Evening star., 1914-08-09

most forgotten. Yet il was from this
strange. little and most interesting couh
try that came the "shot heard 'round me
world when the death of the archduhe
a few weeks ago was caused by oero
of Seryia's early history there is httie
known connectedly. for II is bound up III
a fragmentary manner with that or the
surrounding countries. But it is known
that in ancient days the land now known
as Servia was the Roman province oi
Moesia Superior, inhabited by Ihracidil
tribes There is legend tha' t,ite
brothers, scoruing the oppression of their
Roman rulers. emigrated toward the
great country to the east. The brothers
were called Russ. LEX and Tchek. Inc
first settled in southern Russia. the se.
I'd beyond. the Pruth, and INC iast'
Tchek. became the father of Bohemia.
These races wcr. Slavic and mostly no
ruadic. wandering around with theii
herds. seeking with their three-horseo
wagons the cool of the north IN summer
and the warmer climate of the South III
winter. living in tents and existing as a
pastoral people governed by chief OF
the tribe.
These wanderers who settled in Moesia
were called Serfs or Serbs which word
is said to mean Glory" They are the
ancestors of the men who today inhaoit
the beautiful valleys. the picturesque
mountains In that most romantic couh-
try. which still presents much the ap-
pearance of the middle ages.
For hundreds of years the country
fiicts with its neighbors. sometimes the
Turks and at others the CHRISTIANS
Once a Bulgarian czar raNaged SerVia
and reduced it to an almost primtiSe
condition of wild forest. @ Ihis vas vas
about the ninth century. Then the
Byzantine rulers aided the land to
wise from her condition, but shortly
themselves swallowed up both bulgaria
and Servia.
Perhaps the greatest warrior of Ser
Was history was the famous Douchan,
of the fourteenth century. whose PROV
ess won a series of triumphs against
the surrounding countries. including
Turkey. Douchan. who killed his own
father, became the first great ruler OF
his country. which now assumed an
important place on the map of Europe:
but his house did not last. for. in spite
of his successful wars and the num-
her of his conquests his provinces, over
which he had placed heads. soon
crumbled apart from the Servian en-
pire. Thessaly. Albania. Bosnia. Hun
gary and Bulgaria shook themselves
free Then followed a long period of
subjugation to Turkey. again return
to rule under Christian but alien des-
pots. then in 1871 the Turks obtained
control But their rule was not cruel,
for when Servia was attacked by the
Janissaries in the eighteenth century
the Turks defended her. These Janis
saries. in 1904. We're guilty of a gen
eral massacre of the Servians. but
fortunately, few succeeded in escap-
ing to the mountains, among them
man who became famous as Kara
George.
Kara George started in life as
peasant in the forests of Shumadia, and
when the Janissaries came to murder
him he formed patriotic army but.
like Douchan. was the murderer of mis-
aged father. whom he slew because his
parent refused to cross the river Save.
He hung his brother and almost killed
his mother, but little incidents like
those do not seem unpleasant accord
ing to the Servian aspect of life.
George was helped by the Turks to
conquer the Janissaries. but on the
arms against the Moslem and with
lew thousand mountaineers faced the
whole Ottoman empire.
In October. 1893, the sultan ceded self
government to Servia. but later, in 1913.
Kara George fled the country when it
was attacked again by the Turk. In this
emergency another peasant rose. young
Milosh Obrenovic. who had spent his
childhood herding pigs. Pretending to
favor the Turk. Milosh went from town
to town really arranging for an insur-
rection. and in 1915 he raised the flag of
freedom. Soon he was at the head of a
large army and ousted the Turk, then
ruled in the midst of turmoil until he
was forced to abdicate. In 1872 Alexan-
was elected prince. But in 1853 he also
was forced to abdicate, and Milosh was
recalled.
Milosh died in 1860. and his son Michael
ascended the throne. only to be murdered
in 1StS. and succeeded by relative
Prince Milan This man, who now be-
came King Milan. was the father Of Alex
ander. who. with his queen. Draga, was
assassinated only few years ago. BY
this murder the present King Peter. who
is of the Kara Georgevic family. came to
the throne which he now holds.
Bat a most remarkable fact in the his
tory of Serria. and one of great interest
now. is the wonderful prophecy. known
as the black prophecy" which was made
some years ago. and has been and is now
being rapidly fulfilled
In the state archives of Servia today
reposes a paper which is perhaps the
most unique in Europe for it IS the utter
ances of a peasant who lived in the viii
lage of kremna in 1868. This old man,
whose name was Mata. came to the town
of Tiitza one afternoon in June. 1SsiS.
and taking up position in the center of
the main street. began TO call out at the
top of his voice: oh men. oh, bro
thers Help, Help, They are killing our
ruler. They are killing our prince. Our
Prince Michael is murdered"'
vast crowd gathered about the man,
who was arrested for disturbing the peace
and obstructing the street. but the very
next day there came telegram from Bel
grade, stating that Prince Michael OBJ
renovic had been murdered in park near
the city.
Thinking the man must be one of the
conspirators, the police questioned him.
but found he only told what he had seen
;n a vision. Then he was brought on to
Belgrade and his utterances put down
as an official state paper. which is now
preserved. Prince Milan who succeeded
TO the throne by the death of Michael
had a long talk with the peasant-prophet.
and listened gravely to his foretelling the
future of the Obrenovich dynasty.
The death Of Michael. the ascending OF
the throne by Milan, then called prince
had been foretold and fulfilled before
Mata was summoned to Belgrade but
the interest OF Milan now centered in the
future events concerning his dynasty The
seer steadily regarded the prince, then.
as II gazing into the mists of the coming
years, told In firm tones just what he
saw:
The successor of Prince Michael will