The life of Midhat Pasha 42

The life of Midhat Pasha 42

To the Honourable Family of Midhat Pasha._

 

“I humbly present my most respectful homage to Madame and

Mesdemoiselles Midhat Pasha, and also to his son Ali Haydar Bey, with

the __EXPRESSION__ of my profound regret and sympathy on the occasion of

the death of our beloved master, Midhat Pasha. May the Almighty grant

them as great a measure of happiness as there are grains of dust in

the earth that covers his martyred remains.

 

“You will have heard of his tragic death and of the circumstances

under which it occurred. His Highness did not succumb, as has been

announced in the newspapers, to the illness from which he was

suffering. It is true that he had anthrax, but it was not bubonic.

The truth is that in the same night and at the same moment both

Midhat Pasha and Damad Mahmoud Pasha were strangled. May the Divine

clemency and blessing be upon them.

 

“There are many things that I ought to tell you, but I dare not write

more fully, as I am in dread of our persecutors. Kindly let me hear

that you have received this letter, and do not divulge the name of

him who sent it. If you have anything that you wish to ask me you can

write to me.

 

“Half of the Pasha’s possessions have been stolen by the employés,

the rest has been sent to Constantinople.

 

“The servant, who so faithfully served our lamented Midhat Pasha, is

well worthy of being helped. The Pasha, shortly before his death,

left him £T100. He gave me a note signed to this effect, which I

enclose to you, begging that you will send the poor man the money.

 

“I beg you, Madame and Mesdemoiselles, to accept the __EXPRESSION__ of my

respectful affection.

 

 

“HASSAN HAÏROULLAH.

(_ex‐Sheik‐ul‐Islam._)

 

“TAÏF, _15th Zilkade, 1301_” (1883).

 

 

Wishing to render a last service to his country, the Sheik‐ul‐Islam,

Haïroullah Effendi, also sent to the Reform Party a record of the

details of this assassination, which is contained in the following

chapter.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XIII

 

DETAILS OF THE ASSASSINATION OF MIDHAT PASHA, ACCORDING TO

INFORMATION DERIVED FROM HAÏROULLAH EFFENDI.

 

 

In the course of the third year of his exile at Taïf, Midhat Pasha had

a large tumour on his right shoulder. The doctor, who was permitted

to attend him, was a certain Nashid Effendi, who delayed a fortnight

before diagnosing it as anthrax, and who, being ignorant of all modern

surgical knowledge, did not even perform the necessary operation,

alleging the age of the Pasha as a cause for this omission.

 

This infamous and unworthy conduct on the part of the doctor was, at

first, explained in two ways: as he had only just left the School of

Medicine, perhaps he had not sufficient experience, or perhaps he was

acting under superior orders of those who were desirous of the death

of the invalid. But what is certain is that Damad Mahmoud Pasha,

companion in exile of Midhat, having no confidence either in the

capacity or honesty of Nashid, and fearing lest he had some criminal

design, sent a telegram to the Governor‐General of Hedjaz, residing at

Mecca—Osman Nouri Pasha, who is now Marshal and Aide‐de‐camp to Abdul

Hamid—in which he implored him to send another doctor, accusing Nashid

of incapacity. But Osman Nouri had not even the politeness to reply

to him. However, fortunately the anthrax burst of itself, and it was

always this same Nashid, accompanied by an officer, Captain Ibrahim

Aga, who dressed the wound. The state of health of the invalid, which

grew worse from day to day, was caused probably by the treatment to

which he was submitted. It must be said that it is almost by a miracle

that the wound healed eventually, thanks to a different but altogether

rudimentary treatment, which was tried.

 

The doctor made a report to the Governor‐General after each visit, and

that official never failed to transmit it regularly by telegraph to

Yildiz Kiosk.

 

One day Nashid, after dressing the wound with Ibrahim, suddenly asked

Midhat Pasha, to the general consternation, if it were really true that

in Europe criminals were now only executed by means of chloroform. This

question, simple enough in itself, gave more than one person cause for

reflection.

 

Major Bekir[29] of the Third Battalion, 10th Regiment, who was

specially charged with the surveillance of the prisoners, had gone

away some days previously to Mecca and Medina. It was with very great

surprise, therefore, that we saw him enter Midhat Pasha’s room with the

doctor and Ibrahim. When asked the reason of his sudden return, Bekir

replied simply, with extraordinary cunning, that it was only to arrange

certain affairs of the garrison, in the first place, and secondly, to

collect the taxes in the villages situated on the side of Tarié. He

added that he was getting ready for this journey on the receipt of a

special order from the _Muchir_ (Marshal).

 

This was a bare‐faced lie, and we shall see further on what was in

reality the mission with which he was charged.

