The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-04
REDVGN PASHES MURDER.
QUARREL OF HIGH OFFICIALS
IN CONSTANTINOPLE.

shows Up Modern Turks saVagery.
A picturesque tale OF lie on the Bosporus
to-day. in which mediaval methods blend
With ward politics, Is told by the CONSTANT
NOBLE correspondent Of the London Times
IN relating the full details OF the recent
assassination Of Redvan Pasha and the
downfall Of the Kurdish family OF o~nloials
that was brought to trial for it. The story
and, however, before the most brutal Incl
Dent, All shamil's killing the prosecutor
At the trial by tearing his throat pen With
his teeth. He writes:
Toward the INC Of last November the good
neople OF COnstantinople were amused or
~scandalized, according to their tempera-
ment, by a violent ARRAY between the de-
pendents OF two powerful Pashas, Abdur-
rezzak, master OF ceremonies at the i'm
perial palace, and Redvan, project OF the
CITY. or late years such events have be-
come too frequent In the Turkish oficial
world to create more h a passing sensa-
ton. The press is too severely censored
sven TO hint at them; and this particular
cxair you'd rave been forgotten like others
had % not proved the opening scene Of a
grim tragedy and led TO the death'or ruin
Of some OF the most powerful men in the
empire.
Redvan Pasba IL, or rather was. a not
unusual type OF Turkish %oficial, although
superior in attainments, and from some
points Of view in character, to most o. his
fellows. Extremely we'll educated. speak
ing French huently, we'll versed in Arabic
and Persian literature and in Mussulman
Law and the son Of a prominent official, he
had quick ly made his way to the front.
After acting as one Of the Sultan's score
taries, he had been appointed Assistant
Minister Of the Interior, and had exchanged
that post for the important and remunera-
tive Office Of project Of Constantinople. In
his youth he had shown leanings toward
Liberalism, and had been somewhat com-
promised by having acted as secretary
Of the bureau OF the short lived Turkish
Parliament; but he made amends for this
nv the fidelity with which he afterward
served the Sultan and by the zeal with which.
he Joined in the persecution Of everything
and everybody suspected OF Liberal ten
denotes.
As project OF the capital he devoted him
self chiefly to the police and spy depart
ments, and as he was, moreover, frequently
employed by the Sultan on special services,
the actual municipal work was largely left
b subordinates. The city revenues were
to a large extent diverted from their proper
objects and used to send remittances to
the palace, to maintain an army OF spies
and Tor other purposes, including, OF course,
the personal extravaganza OF the prefeot
and his sons. In addition TO the regular
revenues large sums were raised by extor-
ton and other irregular methods. The
bakers guild, for example. paid the Pasha
$50 Turkish liras q day, in return for which
he refrained from interfering when they
sold bread below legal weight. Bdt on the
whole he was a good official as Turkish
officials go. and his amiability and intelli-
gence made him popular with the foreign
ers with whom he came into contact. As he
became more and more absorbed in his
police duties he allowed the real direction
Of municipal affairs to drift into the hands
Of certain Ahmed Aga, a man Of low origin
and inferior education, who~acted as 60
between for him in delicate business mat
tiers.
CLASH WITH HI BEDR KHANs
II was through Ahmed Aga that Redvan
came into conflict with AbdurrezZak Pasha,
an enemy formidable not only az a high
palace Official but as a member OF the
powerful Kurdish family Of the Bedr Khan
Zade, or descendants OF Bedr Khan. This
family takes it's name from Abdurrezzak's
grandfather, a noted Kurdish chief, who
in the reign Of Sultan Abdul Medjid main
tanned for some years a desperate struggle
against the Ottoman Government. He is
first mentioned in Turkish history about the
year 1882. when he gathered a clan round
him in the vilayet Of Mosul and began to
extend his power by constant fighting and
pillsging. At first the Porte tried to bride
him to be quiet by giving him the rank OF
Colonel and taking him and his men into the
imperial service, just al it now does with
Ibrahim Pasha, the chief Of the Hamidieh
regiment Of Kurdish irregular cavalry.
: In 1854, however, he vas again in opposi-
ton; and this time a large force was de-
spatched against him under the command
Of the Govsrno or -General OF Aleppo, who
was given the title OF Marshal OF Asia Minor
for the occasion. The campaign lasted
many months and at first it seemed as il
victory would remain with the Kurdish
chief; but in the end he was brought to
bay in the fortress Of Orak, and after with
standing a long siege. ne consented to
ing on good conditions he was brought
TO Co~nstantinople, together with his forty
surviving IONS, OF whom sixteen are still
alive. he finally retired TO DAMASCUS on
a pension, and died there full OF years and
honors. His sons and grandsons entered
the Turkish service and eventually the
family became more powerful under the
Sultan than it had ever been against him.
One OF Bedr Khan's sons, Ali Shamil, be-
came military governor OF Scutari, and
others OF his sons and grandsons rose to be
governors OF important towns or to occupy
positions OF equal dignity.
Abdurpezzak, whose quarrel with Red
van Pasta was to prove the ruin Of the
whole family, was a nephew OF Ali Shamil.
and grandson OF the old Bedr Khan. The
origin Of the quarrel was as trivial as could
we'll be imagined. Ahmed Aga, Redvan's
agent, came to live in Shishli. a suburb OF
Constantinople, not far from Yildiz Kiosk,
and as luck would nave il in the same
street as Abdurrezzak. This street was
as badly paved as most other streets in the
capital, and Ahmed On coming to live in IL
gave orders at the Prefecture that the part
Of II in front OF his own house should be
repaired. Abdurrezzak, hearing OF this,
sent a message asking that the repairs
should be extended up to his door. Ahmed
sent back an i~nsolent reply, telling the
master Of ceremonies to mind his own
business and not to interfere in municipal
AFFAIRS.
A. ~ 4