Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-01-31

the supreme moment the Janissaries
were flung upon the enemy in a terrif.
lc charge and in hundreds Of great
nights the charge meant sweeping vic.
tory Then followed awful slaughter
Iooting ravishing and nameless horrors
as the maddened Janissaries INDUCED
their lust for blood and plunder.
The growth Of such a corps as long
as conquest was possible and eompar.
atively easy only added to the power
and vigor Of the ultan's rule. but as
the Turk at last faced Europe and vic.
tory was not always certain, the Janis.
saries became a menace to the throne.
They were certainly in the flower and
usefulness to the Turks when Moham.
med II. undertook the tremendous task
Of besieging Constantinople in 1853 and
overturning the Greek empire. which
represented a thousand years Of the
rule Of the Caesars on the banks Of the
Bcsphorus In the memorable, epoch
making siege which is the eliminating
point of the late General Lew Wal
laee's historical romance, "The Prince
Of India" aud which Is presently 20
be put on the stage at the Colonial the.
ater in Chicago in the dramatization by
J. ]. g. Clark, the Janissaries figure for
much in the world shaking event. II
was one Of their number who first
mounted the wall that had been unsur
mounted by.a foe for centuries; It was
the Janissaries who madly followed him
and gave up the city to slaughter and
rapiue. That charge Of the Janissar
les has remained blood red mark in
history.
After Constantinople had become
Turkish, and Turkish power spread
over what is now known as Turkey In
Europe. but over lands in the Balkans
the Southern Russia long since won
back from the Moslem, a. we'll ne over
all western Asia, the Janissaries be
came an imporium In imperio, and the
sultans no longer called their souls
their own. Their discipline fell away
they became fractions lasolcnt, over
bearing. lawless. Mohammed IT. had
increased their number 10 10000. and
later they were still further Increased.
They no longer remained unmarried.
They shortened their terms of service.
but were Janissarics In the delds and
towns. whether ponsiohed or waiting
service. They coercod Solim 20 raise
their pay uatil ho had almost 20 empty
his treasury 20 satisfy them. lie raised
che eorps 70 10000 men, established the
corps Of invalids and nominally enroll
Cd himself In their hFst regiment lie
hattered them In every way, AZ the
camp Of another regiment he took a
cup o. sherbet aud pledged them, say
ING, 1--WE shall meet again az the Red
Apple" which was tho tempting way
they referred 10 the dream Of taking
the city Of Rome. by the time Of 9th.
man III. (l6ss) tho JahissaTies had be-
come the chief curse OF the empire, and
tyFanniEed over sultan and people, and
from that on 10 their awful extiTpation
in 1926, their history was written In
tho dethFoning and murder Of sultans,
the deposing Of political and religious
ehisftains and tho continual rise Of
their sxaetions. They were allowed 10
marry. They were recruited from Nos
lens as well as Christians, Their camp
az Broussa became center OF hs
tuTbanee 10 the whole empire, All at
tempts 20 end their power had failed
until Mahmoud n, took his measures
with great skill and cunning. suddenly
a fetza or royal sentence was read
from the pulpit steps Of the Mosque Of
Aehmet denouueing the crimes Of the
JanissaFies and ordering the execution
OF the corps. And bloodily and 20 the
letter il was carried out. An over
whelming attack was directed upon the
Etmeidan quarter, which had been q
home for the sedition Of the JanissaTies
for centuries. The hght was bitter
but the sultan's viii prevailed and the
eOrpses Of 10000 Janissariss ehoked the
streets Of EtmeidaR when daylight
came the following morning. In their
barracks alone 5000 psrished in blood
and flames. The mosque Of the Tegi'
ment was leyeled 10 the ground, and
the bodies Of 200 leaders lay in front
Of the ruins, and so the name OF Jan
issary passed into history with the
crimson stain upon it that il made its
own from the beginning.
Want a constitutional cOnvention
Baltimore, Jan. 3l.-TheFe is a strong