Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-05-13
CONDITIONS in CONSTANT
NOBLE FROM LOCAL SOURCES

Excerpts from letters recently re-
ceived by J. w. Cochran Of this city
from his Persian cousin, who is the
wife of a Russian Diplomat, gives
a vivid account of the recent up
rising of young Turks in Constantine
ople:
Pera, Constantinople, April 13.
This morning when we were dress
ing, the porter knocked at our door
to say that the consulate was full
of people seeking refuge; that a
massacre was going on in STAN
boul, and that everyone was in a
panic. We looked out and saw the
shops closed and excited crowds 60
ing by. Next our ambassador sent
orders to lock the embassy and
our gates. Troops soon passed and
occupied the bridge, allowing no one
to cross. 1t seems that it is a
military uprising of some sort and
is local, SO over here the people are
quieting down. We do not as yet
know what the truth is, but of late
things have been going badly, one
political murder has been commit
ted, and the cry for the return to
the old Islamic code of laws and
union of Mohammedans has been
heard. There was a meeting in favor
of this, held in and about Saint
Sophia. One hundred thousand were
said to have been there. This num-
Der is probably an exaggeration, but
one of our people who was there
said the interior of Saint Sophia
was so packed that an apple could
not find a place to drop to the
ground and the Court and streets
around were packed. How many
gatherings of different kinds that old
church has seen.
The last two days, Easter Sun
day and Monday, in spite of notices
that everyone firing would be ar
rested, it was as bad as usual Fir
ing went on all the time, in the
streets, from windows, and though
it is supposed that all fire blank
cartridges, the long list of casual
ties shows that many have balls. A
young bride was killed on her own
balcony by stray ball, a little girl
in church, another child playing in
the garden, and a good number are
wounded. A ball went through our
ambassadors diningroom, one lodged
in the wall at Buchanan Pasha's, and
so ON.
Constantinople, April a.
We are going through a terrible
crisis, one that we could not but
forsee and yet it came at last, quite
Unexpectedly. All the facts are yet
unknown, and statistics probably ex-
aggerated, but we have heard and
seen enough to know that matters
are serious.
The immediate cause of the up
rising Of the army was a circular
stating that the committee and pres
ent cabinet wish to go against the
Sh1riat claws based on the Koran)
and that the people and Sultan were
being duped. This intrigue was
started from the police, and the SOL
diers supplied with money from the
Sultan, it is said. Night before last
the troops began to go over to STAN
boul, without their officers; by 7
O'Clock our Consulate was filled with
refugees, Americans fleeing from
imaginary dangers. For as yet the
European and Christians are in no
danger. The fighting in Stamboul
kept on, off and on. The army de-
manding the resignation of the pres
ent cabinet.
In the course of the day the Min
lister of Justice, two deputies, and
as many officers as tried to control
the troops We're killed and many
others killed and wounded. Of the
appropriated 10000 troops here,
only 5000 in the premises of the
War office, STEAMBOAT, remained loyal.
The canon on all the warships in the
Golden Horn were dismantled.
Through the day here in Pera sol
diers passed in companies at tbs
quick step, headed by under officers
l was out calling, and got into
number of these bodies, and they
were all as quiet and orderly as pos
sible. Gradually all the troops as
sembled in StambouI, and from IL
p. m. to about a. m. they bonn
barded the 5000 loyal troops, and
finally took the war office. Late in
the night the Sultan's messenger
announced the resignation of the
cabinet. and the appointment of the
soldiers candidate and the Sultan's
announcement of himself as the
Chief of the Amry of Islam. Loud
shouts and the widest firing fol-