Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-06-03
TIE rREAcneRous TURK.
How Abdul Hamid Administers Jas
tkee ina C0RstaatfnOpIe.

| INV &&SAAA AoAAAAABAEE& = as
| ttee ina CoRstaRffnOpIe.
It is a mistake TO think Abdul Hamid
/ Is fanaticaI Aohammedan. He is not
| less afraid of the old than of the young
| Turks. The former eeRsure his religious
| laxity. They are ineensed at his secret
| society of the YiIdiz, into which Giaours
are admitted on the same footing as
| true believers. Their oath of fidelity 10
| the sultan is IN the name of God oaIy.
| The la nIah il Allah" There is one
| Cod is not followed by "Mahomet
| ressoul oulha7 (Aahomet is his proph-
| et). Old Turks call this freemasonry.
| The massacres may have been Or
dered by the sultan to free himself from
| the reproach of religious Iaxity, which
has been long brought against his fam
lily. MahmOud, his grandfather, sought
TO Europeanize Turkey; his father.
Abdul Medjid, was the friend Of the
Franks. and his uncle, Abdul Aziz, went
en- visit to a Frankish emperor. He
was the first who ever did so. | was
told at Constantinople that Armenians
Of mark were still sent to the YiIdiz
kiosk-to be heard of no more. The
same fate sons times happens TO Turks,
old and young. The Shadow took UNI
bragg AZ his brother-in-law, Mahmoud
Demad, talking lightly about him in a
place where walls had ears. To punish
him, he got up the trial of the murder
crs of Abdul Aziz. Mourad and his
mother, with Mahmoud, Midhat and
Noury Pashas. were among the accused
parties. To give an air of legal formal
ity to the prosecution, chamber of
criminal indictments was named. con-
sisting of three members, a president
and two secretaries. They were to sit at
the Yildiz, and proceed according to pa
pers prepared for them there. Before
they went, they did not know who was
TO be prosecuted. On arriving they were
received by the grand chamberlain in
the sultan's name. He then informed
them of the task they were to discharge.
They said it vas impossible in one day
to get through it, and were told to re-
turn on the morrow. This they did.
and were shown to a small, low room
where they were packed together. Sem
tinels were placed outside in the CORR
dor. They were kept there for two
days without food or drink. On being
let out they were taken to d tent in the
grounds. There they found Lalif Bey,
q limb of the law, TO whom the title Of
Encouragement was given. He had
with him a slave, bearing a DOx of pa
pers. They were -'alI documents re-
lating to the assassination OF the late
sultan, Abdul Aziz." and they were to
read them with the greatest care, and
then draw up their indictments accord
ing to law. They had every liberty
they could desire; but they were ex.
pected to lose no time, and to send in
their indictments before evening. a
chamberlain coming in, the president
remarked that, to be legal, the sitting
should be secret. An imperial order, il
was answered. was above all law. Pres
emily, mitrailleuses, with muzzles fac
ing toward the tent, were set around it,
The box of papers was opened without
more ado. But when the attorney-gen-
eral required the guilt of Mourad and
his mother to be established, there was
a protest. The chamber could see nc
proof that they were guilty. Would it
be Legitimate in any case to condemn a
member of the reigning house, who also
had reigned? A compromise was hit
upon by the chamberlain; it was this:
Mourad was an accomplice in the muir
der; but as he was of unsound mind he
did not incur the penalty of death. His |
mother was drawn into completely by |
him, and, hardly being a free agent, |
would be parGoned. The great points |
were to ruin Midhat and Mahmoud, and |
they were gained.-London Truth