The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-01

grandes DANES of harem life. Each has
mistresses of robes down to solutions
Though seemingly equal in rank. there
is some slight difference in titlc. The
first is called the Bach-kadinn. Thcr
comes the Skindji- Kadine or second
lady: the Artanie-k adine, or middle lady,
and the Kutehuk- kadine, or little lady.
over all these. however, the mother
of the reigning sultan Cor his foster moth
e. # his own mother be del.D has pre-
en'.hence. She is called Naliie-S'ltan".
q I'd her title is Tatch-al- MestOt:t.t, or
Grown of the Yelled Heads" The whole
loren acknowledges her as complete
mistress of the household. 80 one dares
dispute her sway, and no one dares come
ursummoned before her, nor can any
woman of the harem venture INTO nor
presence save in fun court dress, 3pl
without a mantle, be the weather warm
o, cold. She has full charge o. all details
OF the household and is widely honOrc /.
Her assistant is the HasuGia OuSia,
grand mistress of the robes ard treasurer,
usually an elderly woman, who has the
ii OF NiCe-N alide
The second class of women of the harem
are the lkbals. or favOrites, from among
whom the kakines are usually selected
when a vacancy occurs in their ranks. The
third class of harem beauties are the
who are pleasant in the eyes of their
master, who may in their turn attain
to the dignity of Ikbals. The fourth class
is known as the Alaikes, and consists of
the children who are gradually trained
in the ways of the harem. When they
get to be old enough they begin to serve
the kadnes, and frequently rise TO the
At this point an interesting question
suggests itself What becomes of the
harem children UnquestiOnably few of
them ever grow up; unqueSuOnably, too
there are many born, and the rate of
mortality in the sultan's palace is high
most if not all, of the daughters of the
Padishah somehow died in. very early in
fancy. The present sultan is said TO be
less severe on this point than were his an
cestOrs. Yet at all events few children
grow up in the Turkish seraglio.
Contrary to accepted belief. the Turkish
harem woman is not altogether the indo-
lent individual, spending all her days lOll-
several generations ago. Though the sui
tan is cruel. though he has no conscience
and shows little mercy, he allows the wo-
men much more personal liberty than
might be imagined. Their faces hidden
and their forms concealed in the regu-
lation yashmak and feridje, they drive
pay visits, go to bazaars and are often
seen on the Grande Rue de Pera, the
great driveway of the Frank quarter of
Constantinople, and other public prone
nades. Never, however, are they seen on
foot. They have enjoyable times within
the four walls of the harem, where many
entertainments are given, and in the pal
ace grounds in an exquisite little theater
in which all sorts of performances take
place.
Nevertheless, this freedom is only
mock one. These women are continually
watched by spies, and should they ven
ture TO cast even a look upon any man
they might pass their case is hopeless
According to the sultans views there is
infdelity in a look. He orders but one
punishment for anything of that sort, and
that is death. Death in the devils cur
rent" tossed like a leaf in the arms of
the wave.
It has always been the popular idea
that the sacks in which these W014en
are sewp up and then tossed 10 the
merc, o. the current are heavily Ne. ght-
cd. But that is not the case. The accOult
OF ar eye witness of the tragic dean tt
one Of Tie sultan's harem faVOritCs proves
thI. the grim monarch of Turkey lbs
no idea &C extending such mercy TO The
woman le has condemned to death. Pain
less and sudden sinking, quick me 'ss'1S
into eternity, is not for her-she must be
tCstural as she dies.
So far as is known this IS the Only
Authentic account of the terrible Geaih
that Is meted out to the frail woman " o
has somehow offended her imDa al mas
ter The simple dramatic nac:aSiVe is
given complete. The writer a. Cd FOR
MANY years in COnstantinoDla AID knew
t''e clI-JI ms of the Turks .heir "sode Of
life ard their opinion in all det1! He
says:
There is no romance in one 0f these
ft:ghtfUi eXecutiOnS-au is harsh, GnIaitl-
gated horror! The victim may Or many
not &c young and beautiful; her g'e' u
tic los have no opportunity for JudStng.
She ma be the impersonatlOn Of f,-aCe,
AMI they must remain equally ;galrInt OF
the fat. for she has neither poTsr or
%. Ortupity to excite sympat ~, ere she
the AoVeiest houri who ever ESCAPED f. ON
Vhc PARADISE of Mahomet.
Il have a friend a man in place and
power, who had been detained in the
palaces of one OF the ministers until
three hours past midnight and who,
on passing across the deep bay near the
Castle of Europe, was startled by per-
ceiving two caiques bearing lights, lying
upon their oars in the center of the
stream. His curiosity being excited, he
desired his boatmen to pull toward them,
when at the instant he came alongside
he discovered that they were filled by
police officers; and at the same moment a
female closely shrouded in a yashmak
and with the mouth of a sack, into which
her whole body had been thrust, tied
about her throat, was lifted in the arms
of two men from the bottom of the fur
theSt caique and flung into the deep wat
ers of the bay. AS no weight had been
appended to the sack, the miserable wo-
man almost instantly reappeared upon
the surface, when she was beaten down
by the oars of the boatmen, and this
ruthless and revolving ceremony was re-
peated several times ere the body finally
sank.
THE ministers of death fingered vet
awhile to convince themselves that the
body would not reappear.'