The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-03-27
hi, cautious leader and enjoyed the

fuI, cautious leader and enjoyed the
Implicit confidence Of Ills troops.
When the crown prince In 1906 saw
his country drifting Into war with
Turkey he warned the war department
at Athens that the army was utterly
unprepared for campaign The In
fantry was armed with condemned
French rifles. which had cost 81 each:
the cartridges were fifteen years old.
there was no cavalry. the artillery was
obsolete and its officers few. aud there
had been insufficient drill. Neverthe,
less the country decided upon war.
The result was disustrous--a hnmiliat-
Ing defeat for Greece. Immediately
the popular tide turned against it's ruI.
ers. whom it denounced as foreigners
who could have little in common with
the Greeks. The king and queen were
hoOted In the streets. aud the officers
turned their backs upon the crown
prince.
A similar spirit was reused against
the royal house when In 1909 King
George tried to oppose the popular
clamOr for the annexation Of Crete,
knowing that Turkey was eagerly
awaiting such an excuse to bring Sec
ond crushing defeat upon Greece. This
time the clamor almost became re-
volt. and the king was obliged to yield
to the demand of the Military league.
both for the reorganization of the army
and for the dismissal Of the crown
prince rs generalissimo and Of his
brothers from active commands in the
army and navy.
The crown prince left Athens But |
two weeks after he had issued orders !
for the removal Of his belongings from |
Athens to st. Petersburg, where he
was to accept command in the army |
of the car. the tide turned again. and
he was notified by his father to come
back. Three months later COnstan-
tine returned to Greece on the invita-
ton Of the national assembly and the
municipality Of Athens. where he was
received with great acclaim
He was restored to his former digni-
ties. and after having undergone a
severe trial was raised to the COM
mand OF the army. with added pres
tige and influence. At the outbreak Of
the present war In the Balkans he led
the advancing Greek forces and cap
tured the city Of Saloniki from the
Turks. With force Of 10000 Greeks
he caused $4,000 Turks to lay down
their arms. His popularity from that
time has been tremendous throughout
Greece.
1t is said that Constantine aims to re-
store the former grandeur of the an
cient Hellenic empire and that he Is
believer in the old national prophecy
that under the reign of a Constantine
and Sophia the eastern empire shall
be called into life again and the cross
restored on st. Sophia In place Of the
The crown princes wife is Princess
Sophia. a sister of the German en-
peror. Their marriage on Oct q, 1889.
was a most spectacular event and was
attended by the kaiser and members
Of the royal families Of every court in
Europe Soon afterward Princess So
phia renowned her Lutheran religion
and took that of her husband. thereby
deeply offending her brother. the Ger
man emperor.
Prince Constantine. like his father
and his brother, Prince George. is Of
herculean stature, more than six feet
tall and magnifcently proportioned.
he has three children, Alexander.
George and Helen.