ESSAD PASHA'S DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 142, 15 June 1920, Page 5

ESSAD PASHA'S DEATH.

SHOT BY A STUDENT. PI/OTTING AGAINST REPUBLIC, PARIS, June 14. The murderer of Essad Pasha, the Albanian leader, who was assassinated in Paris yesterday, was an Albanian 1 student named Rustem. Essad had just left the Hotel Continental, and was entering a motorcar in the Rue do Castiglione. Rustem, who was hiding behind a pillar, fired two shots at him from a revolver. The second shot entered his head and Essjtd fell dead. The hotel porters seized Rustem, who was in danger of being lynched by the crowd that gathered. Ruetem said that he wished to avenge Albania's wrongs, and that Essad had been plotting against the new-formed Republican Government. Eesad came to Paris as head of an Albanian delegation. He had stayed there Rince, because Italy refused to permit hie return.— (A. and N.Z. Cable.) SECRET SOCIETY'S SENTENCE. (Received 10 30 a.m.) PARIS, June 14. It transpires that Essad Pasha received a warning weeks ago, but he took no precautionary measures. Rustem apparently carried out the decision of a secret society. He said: "I acted on bphalf of the Albanian cause."—(A. and X.Z. Cable.) _Ks?ad Pasha, one of the leaders of the! \ oung , Turk movement, was born in Tirana, Albania, 55 years ago. Fearle-sa and hold, he quickly placed himself at the head of a momenient designed to secure the lifting of the Turtcieh yoke.' The crafty Sultan placated him to "some I extent by making him commander of' the gendarmerie forces at Janina, but he' did not hold the post long, and he was! ■plotting with his tribesmen at Tirana! when the Young Turk revolt of 1908 gave h:,m a chance to show 'his hand.! Elected as Deputy for Durazzo he; inarched at the head of his men in the! attack on Constantinople, which ended i in the surrender of the city and the en-' forced abdication of the Sultan, Essad him&olf taking the fateful message to! 'Abdul the 'Damned. He found that tfiei rise of the Committee of Union and Pro-! gross meant exchanging one tyranny for! another, and he set to worlc to tread | down their power jn Albania, a task 1 in which he succeeded. During the first' Balkan War ' c defended Scutari againet! tjhe Montenegrins, but was starved into j surrender. When 'Albania's independence! was conceded at tho end of the war, with' a German princeling, William of Wied, as ruler, Esead was again at the head of a movement w!hich sent the yonng ruler flying for hie life on the oufbreak of the European war. Ee-rad then joined the 'Montenegrins, and he also assisted the, Serb retreat after the country had been ; ovemm by the Austrians. The Powers; 'acknowledged him as President of the Albanian Kopdblic, but the granting of; the mandate to Italy found him fighting! again—passively—againet any form of authority, and the Italian* decided to keep him out of the country when he left it to state . bia-case to the-; Supreme Ootmcfl.- Jsr-f-v .■ :■•'■' "»