The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-02
General Saith Damad Pasha
Meets Death on Public
Scaffold.
by Ia MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY

n 2E.AT Is the sensation which has
= been created throughout the Lee
want by the public execution. by
hanging. at Constantinople. OF Cen
eral Salih Damad Pasha. a nephew of
the present Sultan and of nis prede-
cessor on the throne, Abdul Hamid.
II he was thus sent to the gallows,
TO which his dead body was left
suspended for twenty-four hours as
lesson to evildoers. IT was because he
ha6 been proved guilty by court mar
tial ot having instigated the murder
Of Marshal Shevket Pasha, the grand
vizier. who was shot down while driv-
ing through the streets of STEAMBOAT
in his automobile. A check for $500,
bearing the signature of the Pasha
was found in the pocket of one of the
actual perpetrators of the shooting,
on his being searched after capture.
and this led to disclosures which left
no doubt as to the guilt of Salih
Damad. A whole string of people inn
plicated In the crime, some two dozen
In number, were hanged at the same
time and TO the same gallows
This is by no means the first Tina
that a member OF the reiSning house
has been put to death at CONSTANT
nople-indeed. in former times the
Sultans were wont to take the lives
OF as many OF their kinsmen as pos
sble for self protection; but the kill
ing was always done in private, either
by means OF stranglnE with a silken
bowstring, or else with poisoned cof
fee. But this Is the first occa sion of
any one OF them being consigned to
the ignomlny of public Eallows.
Salih was the son-in-law OF the late
Prince Ahmet Renal Eddine the third
brother of the present Sultan. That
prince had an only daughter, the Sui
tana Munir. who. with the rank of i'm
perial highness, was married in 1907
TO General Salih Pasha. The word
"Damad' affixed TO his name is a title
accorded to all those who marry full
Hcdged imperial princcsses OF the SOW
ereign house, and 1t may be recalled
that another of the Damads, namely.
Mahmoud Pasha. husband of the I'm
pcr!al Princess Seniha, was Obliged to
lily from. Constantinorle some " clve
years ago, in order TO escape inn
prisonment FOR having been concerned
in a revolutionary conspiracy against
his brother-in-law. Sultan Abdul
Hamid He died in exile at Brussels.
AS general rule, when members of
reigning houses of Europe are impl-
Gated in cases OF homicide. they es-
cape the punishment that would fall
to ordinary citizens. Thus. the eldest
son of King Peter. George Kara
georgevitch. whose valet succumbed
to maltreatment. on his guilt being
established BY the supreme court of
his native land, was merely deprived
Of his rank and prerogatives, and was
compelled to yield his place a s crown
prince 10 his Younger brother AleXan-
der The father of King Peter, the
late Prince Alexander Karagcorge-
witch, was, while residing in Hungary.
declared by the courts of that coun
try 10 be guilty of instigating the as
sassination of Michael Obrenovitch,
ruler OF Servia. at Belgrade in June,
1868. But instead OF being arrested
all that was done to him was that no
was expelled from the country as an
undesirable foreigner.
Ex-Empress Charlotte OF Mexico
celebrated the other day her seventy
fourth birthday. at her chateau of
Boucnout, in the vicinity of Brussels
and the event was observed with far
more ltindliness and ceremony than
during the reign of her brother. Leo
pCld II. The latter endeavored TO keep
all her relatives away from her. and
to prevent any of her Belgian. Eng.
lish. French and Austrian kinsfolk
from coming into contact with mr.
This attitude on his part created not
only much resentment. but also the
susp. cion that he was misus!?g the
great fortune which she had inherited
from her father, and of which he had
scored control as administrator.
Since King Albert has been on the
throne. all has been changed, and
though she cannot be said to have re-
covered her full reason. yet her lite
has become much brighter. Thus. she
was able TO understand and appreciate
the kilograms of congratulated, and
the magnificent tributes of flowers sent
to her by her brotherin-law. Emperor
Francis Joseph. from Vienna, and by
her niece. Queen Elizabeth OF the Bel
gian, from MontreuX, on the Lake of
Geneva King Albert motored all the
way from Ostend to bring his good
wishes and congratulations in person.
together with n huge wreath of flow
ers and the Empress manifestly en-
joycd the visit Of her nephew. who Is
touching in his solicitude for her well
fare, and III the affection which he dis
plays Tor her. She has been accus-
toned to him from his sarly child
hood. Tor the only one of her rela-
lives who dehed King Leopold. and In
sisted rpon seeing her whenever sac
felt like 1t, was King Albert's mother,
the late Countess OF Flanders. who
died laet year, and who was the En-
press's sister law.
King Albert has declined to have
anything whatsoever to do with tho