The Washington herald., 1913-06-16
Court Gossip of Interesting
EpentS on Two Continents

Essad complained because his following
did not receive the expected generous
recognition as co-defonders.
While jealous suspicion smoldered.
ready to burst into flame, Essad invited
his rival Qassan) to dine. As the latter
left the house he was fired upon by three
men and mortally wounded. After his
death, Essad took command of the gar
rison. 1t has been five months now since
Hassan died. but like in Sicily. the ira
dition Of the blood-feud is inexorable.
however long II may be before the vic
tim Is overtaken. Murderers have been
known TO remain in hiding for years in
their own houses, yet they have been
reached at last. Loyal followers of Has
san have comprised the death OF one
who. rightly or wrongly, was held to be
their masters assassin. 1t Is said that
about one in four of the mountain dwell
ers meets his death by violence as a re-
suit OF family or community warfare of
the kind that was formerly carried on
amid the Kentucky mountaineers.
The career Of Essad has been one OF
blood and iron. Abdul Hamd heard OF
the buccaneering prowess Of Essad and
Ghani' his brother. and sent for the val
liant pair to come to Constantinople, Es-
sad commanded troops in Anatolia and
Macedonia. CHAM was retained at the
ABDUL wanted them put out OF the way
CHAM soon became more important than
his office. and for his characterization he
was killed by hired assassin. who gar
rotted him with the "siIken' cord and
threw his body into the Bosporus.
When Essad heard of II he FASTENED
to ConstantinopIe. ferreted out the muir
derer, and shot him down in cold blood
and In broad daylight on the Calata
Bridge-a parallel of the bloody reprisal
of which Essad Is now the victim Essad
gave it out that he had acted TO satisfy
the ''lextalinis," the law Of the ven
delta, and retired to the mountains A
deputation was sent after him TO request
his presence in Constantinople. A guard
Of fifty Albanians drove away the en-
issaries
When the Young Turk party was in the
ascendancy, Essad became a deputy The
decision was reached to depose Abdul
Hamd. Essad volunteered to go TO the
iildiz Kiosk and confront the Red Sui
TAM" the Sick Man OF Europe" with
the unwefcome tidings. II was a dra-
matte moment when Essad pronounced to
the broken and cringing despot the fate
full words: by the decision Of the Ma
tiOnal Assembly thou art deposed from
the throne, Abdul Hamid." The Sultan
had killed his brother; he was now de-
priving the Sultan of his throne. his pal
ace. and the vestige Of power. 1t falls
to the lot of few men to be able to re-
verse the course OF the rolling wheel of
fortune SO magnifcently.
Montenegro and Servia have denied
that they ever supported the claims of
Essad TO the kingdom of Albania. There
was no strong, united nation to welcome
and uphold him. Albania in fact never
has been a nation-its people have been
a loose, Unfederated assortment of met
tlesome tribesmen, without respect for
rulers or for authority. II is not to be
wondered at that Essad fell. His tenure
of the kingly Office. strong man though
he was. seemed likely to be precarious.
The Albanians require a civilizing social
metamOrposis ere the portion of any
one who essays to rule their scattered
bands will be anything but the uneasi-
ness that proverbially besets a crown.
FLANEUR.