The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25


the entire city and would have massacred
the inhabitants had they not fed to the
upper part of the rock, where their posi-
| ton was Inaccessible. The Pargiotes re-
built their city, however, and in 1871 the
Venetians fortified it. Although Parga
| enjoyed its independence, 1t was under
the protection of Venice and a Corfu no.
bleman resided at Parga as Venice's rep
resentatve with the title of governor.
For many years the Pargiotes had lit
| tie to mar their happiness but insignif-
cant quarrels with their neighbors in
which the inhabitants of the rock nearly
| always came out victorious. But in 1877
the Venetian republic fell and Parga
found itself without outside support. The
| Pargiotes appealed to the victorious
| French and Napoleon. dreaming OF an
eastern empire, decided that this irpreR-
nable point on >the Albanian coast would
be a good place to have friends in time
/ of need. When Napoleon invaded Egypt.
Ihowever. the sublime porte was induced
| to declare war against the French.
Enter the Villain
Now enters upon the scene the VII
lain, and as villainous a villain as
| ever stepped on the stage-Ali Pasha
of Albania. He stands in contemporary
| history as the personifcation OF Orien-
! tai despotism Ali was surnamed Ars-
Ian the Lion, and when his father died
at 13 followed his natural pent ana
| became a brigand. Thus he laid the
| foundations of his fortune which later,
| comb ined with his crimes and intrigue,
| made him the Pasha of Albania
| After the fall of the Venetian re-
| public Ali Pasha was commissioned to
recover the land held by Venice on
| the continent. The French garrison at
Parga feared an attack by the Turks
| and Russians and withdrew to Corfu.
! At the close of the Turco- Russian war,
| in 1900, the Venetian possessions We're
| ceded to the Turks on condition that
| the inha btants would be free to eXer-
| else their own religion, pay no other
| tribute than that paid to Venice and
| be governed by their own laws. Ali
Pasha previously had made several at
| tempts to- win over this little inde-
| pendent republic, but he always failed,
| as the Pargiotes would not listen to
any of his advances He could not keep
| his covetous eye off this choice terri
| tory however, and was determined TO
| get possession of 1t IL it was the last
thing he did.
The Parigotes refused to submit to
| the terms of the treaty and for six
months they held out against The Turks
without any other aegis than their
arms. They finally had to submit,
| however, to a governor sent from the
porte, but they enjoyed comparative
! Independence under the governor, who
| was the only Turk in the fortress. This
state of affairs lasted until 1906.
| Napoleon, his dream of an eastern
empire not having been realized made
advances to the porte through Ali
| Pasha. but the reyerses of the French
in 1914 spoiled this plan.
The Parigotes, finding French power
weakening, turned to the English for
protection. which was promised Ali
Pasha sent his nephew, Daut Bey, at
| the head of a force of Turks to cap
ture Parga, but the Pargiotes had had
long practice in repulsing attacks on
their mountain fortress and the Turks
failed, Daunt Bey being killed. Some
accounts state that Daunt Bey was
picked out by a Pargiotes sharpshooter,
but at any rate he lost his life in the
assault. Ali Pasha, with revenge burn
ing In his heart, had mausoleum
erected to his nephew within sight of
Parga. as a warning of the retaliation
the Pargiotes could expect at his
hands.
Used Underhand Method
Foiled in his attempt to take the
fortress by sword, Ali Pasha turned to
! the unherhand methods in which he
was well versed. He succeeded in
forging the signatures of so leading
Pargiotes to a petition, which he sent
to the sublime porte, begging the porte
for its protection. Finally the time
came when further resistance against
the porte was impossible and the Par
| giotes, their claims backed by the Eng
lish, were given the alternative of
turning over their fortress to Ali Pasha
of being evicted They chose the lat
ter and on May 10, 1919, the fortress
was turned over to the Turkish gen.
eral, the Pargiotes having packed up
all their belongings, eXhumed the
bones of their ancestors rather than
lpaVp fr n bfA ad nv
the Turks, and set sail in borrowed
boats for Corfu. where they were
taken care of by the inhabitants.
Ali Pasha, angered at not being able to
wreak his vengeance on the inhabitants,
but pleased with the thought of attaining
his lifelong ambition-the possession of
| Parga-entered the city in triumph and
history says, found it such a beautiful
spot that he spent several weeks there.
pitching his tent first in one spot and
then in another, admiring the beautiful
| scenery.
But even the Turks finally awo1e to the
perfidiousness of Ali Pasha and he fell out
of favor at the Sublime Porte. The tales
of his crimes had spread broadcast, and
In 1921 a force was sent against him at
Janina (recently captured by the Creeks,
where Ali Pasha had entrenched himself.
Kurshd Pasha led the besieging force
and the siege lasted about IS months.
| to the fortress with 100 men. Kurshid
| Pasha sent officers to him demanding
his surrender, but All Pasha calmly led
them down to cavern underneath the
fortress and showed them all the riches
of Janina, for which the city was IA
nous. laid out of 1000 barrels of powder
One of Ais henchmen carried a lighted
| torch and the brigand chief threatened
to set Off the fortress If he was forced to
surrender.
Kurshid would deliver to him his pardon
| signed with the seal of the Sultan.
Kurshid Pasha promised this IL Selim,
| the henchman carrying the torch, would
| extinguish it. All was arranged and
Selm turned to extinguish his torch,
when he was struck down by poignard.
ALI seeing his last hour had come,
shouted:
You who violate your promises so
cowardly, do you think you will take Ali
| like woman,' He was soon overpow-
cred. His head was cut off, perfumed
| and sent to Constantinope, where 1t was
! displayed for several days as that of a
| public criminal.
Thus ends the life story of Ali Pasha.
| the prosecutor OF the Pargiotes, because
| of whom they left their native land and
even took with them the bones Of their
ancestors. Today they, or rather their
| descendants are going back, much in the
! same way they went, and the rocky
| promontory which glistens like a black
diamond at the edge of the tonan Sea
| will again be inhabited Men will walk
| the paths their fathers trod, children