Three Years in Constantinople Volume 3 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Eshekjee (ass-driver). CHAPTER IV. CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS. Felons guilty of crimes committed upon the Stambol side of the Golden Horn, or those brought from the provinces or islands, generally pay the forfeit of their misdeeds at the spot mentioned in the last page. There, also, in past days, the innocent were frequently robbed of life, through the venality or carelessness of judges, the rapacity of sultans, or the treachery and perjury ofsuborned witnesses. The following instance will exemplify the facility with which false testimony can be procured. It occurred at the commencement of 1842. During the preceding year a dispute had arisen between two brothers-in-law, island Greeks, relative to a small inheritance bequeathed to two sisters, their wives. The affair having been laid before the Hellenic Chancery, from which the husbands had contrived to procure protections, the question was decided in favour of the elder of the two women. This decision so much irritated the husband of the younger, that he no sooner quitted the chancellor's office than he drew forth his knife, and plunged it repeatedly into the back of his brother-in- law. The outcries of the wounded man having attracted attention, several Perote Greeks, armed with sticks, hastened to his assistance. After a desperate resistance, during which he severely wounded three or four men, but was himself mortally injured, the aggressor was overpowered, and carried to the central police station of Tophana. There, before long, he died of the contusions received in the struggle, whereas his intended victim eventually recovered. Upon this the family of the deceased, all tributaries (rayas), petitioned the grand vizir, saying, firstly, that their defunct relative had been defrauded through false swearing, and then want...