The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-19
PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC EYE

him 10 suit. One Of the parlor games
in Servia is Monarch, monarch. whose
got tho meat anee' That s the way
King Peter got his crown. The Ser
vlanS, being displeascd with King Alex
andcr. for marrying Draga, and doubly
angcred at Draga. simply cut the un-
fortunate royal pair TO bits one night.
Their graves. unmarked, untcnded, may
be seen in neglected outskirt of Bel
grade by those daring enough. For the
murderers OF King Alexander and Queen
Draga placed King Peter on the throne
And they construe n visit 10 tho graves
of their victims as a hint that their
murder is dsapproved. Unwary visit
ors are apt 10 burst into the ''Crimc
and Casualty column of the Belgrade
newspapers next day.
The European powers assentcd TO the
elevation of Peter Karagcorgeyitch to
the throne of Servia, on the principle
that il served Servia right. OF course,
nc pledged himself before assuming the
crown that he would hunt down the
murdcrcrS of Alexander and Draga. He
had the same chance that chipmunk
would have with Il hungry wild cat.
IT he had so much as opened his mouth
abort that murder there would have
bccu no grace before meat, The Off
GERS who did the killing surrounded him
on every side. They were tho officials
Of the court. thcy commanded his army.
they interyencd between him and his
people. And it, became known In time
that the European powers would not
bother to save him. The man who took
the blood stained throne Of Scrvia un
der such conditions was not worth saw
ing.
80 Peter Karagcorgcvitch has shiv-
cred and trembled through five years
of what historians will term his reign,
Before he became the king he had been
4 dcclasse hanger-on Of tho gambling
halls of Paris and of certain Swiss
towns. He owned n trained pack of
cards, which aided him in rocking rich
youths. He had fierce mustache and
n bad rcputation-and between them
he was sometimes able TO frightcn those
he flceccd. Other times the indignant
sufferers beat him on his princely back
with n cane until he made good. He
was tho head of the Karageorgevitc
family. and by that fact n relative of
every scandal in Europe. Ho had
dragged his name and the fame CT
bad family through the miro until he
20 longer interested any one, And then
the Scrvian murdcrcrs seized upon him
TO give monarchy in Belgrade a high
kalsominc finish.
The tattcrcd, dcbt-ridden. disgraccd
old man leaned at the chance. He was
tree-and because no one feared him.
He has led the life of an imperial dog.
lie has feared poison at the table. a
knife IN the back rs he walked the
palace corridors, Il shot from behind n
trco as he rode abroad. IIc has been
under the dominion of the gang Of mur-
dercrs who killed TO make pathway
10 the throne for him. aud he knew
they would dispose of him as readily
if it seemed polite TO do so. His elder
son, George, was declared Il degencr-
ate by physicians, killed pair of scrv-
ants in outbreaks Of imbecilic rage.
shamed his father before The Servian
council by splitting in his face, and
finally, TO prevent n worse happening,
was forced TO resign his right to sue
cession to the throne The younger son,
Alexander, is said TO bo as brainless
MS his father. but not possessed of the
devil that marks the former heir ap-
parent. The Karageorgevitch family
has been the bar sinister on the Serviau
escutcheon-the badge Of public shame.
knowing the karageorgcvltches, the
world knew Scrvia,
And so King Peter has announced
that he Will abdicate the throne and
so back to Switzerland and the gam
bling halls and the nights Of absinthe
and cigarettes and the pluckiug Of cal
low youth. Maybe Scrvia will allow him
n little pension, because for time he
was her king. But King Peter seems
not TO have made that demand. Better
be surc-thing gambler and dirty
collared roue and be free than lie under
the dominion of q dagger, Tho only
thing that seems TO worry Peter now
is how 10 get away from SerVia The
servants entrance IS locked up.