The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-08-17
KING PETER OF
SERBIA IS DEAD
Was Reported Early in June to BE in
a Serious Condition.
(By The Associated Press.1
BELGRADE, Jugo- Slavia, Aug. IS.
king Peter, of Serbia. died today.


King Peter. who for a long time had
been ILL., was reported early in June
to be in a serious condition He was
then suffering from pleurisy. A short
time afterwards he was said to be |
steadily improving in health and his |
physicians declared him out of dan
ger.
Nothing was heard of the aged mon
arch until few days ago. when a dis
patch from Belgrade said he was seri- |
ously i'll with congestion of the lungs.
He sank into Inconsistencies Friday J
remaining In that condition until the
following day. His condition became
worse Sunday night and he gradually |
failed until the end.
King Peter of Serbia, &c years old |
white haired, deaf, III from the mfr
mites of age, and suffering from
wounds Of three or more wars, relin-
pushed the cares of state in 1919,
when his second son, Crown Prince
Alexander, succeeded him and became
the ruler of the new state of Jugo-
slavia. He then declared:
MY beloved Serbia is now free, and
its future, I believe, will be a great
one My work is over I desire only
! the continued affection and devotion
of my dear people and, finally, a grave
on Serbian soil"
Despite his age, King Peter pre-
,sented one. of the most coura geous
figures of the war. On the day that
Serbia rejected the Austrian demands,
Peter renowned his temporary abdi-
cation of the throne and placed him
self once more at the head of the
country He was even then almost
sight1ess and hard Of hearing and was
under the constant care of a physi- |
clan.
When the fortunes Of VIZ turned
against the Serbians he remained with
his armies till practically the last
units had been driven from the coun-
try. He then effected an escape
through Albania and went to Saloniki
where he presided over the reorgani-
zation of his forces. Afterward he
went to Corfu where he established |
headquarters and took an active part |
/ in the direction of his nomadic gov
eminent.
Forced from his capital, Belgrade, |
and thence from Nish by the advanc-
ing army of the central powers in 1915, /
his country laid waste by fire and |
shell, Peter lived to return tt Serbia |
and engaged actively in the reorgani-
cation and reconstruction of his do |
mains. From the beginning of the
conflict, the aged king encouraged his
/ troops and people despite the most |
| depressing reverses and on several oc-
casions personally led the Serbs into |
battle.
n ~ -,
Greece, his son Alexander took his
fathers place as commander of the
army. Alexander was later designat- |
ed prince regent by the elder Kara |
georgevitch and on November 26, 1918. I
the National Council of Jugoslavia at |
Agram, Croatia. confirmed the choice, !
thus relieving the venerable king of
the rulership of Serbia, Montenegro,
Slavonia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Dali
malta and Croatia, which had united
after their liberation from Austria.
Early in 1918 the aged king was re-
moved to quiet retreat near Athens.
Greece, where he lived In a small six
room house overlooking the Bay of
Phaeleron. A personal secretary and
his physician were his only compan-
ions. He had only one diversion, an
occasional morning ride around the
Greek capital in the side car of a
motorcycle driven by a Serbian SOL
der. To avoid the. gaze of crowds he
disguised himself with mask and a
pair of goggles. Later his health be- !
came so feeble that he passed most of :
his timc in bed or in wheel chair
When correspondent for the As ]
ISOLATED Press called to see him in ,
May, 1919, the king consented to carry
on conversation only through the
Serbian minister to Greece. It was the
last interview granted by the former
ruler of the Serbs, Croats and Slo-
venes. To meet his long cherished wish I
that he might die on his native soil, ,
the Serbian authorities In 1920 (,
brought the invalid king back to his I
beloved Belgrade. He avoided society,
however, and kept aloof from all court !
and public functions.
King Peter was tall, erect and mus
cular, and in spite of his age had the
appearance of a much younger man.
"He had all the rugged qualities OF one
sprung from the SOIL" wrote one BIZ
ographer. ."He took pride IN referring
to his humble origin and throughout ]
his life lived modestly and unostenta- (
tiously. He was extremely democratic '
and affable. His tastes were simple to
the point of severity. He was beloved
by his people. particularly the peas
antry, who called him Father Peter" .
But his royal career was clouded by
a grave and terrible tragedy-the as !
sassinations of his predecessor, King
Alexander, and the latter's wife, ]
Queen Draga--in the palace at Bel
grade on June TO- 1908. A suspicion
that members of the Kara georgevitch
family. of which Peter was a memberAl
were implicated in the conspiracy
which exterminated the rival ruling
Obrenovitich dynasty of which Alex
ander and Draga were representa-
tives, and which placed Peter on the
throne five days later, was never en-