 

The sixth day after the arrival of Major Bekir was a Friday, and, as

usual, the servants belonging to the prisoners, accompanied by a

guard, went to the mosque in the town for the Friday prayer. Arif Aga,

servant to Midhat Pasha, remained by his suffering master.

 

On their return, Major Bekir stopped them all before the _caracol_ or

guard‐room, and not seeing Arif Aga amongst them, had him at once sent

for.

 

Arif refused to obey this order, alleging that he could not leave his

invalid alone. When the Pashas perceived that Bekir insisted, they told

the orderly to fetch him, in order that they might learn the reason

of this inexplicable affair. Bekir, on receiving this communication,

jumped up, and going to Midhat Pasha’s room in the _kalé_ (fortress),

declared in a haughty, insulting manner that the servants would be

dismissed from their service, that in future they would have to be

contented to eat from _caravanas_, and that they would no longer be

allowed to purchase eggs, cheese, nor olives, only tobacco; and last of

all, that they would now be forbidden to present any further requests

to the Sultan.

 

Such was the arrogant language employed by Bekir. Later on, changing

his tone, he added with less impertinence that he was charged with a

special mission, and that he had received an order to send Haïroullah

Effendi’s wife (who was living in the town with her baby) first of all

to Mecca, and thence to Constantinople. This was most alarming news to

many, for it all pointed to secret plots. However, there was no other

course open than to await the end with resignation.

 

Damad Mahmoud Pasha, who was of a very hot‐blooded disposition, and

who easily got angry, lost patience, and replied to the explanations

of Bekir by demanding that at least the dismissed attendants might be

allowed to return to them in order to settle their accounts. Bekir,

now become almost amiable, replied that this would be contrary to the

orders he had received, but in order to do them a service, he would

take the responsibility upon himself and allow the servants to come,

accompanied by a guard.

 

The servants, after their accounts had been settled, were lodged in a

room near the principal door of the barracks. The cooking utensils,

pens, paper, and ink‐stands, which until then had been placed at the

disposition of the Pashas, were now taken from them. Bekir, in order to

make the preparations for his travels, spent the night at the barracks.

 

Midhat Pasha had more than once filled the office of Grand Vizier, and

had rendered eminent services to his country. The manner in which they

treated him shocked me, for even under these circumstances, taking into

consideration his age and the weak state of his health, they might have

shown him some consideration.

 

A hospital attendant, a soldier, who was completely ignorant of the

habits of the Pasha, was now appointed as his servant. Nevertheless,

Midhat Pasha, we must allow, whilst we render homage to his energy,

submitted to all these humiliations with the greatest calm, and even

with indifference.

 

On the 8th of April, a Sunday, Bekir visited Midhat, undoubtedly with

the intention, after some conversation, of taking the latest news to

the Pasha at Hedjaz, for that same day he was going to leave for Mecca,

taking with him the wife of Haïroullah, his child, the servants, and

the cooks.

 

“Are you going now?” asked Midhat Pasha of Bekir.

 

“Yes, in a few hours,” he replied; “if you have any communications to

make me, will you kindly do so now?”

 

“Very well! Listen to me attentively. His Majesty, Abdul Hamid, has

recently raised the Vali to the rank of Marshal, and I congratulate

the latter with all my heart. You know, however, all the services

that I have rendered my country; no one can deny them. You are not

ignorant of the distinguished posts I have successively occupied.

Now, you see how I am treated; I see nothing before me except the

most gloomy prospect, and it is through you that they will get rid

of me. You will be the instruments, and each of you, most probably,

will be promoted; the officer will become colonel, the colonel will be

gazetted as a general, and so on; but remember that you may die after

Abdul Hamid. If you die before, your titles will be inscribed on your

tombs; but if the contrary occurs, then I am convinced it will be quite

otherwise. Pause now, examine your conscience, calculate your own moral

and material interests, and without looking so far ahead, whilst His

Majesty is still alive, just think for a moment what has become of the

Chief President of that arbitrary tribunal which condemned me in so

cowardly a manner, without any tangible proof. It is quite true that

Sourouri Effendi was appointed _Cadi Asker_; but was he not exiled

soon afterwards, under the title of Governor of Manissa. As to Djevdet

Pasha, the second President, he is, as everyone knows, deprived of his

functions, and is now at home—a disgraced man. Think of these events,

and you will form a correct idea of the situation. I see that some

crime is overhanging me. Remember the verse of the Koran which says:

‘Whosoever kills shall be punished with hell and eternal tortures.’...

We are all deserving of chastisement at the hands of Divine Justice.

And now that you know my opinion, will you communicate it faithfully to the Vali?”