Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-11
ABDUL HAM|D DIES
IN LONELY EXILE
Ruled Nearly Hundred Million
Moslen1s 81 Years Till Over
thrown by Young Turks
nv Associated Press to Every Evening
A.xrErDAw. HOLLAND, FEB u

\ AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND, = EBt -
The death yesterday of Abdul Hanid,
former sultan of Turkey, from nfiamma-
tion Of the lungs IS announced N ? dis
patch received herc today from Con
stantinople by way q Vienna 4 state
funeral will bc held
Abdul Hamid was FOR thirty-threc years
sultan Of tho Ottoman empire, gprawlng
upon tho three continents IF Europe, ASIA
and Africa. and ~ the same time wns
commander Of the faithful army Of Mos
leris lie Was paid homage by nearly z
hundred million subjects Shorn q power
ne died 4 prisoner pitled if not despised
He lived IN constant dread Of death
Hc had often escaped II only bv good luck
or unusual precautions against plots
Yet in his latter wears ne had sought
death by his own hands, - melancholy
had ms existence become
He gained ascendencv under cirClIm-
stances nearly as tragic as those winch
ended his career Born september y,
lS4S. the second son ~ sultan Abdul
Mediid. he became sovereign when his
elder brother Murad " was deposcd
because of mental lncapacIty - 1876.
H. was time when Turkey WAS IN state
Of extreme depression, almost .uccurnb-
ing to the tremendous blows of RUSSIA
Ont of this slough the ncw sultan saved
the remnants Of Turkish prestige MANY
critics give hum credit for successful
regime. Others .denOunce It as infamous,
Whatever the true estimate, u IS fact
that the Turkish empire increased lts
power Schools were reformed, the army
built up, commerce extended and Pan
Islamlsm created under Abdul Hand.
DEPosED ny YoUSG TURKS.
His fall came within the empire itself
bv the rlse Of the young Turks, party
bent upon constitutional government.
Abdul Hamid granted constitution, but
failed to carry out the liberal ideas OF the
new generation. In the revolution Of 1909
he was driven from the imperial palace on
the shores Of the Bosphorus, made q
prisoner, and confined in the Villa LATIN. "a
| former residence Of a Greek merchant, IN
| Salonika, the city where the Young Turk
movement had It's birth.
One Of the numerous anecdotes ~
| Abdul Hamid's antocracy concerns
| parrot, which chanced one day - perch
| himself upon a window ledge and call
| "Diafer- -Diafer One oi he euuuch,
answering 10 tina, name hurried to obey
/ the summons. thinking i WAS his master
/ ~ no taAtfF0. Has - III - az tAt - q
| that he wrlug the parrot neck. and
angrilv exclaimed: In this palace Their
/ must be but one voice 10 rommAnd.
Abdul Hamid one. had has fortuu,
| told BY gypsy who predicted a violent
death. This prophecy WAS largely rc
! sponsible for his constant fear of n,
assassin. although it was also founded ID
| fact. for several plots upon his life wer'
nearly successful
Ii IS said that he touched no mea
| until some Of his entrusted servants haC
first tasted OF each dish. and often waiteC
a considerable time 10 determine n,
effects which the poison IF ther,
! was any might have upon them. III
was in such fear Of bombs that ne seldom
slept twice in succession in the same room
OF his palace
ATTEMPTS TO KILL HIMSELF.
His Younger brother, Mahomed y
I succeeded him as sultan Nbdufs hareu
was broken up, his court jewels sold a
auction for upwards of a million dollars
which went toward building warShiIS 10
the Young Turks navy
Some wears ago Abdul Hamld 5egaI
writing what was generally supposed 1,
be his memoirs. and part of his allegc,
production was published but atte
a time MS fcStleucSc Epl iHt iFt'ti -
HIM and he tore up ms manuscripts
In March 1911, it was said he tried 4
escape. and upon Illustration of The plo;
sought TO Kill himself He broke tum
bier and with the Jagged glass tired q
open q vein One at his attendants seize,
him before he had done himself injury
He thcreupon brought down Allsh'
curse upon the Young Turks. and widl,
declared that this empire viii Sooi
disappear frop the earth, and he engrlfc,
by the sea