The San Francisco call., 1906-09-24


wants, who had taken part in the fight
against the scavengers. to make the
necessary preparations for the murder
OF Redvan. This man engaged three
other Kurds to help him, and they were
taken into Abdurrezzak's service at fif
teen midjidies-s12 5o-a month AS
sassins are cheap in Turkey.
Redvan had a country villa at Guez
Tepe. a village in the Scutari district.
with station on the Anatolian Rail-
way, and it was decided to kill him on
his way from the train to his villa
rather than in Constantinople The
sparser population and the fact that
the local troops were under the COM
mand of Ali Shamil would it was
thought, render the commission of the
murder easier The four Kurds were
dispatched to Guez Tepe after Abdur-
rezzak had provided them with revol-
vers, cartridges and money and had
personally pointed out Redvan to them
and given them their instructions.
1t was no secret that the Bedr Khans
had sworn vengeance to the death
against Redvan. 1t is probable that
through his police spies he obtained
something more than an inkling of the
precise nature of the plot against him.
He appealed to the palace for protec-
ton, but the Sultan still frowned upon
him. Then, Turk-like. he resigned him
self to his fate. after making his will
and disnosinr of ,,oSf of bis ,,-orar+,,
One evening, just after he had left the
train at Gtez Tepe and was on the way
to his villa, he was set upon by the four
Kurds. To make sure of his death they
fired nine bullets into him before they
took to their heels. Apparently they
had made no special plans for their
escape. depending on the influence of
the heads of the Bedr Khans to get
them off scot free. They were arrested
after short chase and lodged in one
of the local guardhouses
Ali Shamil tried to induce the police
officer in charge to release them. Fail
ing in this. he exercised his authority
as military commander of the district to
get them lodged in the barracks. Then
he provided them with good fare and
cigarettes and told them they needn't
worry bit; he would see them through
OF course, the Sultan heard of the
murder. He sent for Abdurrezzak
Relying on the strength and influence
of the Bedr Khans to secure his i'm
munity, the master of ceremonies
boldly avowed his responsibilities for
the murder He acknowledged that it
had been committed by his servants at
his orders and his only regret was that
his official duties at the palace had
prevented him from avenging in per-
son the insult that the prefect had put
upon him.
There followed a severe struggle be-
tween the Bedr Khan faction at the
palace and the rest of the imperial
entourage as to how the matter should
be dealt with. Abdul @Hamid has enc
mics enough in his domain and he did
not want to add to their number by
taking any decisive steps against a
house so powerful as that of the Bedr
Khans He summoned council of his
principal ministers. With one accord
they urged the necessity of taking Wig
orous action to vindicate the suprem
acy of his own authority Otherwise.
they pointed out, his own prestige
would suffer irretrievably, and the Bedr
Khans would be regarded as the real
rulers of the empire.
This decided the wavering Abdul
Hafnid. Convinced that relentless Sc
verify was his best policy, he acted
with promptitude. Three days after.
Redvan Pasha met his death, Abdurrez
Yak. Ali Shamil and all the leading
members of the Bedr Khans were ar
rested one night and lodged on board
a ship. The four actual assassins were
tried and hanged. Their defense
throws an Illuminating light on the
state of society in Turkey I'VE were
ordered to kill Redvan Pasha and if
we had not killed him our master
would have killed u.s.
Meanwhile the leaders of the Bedr
Khans were conveyed to the fortress
of Tripoli, where they were tried in
on the double charge of high
treason and murder, and all save one
were condemned. But before Ali Sha-
mil was executed. he gave a sensa-
tional exhibition of the savage that
lurked beneath the veneer of twentieth
century civilization. While undergoing
examination in the presence of his
judges, he sprang at the Prosecutor
General and killed him like weasel by
biting him in the throat.
And all these tragic happenings re-
suited from Ahmed Aga's refusal to
use his pull" to lay down stretch of
new pavement in front of Abdurrez-
zak's house!