Show THE SCANDAL AT irl greek aggression Agg loR Resl ste ty by 0 06 o 1 1 french Guard guardians lAns I 1 london ballel I 1 I 1 we have been requested by the franciscan guardians of the F to publish a detailed account of the scandalous long occurrence which t took 0 0 L P place lace at gethsemane during I 1 the d davs V between july let and august bolh of this year occurrences illegal in their or ittin illegal in their continuance and most ille in their conclusion we willingly commenting on it elsewhere place the following authoritative account of these events before the public the conduct of the pasha cf of jerusalem can I 1 not be too severely condemned nor can the behavior oi of the franciscan an guardians r deans under the stress of great difficulties be sufficiently kraisel the endis yet to come with the decision casion of the Ilig highest heat court of constantinople 1 stantin ople uple but bat whether or not the efforts ot of the french ambassadors I 1 I 1 ak are successful I 1 and whether this lery very matter is decided hr for or I 1 1 against the gatins their title to a 1 favorable decision remains unquestioned and abao absolute lute at the continual questions that arise ariso between the franciscan fathers who guard pard BO so many spots of consecrated interest in the holy land and the greeks who despite the legal rights possessed by the fathers Fath gra have the keenest ambition to win a share of the guardianship of the holy places have come recently to a crisis of a ver very grave and important nature 0 F for or some omo five weeks the franciscans I 1 have been compelled to keep a vigilant and personal ward over the ground between the sepulchre oj of the blessel virgin and the grotto agony 90 0 the ground by the clearest legal rights t 8 belonged to the franciscans but the 11 greeks desired to build on pu it an and dMent went about the fulfillment fulfilment af their desire it iti 4 a very determined manner it happened that during last july the franciscans were engaged in ili renewing the old wall walt vill ieli li bounded d I 1 the greater portion of above the grotto of the agony in ibis this wall they made a door thereby making az complete comple to connection with the whole ground now in but the new wall was to the greeks the I 1 signal for pressing a new claim t against it they began to run up nr little L cottages with the evident intention 7 of finally laying claim to rala mutual poses possession slon of the whole space into I 1 I 1 which the door built by liv the franciscans 8 led whit jn were tak taken en f are not clearly specified but thesia the simple phrase of the accounts forwarded to ua us runs thus thas they were hindered ID in the accomplishment of this W the 41 franciscans were compelled to watch I 1 night and day poises gions from july 16 ta august 20 when matter matters bad reached this till N boint oi a consultation we was a Arr arranged liged between e I 1 the french VI e Con consul sill and tile pasha but no clear determination was arrived at and hud the whole matter was put before the authority at constantinople then says the acco account n at before us us the greeks made a pree presentation an tation to the Path I 1 franca francs with results thai were eoon soon ap apparent aarant at t this point a carious contradiction X rises arises while the matter was f pending before the court at constantinople i the french ambassador sent a telegram to the vice vim consul consal of jerusalem with a that the grand vizier had issued formal orders that no change or new now thing should bo be introduced trod at until the whole euit suit bad been discussed and a decision had been given oven but bat athe the 0 maent present from the greeks seems to have vs wrought potently the pasha declares that be had bad received a telegram from the grand vizier permitting the greeks to build on the disputed ground the french vice consul very 0 reasonably told the pasha that bo be would throw every opposition in bis his way until a similar telegram was received by himself frim tho the grand t cizler this never came bat but the I 1 pasha strong in hf his francs on ala aug 14 1 offered mired to the greeks even military r assistance assistance for their building down came the greeks with all the po pomp m p and circumstance of masonry an and down came the troops also bat but down came the Franci franciscans as well and offering It lanot stated how so 60 stout tout a pes resistance istance that the commander I 1 of 61 tb the troops bade the greek monks monka retire i I 1 than MIM came ecate ec ite communications with constantinople telegrams I 1 ran too and fro and the french consul received tha the tidings from his ambassador bas ha that the matter wai wa being I 1 energetically discussed I by abo government ern ment the deada of the property r were demanded of the Fre franciscans Francie irtel cans and were hastily fo ao constantinople stantin ople while t pa papers pera were on their journey the IN greeks who if seem to no ila hasty t arso crawf came for ward to insist t that some decision all I 1 f j yf y f 1 t should hould be given at once even though ats a temporary p 0 ra r one ne on the morning of A angast u glas t 2 20 0 ako tko the a cu consul sul came to the superior to inform him that the pasha h bad ad once more taken the fixed determination mi nation to I 1 lend end to the greeks the as big stanco si tance of the troops at the gal game me time he proposed that as it was wag use less to resist larther further until the final decision came lie ilia franciscan guards should retire bach such a proposition the superior refused to entertain for bald said he this could only ho be inte interpreted as a sien sign of surrender Bur render to the disputed ground a and nd it would therefore be better that the religious relia ioas should be put away by force but says the con consul gal in alarm do you wish to see your atlar murdered on the spot no 01 ol replied the superior Sa they shall n not t r resist violence but a passive page live protest te at shall be made by a necessity for their romo al 11 thereupon the consul was for taking this announcement to the pasha ellisha but this the superior would by no means aall abow W lest it should be said that the religious had yielded their r rights meanwhile w hile the soldiers and ad the greeks had bad arrived at gethsemane g and lad says the chronicler quoted above they made some demonstrations 0 against the religious to frighten them but without result that these demonstrations were of no effect a body of greek monks accompanied by four bishops went up to the pasha beseeching him to give more stringent orders to tho the troops the french consul also went and ana despite the desire of the superior he betrayed to the pacha racha the manner mauner of conduct which the superior bad had dictated t to 0 his big friars late in the afternoon the pasha accompanied by the greek monks monks and the french consul went down to gethsemane while in its vicinity were ga gathered t h ered a crowd of curious spectators tore of all nations more wm th than an soldiers I 1 S says R ya the franciscan account with pathetic simplicity were pro pared against foray forty u unarmed armed 0 franciscan monks Fora for a time there was a difficulty bow how to act the commander during the deliberations of the pasha ordered the soldiers ti retire and await the signal of a trumpet then the pasha and the consul took consultation together and finally the franciscans were ordered to retire in a body they refused the trumpet fet clanged and the soldiers coming a little itle nearer shouldered their rifle nulela ls then the Francie franciscans cans gave away but were only removed from the spot by force when the friars bad been dragged away two rows ot of soldiers were drawn up as a defence of the greeks who set themselves hastily to build a wall of six metres a task which they finished at 10 the be the same evening the decision had not yet come from constantinople |