The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-03-15
ABDUL The 7IM|D.
The Crafty Turkish Despot Wore
a Crown of Terror.
HIS PALACE LIKE A PRISON.

N1diz. Place Of Mystery, Was tho
Production and Tho Abode Of Fear
Uoutserabie-His Dreai OF Assassi-
nation and His Horror or the Dark
For long years Abdul Hamid had
been haunted and tormented by the
nightmare Of death In every snacow
be seemed to see an assassin All his
vast power could not bring him one
moment Of peace and happiness Not
for ore moment was Turkeys mon
arch at ease
Year By Cea- his fears had been
growing upon him Ee had terror
Of the dark At night Iiidiz always
blazed with lights. His sleep had be-
come restless, and he would waken
ct the slightest sound Sometimes he
would come o.. Of his sleep with
start, frightened by nightmare. and
that would mean hours oe wakeful-
ness. At s1ch times he would fcd the
solitude Of his room unbearable. and
he would send Tor . sorcere-. who
would explain the dream. o. slave.
who would read to him from one OF
his farorite books, those giving de-
tailed accounts Of assassinations, exc
cutions and other horrors
Ec was always armed BIS clothes
were lined with enormous pockets.
which served him both IS a1senals
and archives and bulsed with pistols
and rolls Of spies reports
Everybody at Ysldiz was afraid OF
being shot by him He was likely 70
FIRE at the slightest acton that might
seen to him suspicious There IS q
stor- that one day a gardener working
in the park Of Yldiz. on seeing the
sultan approach. rose quickly from q
stopping posture to assume respect
tul attitude. Abdul Hamid. startled
by his sudden appearance and suspect
ing some evil motive. ac once fred at
him. The man fell dead Later. as no
weapon was found On bis body. it had
to be acknowledged that bluader
had been committed Such IS the tale
told by the son Of the late Prince OK
Samos, who was one OF the sultao;s
ministers
Yydsz. scene Of innumerable horrors,
hsd been built By Abdul Hamid him
sell. and be had made It more Ike q
labyrinth THAI palace It was the
production aad the abode Of fear unus-
terable. Surely 10 sane mind planned
Ct Te guard against eonSprators get
ting plan Of his residence its master
was continually changing its internal
arrangements, wallins up doors, open
3os new ones, narrowing passages. dI-
,ysdins ROOMS by partitions, making
windows and closing them again It
was Z constantly changing maze.
TO spare himself the danger OF cross
3nc the rayeled path that separated
his apartments from his harem he had
linked his residence By aytns bridges
to the harem OF the one side and to
the imperial theater on the other. This
theater was a gloomy little place.
where the monarch would sit entirely
hidden from view in his box while ac-
tresses and singers from Paris and
other European cities entertained him
He never came into view. never a2-
.plauded. and the visible audience con-
sisted Of few members Of his family.
The building used by Abdul Eacatd
rs his private residence looked MORO
HE a prison, tor ali the lower win
dows were securely barred and the
heavy iron doors were Of great
strength and capable OF being frnly
boleed inside.
| Every room in the palace was pro
tyided with, couch on which the sui
tan could sleep II he lei. inclined No
body ever knew IN what room he
would sleep oa any given night Be
fore retiring to rest he would so2e-
times call bis attendants and say to
them: Keep & good lookout am
going to sleep tonight II this rcon-"
Bot he would Invariably sleep some
where else.
! On the roof Of the imperial apart-
meots was "a astronomical ohserva-
tory which had been fitted up with an
exceedingly good telescope by o Pc
ststan frm- This observatory was a
fsYorite place with the sultan. yet be
took not the slightest interest to as
tunony. The telescope Was there to
sezye his OWL purpose OF espionage.
Tor he used It almost exclusively for
the purpose Of watching the residence
OF Prince Yusuf Izzcdir. eldest son Of
Abdul Aziz and heir presumptive to
tbs throne. It's glass was never turn
ed upon the heavens
Bot sometimes from his lonely look
out the monarch saw stranger things
than the residence Of Prince Eusuf.
things tkat no other human being bad
hyer dreamed Of. There were tines
when bis morbid Imagination played
curious practls with him
L was on the day following an at
tempt upon bis LIE by one All Souavi
and o revolt at Tcheragan. both Of
which Incidents greatly upset him.
that Abdul Hauid hurried down from
his observatory with q wild look IN bis
eyes and called his first secretary. who
at that tine was All Fuad Bey. BE
led the secretary to window. and.
pointing to the sublime porte some
miles away, be said, trembling with
tear:
did you see them? They have net
yonder to proclaim NY downfall"
Who? asked the startled secretary.
my ministers" exclaimed the sui
tan. MY own ministers are now u
tie act Of deehrontnS me- Can't you
see them:"
This statement was quite untoonded.
and st was long tine before the sec-
sets<y could calm his frightened mas.
eec.-PhIladeiphia Ledger.
A Killing Joke.