The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-01-24
Henry Norman IN the y. Y SUM

s,nntIOM-BlOOdy Deeds ny the nun"
drcd for His ProtectiOn-The Horripie
Duties of the Mute Eunuehs
Henry Norman IN the y. Y. sum
Tbc character of the Sultan OF
Turkey is the most profound mystery
J of our time. Some Of us have seen
him. We know his origin and history,
we have studied his rule in his own
capital. We are acquainted with tho
facts of his reign, and we have ques-
toned the few men who during recent
wears have talked intimately with nm
face TO face. But all this affords no
clue to the mystery. Here IS an
Asiatic, first debauche. and later
religious fanatic; who has hardly seen
a civilized city or had civilized man
for his friend who lives in the strict
est seclusion, fearing Instant assasina'
ton: who rules over people nine
tenths of whom look upon INN as
political and religious usurper; who
has seen during his reign vast terrific
ries detached from his kingdom; who
has been crushed in 4 great war; VINO
has let n powerful fleet go to utter ruin
and a splendid army totally degenerate
who. finally. was once the ally OF Great
Britain and France and is now with |
out supporter among all nations. Yet |
he is able to defy Europe; with i'm
punity 10 outrage the conscience OF the
civilized world: to trample under foot |
every solemn engagement that mas
been wrung from him; to score one
diplomatic victory after another over
six of the most experienced and WHY
ambassadors living: TO laugh at the
pressure of powers whose battle ships
could lay every coast town in Turkey
in ashes in a few hours and who could
set in motion ten millions of men;
and, finally, when he has at last been
constrained TO promise life ana liberty
to an oppressed people, deliberately set
about to exterminate them. Ihis :
man, ] say, is the greatest mystery OF
our time. Moreover, | do not believe
anybody lives who can explain him.
Abdul Hamid II, is short, bent in
the back. languid in movement, with
occasional paroXysms of nervous
activity. He has large cars, a large q
nose. large lips, large hands, ana large s
feet His eyes are grayish, his hair is 9
thin and dark like his beard, his T
teeth are long and yellow, and his com
plexion is like parchment that has
been roughly folded a dozen times.
L Hdt ~. ever " MS appearance
contradicts the idea that he is an Os- k
Turk In fact, he is an !
His mother was an Arme- h
MAN slave, and, unless all tradition d
lies. his father was not the Sultan ABB b
dul Mejid but the latters, Armenian d
gardener Tho Turks to man call Il
him 1.-THE BASTARD, and tell you with G
many circumstantial details how his d
mother layished upon the plebian Of el
her own race the fayors which she al
succeeded in Withholding from her alien Il
# august lord and master. In this ST
TACT of his origin is to be found the p
secret of the Sultans intense and \
hatred of the Armenian TT
ace, and also the explanation of many b.
PRACTICAL qualities of craftsmanship in pl
which he excels the Turk. For the hi
Armenians are the Jews of Turkey. "
he buyers and sellers, the money lend Il;
RS and usurers, the bookkeepers, st
he spectators, the commercial par al
.sities. Thus, though Abdul Hamid of
/. has played with success many a be
anne in which a Turk would have Sc
'een utterly worsted, and though he ex
s in name and position the thirty II
ourth man who has girded on the Sc
word of Osman in the sacrosanct ia
iosque of Eyoub on the Sweet Wa ra
ers of Europe, he does not really be. We
,ng to that race which Freeman de- fe,
lares to have produced more great wi
,aders of men than anyother that en-
as ever existed He is So years old, ne
nd he succeeded his elder brother, tn
Nc deposed Murad ", three months tic
fter the latter succeeded his uncle. spl
le deposed Abdul Aziz, namely, on ha
an II - ~ l. I,.S
ervia was waging war against Turkey Oh
I'D only eight months before the Car do
ould be doing SO, too. be-
On the Bosporus, few miles above we
onstantinople, is the palace of Dol
1t is a dream of white fir
arble, perfect fairy creation, iea
like a row of Alpine sum agi
its, so gossamer in design that one dol
tempted TO think a rough wind int
ould blow it away. Within, every ON
ling is of superlatye beauty, and of fer
C purest Eastern art. Every rare fru
pod, every beautiful stone, every del har
acy of faience, every skill of cary ally
g, every conceivable luxury, upon it. for
. otner sovereign in the world has he
c chance of inhabiting such gem. by
course, Abdul Hamid lives here. gre
IT from II. He only sets foot in il tina
&C year, to receive the homage LAM
d the allegiance off his sub for
ITS He lives in plain white mar the
building, of common modern give
ape, on the highest point of the aga
Kiosk, the Palace of sha
e Star, a name it does not deserve. eter
e ground of his choice is simple. fish
t sufficient At Dolmabaghcheh he STA
uld be closer to the water, which the
ght bear boat loads of conspirators Nal
his very door, and there, too, the thin
ties of his dwelling would be passed man
the crowds, among whom as "bu
sins might Turk. At Yildiz he is our
from the dangerous waters which visiC
We drowned so many of those upon
ON his displeasure has fallen.
body can even approach his gates,
he surrounds himself with thous- Fl
Is of troops, the only ones well rer
d in his whole empire, whose loyal last
is assured by ceaseless favors and chop
sehtS. ror uppermost in the mind cam
me sultan at every moment of day to CT
night Is his dread of assassina- ing
d. The water he drinks is brought crus
N safe distance in sealed casks, agai
food is prepared with unimagina supp
precautions and tasted by Others him
ore 1t reaches his lips. He never foun
'ps In the same place for two nights joint
ming. He has bed room to which wise
ascends by ladder, pulling it up doct,
n him. Whenever he receives for the i
ner he wears white gloves. lest the j
sction should be conveyed by Z.
Oh OF the hand Let the ch;af nv q,