Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-09-12
Mystery That Enshrouded Him
In YiIdiz Krosk Still Sur
rounds Him.
FEARS DEATH BY POISON

FEARS DEATH BY POISON
York Herald.
Abdul Hamid is alive! The former
sultan Is In SalOntca and has not been
secretly conveyed to Constantinople.
Those are the replies to two recently
circulated reports which have told OF
having been spirited away during the
night to the capital. The latter re-
port was merely founded upon the pas
sage of a train full of munitions. con-
corning which quite special precautions
were taken.
task 1t Is In coming to Salonica and
trying to A.nd out some details con-
corning the physical condition and
mode of life Of the deposed sultan, who
for so many years wss the political
chess player who kept the diplomatists
III the game that he usually saw 90
moves ahead. while the ambassadors
at ~Constantinople saw but two or
three.
Abdul Hamid here in his confinement
as the prisoner of his people Is envel-
oped In much the same mystery as he
was In Ytldiz Kiosk ut Constantinople,
and rumors and reports unlimited cir
culate concerning him-most of them
inventions. u very few approaching the
truth.
The former sultan. as most people
know. lives in the Villa Allatini. where
he has now resided some two n a
half years. His dwelling and prison
consist OF a large square built red tiled
mousse. In d French style. which
springs out as a note of color from a
grove of very dark green pine trees
l yh{sh cpnrNn,,wl a. ~~ -11 -Slor CNln-,.
are up to the second story now, and in
Q Few years at their present rate of
growth the trees will entirely hide the
building.
The Sultan's Prison.
The Allatini house was built by an
Italian -four merchant who had settled
here. and when he died 1t was sold to
a company. which in turn disposed of
1t to the state for the purpose of using
1t as q place of confinement for Abdul
Hamid upon his deposition in 1908, after
the second revolution.
Abdul Hamid upon his downfall tried
In every way possible to be allowed to
inhabit a palace on the Asiatic side of
the B~osphorus. the one a beautiful
building, which a been built to shell
ter a we'll known empress upon her WIS.,
1t to the Turkish capital.
But the young Turks were obdurate.
Fearful OF a re%actiOnary movement In
favor of the Padishah, who was In
tensely beloved of the Die Turks. and
not at all sure of their own positions,
they insisted that Abdul Hamid leave
the capital.
So. silently and secretly. in the mid
die Of the night. with a minimum of
baggage. accompanied by II wives, who
made themselves conspicuous by their
lamentations. he was with scant cere-
mony dispatch to Salonica. That city
was selected because of it's being the
nnnk ~ AI~ ~,,n n 49, a.
! members wished to have their arcn
enemy under their wv eyes, guarded
by themselves. and above all away
from the capital, where they thought
he might possibly nave escaped.
Today / walked around the villa on
side, the northern. There is moth
ing but a bare wall to be seen. at the
center OF which Is a walled up gateway
OF large size. Lynx Eyed sentries watch
the passers. Any one lingering is
promptly requested to one. On
to go anywhere near the walls. and
sentries about so yards apart jealousy
mount guard, and any one approaching
is likely to be hot at without parley.
An enterprising innocent EEglishman
recently tried to take a photograph.
The whiz of a bullet set him running.
So there are not many photographs of
the Allatini hOuse-none of the interior.
al all events. since the sultan has been
there.
ssntineis Will Fire.
To get . view of the two sides, east
and south. a big detour had to be made
J through fields filed with q rank growth
Of q prickly e weed. The sentineis
all round the walls meanwhile were
| keeping q vigilant eye pOn the move
ments OF my party.
h wall used to Do one meter high;
it is % thrice that height. Inside and
out 1t is heavily picketed. A military
Is on the north side across the road.
At h south soldiers used to camp out.
| Now the tents have been replaced with
neat white guardhOuses with red tiled
roofs. But no n 10 allowed to ap-
proach. Any one 80 doing takes his life
In his hands. The orders to the SOL
diers on duty regarding the approach
of strangers are of the most stringent
nature, and they are Fire at once!'
There is a road running down the
west side OF the Allatini property. That
is absolutely forbidden to all except
with the household. and they consist
almost solely Of q contractor. q doctor
and q barber, all three of whom are
warned chat any indiscretion will be
severely punished.
.RaximfBey. colonel and warm sup
porter Of the young Turk party. IL
personally charged with the response
bllity Of the keeping Of the erstwhile
sultan. He 10 q man Of sever aspect
and few words. His duty IL to zee Alb
dull Hamid once g day. and he goes
through the Formally Of asking II there
. anything the prisoner wants.
OF late h former ruler makes no re-
ply. About . yoar $50 he used to ask
that his household De increased. IN
other words. he wanted more wives.