The San Francisco call., 1904-09-18

h1nE whose ndnQS are stained VIII
blood. Rebuffed and rebuked on all
sides. King Peter cannot contemplate
his coronation in a happy frame Of
mind.
FEAR OF ASSASSINATION.
1t is not only the contemptuous hos
'tility OF the great powers of Europe
that makes King Peter unhappy on the
Servian throne. Ever since his arrival
in Belgrade a few days after the mur-
der of his predecessor he himself has
lived in mortal terror Of assassination
Hitherto every single Prince and King
who has occupied the Servian throne
has either been assassinated or driven
into exile after compulsory abdica-
tion, and King Peter has every reason
to fear that he will be no exception to
this rule. He is well aware that the
officers who killed King Alexander and
summoned him to the throne would
not hesitate to murder him in precisely
the same way If he ceased to be their
tool. He is merely the caricature Of
King sitting on the blood-stained
throne simply to carry out the win OF
this group of murderous military die
tatorsg whose unbearable tyranny has
alienated the masses of the people to
such an extent that one or the other
malcontent, burning with his own and
others wrongs, is likely to terminate
the national misery by putting a bullet
through King Peters royal body.
King Peter has wisely intrusted his
personal safety not to Servians, but to
foreigners. Immediately after his ac-
cession to the throne he formed a body
guard composed Of men who have
served in the Swiss army. and he sur
rounds himself with his Swiss protect
ors day and night. When he makes a
journey through his dominions the
Swiss bodyguard accompanies him to
keep his loving subjects at a safe dis
tance. When he drives out in the
streets of Belgrade the Swiss body
guard surrounds his carriage During
the daytime the Swiss bodyguard sup
plies the sentries standing around the
royal palace, and at night they hold
the palace and approaches thereto in
force, so as to prevent the repetition OF
such a treacherous attack as ended
Alexander's reign.
HAUNTED BY GHOSTS.
Even with this precaution King
Peter has no peace of mind or feeling
of security. His palace is situated a
stones throw from the old konak in
which Alexander and Draga were
murdered, and the vicinity is disa-
greeable to King Peter. When he
gets up in the morning the konak
catches his eye. reminding him Of the
fate which may overtake him. When
distinguished visitors come to his pal
ace he finds their glances wandering
furtively in the direction of the ko-
max with horror and aversion. He
cannot leave his palace without driv-
ing past the konak and cannot walk in
his own garden except in the konak's
shadow. During the long. weary
hours of the night the konak appears
to him in Nightmares as an appalling
burden slowly crushing him to death.
The konak troubles him so much that
he has ordered it to be pulled down
and the work of demolition is now
proceeding. In his dreams the King
sees the ghosts OF Alexander and
Draga and Draga's brother, Leuten-
ant Lunjevitza, and the PremierMark-
ovitch. who lost their lives in the
fatal night at the konak. towering
around him with undying hatred and
horrible menace imprinted on their
ethereal features. Peter made a sorry
bargain when he exchanged his peace
full exile in free Switzerland for the
wobbling throne Of Servia- The crown
which he strove to wrest from the
ObrenOvitche for so many long wears
has brought him neither happiness