The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-10
HAS TOO MANY WIVES
SHAH OF PERSIA Is REPORTED TO
HAVE LOST HIS REASON.
He Has Now 500 Helpmeets and In
Adding Twenty-Five Maidens Each
Year to His Harem.

ST. LOUIS, July s-The Republics New
York correspondent says: The Shah of Per-
STA has become insane. He is one of the
most interesting Oriental despots in the
world. more so in many respects than the
Sultan of Turkey, because he Is less sub
ject to European and other outside in
fuences. The cause of his insanity is SAID
to be the immense number of his wives.
According to the last accounts they num-
bered 500, many of them not being. strictly
speaking wives The difficulty of caring for
them In the manner prescribed by the GUS
toms of Persia has wrecked the unhappy
despots mind.
Russian officer who has just returned
from Teheran. the political capital of
Persia, reports that the Shah has become
mentally ard physically incapacitated and
that he suffers from Authorizations. He
finds his chief amusement with telephones,
which are installed throughout the palace.
The Shah's name is Muzaffer- Ed-Din, and
he Is described b. his own documents as
THE King of Kings, the Enthroned of Two
Cycles" Muzaffer- Ed-Din occupies the
throne of Xerxes. Darius. Artaxerxes and
other famous monarchs in whose time Per-
STA was the greatest country in the world.
That was before the rise of the Greek and
Roman power. The Shah is not descended
from those old monarchs, but he rules over
the same people and claims all their powers.
He is of Turkish blood and belongs to the
Chilte dynasty of the Kadjars. He is. or
was, a very rigid Mussulman.
The present Shah has occupied the throne
OF Persia only three years His father, the
famous Nasr-Ed-Din, was assassinated
three years ago by religious fanatic. This
monarch was famous because he paid
visit to Europe. during which he created
both amusement and embarrassment by his
comments on social conditions, the dress
eminent. Having gone over the magnificent
property of the Duke of Portland, he re-
marked .aI to the Prince of Wales:
why doesn't your mother cut Off this
mans head and take his property? 1 should
do so in Persia"
When the governor of the bank of Eng
land placed million dollars worth of bank
notes in his hands to let him feel what they
were like, the Shah thought it was a slight
onto the wad. 1t was only with great diff
Guilty. that he could be prevailed on to re-
linquish ii.
Muzaffer- Ed-Din was the second son of
this monarch, but the eldest by a wife Of
royal blood. His elder brother, LILIES
Sultan. is man of strong and violent char
acter and power in the land. 1t is ex-
pected that he will soon grasp at the throne.
That Is why Muzaffers insanity is regarded
as grave event from European political
POINT of view.
The fact that the present Shah of Persia
really occupies the throne Of XerXes Is
evidenced by the way In which he chooses
day almost exactly as it is described in
ihe BOOK OF Esther" which referred to
the time of Xerxes.
When Xerxes deposed Vashti, all the
maidens in the kingdom were brought be-
fore him in a long procession, In order that
he might choose from them To-day the
beautiful girls N ed
before the Shah once year. 1t is his GUS
tom to select twenty-five of them annually.
Thus, II the Shah reigned for fifty years he
would have at least $50 wives.
On Dec. 70 OF every year an official no
tines the parents of pretty daughters TO get
Shah. A month later the exhibition takes
place. A distinguished French Journalist
VINO witnessed this ceremony furnished the
IoIlowlng description of It:
There Is suppressed murmur OF ex-
element land then an involuntary exclama-
ton OF All? as emerging from the further
end comes forth a body Of royal truInpeters.
In dazzling array they pass before the
vision, causing one to ponder whether after
al. oecked out In all their finery, they are
not persons of high degree.
Twice, thrice they wind their horns and
then the spectacle for which all have waited
bursts upon the view. There is a furtive
craning of necks to catch the first glimpse.
the murmur of suppressed breathing the
Dabbling of half muttered interpretations and
then, bursting forth In dazzling array from
the opening through which the trumpei ers
nave so recently filed, like lily expanding
It's bloom; come the debutantes arrayed in
sumptuouSnesS of brilliant display
FORWARD they come toward the open in
closure, T SUI singing IN as they go. and preceded
mowers In every direction. In the closely
massed group of 100 human beings are gath
cred cred the fairest maidens in all Persia Now
they pass us, laughing and chattering but
IN every eye the faint light of dubious i'm
aginihg and knowledge that. after all. there
may s.,, De others more fortunate than she
Three times they circle around the mar
row courtyard, then, at a signal from the
trumpeter, take up their positions in a long
Weighed S Son heart cart In all that group but IS
with CONNECTING hopes and fears: not one
but will be glad when all Is over Though
tear. ""N
But now the last great moment has ar
rived Again the trumpeters peal forth a
Is touched TO the ground at the spectacle
or an Insignificant little man rapidly maxi
ing his way across the courtyard. preceded
OF office, and followed by an escort of mag
nificent off1cialism. And this, the most ufI-
p pre- and unassuming of them all. is
The Sun of the Universe the one toward
alteration the shah of shahs, he whose
word is law to millions of people,
1T is almost impossible to perceive his
body. so closely is he covered with magnifi-
cent Jewels, not portion Of his garment
put rcHeClS every cOlOr or the rainbow.
vision of opulence for which the rest of
Persia lies buried in squalor and filth
He has paused for an instant now and
the end is at hand. Slowly preceding him
marches the Star Salar. at each step TAX
ing a maiden by the hand and raising her
to face her monarch. A nod of approval
or one of negation. not a word spoken not
one word of love or affection, and hearts
are sickened or filled with secret joy
THE Sun hides his face for a moment
the great Shah passes on without change
In his stole countenance Persia has Of
fered up the fairest in her land to her SOW
ereign, the royal will is satisfied. Tw NY
five hearts are filed with an abundance of
joy, the life and happiness Of seventy-five
are blotted out. Once more that dwarfed
almost hideous little body shuffies uneasily
across the courtyard, the trumpeters blare
forth the regal salute, all is over"
1t is not unusual for a Shah to have
hundred or more children. The present one
has seventeen Of unmixed royal blood but
the others are not counted accurately.
The Shah has 500. OC0 600 of treasure in the
form Of precious stones. largely rubes and
pearls. These he keeps in glass jars so
that he can always tell at a glance whether
many have been stolen. If only half dozen
or so disappear he does not worry. but II
the pile in the glass lar falls IN inch or two