The Sunday globe., 1901-08-04

The Sultan of Turkey, the bloody
/ Abdul Hamid II, now wreaks his ven
geance for the most part in a secret
/ way. Formerly public executions took
/ place on an elevated platform close by
| the mint. There a lifeguard might
| be seen standing with a rod in his
| hand pointing to the heads of Bashas
and other dignitaries there displayed
/ i'm trenChers, at the same time pro-
| Cleiming the crimes Of each undortu-
nate victim, A placard was also upon
/ the wall, on which were inscribed the
titles, crimes, etc, of the deCapitated.
/ But this platform now constitutes a
| halting place for the heayily-laden
porters,
Human butchyy and scenes of blood
/ were once the delight of Nhe Turks.
| Death in its most horrid forms, with
out a warning to its victim, ofttimes
| with no tell-tale heads or PROSTATE
! bodies as signs where the blows had
! Allen, was to this people a mere Incl
dent Of a day only a token Of the alb
solute power of the Sultan. The de-
| posed digntary used to sit in a GER
/ tain cell close by the Seraglio walls
awaiting his destiny.
/ Less than half a century ago such
scenes were enacted almost daily, but
| now they are unknown. The last exc
/ cution took place some 30 years since
/ But the circumstances Of the execution
We're sufficiently revolving to merit re-
Cietl after this lapse Of time. An Ar
menian, seeing his companion, a Mus.
sulman, mOlested by ano hire Nasal.
man, went to his assistance and was
so unfortunate as to kill the aggressor
during the affray. The Armenian was
arrested tried, and found guilty. The
penalty Of the law was death, but as
the penal code had been reformed, the
government wished to send him to the
state prison for life. In Turkey the
criminal code is derived from the Ko.
ran, which sanctions the ancient and
Jewish practice Of blood for blood, eye
for eye, and tooth for tooth. Hence,
i'm cases Of murder the relatives Of the
victim are consulted and they thus be.
come the real prosecutors, and not the
government.
In this case it was the mother of the
deceased Mussulman who cried blood
for blood. The government tried to
dissuade her from the exercise Of her
right of sanguiRary vengeance, by cit
ing to her the alternative which the
Koran itself proposes--that is, a ran.
som for the crime. She was offered
the sum Of $1,000, which she steadily
refused, Finding that there was no
reasoning with this woman Of high
temper and desperate purpose, it was
decided to sentence the young man to
be executed. Ills sentence Of death |
was accordingly written, and, as is al. |
ways customary on such occasions, the !
reed that traced its characters was
broken and thrown away as polluted !
for any further lse
The young man was led forth accom- |
panied by the old vixen, his prose.
cutriN, who tottered along. leaning up.
on her staff When they arrived at the
place of execution, she seemed to have
attained the acme Of her ambition
Her breath came short and heavy from
the tumult Of her emotions and her
eyes flashed with demoniacal delight |
The longed-for hour of vengeance was
hers and she cried out for the sacTi. F.
fee But no knife was raised no hand
appeared
"Where is the public executioneer"
sne cried.
There is no e1scstioneer now" they
tell her
"Who, then, is to behead the
wretch?"
A shrug Of the shoulders by the Of.
fcers in attendance tell her that it is
none Of their business.
In dismay she tries to persuade one
of the police officers to do the deed,
/ She offers money but all in vain, The
men, shuddering draw back, eXclaim.
ing, God forbidn'
+ In agony of despair she beats the
/ earth with her staff, and wildly she
rushes TO and f,o, cursing all about
her and even bestowing blows with
her slipper on he helpless officers.
The crowd Eecoils from her in horror,
and in audible whispers nutter: God
preserve ms. she ravesl' With the
hope Of convincing her that no other
eNecutioneer could be found, a sword
is placed I'm her hand and she is or
dered to use her right to avenge, to
kill
Startled at the novel idea Of becOm-
ing a public eXecutioneer, and yet inn
PEELED by disappointment, she, tremb-
ling with rage, seizes the weapon, and,
lTandishing it, threatens to produce
an indiscriminate destruction upon an
around, until, overwhelmed with rage
and decrepitude, she filings down the
sword and disappears from the scene.
The poor young man is Teconducted to
prison, and hopes are entertained Of
his ultimate cOmmtation
Time passes, and the old crone sits
brooding I'm despaif when 10, her rev.
cries are one day interrupted One of
, those outcasts from society, who rove
from the a.Iinities of human society,
but who fear not, shrink not from the
shadow of a crime, wandering gipsy,
knocks at her door Give me but so
piastres' (about 6O) he cries "and
lead him fOrth-his blood Is yours
To the dismay Of all the fatal man
% Is, at the instance Of his unrelenting
5 persccutriy, again led forth into the
! public square, TO De beheaded, but, not
now as formerly the eIecutioneer was
{ there alss The victim lmelt, the sword
= was raised and fell bur the head was
b. not soyered-siX several strokes were
5 made succossively by that unskilled
: fiend, until the horrostricken multi
% tude cried out, "For mercy sake, butch
2 cr him, butcher him!' and he was lit
. orally hacked to pieces
This 10 Is believed was the last pub
Z lic execution iu Turkey
: Coro ina Bright- ARE winners
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