Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-03-16
ABDUL The TIMID
The Crafty Turkish Despot Wore
a Grown of Terror.
HIS PALACE LIKE A PRISON.
Yildiz, a Place Of Mystery Was the
Production and the Abode of Fear
Unutterable-His Dread of Assassi
nation and His Horror Of the Dark.

Unutterable-His Dread of Asssssi
nation and His Horror Of the Dark.
For long years Abdul llamii had
been haunted and torffentcd b. the
nightmare Of death. la every shadow
he seemed to sec all assassin. Al his
vast power could not bring him one
moment OF peace and happiness. Not
for one moment was Turkeys mon
arch NJ case
Year by year his fears had been
growing upon him. He had terror
of the dark. At night Yildiz always
blazcd with lights Ills sleep had be
come restless. md he would wuEen
at Che 81 ghtcst sound Sometimes he
would come out of his sleep with "a
start frightened 10y nightmare. ana
that would mean hours of wakeful
ness. At such times he would find the
solitude of his room uubearabic. and
be would send fov sorcerer who
would explain the dream, or u slave
who would read to him from one Of
his fayorite books. those giving de-
tailed accounts Of assassinationS. exc
cutiuns and other horrors.
lie was always armed His clothes
were lined with enormous pockets,
which served him both as arsenals
ana archives and bulsed with pistols
and rolls Of spies reports.
Eycry body nj Yildi2 was afraid Of
beilc shot 10y him lie was likely 10
fire Mt the slightest action that might
seem to him suspicious. There is a
story hat one day gardener working
in The park Of Yildiz, on seeing the
sultan approach, rose quickly from =
stopping posture to assume respect
full attitude Abdul Hamd, startled
by his sudden appearance and suspect
ing some evil motive, at once fred at
him. The man fell dead. Later, as no
weapon was found on his body. il had
10 he acknowledged that a blunder
had been committed such Is the tale
told by the son Of the late Prince Of
Samos. who was one of the sultan's
ministers
YHdiz. scene Of innumerable horrors,
had been built by Abdul lIamid him.
self. ana he had made II more like a
labyrinth than II palace 1t was the
production and the abode Of fear unut-
tertble. Surely no sane mind planned
it, 70 guagd against conspirators get
ting a plan OF his residence its master
was continually changing its Internal
| arrangements, wallng UP doors, open
lng new cucS. narrowing passages di-
vidmg rooms by partitions. making
| windows ANA closing them again. II
was Consistently hnging m0Ye
TO pare himself the danger of cross
| ing the gravelcl path that separated
his apartments from his harem he had
| linked his r.Sidclrn d. d6iug lr.d-'
| to the hatom ON The one side and to
| the iupp tn theatcr on the other This
| theuter WAS gloomy little place
| where the monarch would sit entirely
| hidden from view in his box while &c
| treSts anu singers irom Paris ana
| other European cities entertained him.
He never came into view, never ap-
! pluuded, and lhe Visible audience con.
sisted Of q few members of his family.
The building used by Abdul HIamid
as his private residence looked more
! like n prison for all the lower win.
dows were securely barred and the
heavy iron doors were Of great
strength and capable OF being firmly
! hoIted inside
Every room in the palace was pro
| vidnd with couch on which the SUI
tan could sleep If he felt inclined No
| body ever knew I'm what room he
would sieep on any given night Be
fore retiring 10 rest he would some
! times call his attendants and say to
them. Keep a good lookout am
! going to sleep tonight in this room"
But he would Invariably sleep some
whore else
ON the roof of the imperial apart
ments was an astronomical obscryo.
tory which had been fitted up with an
| exceedingly good telescope by a Pa.
rlSion firm This observatory was a
favorltc place with the sultan, yet he
took not the slightest interest IN as
tronomy. The telescope was there "a
serve his own purpose Of espionage.
for he used 1t almost exclusively for
the purpose of watching the residence
of rInce YuSuf lzzcdm eldest son of
Abdul Aziz and heir preSumptivc To
/ the throne. Its glass VAS never turn
| ed upon the heavens
( But sometimes from his lonely look
/ ont the monarch saw stranger things
than the residence of Prince Yusuf
things that mo- other human being had
ever dreamed of. There were times
I when his morbid Imagination played
CURIOUS pr0nks with him.
/ JIG was on the day following an att
tempt upon his life-hy one All Souayi
uud Il revolt ut Tcheracau, both Of
which incidents greatly upset him
that Ahaal Uamld hurried down from
/ his observatory with Wild look in his
| eyes aud caHol his FIRST secretary who
at thar time was All Fuad Bey He
led the secretary ta a window, anna
pointing to the sublime porte sart
miles away he said tremb.inI wish
fear
Did You see them They have met
yonder 10 proclaim my downfall"