TURKISH "FEHME."

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 165, 14 July 1928, Page 21

TURKISH "FEHME."

SECRET MURDER SOCIETY. COMPARED TO THE "BLACK REICHSWEHB," SLAY EX-SULTAN'S PHYSICIAN". The "Black Reicliswehr" trials are still making a stir in Germany. They recall the old '"Fehme" lynchings of the Middle Ages. Turkey, it appears, alsp has a counterpart of the "Black Reichswehr," a secret "Fehme" organisation. The "Vassische Zeitung's" Constantinople correspondent, Dr. Wilhelm Feldmanii, recently wrote for his newspaper an account of a trial in that city in which Major Seki Bey, adjutant of the late Siutan Melimed VI., was condemned to death—in his absence—for the murder of Dr. Reschad Pasha, the ex-Sultan's personal physician. Tlie crime, it was concluded, was the work of a reactionary terroristic body. Says the correspondent:—" Europe, living at such a rapid pace, will scarcely remember the 'drama of San Remo,' in which a Stainboul Court has just rendered a verdict. In San Remo the last Sultan and next-to-the-last Caliph, Wahihoddin, as they call him here, had rented a villa, while his rival and cousin, its last Caliph, Abdul Medschid, thanks to the generosity of East Indian Mahometan, was living very comfortably in Nice. Slain in Sultan's Villa. .'•Ill the spring of 1926 the Italian police were summoned one day to the villa of the Sultan, who has died since. They -found there Dr. Reschad Pasha lying dead in a pool of blood. A revolver lay beside the corpse. "The ex-Sultan and his retinue were cure it was a case of suicide. According to them, Dr. Reschad .Pasha had been , very depressed since leaving Constantinople and had contemplated corumiting I suicide, which intention he made clear after a personal clash with the ex-Sultan. "That sounded plausible. But an examination of the body raised doubts. The Italian police took into account the possibility that Dr. Reschad Pasha was murdered. Suspicion fell 011 the deposed Sultan's adjutant, Major Seki Bey, who was said to have 'discovered' the corpse. But the police did not clear up the case. Ihe 'drama of San Remo' was quickly forgotten. | "Dr. Reschad Pasha's family made an earnest effort, however, to solve the mystery. Ihey -sought for new ulues and collected so much material that the j'l urkish courts started a proceeding against Seki Bey. An order was issued . for the arrest of the fugitive adjutant but it could not be executed. | "The Stamboul criminal court has summoned the surviving members of Wahihaddin's suite from San Remo as witnesses. They declared collectively that they were satisfied that it was t case of suicide and that no motive existed for the murder of Reschad by ; Seki. Reschad's family were able, however, itb persuade the court that the doctor .was the victim of a .'Fehme' murder Their proof consisted of threatening letters, in which a monarchist secret society announced the doctor's sentence to death because of his relations with the Kenialist Republicans, and in information gathered by a Turkish police agent about this secret society.. Founded in Rumania. "According to this information Turkish fugitives in Rumania founded the organisation. It was called the Order of the Regenerators. The ex-feunan was its president. He made all decisions for it with the aid of a council of three. Execution of these decisions was entrusted to a council of .seven. "The leading members of the society had assumed names, whose meaning was known only t6 the initiated. The other members Vvere known only by numbers Its sentences threatened traitors with death by he hand of a member. "Dr. Reschad .Pasha' was a member of the society. He also stood in secret relations with the Kemalists. Therefore—so the court saw it—he was condemned to death as a traitor. Major Seki .bey drew the lot which made him the executioner. Until now nothing; had been heard of this secret organisation. It has not seriously threatened the Turkish republic. But it is conceivable that its members while away the time by committing 'Fehme' murder. Imitation of European customs is the order of the dav here."