King Alexander's Last Words.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10976, 16 June 1903, Page 5

King Alexander's Last Words.

Austrian Warships Watching Developments. Revolt against the New i Government. Ecccivcd June 15, 3.17 p.m. SYDNEY, Juno 15. The following cable,; dated the 12th, was inadvertently delayed 'in the Adelaide office:— ! King Alexander was shot in the throat; His last; words were: "Soldiers' you betrayed inc." , „.< . <, i .. , " Quecui Draga'o sister and %ro nephews escaped 'uninjured. '■ •■ "/ >' ,v, v vl-/v 1 - / i The bbdies of King Alexander and Queen Draga \i # er^ laid secretly iri ; thd Olirc'nb"-'! ■ ! vitch va]ulb,'.St. Mark's cemetery, and in- J tcrred ' jsileutly between^ two aud'^ thrca o'clock in the morning. Four Austrian river monitors arc anchored , opposilo Belgrade. It is reported that the garrison at Nifich has refused obedience to the new Gpvcrti-' incnt. The Russian and' Austrian Ambassadors called at the Servian legation in London and condoled the massacre. Tho Servian Minister replied that he was convinced Itussia and Austria would ro- ■ spect the Skuptchina's decision. f King Alexander w.is the fifth ruler of his dyna.sty, whieli v,as founded by Miloa I'odorovic Obrcnovic, leader of the Servi-* ans iv the war of insurrection to throw off the J yoke of Ttirkpy, which had lasted since 14-.39; The war lasted from 1815 to 1829, when the Turkish Government was ' compelled to grant virtual independence, to Servia. By tlio terms of .the treaty, signed September 14, 1829, Milos Todorovic Obrenovic was acknowledged Prince of Sorvia, and by. a subseqnent I'irman. of the Sultan dated yVugust' 13, 18.' W. tho .dignity was made hereditary iv his The' iudependcuco of Hervia. from Turkey wa«pstablished by Art. 34, Treaty of Berlin;July 13, 1878, .and was solemnly pro- ' claimed by Prince (afterwards King) Mi- ' lan, father of fhe late King,, at'tyis capitol, August 23, 1878. The army' was at oiic time a strong supporter' of tho ObremJvitch dynasty, and,, indeed, the only guaa--antee of its secure tenure' of (he throne The behaviour of King Alexander , has .gradually alienated ft, 'and "the cbfip 1 de' graca cAme with his coup d'etat of April last, when he siispc'nded the Constitution. Servia has suffered ' from the shortcomings of the. rsjgning'liousc. Queen Draga, th« wife of ' King Alexander, , was childless, and she .prevailed on the King to recognise her younger' brother, Lieutenant Lmnjcvitza, as his successor t>o the iliTonc — a fact officially denied, but ,hono.' the less true. • The Palace, was' full of -difisefisionß and-'intrigucs accentuated' by .the'eontinual struggle for the- favour of" the Czar and. 1 Cmuina, the latter of . whom was. disinclined to receive the Servian Qncon. .In November last a contributor Io the magazine Outward Bound- wrote: — "More insecure than Spain, is the throne of Servia. Here aye no political or financial difficulties, nor are there any troubles 'of the church Io deal with. The difficulty was cmjficd j\i the first p.] arc by a- little, lafl ' with "n golden bow and a wing on cipher shoulder." answering to iho name of Cupid... i Mme. Draga Maschin was the daughter of a police-man, and the widow of an engineer, who committed suicide. Having been taken up' by the court, 'this handsome adventuress warmed her way into 4 the heart of the young King Alexan-i dcx, and, although full 16 years his senior, led him triumphanMy to the altar. , The Ministry at once resigned, and the country was horrified to hud that their King had married one of his mother's maids." But the' King will not give up his wife. a.nd the notion will not jrive in to her. She is tmw-fboycoUcd by the whole of the conn- ■ try, asnd 1 rented with little or no rcspoot by Ihe people when she- takes her- walks abroad, while the ladies of the foreign Corps Diplomatique absolutely ignore her, Tnd^od, before l"njr, tljo hardly fmpjvreßßod hissings pud other most forcible Expressions of disgust which greet tho monarch now, will take r. decidedly tangible form,' nnd a bis? insuvrci-tion will case the reigning family of its- responsibilities of kiiigship, and raise in its Ftencl the opposition fa:nily, tho Knrageorgpvitchs." ■ ,