The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-12
DE poTIsN AND ASSASSINATION.


-lSag or have Gse1 1rdsr cir-sznS tSuces -
suspicious - 70 point % poison o. other
means o. secret assassination IN general
their tenure % me throne was short. the
late shah having sSeaFsS his enemies SO
long that his reign OF ferzy-eixhs years
stands alzsosc SaoRe IN ne annals O. the
ssnguosn- In Persia. especially. The fact
attracted attention ans his escape from
several previous attempts 70 take his life
WAS ascrsoe<s, according 20 TIE various
views and i1teaAssres o. those who speed
lated CT the azTTer. 70 3 magic amulet
2e always wore. - the direct pretecticn
O. Allah. 20 the intsrcssssca Of ths Prophet
MoAs-ne5 ard the Angel Gabriel or 20
Tns favor q The ETsI Qae. who. 4 was
charged BY some. enahies him - lsnE<hsn
rs days IN orser thai his exp OF irsq2iry
might % cunp aetesy filed ere &c was gath
cred 70 his fathers OF his predecessors
ere AS SAcs. one was 1eposei and be-
headed n his prison. one was sspoSsd ani
sfr2ngled u his bedroom. one was four1
IN MS garden late ar night with ferry
Seven stab wounds n various parts o. bis
body. one died n prison where ne had been
placed 81 his son. who gsurped the throne,
o1s vas found dead IN bed n his ha-eza
with certain marks on his throat thzS
looked as Thoagh they had been made ay
SoErstrzng. No investigation was made
OF the circumstances o. his death. hus his
q
o, Suca an accident. cleared out the harem
By serangiing all It's inmates ard started
MS reign with a new Ios Of wives Be-
sides these seven or eight other snahs
died suddenly after very brief Illnesses.
and as no one coal3 prove thai poison was
the cause. their successors coutentei
themselves with oeheading few people
On suspicion, and ploussy declared thar
Allah had gathered the deceased raonarchx
nOSnrl eAzsxr
for earth
To borrow an expression used by .
french historian. the people OF Turkey
have had very bad luck with their suirans.
these royal psrsonaxes dropping OF with
cut the least notice Or ceremony In no
country Oh the globe IS the business OF
-etgning sovereign more unhealthy than
n Turkey. There Is not life insurance
company in the world that would net re-
gard the life OF q Turkish sultan as an ex-
ira hazardous risk. 10 be placed at about
the same rate as that OF man engaged IN
filling dynamite shells or experimenting
WITH nitro-g ycsrtne- Since l2ss the date
Of the sounda ton os the empire by Oth-
man. not reckoning IN the list preteniers
10 the throne or claimants who were be-
headed Or strangied BY more powerful
rivals within few DAYS % their accession.
there have reigred fhtrty-seyen sult4ns.
OF whom txeaty-nine died By one or an
other form az violence OF three more the
fate is doubtful. thsy died under sas-
pictous circumstances. 50 that OF the
whole number OF sultzns there ara only
i've who are believed 20 have died a
natural death Three were strAngled in
their harsms the result of the con-
sriracy O. jealous wives AGAINST not only
their lord and master. but his favored
spouse also. In two Of these cases the Ia
yor1te wife sharing the fate OF her hus-
band. In the third she escaped In each
OF these eases the murder vas done BY
the women with their own hands. and in
each case also wholesale purgatton %
the harem followed. dozens Of women. sas-
pected Of completely IN ire crime, being
bundled into sacks and t1moed into the
Bosporus. -Four more xuItans were stran-
glei IN their own rooms as the result OF
conspiraeies amcng officials. attendants
or guards. Six died BY poison. no- III
GLIDING the three whose fate has already
been mentioned as doubtful, and who
probably died through the same agency:
one died from a love potlsn administered
by a concubins. four we're szrotaeTed in
bed By their guards. who haaped pillows
over their heads and held them down;
seven were stabbed 70 death by their
attendants; one was shot in his garden:
one was behe2ded. one was thrown into
a well in the palace yard. and one was
put 70 death by opening his veins and
allowing the bl5od 10 flow until life be-
came extinct
The kings ard princes of the peninsula
OF Hindostan have not Jared better than
their brethren OF Persia and Turkey
There are preserved IN the annals OF the
native kingdoms and principalities OF
Hindcstan the names OF Isl potsntates.
and a striking illustration OF the dangers
attending the business OF sovereign In
that quarter OF the world Is seen in the
fact that OF this number IL died BY Yto-
isnce in one form OF another. II was so
habitual THAI they came 70 expect IL and
10 consider that IL was only question Of
time when they would fall by the dagger
or poison OF the assassin. The GOODNESS
with which they contemplated their ap-
preaching fate is shown IN a viii. made
hy a rasah OF the last century, who IN this
document first named his successor and
carefully provided against any disorders
that might occur az his death by COM
randing that as soon as he had been mur-
dered his successor should distribute a
large sum Of money among the guards
and troops TO keep them faithful. He then
proceeded 70 tell what punishments he de-
sired TO have melted cnt 20 his assassins-
IL there was only one, he commanded that
this one should be rayed alive, very slow
iy, BEGINNING at his feet. and II possible,
the process continuing for three or four
days. IL there were two. enc was 20 be
mayed. the Gf1sE n1tsEl II tffc
third was 70 be nailed TO a post by his
hands and fest and left 10 die the fourth
Was to be walled up in a brick gepuieher
as high as his chin. hts head being left
out. the fifth was 10 De whipped 10 death:
the sixth 10 be hung UP by the arms and
ssnearea with honey. 50 that the flies and
waSps would Worry him to death: the sew
enth 70 be tied by the feet TO the tail Of
a buffalo and dragged about Whether
the ratahs inventive genius gave out st
this poant IL uncertain. bat he certainly
contemplated the possibility of a greater
number heing concerned IN his murder
when 70 occurred. for he ceumaued that
additional culprits should hs paired Of
with the seven provided for. and also that
the punishments should b pubic, that
all shops and business places should De
closed, In order that tire people might have
leisure 10 sttend and blsss the memory
OF their late sovereign. who had been
thoughtful enough TO provide 50 much en-
terfafnruent for them after hts murder.
The business Of governing the Russian
empire "a not quite 90 deadly 81 the ions
OF A rsaEusnE sultan or shah. but stiil u IS
about as dangerous ~ working n pow
der NH, nearly ons-aaIf of the rulers OF
the Masn0xlte empire s1nce the time OF
Ruric. in A p. 80 having died az the
hanGs OF the ASSASSIN. The pathetic death
OF the Gar Alexander from the nsh&lsst
bombs in 1881 i stlH fresh g. the public
mind. but the most brutal assassination
before, in modern times az least. was thsE
az tne Car Paul IN fs9l There Is little
doubt that be was insane. for months be-
fore h-s murder he had been acting a. a