Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-03-26

great anxiety because of the bitter.
ness growing out of incidents in Je.
rusalem. and several days before
Christmas the governor and the police
authorities took up their Headquarters
at Bethlehem and the wires between
that place and Constantinople were
hot with kilograms reporting the sit
uation and giving Instructions for its
treatment Fortunately. through the
diplomatic management of the Mo
hammedan officials, a collision was
prevented. but the tense feeling is H.
lustrated by the experiences of an
American gentleman who desired to
make photograph of some ancient
mosaics high on the walls of the
church. He asked permission to erect
a scaffolding upon which he could
place his camera. and to scrub the
mosaics in order that the designs
might appear more clearly. The mo-
saics were on Roman Catholic terri
tory, but in order to get the proper
focus the scaffolding would have to
be placed upon Green territory. hence
permission was refused, and when the
American appealed to the governor
he was informed that nothing could
be done without special permission
from Constantinople. In describing
the situation the governor pointed out
a window which had been broken. but
the jealousy between the Christian
sects was so great that neither would
allow member of the other to mend
it, so he employed Jew glazier to
put in pane of glass.
But even more extraordinary things
have occurred in that sacred church.
Tourists Invariably inquire the his
tory and Significance of a rough iron
chain which hangs over the entrance
to the grotto in which the Prince of
Peace was born, and hear e remarka-
bic story. 1t is explained to them
that many years ago. through the in
huence of an Armenian, who at that
time was grand vizier OF Turkey. the
Armenian monks obtained permission
from the sultan to hang n chain to
which lamps could be attached, simi.
lar to chains already hung for the
same purpose by the Greeks and Ro-
man Catholics. When the governor
received the order he notified the
Greek bishop. who appeared very cor
dial, after reading the irmin, and
expressed his desire to cooperate in
anything that the sultan had ordered.
Permission was then granted to the
Armenians, who appeared with their
chain on the following day, and
when the governor entered the church
he was surprised and delighted to find
several Greek monks assisting in the
work
1'he chain was put up without the
slightest difficulty, but when an Ar
ia4frbbnp usiaGlessd- M, the ladder with
Greek monk followed and knocked
him off the ladder. He fell to the
toor senseless and bleeding. The
Mohammedan guard Immediately ar
rested the Greek monk. The bishop
was sent for. and to the astonishment
of the governor. justified the assault
and admitted that 1t had been com
mitted by his orders. He added that
the Armenian had permission simply
to hang chain for lamps, but the fir
min did not include permission to
hang lamps upon II. Upon examining
the document this was found to be the
fact. II read "a chain for lamps" and
the Greek bishop contended that the
Armenians had no right to do any
thing. The governor insisted upon
more liberal construction Of the order.
but the Greeks would not concede n
point, and the question was referred
to Constantinoplc for decision.
The authorities at the sublime porte
are in the habit of avoiding the deci-
sion of perplexing questions. hence
when the report from the governor
reached Constantinople 1t was poked
into pigeon hole. where II has been
lying ever since, and the Armenians
have never been able to obtain per
mission TO hang lamps upon their
chain.