Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-31

lucky traveller when the news was brought
into a cafe here that Premier Petkoff had
been assassinated.
Bulgaria and Breathitt are alike" he
continued, I'm that both are half mountain
Gus and that farming and stock raising are
the main pursuits. The Jim Hargises.
Marcums and DR.. Coxes of Kentucky are
offs and Ions and koffs' here, while the
place OF the squirrel rife as a weapon is
taken by the dirk or revolver. But the
results are unvaryingly the same"
Petkof's assassination was upon much
the same order as that of Stambouloff, who
was known as the Bismarck of Bulgaria.
In fact M. Petkoff was with the Bulgarian
statesman upon the fatal night when In
returning from his club he was hacked
brutRlly to death In the streets OF Sofia.
One Of the assassins at the time remarked
20 Petkoff that he would be the next. But
n Petkoff was doomed at that time doubt
less his retirement from public life gave
him few more years to live.
The premier knew that by reason of his
recent aggressive activity in politics he was
a marked man by those who we're politically
opposed to him. Only a few days before
his death in a stormy sitting of the
sobranJe. the Bulgarian Parliament, he re-
marked that it was quite Indifferent to
him whether he died by a murderer's hand
or quietly in his bed.
His unusual energy and prompt often
considered brutal, suppression OF all oppo-
sltion made him many enemies, and he
often said that he believed he would come
20 the same end as his friend Stambouioff.
And so there was no great surprise when
the news spread through Sofia that the
premier had met his death in the Boris
garden.
Removal by assassination is a recognized
means of dispostng OF a political opponent.
Sometimes the victims are rather insignia
cant men and the world outside Bulgaria,
II II happens to hear Of it, may well wonder
that such measures were taken.
lawyer who in the usual course Of his
professional duty had defended a member
of the opposition was shot not long ago
while out riding. 1t developed afterward
that he was mistaken for his client, but the
matter was passed over merely as a polit-
ical assassination and nothing further was
done. Even his own relatives took no ac-
ton in the matter and seemed to take IT for
granted that he got his deserts because he
was mixed up In politics.
Almost anything can be made political
issue In Bulgaria. The Bulgarians. es-
pecially in the cities. take their politics
most seriously.
young politician-most of the politicians
are young-of whom much was expected
by his friends-found himself confronted
with the choice Of giving up his career or
losing a legacy from a rich uncle. The un-
Gle complained that since his nephew had
espoused politics his business had fallen OF
and that II the nephew did not immedi-
ately give It up his fortune would be dissi-
pated
This interest is not confined to any par
ticular class. An American who was in
Sofia while NJ. Petkoff was still the editor
Of the Svobada, the leading opposition pa
per- told the porter Of the hotel that he
was going to call on the journalist. The
porter replied that anyone was better of
for not reading the paper, and as for NJ.
Petkoff he could not imagine why any
body wanted to talk to him. The American
then told him that the editor was coming
TO see him at the hotel.
mo, he is not" said the porter; IN
Petkof cannot get into this hotel" And
the only possible reason for this attitude
was that the porter and the statesman
differed politically
Even brigandage here has often a political
Significance. The case Of the abduction
of Miss Stone and Mrs Tsilka is still fresh
In the memory II Is well known that
the purpose OF their kidn0 ers was to
secure funds for the Advancement Of the
Bulgarian cause in Macedonia ana also
90 embroil the United States and Turkey.
The Macedonian committee never for
gave Charles NJ. Dickinson. the American
consul-Eeneral at Constantinople, for his
attempts to secure the release OF the woman
through diplomacy, They thought that
he failed 10 recognize an established Balkan