Evening star., 1925-05-03
BY MAI. FRANCIS YEATS

~ 1SGUISED as a German gov
erness in the city of Con
stantinople, / had many op-
~ portunities of learning his
tory as IL is never written,
but as it is most strangely lived by
a people on the brink of disaster.
Things were on hair edge; a burst
tire made men duck for cover from
imaginary rifle bullets and think the
revolution had come at last, while
news of Enver's downfall or the
Sultan's murder were the common
gossip of the restaurants. Anything
might be true and nothing was too
improbable to be believed.
As l was returning from a meeting
with the Russian colonel who was
helping me to escape, we happened
upon a shocking scene in the Grand
Rue de Perd. 1t was indeed lifting
of the corner of the curtain that hid
intrigue in the Sultan's palace.
Our attention was first attracted
by an officer in the full uniform of
the Imperial Guards running at top
speed through the crowded street with
half a dozen policemen on his heels.
We stopped and Joined the crowd
which was collecting on the sidewalk
opposite the Turkish Club; into this
club the epauleted and bemedaled
captain dashed.
-. A big Mercedes auto came next, car
rying II soldiers. More police painted
up. The soldiers solemnly unpacked
A machine gun and took up their
position on the sidewalk. like men
with terrier waiting for a rat to
bolt
But the quarry came Unexpectedly,
from overhead. It was horrible to
tell the truth, although the cynical
ConstantinopolitanS laughed about it
just another Turk. There was a
cry, Allah and a gasp from the
crowd, and l had just time to see the
gorgeous cavalryman come hurtling
through the air, with arms out
stretched.
Then squelch. The stolid sentries
stood at ease. The crowd melted
away. leaving something blotted on
the cobblestones.
That was just one scene in a quar-
rel between the dashing Enver Pasha.
head of the war party in Turkey, and
the new Sultan. Enver had married
a royal princess and had thought his
position secure. But of late there had
been whispers abroad that he had ac-
quired a monopoly of all the milk sold
in Constantinople, having purchased
number of valuable farms with funds
which should have gone to the army.
These rumors came to the court.
The Sultan demanded a strict account
ing of the army budget. Enver took
ofense. There was a brawl--a young
officer of the Sultan's personal staff
drew his sword on the commander
in-chief in defense of the sovereign,
who he considered had been insulted
To avoid scandal the young officer had
been placed under arrest.
But the boy refused to stay in his
quarters and galloped out of the place
on horseback. Enver's men pursued
him and shot his horse from under
him. Then he ran for his life down
the Grand Rue de Pera, tried to find
sanctuary in the club and, when this
failed, ended his hectic career by
jumping out of the window, rather
than be taken TO the military prison.
After some experience of that mill
tary prison myself q was shortly to
spend a month there. but did not
know it at the time), l am not at all
sure that the boy was not wise to get
out of the clutches of Enver as he did.
The alternative, at best, would have
been a fatal attack of indigestion, or
one of those obscure diseases which
so often, in the East, attack prisoners
who know too much.
Soon after, the Russian colonel was
hustled out of the city without being
able to communicate with me. My
plans consequently had to be begun
afresh. There was now no object in
dressing as a woman and l chose
Hungarian mechanic as my next dis
guise In this costume-an old suit,
old derby hat, a small mustache, my
hair dyed black, and spectacles-l be-
gan to realize how easy it is to live
unknown in a large city and why so
many criminals throughout the world
get away with their loot.
u X X
DEOPLE generally believe what they
are told; there is no doubt of that.
I said I was q greaser, out or a JOB,
and a greaser l became. Also had
cash to pay for what l ordered and
that is the best passport anywhere in
the world.
However, I did not neglect other
passports: as soon as possible l got in
touch with the forger who had hidden
in the house of the Greek which was
my first refuge after escaping from
prison, and at a cost of FLO CTurkish)
this ingenious creature produced an
imposing certificate, stamped and
sealed and signed with flourish by
the governor of Constantinople him
self. This document, l was assured
bv it's proud author, in addition to
certifying that l was exempted from
seryice in the army owing to valVular