The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-01-06
SIGHTS IN coNsTANT1NopLE
Dogs, Funerals, Beggars, Blackmailers
 and Hired Assasslns

|
 and Hired Assassns.
 It is not astonishing how other places pail on one after gazing at Constanti- nople from the sea. When the traveller lands the Illusion vanishes it's modern plague is dirt. The streets are un- paved and ohoked with refuse; on eve ry rubbish heap rests mangy eur, in every doorway turks litter of sprawl ing puppies Most of these street CUTS are black or brown. They live in packs which inhabit different districts of Constantinople. If a strange dog in- vades certain fixed limits beyond his own territory one dog rapidly gives signal to all the other dogs in the quar- ter to cut off his retreat Sometimes the intruder contrives to fight his way out. When he is surrounded and re- treat Is impossible, he throws himself on his back in token of submission, | and, with many apologetic wriggles, | sues for mercy. I have frequently seen | dog lie in this position for half an hour; at the expiration of that time he has been given so much start and chased back to his own particular street.
 | My rooms are situated near the Me l morial church. One street runs along the front another at the back of the house, and these two streets are inhab- ited by rival packs of CUTS. Every night large black dog, the champion of the front street, takes his stand at the corner, and raises a long, piercing howl of defiance. This challenge is soon answered by the appearance of champion from the back street. As the l fight waxes warm each party draws nearer, testifying the most lively inter- est in it's progress. The victor then walks round and challenges again. If he is beaten his friends generally rush to his assistance, and the fight rages for hours. This goes on for a fortnight, when somebody, anxious for peace and quietness, poisons the leader of the front-street faction, whereupon his party grow disheartened, give up fight ing for a time, and eat the body of their late chief. Some of these dogs are very affectionate. One, whose puppy had rescued always walked up to the end of the street with me, puppy and all, took her biscuit with lady-like gentleness, and then. went back; in fact, whenever she saw me coming the whole canine family emerged from their home under doorstep and ac- companied me to the house.
 Time passes very quickly in Constan- tinople before the novelty of everything eastern vanishes. And there are many | things strange to English ideas. As I | turn out of the Grand Rue into the Champs des Morts, I suddenly come upon a funeral procession. In an in- open coffin lies the corpse of a young girl attired in the robe that was to have graced her bridal Long black | tresses half shroud her breast. Flow CTS are on the pillow, and lend a rosy
 tint to her features, the wan, white lips alone giving the lie to the mum
 mery with which her weeping friends seek to call her back to life. The cof-
 fin is preceded by priests droning a l dull, mechanical dirge. From the
 crowd of boys, swinging tapers and | bearing incense, the choking sobs of | the dead girls friends rise to a wall of | anguish. The sunlight vanishes, and a | dark cloud falls upon the set features
 of the unhappy bridegroom, who fol-
 lows after. With feeling of intense relief I watch the cortege turn the cor ner and disappear beneath the quaint
 old arched gateway of the Greek bury
 ing ground; but the face of the dead
 girl will haunt me for many day.
 It Is a disgusting, as well as a pite-
 ous sight to see the street beggars on
 the Bridge of the Golden Horn; for
 many of them are lepers. Several beg gars In Pera, however, own a large 4 amount of property. One well-known
 man has houses worth ten thousand liras, and yet Is to be seen in filthy rags begging. A poor governess, who
 was very charitable, used to give him a piastre twice week. One day she missed Ira (pound), and thought she must have given it to the beggar by mistake He had gone home for the
 day, so she followed him to his house
 on the Taxilne. He received her gra-
 ciously, looking like a Pasha at least in his magnificent robes. II never like to
 lose a good client" he said and sent for his bag of takings. If there's a
 lira here we shall find it." Sure
 enough, the lira was there. Take It,"
 he continued, and the poor girl, full of
 thanks, was hurrying away when the beggar stopped her. Wait a moment; you haven't given me the piastre.'
 The Greeks are exceedingly polite,
 but very revengeful. A young Greek fell in love with a Greek girl, though he
 knew that her parents would not listen
 to his suit. In their despair the lovers
 ran away and got married. Four or
 five months later the girls brother
 came to see her, stayed couple of
 months, and told her that their pa
 rents anger seemed to have died away. One evening the brother and the young
 couple were walking outside the city.
 The Greek pulled out a couple of re-
 volvers dropped behind, shot husband
 and wife in the back, and went home to
 receive his parents blessing. No one
 seemed to think the occurrence unusu- al
 | It is a favorite occupation of Con-
 stantinople ruflians to blackmail peo-
 pie. One evening a friend of mine Che
 was small, but plucky as a gamecock)
 received a letter written in Greek say
 ing that in certain street there was
 an empty house in which he must de-
 posit eighty pounds. If he failed to do
 this at the appointed time, the letter
 concluded with polite fear that he