THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2008, 1 October 1906, Page 7

THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.

T There is no more terrible and no more obscure part of history than that which relates to the century and a half of murders secretly organized and daringly committed by order of the •"Old Man of the Mountain." Just about 800 years ago tliere was panic throughout Persia. Men were found dead in the highways, merchants in their houses, emirs in the palace chambers, generals in their tents. At a street cornea - a blind beggar would piteousfty, beseech a passerby to lead him home. Woe be to him whose generous heart led him to respond, for he never returned. Days afterwards his corpse would be found in a cellar or some other dim place—the Old Man of the Mountain had satisfied his lust for blood. No ozie knew who the emissaries of the monster were. Friends would be walking together, and one would be suddenly stabbed by the other. A Sultan decided to extirpate the gang of vipers. That night, though his tent was encompassed with guards, two daggers were placed near his throat. He accepted the omen, and withdrew his mandate. But his Vizier urged him to proceed, and a few hours later the Vizier was dead. No one was safe ; every man feared his iveighbour. The monarch was as much in danger as the peasant ; and such was the terror created that men dared not even say to which party they belonged—"whoso was their enemy feared their violence, and whoso befriended them was accused of being their associate.' And tin's appalling state of affairs actually lasted 168 years, during which time thousands and thousands died by the secret assassins' hands. But every Old Man of the Mountain came to his end in peace except the last. What was the origin of this awful sect, and what was the object of its crimes ? Strange as it may seem to say so. the ghastly work of the Man of the Mountain represented a religious movement of fanatical fervour. It is a complex piece of history, but the loading points may be easily ex-! plained. In the tenth century Islam was divided into two rival factions, the Sunnites and the Shi-ites the catise of their antagonism being as to the rightful succession to the Prophet Eventually the issue narrowed itself down between the claims of two brothers, Musa and Ismail, but the followers of the latter were being gradually defeated, when suddenly the cause was revived by one Abdullah, a vulgar magician. It was his wily brain which conceived the bold plan that power might be obtained by practising on men's fears. He therefore formed a secret society, bound together by mystery, and compelled the members to carry out his orders unflinchingly. It is said that on one occasion to prove to a sceptic how completely these followers were under his control, he bade a number of them to cast themselves out of a window to certain death, and the! order was unhesitatingly obeyed. Another strange story to account J for his influence was that it was his j custom to give a luxurious repast to I likely men, to intoxicate them, with the drug hashish, and then trans- j port them to a fairy-like garden of j wonder and beauty—a Paradise of Mohammedan fancy. When the delud- j cd men had seen enough they were brought back, and on reviving wore told that they had never left the apartinent, hut had enjoyed a glimpse of heaven that awaited the Faithful. Their conversion was immediate, and they devoted themselves to the Old Man of the Mountain, not only, however, did he wish them to murder but to proselytise. While they used the dagger to inspire horror, they engaged in subtle missionary work on behalf of their infernal master. Their method was to ask questions, and to any 'listener in a crowd whose curiosity \\iis excited promised to make great revelations if (he person would take a solemn oath of fidelity. Thus

the cause spread, and the 01(1 Man of the Mountain became a Caliph—one who, when he rode forth, had criers in advance shouting, "Turn your faces from him who holds the death of kings in his hand." The most noted of these assassinpotentates was Hassan-i-Sabbah, at whose door is laid the charge of having murdered that most enlightened of Grand Viziers, Nizam-ul-Muflk, the friend and patron of the philosopherpoet, Omar Khayyam. Hassan himself was a man of genius. In 1090, after lie had travelled in Egypt and deeply studied the Tsmaili creed, he achieved a remarkable and momentous triumph by surprising and capturing the fortress of Alamoot, in Northern Persia, and on the Syrian frontier. It had been deemed to be impregnable and he made the mighty castle his headquarters, reorganized the secret Order, of which he was Grand Master, and became a more terrible Obi Man than any of his predecessors. For twenty-four years this tyrant, whose slightest nod was obeyed, was able to remove every enemy from his path. The Emir of Mossul fietermined on a bold stroke to rid the region of the prime assassin, only to be immediately murdered in the mosque at Bamascus for his termerity. Nizam's death is said to have l>cen due to his threat to attack Alamoot, and after these exhibitions of the ruthlessness and re- i source of Hassan's emissaries, no further attempt was made to molest i him. j

It is true that occasionly the assassins were tracked and captured, but even .under the most fearfully prolonged and excruciating of tortures they refused to reveal their secrets. On the contrary, even in the agonies of death they would proclaim their triumphs and utter praises of the master they served. So powerful did Hassan and his successors become that neighbouring rulers, and even, it is reported, the Sovereigns of Egypt, Hungary,, and Germanj,, were glad to placate them with handsome gifts and acknowledge their supremacy in the Persian dominions. The English Crusaders brought home wondrous tales, mingled perchance with myths, of the Old Man o!" the Mountain. And, strange to relate, it was only another secret body that tin- secret assassins feared —the Templars and Hospitallers, who had a Grand Master of their own, who had their own mystic rites, anil who. no matter how many were slain, had always successors ready. Yet it was so ordained that it was not at th'' hands of any such body the Old Man of the Mountain should meet his fate, but' from an entirely unsuspected quarter. In 1771 great wars were raging. The Crusaders were lighting Saladin in th*.- hope of recovering .Jerusalem from the Prophet's followers ; civil strife prevailed in Persia ; there was a general upheaval in Uie blast, lu

the rauTst of it aH a Tartar clucf. Hoolagoo. seized his oppori unity of raid and plunder. The groat castle of Alamoot, with its treasures, proved an irresistible attraction. No superstitious fears stopped him, no thought of hidden peril appalled him; he simply rushed headlong- towards so promising a prize. The castle fell before the savage assault, the accumulated treasures were divided between the conquering force, and the last Old Man of the Mountain was butchered in cold blood. It was a fittingly dramatic conclusion to the story of outrage and iniquity which had filled men's minds for generations, and the mere.mention of which so many centuries later still inspires a feeling of awe.—"Weekly Budget."