The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-02-24
RICHEST MAN IN TURKEY
HOW AN ARMENIAN BANKER
GOT HIS WEALTH.
A Tale Involving Two Assassinations
and a Midnight Search for Incrimi-
mating Documents.

The richest man i'm Turkey is an Ar
menian who is a ndturaliZed American
citizen and lived in the United States
for several years. If the stories told
in the diplomatic circle of CONSTANT
nople are true he came by his money
in a peculiar manner. 1t will be re-
membered that the Sultan Aziz was
prior to his death he accumulated all
the money and bonds he could obtain,
which he stored away in his palace as a
reserve fund i'm case of a war with
Russia. The amount of his accumu-
lationS has been Variously estimated at
from $l0000,000 to $40, 900, and was
undoubtedly considerably i'm excess of
the latter sum. Most of it was in
English, French and German securi-
ties that drew interest and were easily
convertible at any bank in any city of
Europe.
Although the assassination was a
mystery it is believed to have been in
spired if it was not actually accom-
plished by Midad Pasha, the minister
of finance, from avaricious motives He
alone was aware of the magnitude of
the sultan's horde and the place of its
concealment, and after his sovereign's
death, by virtue of his position. he took
charge of the fund and pretended to
deposit it in the public treasury. But
it is believed by those most familiar
with Turkish affairs that he retained
for his own benefit a large part-per
haps One-half of (which, for motives
of self protection, he entrusted to the
Armenian banker named, and directed
him to take the bonds to London and
Paris and there deposit them in such
a manner that their ownership could
not be traced to Midad Pasha. 1t is
also believed to have been the latter's
intention to withdraw a portion of this
property from concealment as soon as
he felt safe in doing so.
But not long afterward Midad Pasha
was himself aSsassinated in the most
bold and astounding manner. He was
a meeting of the ministry,
when he was informed that a meSsen-
ger was awaiting him in the ante-room
with a confidential communication
that must be delivered Immediately and
to himself alone. Midad left his COL
leagues and entered the ante-room,
where an unknown man Immediately
a dagger into his heart. The
palace guard, hearing his death cry,
and the fan of the body, Immediately
rushed to the room and shot the assas-
sin before he could escape. Although
the police continued their investigation
for months, they were never able to
identify the assassin or associate any
one else with the crime, but the know
ing ones believed he was a ruffian i'm
ported from the mountains by the Ar
menian banker to commit the deed and
was handsomely paid for his work. On
the evening of Mdad's assassination
the Armenian banker went to Midad's
palace and informed his widow that
there were concealed in a certain box
papers that would connect her husband
with a conspiracy against the crown,
and would undoubtedly cause the ar
rest and Imprisonment of the entire
family and the confiscation of the en-
tire property if they We're discovered.
The frightened widow. already beside
herself with excitement because of the
assassination, begged him to search
her husbands papers and destroy all
questionable or suspicious documents.
He spent the night at his work, and
among the papers burned that night
are believed to have been the evidence
Of Midad's ownership in the bonds that
have made the Armenian the richest
man in Turkey