The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-09

sension between the prince and minister.
| For a time twas a question whether
| Ferdinand or StambuGoff was the ruler Of
! Bulgaria. hTt the ministers enemies, aided,
! encouraged and supplied with fu' j,
/ prince, were too strong for him, and he
was turned out of Office. Then came the
ASA sination.
| On the evening of July 10, 1895, at
o'clock Stefan Stambuioff and Dimitri Pet
| coff, a former minister, left the Union club
in Sofia and got into a carriage driven by
| Mietcho Atzoff, which was to convey them
to the residence of the ex-prime minister
When the carriage reached Raconska
street on which were situated, almost
| side by side, the home of Stambuloff and
| the prefecture of police a revolver shot
was heard, upon which the coachman at
once refined in his horses. On the right of
the vehicle there appeared a man with a
yatagan-the fearful Bulgarian knife-in
| his hands He threw himself on Stambuloff
who cried to Petcoff to flee for his life.
Stambuloff himself tried to escape by run
ming in the direction of his home. but he
did not make much Roadway. Hearing one
of hi sassailants close upon hi sheels he
could fire the weapon was knocked from
| his hand by blow from a yatagan.
Then the three murderens closed around
him, hacking at hi shead and arms while
he defended himself bravery with all his
might He wore a knife-p-oof steel shirt,
which prevented his assailants from injur-
ing MIN fatally in the body
The coachman, who was evidently in
league with the assassins, ran away as
soon as he saw Stamoulot ahght, but
Gountcho, Stambuloff's brave servant,
who was inside, forced the man TO stop
with his revolver. He then ran toward
the assassins, firing his revolver and
shouting, Help, help, arrest him.
This was just opposite the prefecture Of
police, but no one came to help. At a sec
ond shot however, the assassins took
fight Then the police came on the scene
and in spite of all explanations, they ar
rested the faithful Goumtcho.
In the meantime Petcoff returned to
Stambuloff and found him lying covered
with wounds and almost dead. A carriage
was procured, and the ex-premier was
driven slowly to his home.
1t was foun dthat the right hand of the
victim hung in shreds, while his head had
been in many places denuded of flesh. The
surgeons found ii necessary oamputate
both hands. On July IS StambuIoff died.
Three men were tried for the murder of
Stambuloff Two of them were sentenced
to three years Imprisonment, and the other
was acquitted. The convicted men, had I'M
doubtedly taken part in the assassination,
but they were only common hirelings It
was quite plain that at the trial that men
of high power were responsible for the
murder.
There was good 1son to believe that
one of Prince FerdInands aide-de-camps,
who was afterwards accused OF murder
ing a dancing girl, had a hand in plan
ming the Stambuloff assassina ton. Prince
Ferdinand had been known to say things
which meant:
"Oh. who will rid me OF this trouble
some statesman
The most impressive Gene at the trial
was the appearance of Nine. Stambuloff.
For more than a week she was urged in
vein to appear in court At last she came,
and said
'Acquit those wretched people. Summon
before you the real guilty men, who now
are the government.
You have insisted upon my presence,
and here I am. / have nothing to say be
cause I do not see arraigned before you
those who are known to be the real assas-
sins of my husband"
1t is a strikingly commentary on the diff
ferent character of Prince Ferdinand and
o fhis wife, that while he attended a the
alter at Carlsbad on the night after Siam
buloffs death. his wife, who remained in
Sofia, sent messages of deep sympathy to
Nine. Stambuloff
Nevertheless Ne widow continued to con-
centrate all her hatred on the princess,
who ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the estrange-
ment between her husband and the prince.
The princess wa the eldest daughter of
the ducal house of Parma. and related to
almost every throne in Europe.
She was born on January II. 1870. and
was married on April 10. 1898. to Prince
Ferdinand. the reigning prince of Bulgaria,
youngest son of the bate Prince Augustus,
of Ssxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess
Clementine of Bourbon-Orleans, daughter
of King Louis Philippe.
Four children were born to them-Boris,
born January so, 1894; Cyril, born Novem-
Der Il, 1895 a daughter. born in January,
which life was given for a life.
The conversion of her son. Prince Boris.
to the Greek church on February IA. 1896,
a step taken by Prince Ferdinand to Sc
cure recognition as ruler Of Bulgaria from
the powers, was bitterly opposed by her,
and it was said at the time that the cere-
mony was such a shock TO her that she
would soon die of a broken heart.
That was regarded in Bulgaria as the
first fulfilhment of the curse, Drag her
away from happiness"
For her devotion to the church the pope
afterward conferred on her the Golden
Rose.
In the short six years of her reign were
crowded a century of tragedies.
She is dead at % That Will certainly be
regarded in wild Bulgaria as the fulflment
of the second clause in the curse,
Drag her away from life