Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-20

cestral enmity Of the villages. and in the
steady encroachment Of clever, COM
mercial and unscruplous race upon lands
and rights which the Tatsrs regard as
their own by immemorial claim. Excel
lent workman. patient sober and end
lessly laborious as the Tstar is he found
himself no match for a subtle breed Of
born trafiekers. shopkeepers money lend
ers and exploiters Of labor.
For a time he looked on impotently while
this mere handful Of people-not fifth
part OF the Caucas sian Mussulmans in num-
ber-drove him bit by bit into a corner.
Then he struck out, and struck blindly.
The oil fields went up IN flame. Bslak-
| hani was strewn with Armenian cOrpses,
Armenian girls disappeared into harems.
visit to n Tartar CrOesus.
From the filth and stencil and poverty Of
the daytime 1t was a change to the scene
Of last night I had been invited TO visit
a famous old Tatar OF this town-a man
who by one means or another has fought
! his way up from the trade Of street porter
| TO the possession of so many pounds ster-
ling that it does not matter how many.
For there is only a limited amount Of fun
to be bought here below, and it will not
run to $1,000 worth.
Ahlhh TINS dNdl wealth. was QuONch
to me at 100000. but it makes no diff
ference. Under his wealth he has retained
! the peculiar humor of an Arabian Night
porter, and as he speaks one seems to hear
the creaking OF the porter's shoulder knot.
For himself, he is especially devoted to
education. all the more. perhaps, because
he cannot write his own name. Mr.. Bir-
| rell Is not more enthusiastic for the re-
ligious and secular instructions OF his peo-
pie. He has created the Tatar schools.
There were none: within the last year he
| has founded twelve.
There was no Tatar newspapers; within
the last year he has founded three, or per-
haps four. There was no theater in Baku;
he has built one.
When the people are not too busy fight
ing, It is successful, and all Christians are
admitted
For the destitute Of his race and for
Tatar enterprise there is no limit to his
bounty and adventure. In business am
told hts tenacity, adroitness and regard
less exaction rival any Christians.
Whether 1t is true that he also supports
a secret army Of defense I cannot say.
The Armenians, too, are said TO support
a secret army Of defense (all armies are
defensive), and / have heard them boast
OF the batteries of cannon and arsenals
of bombs which they can bring TO bear
in the next conflict Both armies may
be imaginary, though there is no doubt
about the trained bands that both parties
employ for special service
! Rusaians Guard Him.
But the Tatar millionaire does not use
even these for his own protection. BY
mistake 1 happened to enter his palace by
the back door, and there l found a half
company of Russian soldiers permanently
established as In guard rooms, with bayo-
nets fixed and rifles loaded.
] was shown into an enormous hall, built
and decorated in the style of the Alhambra
mot the Leicester Square place, but the
other one. Seated at little tables all round
the walls were the leaders of the Tartar
race. assembled in my honor. l did not
count them, but think there were about
sixty, and each received me in turn with
an oriental gravity which l could hardly
maintain after the forty-ffth.
Dtgnihed and educated men that might
have been citizens Of Paris or Madrid,
they were as different as possible from
the Tatar of proverbial philosophy. Many
spoke admirable French, some German;
one had translated Faust, much of Shake
speare and Millions passage on his blind
ness.
| We passed into a banquet hall, where
the long table 'groaned," as nevelists used
to say AT least, the walters groaned.
One Of them staggered under the weight
of laden silver dish. so vast was it. His
arms quivered his knees shook
Hearing his quickened breath apd see
ing the sweat start from his forehead, the
translator Of Milton and I sprang to his
assistance and saved the palatial carpet
from a disaster that might well have been
irretrievable.
Continents of the Speakers.
With the hors-doeuvres the speeches be-
gan, and they lasted till the end of the
dinner, which came in four hours. They
were devoted entirely to three subjects
First, praise Of myself, which 1 mention
without pride, because it was only given
me fer being the first Englishman or even
European" that the Tatars had caught
ito represent their cause to Europe"
Secondly the praise OF our country for its
Iservice TO freedom and its protection OF
the oppressed-praise which one must ifs
ten to with mixed feelings Of pride and
regret. Thirdly, the denominations of the
Armenians.
Upon those it would be unfair to write
while am still under the influence of last
nights eloquence. On the other two sub
jects l replied in fair German and in
French, perhaps the worst to which those
walls had over echoed,
AS night wore on. the toasts to our coun.
try and my replies became so frequent
that the two languages seemed to coalesce
and formed. think, a kind OF Tatar
which. after ALL is only dialect of Turk
ish Everyone went away much pleased
and, were / not very moderate person