ALBANIAN KING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 19, 19 December 1932, Page 4

ALBANIAN KING

c FIVE DAYS’ REIGN. \ < EXPLOITS OF A DUTCHMAN. 1 An arresting story revealing how a . man came to Ik> king of Albania tor ' five days during the Balkan troubles < that preceded the Great War are • given in a recent issue of Hot Levon : (Life), an illustrated Amsterdam jour- i mil. The narrator and hero is a Dutchman, Otto Witte, now 60 years of age whoso main occupation ironi! days of youth bus been that of a show- I" man—a conjurer and sleight-of-hand ( artist. For 15 or 16 years, however, | he had much travel and adventure. I He happened to lie in Belgrade, I eapitul of Serbia, in 1898. He was j lucky to get a job as a builderV labourer. When the Queen Mother, Natalia, heard of the tricks lie did to supplement his meagre wages, she ordered a command performance at the j Palace. The Royal family was delighted with the entertainment, ex-' cept in one particular. "Witte told fortunes, and said it was indicated that King Alexander ami his beautiful wife, Draga, would be assassinated. This caused indignation and meant his immediate dismissal, but not without being well recompensed for bis other clever work. Five years later, as history shows, the Royal couple was murdered and the House of Obronovicli was no more. Peter Kiuugcorgevich was crowned. It seems curious, though true, that in spite of the fact that "Witte's prediction was I fulfilled, he greatly deplored the killing of King Alexander, whose kindness and personality evidently impressed him. Tlie more lie thought about the assassination, the more his hatred burned against the Serbs in general. Some day, somehow, ho determined to avenge the dark deed by a blow at the new Royal House. WITH BOERS AND TURKS.

“It unsettled me,” he said. “Then I went off and fought with the Boers against the British in South Africa, took part in several expeditions to Abyssinia and the Nile, and afterwards joined the Foreign Legion, out deserted it front Morocco. When tire last Balkan War broke out 1 was in Constantinople. As I disliked the Serbs, 1 joined up with the Turks being taken prisoner at Adrianople. With the aid of a German Consul, I escaped from captivity. Getting in touch with the Turkish Commander-in-Chief, I received appointment as a spy, and was given some very important duty. That country was not in the condition it is in to-day under Rental Pasha. No money was available to pay me, but instead they gave me a certificate which showed that I had been promoted in rank. So, when the Balkan War ended T had no j funds but the full credentials of a major of the Turkish Army. “Then I thought it was the right time to avenge the death of King Alexander and his House. After the collapse of European Turkey, there were in Albania two Army corps—the Northern Army was tinder the command of Essad Pasha, and the Southern Army was at Janina. They had no connection with the Turkish territory. The Southern Army corps had been taken by the Greeks. At the same time the Serbs had their eyes covetously on Albania, and aimed to get possession of the road to Adria. Here, >1 thought, Serbia could he given a terrible setback. I decided to make full use of my recognised striking resemblance to the Prince Halim Eddin of Turkey. With my adjutant, Voltas, I laid a desperate plan.

COMMAND IN ALBANIA. “On behalf of the Sultan. I sent to Turkish commanders in Albania, a telegram stating that the Prince was coming and would take over all tioops in Albania. Because 1 had a great knowledge of the state of affairs —the enormous disorder —in the Balkans, the risk I took was not, in a sense, as great as it seems, in spite of the impersonation effrontery. M lien T landed at Durazzo, the commanders had not the slightest hesitation or objection to handing over complete control. I reorganised the troops and engaged more Albanese volunteers. From the Albanian mountains I mapped out an offensive to he launched against

Macedonia which was under Servian rule. “My army was full of energy and enthusiasm. I was accorded a tribute when Essad Pasha came heading a delegation of generals inviting me to take over the crown of the kingdom of Albania. I accepted, and on February 15, 1913, in the old town of Tirana, I was crowned King with great ceremony. They also provided me with a Royal harem. It was flattering, but ail the same 1 had a conscience and would have been happier if the real prince had my place. Still, I was not without some inward conisolation, because I felt that it would ibo possible to get him to come and I could leave without anybody knowing lit. However, I wanted first to have jthis fight out against the Serbs, i Macedonia evidently got wind of my 'preparations, for that army intimated its willingness to become allied. I HIS REIGN AND TITLE.

“Suddenly tilings turned out differently from what 1 had expected. I found that Prince Halim liddin, leading a care-free life in Constantinople, was not prepared to take over my 'crown and responsibilities, which I had acquired under very difficult circumstances. I got no satisfaction from him in the course of telegraphic communications, so my career as one of the crowned heads of Europe 1 decided to terminate after five days on the throne. Like a thief in the night I had to make my escape. So, for Servia, tho road for the murder at Serajevo was clear.

“1 received no money during my five days on tho throne, although it would have l>eon easy for me to raise big sums and bank them. 1 did not want to be such a thief. T have received one thing as a souvenir of my reign, for the Court of Albania has graciously decided that I am entitled to call myself ‘Ex-King of Albania., That title is unique in tlie world.’