Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-07-08
ByGEN ZACHAPYT SWEENEY
OFOR1EP CONSUL -GENERAL AT
COWcSTAN7/NOPLE

vitsch, rode to
the Ottoman center and claimed to be a deserter and
having important secrets to reveal to Amurath in person.
On being led to the Turkish sovereign he knelt as If to
pay him homage, and then stabbed Amurath with a sud
den and mortal stroke of his dagger. Mllosch sprang
from his knees, and being gifted with great activity and
strength, cleared himself Of the enemies that thronged
around him, and found his way to where his horse had
been left, but before he could remount the Janissaries
overpowered him and hacked him to pieces. Amurath
realized that his wound was mortal, but had suh1clent
presence of mind to give orders for a charge of his re-
serves, which decided the victory in favor of the Otto
mans. He died pronouncng the death doom of King
Lazarus, who was conquered. But that was not the
saddest death of the day. When Prince Bajazet realized
that the victory over the Christians was accomplished,
and he was acknowledged by his fathers generals as
their sovereign, he Immediately ordered his brother,
Yacoub, who had fought so valiantly by his side, to be
seized and put to death. He justified the act by saying
that "Sedition is worse than murder" a saying that has
caused so many Ottoman sultans to commit acts of
cruelty since that time.
Bajazet commenced his reign upon a battlefield, and
followed up the war against the Servians with such
vigor and success that he was named Yilderim, or
"Thunderbolt." After completing the Servian war, Baja-
yet returned to Asia and increased the territory OF the
sultan by conquest of several adjoining states. Cara
mania, which had long held out as an independent state
acknowledged Bajazet as sovereign. Glutted with VIC"
tory and rapidly augmented power, Bajazet gave him.
self over to sensual excuses of the foulest kind. He
was the first of the Ottoman princes who violated the
prohibition of the koran against the use of wine. Ali
Pasha, his favorite general, set his master the example
of drunkenness, and the infamy of these two lives sully
the pages of Oriental history. Bajazet was startled from
his revels by a crusade of Christian chivalry of Franks
tan. The Christian army marched against the Ottomans
down through Pennsylvania, Wallachia and Servia. They
captured Widdin, Orsoca, and invested Nicopolis, but
Bajazet marched against them and ingloriously dispersed
them. After the conflict Bajazet pitched his tent in front
of Nicopolis and rode over the field of battle. When he
saw the number of his dead soldiers it enraged him so
that he said: 81 will have this slaughter well avenged
on the prisoners" The next morning the Christian pris-
tn the number of ten thousand, we're led out with
their hands bound behind them and with halters around
their necks. After allowing "a Christian mobiles from
among the prisoners their liberty the sultan gave the
signal for the slaughter to commence, and the unhappy
captives fell in front of his tent.
The battle of Nicopolis was the high-water mark in
the power of Bajazet. He soon made preparations 10
invest Constantinople. The Byzantine king searched all
Europe for assistance, and even descended to the humlll
alton Of asking aid from his old-time enemy, the pope OF
Rome, but all in vain. Just at the moment when II
seemed that Bajazet was on the point of entering Con
stantinople a cluod arose in the eastern horizon in the
shape of Tamerlane, the Tartar, who, though 70 years Of
age, had succeeded in uniting a number of conquered
provinces into a strong empire, and had marched agains
the dominion of the Ottoman empire, captured the
ancient city of Sivas, and put the inhabitants to thu
sword, killing among others Prince Ertoghrul, the son o
Baiazet, who, when he heard of the death of his son
hurried at the head of his veteran troops against Tanner
lane. He seemed, however, to have lost his usual eau
ton and sagacity; with only 120, 900 men he swept for
ward against an army of 100000, and, to show his recR
lessness, engaged in a grand hunt in the neighborhoo
of Angora until they were entirely exhausted. Return
ing to his quarters, he found that the willy Tartar ha
taken possession of his camp and poisoned the stream
and his weary and thirsty troops had to spend the nigh
without water. The next day he led the dispirited arm
to battle, and while many Of them gave a good accom-
Of themselves, others were so exhausted that they CAV
themselves over to the enemy, and on the field c
Angora, where his ancestor, Ertoghrul, nearly two hun
bred years previous had laid the foundations of the Ottt
man empire, he was overthrown, and his empire sha
i tered to fragments. BajaZet, with one OF his sons, wa
captured, and made a show in the %triumphal pageant
his conqueror. HI was carried in a latticed litter, an
8 there arose a current story that he had been placed
!! an iron cage. Thus the empire of the Ottomans, ths
q had swept over Asia and a large part of Europe, till
had earned the title, Wrath of God" suddenly term
: mated, and the ottoman power seemed gone forever.
e Nothing SO characterizes the rule of the Turk as !
i recuperative power. Often has it been seemingly owe
> thrown and swept from the face of the earth, but imm
. diately there arises again a mighty power having tt
B. same spirit as it's predecessor. Mohammed l., the son
h Bajazet, took the shattered fragments which his faith
g had left and began the work of building up the Ottoms
y power. The Greeks said of him that he was "as pers
o. vering as a camel" He was the youngest son, an