New-York tribune., 1910-10-30


GeneralissirnO of the Forces to prevail upon
him to alter this decision, and even then ne
compromised upon an undreSs uniform OF
plain dark blue, refusing to wear even the
historic diamond aIgret which has twlnkled
and sparkled in the fez OF every Turkish
Sultan since Nohammed the COnquerOr took
Byzantium for his own.
Sultan's First Interview
'MOHAMMED is the first Turkish sover-
1N1 eign who ever gave an interview 10
newspaper correspondent, and he gave It be
cause he was new at the game and didn't
know anv better But a third of & century
of close confinement IS not likely TO make
man quickwitted or worldly wise
1t was in April, after COnstanunOple had
been taken by the victorious Army OF LIBERIA
ton and Abdul-Hanid had been fOrcibly
Ousted from his throne. Intermittent street
fighting was still in progress, the city was
under martial law, the roads leading from
the capital were filed with dIsorganIzed
bands Of Hamidieh SOldiery, when the cor
respondent Of q great London daily, riding
through the suburbs to see what he might
see, found himself by chance at the gate Of a
wide spreading palace Of pink stuCcO and
latticed windows.
Somewhat confused as to directions he
raped with his riding crop on the door Of
the lodge; but no one appeared IN answer 10
the summons Tying his horse, the English
man, finding the gates unlocked. pushed
them open, and found himself in a marble
courtyard, likewise deserted. Crossing 1t,
the Jingle Of his spurs the only sound other
than the distant rattle Of uuSketrv, he made
his way into the palace itself, and, after wan
derlng from salon to salon and from corridor
to corridor he at last caught sight Of an aged
negro hurriedly packing his belongings.
Whose palace IS this?' demanded the
Englishman. Where am I and where IS
everybody"
This IS the Palace Of Tcherigan and the
residence of Rechad Efendi," -" was the as
founding answer. His Highness sits there.
IN that room vOnder'
BY almost incredible good luck the cor
respondent had made his way into that
mysterious palace which for thirtv-four
years had been the iealouslv guarded prison
OF the Sultan's younger brother, at a mo-
ment when Its inmates were fving IN panic
and the heir apparent was waiting to know
whether he was to be assassinated or en-
thrOned. Knowing what ReChad and his
panic stricken household evidently did not
know, that Abdul-Hamid was even then .
prisoner IN his own palace and that Parlia-
ment had only that morning voted 10 place
his brother on the throne. the correspondent
approaching 10 the full the iumene1 news
value OF the scoop chance had .nlIs thrown
IN his way boldly Ope-ed the door and
found himself taco 20 tace with somewhat
surprised but altogether dignihed and COM
posed 90 man, who was still unaware that he
h1d been made Commander of the Faithful
1t was an easy task for the experienced in
terviewer to obtain expressions of policy and
opinions OF men and events from tins simple.
kindly man, who for close on q third of u cen
tury had known no other companions than
his wives and his books. For two hours and
more they talked, Rechad, helped on, by q
secretary when his own knowledge Of French
proved insufficient, asking questions innum-
cradle Of the great outer world Of which he
knew only bv hearsaN and telLIng with ali