The Barbarous Turk.

Hastings Standard, Issue 86, 5 August 1896, Page 4

The Barbarous Turk.

Two recent crimes in Constantinople which have (writes a correspondent of a London paper) been glossed over by the European Press as ordinary murders are in reality romances closely connected with the ruling family of the Ottoman Empire. One of the crimes which occurred quite in the heart of ; the city, in the Rue du Taxim, was ; the murder of a family, and was diluted in the local Press by means of garbled ver-ions. The other, an assassination ; io the suburb for 1 iechiktach, was for- ' bidden around of the Turkish journals, ! and two newspapers which alluded to | it were at once suspended. Taking the Rue du Taxim crime first, these are the facts as derived from private and unbiased sources. In that street lived a young woman of Greek origin, who was known as Camelia, but whose real name was Virginia Despina. Camelia had always been able to live in grand style, for the tlower of the Turkish aristocracy had sat in her boudoir, in ; which were to be found the photographs of many men of European fame. On May 10 last, at the request of neighbors, who perceived a disagreeable odour proceeding from Camflia's house, the police forced the door, and discovered the bodies of Camelia, her mother, and a young Armenian man - servant. From the first suspicion fell upon a hairdresser who was supposed to be Camelia's lover, but who was really only the agent between her and a Pasha, son of the most conspicuous hero of the Kit -•> Turkish War. This Pasha, a handsome young man, is the husband of ->ii> uf the Sultan's daughters by a (_ ici—lan, but the union has been unhappy. Informed at last of her •qiouve's infidelity, the young Sultana commenced to send threatening letters to her rival, but finding that the-e proved futile she resorted to bribes. Through the agency of a relative, she gave Camelia a monthlyallowance of £2.3 on condition that she should not see the husband again. Vll v nt well until the Princess disc" 1 that her husband continued to visn with the fair Greek clandestinely. Pro hum: by the Pasha,s absence one c nn the lady's brother, accompanied by the hairdresser, went—so me strange story goes—to Camelia's house. After an excellent dinner and copious libations, they sent the beauty's mother to bed, and it is alleged, doctored Camelia's drink in such a way that she slept soundly. Then, while the brother held her head back, the hairdresser, it is further alleged, cut her throat with a razor. They next killed the mother, and after they had forced the Armenian man-servant to sign a " confession " of his guilt they de-patcht-d him likewise. There remained nothing but a little dog, and leat its barking should arouse the neighbors the murderers took its life. The haidresser has been arrested, but this is a formal farce. He will either be discharged straightaway in the absence of direct- proof, or he will be condemned to death, pardoned by the Sultan, and sent to a fortress, whence the brother will have him liberated. Now let us examine for a moment the other case. A beautiful giu named Valentina looked to an Englishman as her father, and to an Italian as her mother, and in leaving Turkey her father left her £1,500 for her support and education. The mother next lived with a bandmaster at the Imperial Palace, who not only devoured the daughter's dowry, bat married her. As Valentina was exceedingly beautiful her sorbid husband had rapid promotion and soon became colonel. Valentina, beinr musical, gave pianoforte lessons "in the Sultan's harem, and joined an Italian troupe which played ? t the palace theatre. She so won tb e heart of his Majesty's eldest son that the ladies of the harem became jealous and determined to get rid of her-. j n re _ solve they were strongly seconded by another daughter of fal Sultan, who was suspected by his wife of entertaining too tender an affectiou for the fair A ngloItalian. One evening, whilst, Lombard! the bandmaster, was dining with his wife and one of his friends, four Albanian Fusiliers burst into the apartment, killed the ladv, and wounded her husband whilst" he was trying to save her. Lombard! was afterwards inveigled awav. A close friend and compatriot cf Lombardi's named Mariana was next found dead ■