Evening star., 1897-05-12
The Remarkable Claim That is Made
for 0sman Pasha,
COMMANDER OF The TURKISH FORCES
Has Been a Soldier of Fortune All
His Life.
STORY OF HIS BOYHOOD

at Plevna during the Russo-Turkish war
in 1877. by holding that place for many
months against the utmost endeavors of
the Russian army to dislodge him, but
l. who was finally compelled to surrender
with 5000 men to a much larger force,
and who has recently been appointed COM
mander-in-chief of the armies of the OF
toman empire by the sultan, is an American
by birth, at least that is what quite num-
ber of the former residents of east Tennes-
see claim.
An ex-confederate soldier George Nc
Henry, former Tennessean, and recently
visiting in this city, knew him and his
family many years ago before he was Os-
man Pasha. According to this gentleman
he was born in the little village of Rogers
Vile, which is a pretty and interesting viii
lase nestled among the hills of east Ten
nessee, and numbers of his relatives reside
there at the present time. The event which
gave to the world this noted character oc-
CURED sixty-three years ago. Robert
Crawford was the name he bore from his
early years until some time shortly after the
civil war. His father was also named Rob-
ert Crawford, and for many years taught
school III this little Tennessee town. His
| father was good English scholar and
mathematician of more than ordinary abil-
ity but had seemingly no control what
ever over his son, who early deyeloDed a
cruel, malicious disposition. The boy Rob-
ert in his school days was a fine mathe-
matlcian and unusually bright, but his
cruelty and wantonness led to his leaving
the parental roof at the age of seventeen
| or eighteen. story told by the old SOL
dier from whom the information con-, aimed
| herein was derived illustrates perhaps bet
ter than anything else could the nature of
the Turkish commander-in-chief when he
was boy.
An Artist With n Knife.
Bob era awford said tbiS gan+Ian,a 90
Star reporter. "as we all knew him back
| In the forties, was a perfect genius for
meanness and nothing pleased him better
than to get some of the younger boys into
bad scrape. 1 remember one day, 1 don't
think could ever forget it, no matter how
long l might live, 1 was on my way to
school, which was at that time taught by
WIDOW, MRS. Jane Garden, and in going
to her house I passed along the road in
front of old man Crawford's 1t was in the
summer, and the old man only kept school,
during the winter season. Bob was sitting
on the woodpile busily engaged making a
cedar bow with his jack-knife; he was an
artist with knife even then, and stop
ped and eyed the bow enviousy.
:! was about nine years old at the time
and Bob was three years older. He saw
the longing look In my eyes, and finally
said, George. how would you like to have
this bow am making? 1t is going to be a
beauty, 1 can tell you, and if you would
earn it. 1 know my eyes must have
danced and my eagerness shown in my
face, for of all things in the world that 1
longed to possess it was a cedar bow and
arrow. Yes l said, I would like to have
it. What must do to earn it,? Well he
said wouldn't take any amount of money
for it, but if you will do as 1 tell you 1
will give 1t to you. 1t Is fine bow, and it
| is almost finished
81 agreed with him that it was a mag
nificent bow and again asked him what
l must do to earn it, He kept steadily
cutting away at 1t putting on the finishing
touches. At one time there had been
fence around the Crawford place, but it
had gone to ruin and all that was left OF
1t was the two tall old gate posts that
stood directly in front of the house and.
perhaps 100 yards from 1t. They appeared
to he perfectly sound, but had been honey
combed at the base from the long years in
the SOIL Finally he said:
Cruel Nature.
"'Well, it's done, and there amt finer
bow in East Tennessee. That's cedar wood
and the very best thing in the world to
make bow out Of and he placed one end
on the ground and sprung it with his knee.
He praised the bow at great length and 1t
seems to me now that he was merely work
ing upon my feelings to be more sure of
the success of his plot. Now, George he
said at last, you see that tallest post out
there 1 said 1 did and was all eager
ness to know what the post had to do
| with my getting the bow. Well, if you'n
do just 1 say and climb to the top of
that post and set straddle of it till l can
run around the house I'll give you this
bow 1 was all eagerness to do he.
said and started for the post. Wait, you
| must take Off your hat and roll up your
pants as high as you can. You can climb
better If you do and If you want this bow
you must do as I say!' I rolled up my
pants and took off my hat and was soon on
top the post, perhaps, twelve feet from the
ground. Just 1 got well seated, strad-
die the top Bob struck the old post blow
with big stick that shook it from top to
bottom, and then stuck the stick in large
hole near the base. He had no sooner
done SO than he started and ran off a short
distance, then turned and watched me. 1
wondered for second why he had stopped
instead of going on around the house as he
said. and then found out. Yellow jackets
had made the old post their home and 1
was in the midst of a swarm of these
most vicious and vindictive insects. I had
been extremely eager to get to the top
of that post, but eagerness doesn't ex-
press the way I wanted to get down. 1
just let loose and dropped. Meanwhile
Bob was laughing Historically at the plight
I was in Did get the bow? Why. OF
felt half as near deaths door when fed
eral bullets were whistling about me as l
did in that nest Of yellow jackets"
With such q spirit 1t needs no astrolOger
to foretell that Bob would get in many Sc
rious scrapes as he grew older. At one time
he was appointed a cadet at West Point
and was admitted to that institution. His
stay there was brief. for he soon managed
to get himself into so many scrapes that
he was dishonorably dismissed. and re-
turned to his old home. The records of the
West Point Academy will give any one who
| cares to investigate the matter the full
particulars.
In the Civil War.
Shortly after he left home he was ar
rested on charge Of highway robbery.
tried. convicted and sentenced to the peni-
tentiary for a short term, which he served.
After he was released from the peniten-
tiary he was in many scrapes of q similar
nature and had two or three desperate
shooting and cutting affairs charged up to
him. but managed to get out of them some
way. For several years he was lost sight
Of but at the outbreak OF the late war he
would get q number of negroes to enlist.
run them north, and then furnish substf-
tutes to those who could afford to pay for
them. 1t was reported that he received as
high as 5000 apiece for them but not q
| dollar of this money did the negroes ever
get. He raised a company Of artillery q
little later on and enlisted them in the
| regular army of the United States. but an