Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-11

formed that the murdered king and
queen were buried in this chapel, but
there was nothing in sight even re-
motely resembling royal tomb. Near
one corner was a plain lettered slab,
hanked by two wooden crosses. In
names of two of the older members of
the Obrenovitch family. Right and
left stood a crude Roman cross of
wood. On the crossbar of the cross
at the right was rudely lettered Alex
ander Obrenovitch." The CORES
ponding bar on the cross at the left
bore the name "Draga Obrenovitch."
There was not another letter on eth
er cross, no date of birth nor death,
no word to indicate that the persons
buried here had once been king and
queen of the country.
In the more than thirteen years that
have elapsed since the murder, the
crosses had not even been set up
right. They are simply leaned against
the whitewashed wall. A nickeled
candlestick stands near the squalid
tomb; at the other side is n tall, cylin-
drical sheet-iron stove, sole means of
heating the chapel. No guard rail
separates the tomb from the place
occupied by the worshippers.
The mean tomb in the little chapel
recalls the regicide that stirred all
the world-with the exception, ac-
cording to the contemporary reports
of Serbia itSelf-in June, 1903
Trouble had been accommodating for
years at the Serbian court. Alexan-
der has alienated his father Milan and
offended various European courts by
marrying Draga Maschln, widow of
an engineer and former lady in
waiting of Queen Natalie. Nepotism
and general favoritism still further
embittered the old court party at Bel
grade. Particularly was there wide
disaffection among the army officers.
What gave greater impetus to the
growing conspiracy against King Alex
ander was his act in suspending the
constitution on April I, 1903, declar-
ing void the mandates of the sena-
tors and councillors of state, dissolv-
ing the Skupshtina and setting aside
various laws, including the press law
and the election law.
Shot and Stabbed
Late in the night of June 10, 1903,
band of conspirators. chiefly officials
and army officers, and including Colo
mel Maschin, brother of Draga's dead
husband. overpowered or shot down
the weak palace guard and forced
their way to the door of the royal
apartment. This door was blown
down with dynamite, and the king
and queen were shot and stabbed to
death, and their bodies thrown out
the window into the small garden sur
rounding the palace.
Contemporary reports describe the
murder as taking place in the old
Konak. The correspondent was told
here in Belgrade, however. that the
tragedy occurred in a small garden
house which stood midway between
the old and new Konaks This "mur-
der house" as it was termed, is said
to have been torn down at the order
of King Peter. who did not care to
have perpetual reminder of the
tragedy before his eyes.
The multilated bodies of the MUIR
dered kind and queen it was reported
at the time, were thrown into rude
wooden collins, carried to the chapel |
on the handcart of a sewer cleaner |
and buried unceremoniously a few
hours after the murder.
Thus ended the rule and the line of |
the Obrenovitchs. 80 years to a day |
after the greatest of the line, Prince |
Michael, had been murdered in the |
Topcider Park west of the city. Prince
Alexander of the house of Karageo-
rgevitch, father of the present King
Peter, was thrice tried in Hungary for !
in that murder, but af- |
ter a conviction of one court, was ac- |
quilted by two others. The conspiracy |
of 1858 was planned to restore the |
Karageorgevitch dynasty. and the
of June 10, 1903, whether
or not they had that as their princi- |
pal aim, resulted in its restoration: the |
Skupshtina called Peter to the throne
some weeks after the tragedy. King |
Peter who was at the time in Ge- |
neva, made a formal statement deny |
ing any completely in the plot or any |
guilty foreknowledge of it. Nobody |
was punished for the murder.