New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-06
CRIME IN CONSTANTINOPLE.
THE TURKISH CAPITAL A SCENE OF UN-
CHECKED MOsLEM VIOLENCE.
CHRISTIANS ATTACKED WITH IMMUNITY A sYs-
ZEN OF ESPIONAGE AND coNFIscATIoN.

Conetantinope. May 20
At no time since last fall has the condition Of
affairs in Constantinope been satisfactory
a al present. Crimes Of the most violent nature
are committed constantly against Christians. and
with absolute impunity Armenians are. OF
course the chief sufferers but Christians ~ other
nationaties have also fallen victims 10 the I'M
checked passion and vindictiveness Of Moslem
ruffians In the present disturbed condition Of
the city religious hatred. private snimosity and
greed Of wealth are finding opportunities to do
bloody work Most serious Of ALL not only do
the perpetrators of the crimes escape all punish
ment but they even protected by powerful
Influences at the palace murder OF three PEG
pie OF the most revolving character was com
mitted recently in Pera. and when the attempt
TO fix the guilt upon Greek failed. and II be-
came evident that the crime was irstigated from
Moslom sources the whole matter was hushed
up.
In Bechiktash. crowded and busy section OF
the city three Moslems In broad daylight en-
tered the house Of NJ lombard, musician ana
stabbed the daughter TO death before her faith
er's eyes and then walked deliberately away
without question from any Of the gems d'arm"s
and police with which Bechktash is always
crowded Two Of the daily papers Of the City
that had the temerty TO mention the assassina-
tion without the consent Of the censor were sum-
marily suspended. and no paper since then has
been allowed 70 refer 70 the murder. As the
Young lady who was the victim was 81 remark
able beauty and was we'll known In Turkish
circles IL Is supposed that the jealousy OF some
Turkish rival OF high rank was the cause OF th'
murder The assurance. holiness and dehoera-
ton Of the assassns. together with the passivity
OF the police. make II evident that the crime was
countenanced in the highest quarters or course
nothing can be done about IT. To have muir
iered Christian Is a crime only on the statute
books in Turkey. All the wiles OF TURKISH
diplouacy would be excrtcd TO protect a Mos
lem from any punishment, for the simple MURDER
OF A Christian. II will ~ remembered. perhaps
that the pressure OF three embassies mas ho'
been sufficient TO punish the murderer Mustapfa
FOR cutting down VI. Stuppe an American ciu
zen. in the streets Of Pera, little more than
year
Smaller crimes are numerous TO mention
~ Armenian in the city has the slightest pro
lection for his He property. He house u
liable TO 30 entered a. any moment Of the day
or night his property seized. books and papers
DESTROYED and he himself consigned 10 the dun
gc,ns OF s,amboul. Neither age nor youth
wealth nor poverty wisdom nor fool!shn~ss Is
any nrot.-,t,on There comes the dreaded knock
., the door the apparlton 81 police. ana the
summons You are wanted" and the poor
wretch 10 dragged away Ths scene IL being en-
acted scores and scores II times every day under
the eyes II the European embassies Tlb"r!uT
or Nero never carried the system 81 espionage
and connscatlon to greater perfection IMAM las
the prcsen, administration o, this Empire Jus
tice has become a travesiy.
TIE mob has not been slow - follow ne eH-
ample o, the authorities. An illustrative Incl
den, occurred n few days ago at a little village
on the Bosporus Two vegetable sellers. Ar
menians had crossed the Bosporus to the Village
- dispose ~ their stock and there got into
quarrel with a third Armenian A Turk tried -
separate them. and IN doing - was slightly In
lurrd The Armenians. knowing ,h- Inevitable
result lcaped into their boa: ana started ior the
other Side AZ once mob - Turks gathered.
and the cry was raised. who ~ for Mahlmeif
with a shout the Turks l"apcd int The BOATS
hy the shore and started IN pursuit II va" a
row for Ne The Armenians rem h"a the opposite
shore nrst and hid themselves b'lh"l - 'h"I
prey the Turks sought The man who had "'id
the Armcnians their stock. and beat him un''
he revealed the aiding place ~ tn" tw" VendefT
The mob then set upon the w" nh'or ,"nh'.
men dubbed them nearly insen-ible. ana "~h'
H., m on up the BDspor ~
HIt his was not enough The enraged Mos
lens returned t. the first village broke into me
cafe where two Armenian labOrers we're sleep
ing dragged them forth. dubbed them SHOOK
their knives In their faces ana 'oid Them - ",eep'
Islam Then with kicks and blows IN" Aiinrn-
ians were driven from the village and t'ld never
10 return. Thh, incident gives a fair idea y the
protection that the law affords 10 m" rhyah'
even I'm the city O: consiantinOIle
Even thus however. IL may be- considered 'Ortu-
nate II a general outbreak Is escaped during the
next two weeks For more than month IL mas
beer commonly reported that the end u May
yynuld soc a renewal ~ the disturbances. ON the
one hand. II VAS asserted that the Hun''hAgiStr
were preparing for desperate attempt 10 create
a crisis that would demand European interv"n-
zion and on the other. that the Turks were deter
mined to renew the massacres on Courban-hai.
ram. which begins on May - The boVernhehl
evidently believed the former report. Tor IL mas
been buslly disDatching arms into the interior 10
the Turkish ga<risons. and has been watching the
coast below Alexandrctta with extreme care to
prevent the importation OF war supplies from
Cyprus.
1 partv OF Americans coming from Caesarea
two weeks ago found the roads almost blo'ked IN
places by camel trains carrying powder ana am
munition toward Caesarea- Heavy consignments
OF arms have been sent 10 MaIroNan' ana new
ba+tallons have been formed al Sivas. Bills and
Erzeroum Everywhere wholesale arrests or Ar
rnenlans have been made az a terrorizing meas
ure II the first OF June is passed In SAFETY there
il, reasonable hope that the country VIII settle
down.
Mustapha Bey has been appointed Minister to
Washington. SO the newspapers announced one
day and Immediately men began TO inquire whch
one Of the several hundred Mustapha Beys IN
Constantinople was the appOntee. After some
search at the Foreign Office the real Mustapha
Uev has been discovered Artln Pacha 4, first
secretary TO Tewnk Pacha. Minister OF Foreign
Affairs md the secretary OF Artin Pa cha second
secretary is Mustapha Bey who has just been APP
noInted Minister 10 the United States. He Is a
Young man still q Turk. his name implies: OF
pleasant and rather Intelligent appearance. IL
Will not be his first experience at Washington az
no has nrcviously been Secretary Of Legation
there Turkish ofnccholders are peculiar In their
ideas Of truthfuness and honesty and are com
monty divided by their frank acquaintance into
two cIa ssec-" decent fellows and the other kind.
according to their notions about the before-me
TONED virtues 1t is to the credit Of the newly ap-
"a very decent fellow"