Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-26
RULERS OF TURKEY
Performers" Were Not Wanted
in That Empire.
THE DEATH OF MURAD v
His Mysterious Incarceration Describ-
ed by a Diplomat.
ABDUL HANDS SUCCESSOR
How Present Ruler Assembled Throne
Steps Taken for His Safety
Plot to Kill Him.

| near death. Ih1S lnfornatlon IN ltSeil Is
not new, because periodically it Is said
| that the sultan is about to die. But Abdul
Hamid is now a man growing older every
| day, and if he is allowed to die natural
death, even this may not be far off. Thus
| returns to mind the path he followed In
ascending the throne. the mysteries and
almost unbelievable circumstances sur
| rounding the protector of the red held
| with crescent and scimitar.
Turkey was progressive country even
! centuries ago. said a prominent diplomat
today, when asked by a Star representa-
| tive to reveal some of the less known facts
connected with the court at STEAMBOAT and
Constantinople. That progress continued
| on an cratic march until the late seventies,
| and ceased with the death of Abdil Aziz.
| brother of the present sultan.
I'VE westerners can never comprehend
what a government is when It's structure Is
| held together in apparent compactness by
force and fatalism. The two symbols on
the flag mean-the crescent superstition;
the scimitar force, the basis of Turkish
power. Mohammed propagated his religion
| by sword, and by means of this same SWORD
| in hoe signo vinces-as real element or
power. the dominons which his successors
have been able to maintain amid the up
heavals of centuries, have been established
and upheld.
a Progressive 1noAd1SA.
"The death some years ago Of Murad V,
the older brother of Abdul Hamid, recalls
bit of history that is as interesting as it is
varied and dark. In 1861 Abdul Aziz sue
ceeded Abdul Meiid to the Turkish throne.
Repeated efforts have been made from time
to time especially by sympathizers with
the present sultan, to cast aSperSions on
the reign of Aziz. but he was, unquestion-
ably, the most progressive monarch Tur-
key ever had He was the first to introduce
western ideas into the Moslem empire,
abolished the harem, repudiated polygamy
and entered on a general career of reform.
But reform in politics and government
means death to the reformer even today,
and AZiz increased the ranks of his enc
mics by the score. He was the only sultan
who had ever left his dominions on tour
of travel. All of his predecessors who had
gone beyond the Ottoman frontier went at
the head of conquering army. Aziz, after
studying the French and British educa-
tional systems. proposed the establishment
of schools and institutions of learning In
his own country. But this reformation was
resisted by his ministers at every point.
The changes We're too radical for the slow
Turks. OF course, in the country wnere in
trigue flourished so wonderfully at ali
times the ministers were not at loss to
succeed by underhand methods in bringing
the empire to the brink of insolvency.
Found Dead at Palace.
For fifteen years. continued the diplo-
mat, "Aziz sought to stem the tide of OPP
posing corruption and ignorance in Turkey.
His enemies, fighting for every inch OF
ground. brought the displeasure of the
world upon him by causing it to be pub
lished that he was a spendthrift and
bigot One day he was found dead in his
palace and it was said he had committed
suicide. Yet suspicious led to the belief
that assassination was a more probable
cause for the disposal of that progressive
sultan.
There remained the difficult matter to
choose a successor. OF two brothers, Mu-
rad and Hamid, both of whom asDired to
the throne. the former assembled the throne,
only to reign the brief period of three
months. Hamid, in the meantime, believing
that NIurad showed indications of being
.reformer,' intrigued to dethrone him. Thus
the young brother became sultan. Before
the world the succession was most regular.
Proper explanations We're made to whom 1t
concerned Abdul Hamid was a choice of
the people. 90 Hamd was then as astute
and as crafty as he is now; he had the ad-
vantage of a corrupt ministry as well as the
backing of the army, whose confidence he
had previously gained. Therefore when ex-
citement was created at Constantnople by
the seizure of Murad on the charge of lu-
macy Abdul Hamid was never questioned.
Without the opportunity of even word
of defense, Murad was hurried away to
miserable abode on the shores of the BoS-
plOruS, closely imprisoned anu StIoHS
guard placed about the old castle to keep
him securely The unfortunate monarch
lay confined within those walls for twenty
two years. No one was permitted to visit
Cheragan palace. and the only human faces
he saw in all that time were those of the
attendants who waited upon him. And be-
hind his bars Murad called the second
man with the iron mask.
Conspiracy to Rescue Mural.
'In some quarters great sympathy was
felt for the condemned man. Several out
breaks occasionally arising at different
parts of the empire had reference to his
Imprisonment. Thousands of young Turks
in 1903 conspired to assassinate Hamid H.
rescue Murad reseat him on the throne of
Turkey and inaugurate reform throughout
the realm and raise the nation in the scale
of moral and Intellectual excellence. The
plot failed, however. Opportunity for con-
spiracy in Turkey is scant. Keen and sus-
picious eyes peer into every quarter, as the
secret emssaries of the throne prowl by
day and by night everywhere and anywhere
No organization in any other part of the
world has secret service of the magnitude
of that of the Sultan of Turkey. The Jap
anese system of espionage is excellent, but
it is purely national in quality. In Turkey
whenever one is susp he is instantly
taken in hand and frequently disappears,
seldom being seen or heard of again."
But is there any authentic news to
Murad's condition of mnd?' was asked.
THE general belief was that the I'M
fortunate man was sane. Intelligent Turks
will tell the same thing-to themselves, or
they might be beheaded for telling it to
some one else. The trutn,ulness and COM
pleteness of the terrible story of the i'm
prisonment of Murad will, perhaps, never
be known. unless those who took part in it
will leave authentic information for future
reference
Hamid's Church Escort.
1T is not a matter of wonder that
Abdul Hamid is so anxious about his per-
sonal safety. His enemies can be counted
by the thousands. Above all, the greatest
number forms the relatives and friends of
those who have Disappeared presum-
ably on suspicion. Then there are his
political enemies. always on the warpath
for his scalp. Then there are a dozen or
so pretenders to the throne, who long ago
came to the conclusion that Abdul had
reigned long enough. And on. So no
monarch in the world was ever more solic-
itous about his personal safety than is
Abdul Hanlid Every possible sprecaution
is taken to surround himself with guards,
and so long as these remain faithful to
him he is more or less safe. The guard is
ever at his heels. When the sultan at
tends 'samnisk, or worship on Friday, the
Mohammedan Sabbath, four thousand men.