The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06
Sidelights On the War
by HARRY J. BURNEY

was considered to be the key of Hungary,
and its possession was believed to Sc
cure the command of Servia, besides CIV
ing control of the traffic between the
Upper and Lower Danube. 1t has, in con-
sequence, seen more battles under It's
walls than most fortresses of Europe. The
Turks used to call 1t Darel-i-Jehad, 1.-The
home of wars for faith" During the
fourteenth century it was in the hands of
the Servian kings. The Servian prince,
George Brankovich, ceded 1t to the Hun
garians In 1927.
The Turkish forces unsucessfully be-
sieged the city in 1444 and 1856, on which
last occasion q glorious victory was won.
by the Christian garrison led by the fa-
nous John Hunyady and the enthusiastic
monk, John Capristan. In 1921 Sultan
Sueiman took 1t from the Hungarians
and from that year 1t remained in Tur-
kish possession until 1888, when the Aus
TRANS captured 1t, only to lose it again
in 1890
In III Prince Eugene of Savoy con-
quered it for Austria, which kept 1t I'M
til 1889, improving the Notifications and
giving great impetus to commercial de-
velopment of the town. From 1879 to
1883 the Turks were again its masters,
when it that last year, the Austrians
under General LAii1on carried it by as
| sault, only to lose 1t again in 1882. In
| 1907 the Servians. having risen for their
| Independence. forced the Turkish garri-
| son to capitulate, and became masters
| of Belgrade, which they kept until ths
end of September, 1913, when they aban-
| doned 1t to the Turks.
| Up to the year 1862 not only was the
| fortress Of Belgrade garrisoned by Tur-
| kish troops, but the Danunbian slope OF
the town was inhabited by Turks. living
under a special Turkish administration,
| while the modern part of the town (the
! plateau Of the ridge and the western
slope was inhabited by Servians living
under their own authorities. This dual
government was a constant cause OF
| friction between the Servlans and the
| Turks, and on the occasion Of one con-
| flict between the two parties the Tur-
| kish commander of the fort bombarded
| the Servian portion of the town. June,
! 1922 The indirect consequence of this
| incident was that in 1855, on the cate
! goric demand Of Prince Michael Of Ser
| via, and under the diplomatic pressure
of the great powers, the sultan with
| drew the Turkish garrison from the cit
adel and delivered it to the Servians.
Belgrade the Brutal or Degrade the
| Bloody we'll might be called the Servian
! capital that Is now in the hands Of the
4 time one of the greatest tragedies OF
royalty. Outraged by the corruption of
I King Alexander and his Queen Draga
Maschin, the household OF the palace one
night murdered the couple In their beds,
throwing the corpses over the battle
ments upon the bayonets of soldiers lined
up In the palace yards. The Petcr Kar-
ageorgovitch, descendant OF swine
| herder. who had once ruled Servia as its
sovereign, was invited to the vacant
throne. He had long been wanderer
| from the land of his nativity and his de-
| tenders have stoutly maintained that he
had no hand in the bloody conspiracy
which opened his way to crown.
|
1t was in Belgrade that the bombs were
| made which lined the route Of Austria 6
crown prince through the streets of sara
jevo, capital of Bosnia, and the pisto
with which he and his wife were killed
was issued from the royal arsenal OF
| Servia. 1t was Belgrade which lighted
the match which fired the European pow.
der house. 1t was the rickety, turbulent
criminal government Of Belgrade which
drenched tbs fields of q continent in gore
| dynasty that climbed to power on a
| ladder made of assassins' knives. Peter
| Karageoreovitch abdicated when it be-
| came apparent that world was going to
| war. His second son Is now the ruler of
| Gervia. His eldest son sometime ago re-
i nounced his rights to the crown after hav-
ing murdered one of his servants In cold
blood.
The French yellow book has made its
appearance. and copious extracts from It
have been cabled to the Associated Sresa
| In America. Some things not hitherto
known with authority are divulged Cor the
| first time, but upon the whole the vel
| low book adds little information which
would guide the non-prejudiced person in
his search for the true responsibility for
the precipitation Of the war. One thing Il
stressed wildly. however, and upon Il
France seems In great part to depend for
justification by posterity. This is the fact
that Vienna had agreed to discuss direct
with st. Petersburg the question Of the
proper punishment for Servia. when EN-