The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-27
Review of the Tragedy Which
Precipitated World
Greatest Conflict

owing to her slngularly sympathetic, simple and natural man
nr. Above all she was. as Francis Joseph said of her after
opposed her agreed that had she been of royal birth she would
have been an ideal Empress. They admitted too that she had
done more than any one else could have done to humantze
the Archduke and to bring him In touch with the world.
II was not until 1905, the year Of the annexation Of
Bosnia Herzegovina, that the Archduke made his mark. The
stroke Of policy that gave these former Turkish provinces TO
Austria proved him an organizer as well as a statesman. The
coup made a significant change in the position Of Austria
Hungary, proving that the dual monarchy was able to work
out its own salvation and that 1t was no longer a mere
vassal of Germany.
lie planned it down to its minutest details. he trained an
army to enforce his plans and he rejoced in his success even
when the camor was loudest. Many of those who had once
called him an idiot Archduke were willing to acknowledge
his decided ability for statecraft.
Had any one ventured early in the Archduke's career TO
prophesy that the time would ever come when the report Of
his death would spread CONSERVATION and grief he would have
been scoffed at. Had this HapsburG been murdered then the
people might have felt that there was n meaning in it, that
there was time or need for such a deed. But to be slain Just
when the mistrust and Ill will with which he had so long
been regarded had passed away and the different races over
non out o 'Ws CRIME ne "ouru ave lueo d iearheu
TO know him and be proud Of him, that indeed was hard"
1t was the time OF his death as well as the manner that
gave to 1t its special pathos.
who will avenge this injury to the Hapsburgs?" cried
The whole Of Austria Hungary appeared TO answer. But
against whom was the vengeance directed? Not the boys
who were Immediately responsible. They were put down
without questioning as mere tools Of some higher power.
Nedejo Gabr!novic, the one who hurled the bomb, ad-
mitted that he had been in Belgrade but a short time before
the tragedy and he had there obtained the material for maxi
ing the attempt on the Archdukes life. pr!nzep acknowledged
that he, too. had come from Belgrade. where he had studied,
and that he went to Bosnia with the determination to shoot
some high Austrian official IN order TO avenge Serbia's wrongs.
The Bosnian police gathered into their net a score or more
young men as coconspirators and had little trouble in salts
flying themselves that the great Serbian secret society, the
Narodna Odhrana, was responsible for the murder. This
society, IT a announced, had It's headquarters at Belgrade
and had as its purpose the alienation of all the southern Serb
population from the Austrian rule and its ultimate union
under the Serbian standard.
That Bosnia was a hotbed Of dissatisfaction with Aus
TRAN rule was accepted without questioning. Ever since the
annexation this dscontont had increased, for the Serbs saw
in this action an end TO their aspiration for a kingdom Of
their own, and the Austrians used firm, even severe, means
to combat this opposition.
"Thc Government dlscriminates against us in every way"
said a prominent Serb 10 a Sun correspondent who was in
I'VE have forced concessions but they have never been really
operative.
ure that was not favored by the Government was quickly
killed, They granted us the use of our language in the
schools and printed the street names in Serbian, but there
the matter ended.
morning and were sent 10 the Furthermore corners of the
province on the day Of publication. while the Serb news
papers were not distributed until the night of publication, and
"A Serb youth who used only his native speech could
make no advancement in either civil or military life, however
well fitted for his duties he may have been. There was no
chance for him unless he bowed down to the domination of
the Government that had taken him against his own will
There was an unccasins agitation in Bosnia. and that
outward manifestation of the unrest was not more frequent
was due to a large extent to the excellence Of the Austrias
police force, And Furthermore, that this agitation was KEEP,
alive and fostered by people across the border Of the STATE
Of Serbia there was no doubt. But that the Government OF
Serbia was responsible for this agitation or fostered 1t was
the Archdukc,
Stil, Francis Joseph and his counsellors believed that
they had mad" a clear case against their nciGhhor on the
south, and against her they directed their resentment. So
Austria sent an uVt'natlm to SERBIA demanding concessions
that no nation could accept and maintain her national dig
nifty and integrity.
Austria demanded that she have the right 10 arrest and
try suspects by her own courts upon Serbian soil. Serbia
refused. Within a month after the Archdukcs death Austria
had declared war and was battertnE at the gates Of Belgrade.
How the rest Of Europe became involved IN the war the
world knows. That is the history that is being made each
DAY in ruined and devastated Belgium, along the trenches OF
France, the rocks OF GHllipol, the strait OF the Dardaneles
and on the battle front Of Ganca.
What importance historians may attach TO the sara1eyo
tragedy, and upon whom they may place the real RESPONSE
bgity. Il Is difficult now to estimate. A year-and such a
years too short a perspective.
TankositsCh, the Serbian who. II was charged, organized
the plot, is now a Major and in command OF a committe
battalion in the Serbian army, lie "a said TO be a brave. q
sourccrul soldier and TO be tdonzed by hts men.
Austria tried early IN the year at Saratevo the conspars-
tors that had been gathered IN by her police. Ten Of them
were acquitted and released, Gahrnovlc, who threw the bomb;
Iruzep. who fired tho shot, and Trfko Grahcz. who was their
principal assistant, We're found guilty Of high treason and
murder. As none Of them had passed his twentieth year, each
was sentenced to twenty years Imprisonment, the maximum
under the Austrian law,
Three prisoners -Najeko Cuhrilovic, Mieko iowa nov1o and
Danio Ilc-were sentenced 10 death and executed in the
were given prison sentences ranging from three to sixteen
years.
Austr!a's friends say that the trial was Just and fair
that the only thing lacking was tho failure to reach the real
assassins. Her enemies say that the result was a foregone
conclusion, that the evidence connecting official Serbia with
the crime was trumpet up and did not In reality inplicate
in any way Serbian officials.
1t is from this mass Of contradictions that the future his
torian must choose, and It will be many years yet before ne
can sft it and free It from national and racial pretudices
But to-day there Is little doubt that to the Serb people tho
youths Who We're executed ard those Who were imprisoned for
their part IN the Saratevo tragedy are MARTYRS to Austrian
vndictivencss and hatred.