The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-04

Khan ZadS were seized in the capital alone,
and taken a. prisoners on board the vessels
which were In readiness TO transport them
to their places OF Punishment In the Yemen,
Barbary, &o, This sweeping measure was
followed by an inspired campaign IN the
press.
The Turkish newspapers. which as a
rule are forbidden to make the slightest
reference TO events Of this character, were
ordered to publish long articles, written
In the palace, extollinR the murdered Pre-
feet and denouncing the Bedr khans IN
the most violent language as a family OF
traitors and cutthroats. Although no
Official decree nae yet been issued deprlving
them Of their dignities, they were spoken
Of without their titles; and in some OF these
etfusions the epithet OF khinktT (swinel one
OF the most contemptuous in the Turkisp
language, was applied to Abdurrezzak,
until the day before master Of
at the imperial palace. One OF the Jour-
nalists had the courage to demonstrate ana
to point out that such abuse, publicly Ill
rected against men who had Tor many
years enjoyed the favor OF the Sultan
and occupied some OF the highest positions
in the country, could not fail to shake the
confidence OF the people in their rulers;
He was told to mind his own business and
to publish what was given him; the word
khtnsiry it was plainly hinted had beer
used Of Abdurrezzak by the Sultan himself
n must not be changed.
A few days afterward the four Kurds
were tried, convicted OF hurdle and SEN
fenced TO death; and the trial: which took
place with open doors, was reported YER
batim in the local newspapers. Although
the accused men were provided with counsel
their lawyers were forbidden by the Judge
20 say a word in their defence and, h
Is more, had not been allowed 70 have any
communication with them. No attention
was paid TO their plea that they had been
terrorized by Abdurrezza ak into commit
ing their crime. They said that he had
threatened TO Kill them II they did not'obey
his orders. When the Judge told them that
the Bedr Khans were powerless to harm
them, as they had no authority except such
as was delegated to them by the Sultan, the
prisoners looked incredulous n replied:
in our country IL Ia 80. These men have
killed our fathers and our grandfathers
and without doubt they would have killed
us IL we had disobeyed them" In spite
Of the solemnity Of the occasion there
were broad smiles among the spectators
when the murderers recounted how they
had taken up the trade Of tobacco smuggling
in order to prevent the police from look
ing upon them a suspicious charscters.
Neither AbdurrezZak nor All Shamil was
on trial, but the speech OF the pTocureur,
or counsel for the prosecution, was largely
taken up with an attack upon them and
their clan, including even the founder OF
the family, who had been dead for 80 many
years.
DOWNFALL OF THE WHOLE FAMILY
On the whole the measures which the
Government had taken met with general
approval. Ali Shamil had made himself
so detested that the news Of his disgrace
was everywhere received with JOY. Abb
durrezzak was more popular, but was
felt that he too had richly merited the
punishment which the Sultan had inflicted
upon him and though the other members
OF the family received more sympathy
il was recognized thai the strong clan
feeling Of the Kurds made it a necessary
precaution to punish the innocent with the
guilty. In some quarters 1t was thought
that their disgrace would not be OF lonR
duration and that the Bedr Khan Zade
would succeed in regalning the Sultan's
favor and would return to ~Constantinople
to take vengeance on all who had been in
strumental in causing their downfall:
But the affair soon took a turn which put
an end to any hopes which the q khans
and their friends may have cherished.
Almost as soon as the trial was over 1t began
to be rumored that Ali Shamil and his
nephew had not intended the unfortunate
Redvan to be their only victim, but that
their plans had embraced the murder OF
nearly all the leading Ministers and palace
dignitaries and the establishment OF kurd-
ish control over the person OF the Sultan
and the government OF the country. These
rumors were followed by the announcement
that, instead OF being taken to their various
places of Punishment, fifteen leading MEM
bers OF the Bedr Khan family were to be
kept az prisoners in the fortress OF Tripoli
Of Barbary till the arrival OF a special COM
mission which was 10 try them on the double
charge OF murder and high treason. The
story goes that a detailed account OF NE
plot was found among Abdurrezzaks
papers, with q list Of the fifteen officials it
was intended to put out OF the way-a list
which included the Grand Vizier, the Min
listers Of War. Of Justice and Of the Interior
and the Second Secretary OF the Sultan,
the influential Izzet Pasha.
II is generally believed in C~onstantinople
that this plot was a bogus one, invented
to infame the Sultan's mind and to induce
him to consent to the execution OF men
whose lives were a constant menace TO those
who had taken sides against them. II GER
tainly seems improbable that the Kurdish
chiefs il h had entered into a conspiracy
Of this sort would have exposed themselves
by the premature murder OF Redvan Pasha,
or that Abdurrezzak would have been so
foolish as to make and preserve a written
statement OF their intentions. But more
extraordinary things " occurred in
Turkey, where one soon learns by expert
ence the unwisdom OF disbelieving any story
merely because il sound impossible. II IL
unlikely that the truth OF this matter will
ever be known, for the trial in Tripoli was
held in camera.
Only one Of the accused fifteen was ac-
Quilted: the others were all found guilty Of
murder and treason. Three Of them, includ-
ing both Ali Shamil and Abdurrezzak, we're
sentenced TO death, and the eleven others
to p~unishments Of different degrees OF
severity. The four Kurds who had actually
committed the murder had been taken out
evidence, and the sentences Of death already
naaaad on than ware confirmed.