessors in sacks and loaded
the sacks with shot. He then dropped
them into the BosphOrus. in order that
there might be no treachery among the
ladies of the palace. saw nmber
of the harem ladies during the sultan's
trip across the city. They rode in cabs,
the windows of which were open, and
though their faces were covered, the
wells were of the thinnest gauze. and L
could see them almost as plainly as
though they had worn no wells at all.
They were not, TO my eyes, extra
ordinarily beautiful, and not a few
seemed rather old. Each of the carri-
ages was driven by a swell coachman.
beside whom sat Sober-faced eunuch
with long whip in his hand. and
eunuchs rode up and down the hne.
jealousy guarding their charges. A
large part of the servants of the palace
are eunuchs. There is chief eunuch.
who has charge of all the women about
the sultan. and who is almost as impor-
tant a man as the grand viZier. He gets
big salary. and his influence is such
that he is able TO make Il fortune out OF
il during his office. There are 1000 ser
wants connected with the palace Of the
sultan. and each of his favOrite wives
has servants of her own. At the head
of the harem is the mother of the sui
tan. who is known as the valide sultana.
and who has something TO do as 10 pick
ing out and training the sultans wives.
This woman rules the harem. She has
her eunuchs and her servants, and one
| of the principal days of the year for her
| is thSJ which comes at the end OF the
| Mohammedan Lent or ramaZan. She
! has lot of Georgian slaves brought 10
her months before this: She picks out
| fifteen of the best looking. They are
put upon diet. are taught music. and are
as carefully groomed as so many race
| horses. Just about the close of Lent
she looks over the lot and picks out the
one who is to be what is called the
bairam bride of the sultan. This girl,
so the story goes. is not seen by the sui
! tan till the night after bairam. which
is the Mohammedan Easter. His maj
esty finds her in his chamber when he
retires to rest. and the story told me al
| Constantinople was that the new bride
had TO crawl in under the clothes from
| the foot of the bed in token of her sub
| lection. l made some inquiries as to the
| cost of such girls, and was told that the
price of the slave depended quite as much
upon her accomplishments as her beauty
An ordinary slave girl of desirable age
ranging from u TO 16 brings 800. II
she is beautiful, she may be worth $4,000
and this sultan has had many wives fol
whom he has paid as high as $4,000
Blonde beauties with blue eyes and
transparent skin usually bring high
prices, but black girls are sold for a
song. 1 was told that the buying and
selling of slaves still goes on in Con
stantinople. but that of late years such
sales have been under the rose. "-Frank
| Carpenter.