E
THE OMAHA STTXDAY BEE: .TTTLT IS, 1907.
Gusinje and Plava Are Two European Cities No Stranger Aay Enter
3
' 4 5J-ETTENJE, July IS -The forbidden
I I cities of Gusinje and Plava, which
I none but Albanians of the clan
rf Ousinje or their "blood broth
ers" may enter, may yet share
the fate of Lhaasa, and their mysteries be
Included In the tourists' Itinerary. This
will mran law nnsi Kriliemvni 01 tne dis
puted Montenegro-Albania boundary, a per
plex Ina; south European question over
which diplomats have dawdled for years.
The Balkan representative at The Hague
peace conference declared that this Is de
manded In the Interest of the peace ot
fcouth Europe, while the foreign ministers
J f Italy and Austria, who have Just held a
her, so she resolved to take It upon herself,
and by alow degrees she persistently fol
lowed her brother-in-law over Albania and
Into Macedonia, always awaiting an op
portunity to strike the blow.
TMs came on one afternoon In Skodra
when she saw her husband s aseasMn walk
ing on the main street of the town. She
took her husband's plstot from her belt
and shot him dead. Having killed the
murderer, she went straight to his parents'
home, almost a week's Journey awsy, and
shot them both dead also. Having thus
avenged her husband's death, the woman
returned to her tribe. Nothing was ever
done with her, for it was considered that
ahe had only done her duty.
mountain. In the clear atmopshers
of the country the two towns can be
discerned distinctly from the Mon
tenegrin upland far to the west. In
the light of the evening sun they
present most beautiful pictures, with
their slender white minarets and
domed mosques. No one has yet
succeeded In getting a very ejtttafac
tory description of the place. But
the few men who have escaped say
that a nearer-approach takes away
much of the enchantment that a dis
tant view gives.
The people are fanatical in
their attachment to their homei
and theU i fidelity In enonuras
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interest of the trade which the crvlllied
world la endeavoring to establish with Al
bania. When the Berlin treaty, which gave
Bosnia and Herxegovlna to Austria and
otherwise cut up the Turkish empire, was
Igned, it was agreed to reward Montenegro
with the two cities of Gusinje and Plava.
The Montenegrins, about 10,000 strong, un
der the leadership of Marko Drekalovlc.
flushed with their victory over the mighty
Turks, marched to Ouslaje to take the first
fruits of their success. They got within
Is-ht of the town when the Albanians
Although Albania Is nominally a pari
of the Turkish empire the Guslnjots ac
knowledge no allegiance to the sultan or
to any other power. "The Guslnjots ac
cept no foreign rule or no masters save
their own clansmen," was the way the
head men of Gusinje put It.
In religion they are chiefly Mohamme
dans, although many of them are very
devout members of the Roman Cathollo
and Greek Orthodox churches. The reason
for the majority being Mohammedans Is
found In the fact that members of that
faith have more liberal privileges In the
'. swooped down on them from the mountain bearing of arms and serving as soldiers.
tops, and their decimated troops beat a
,' hasty retreat for home.-, Since then various
j efforts have been made to survey theter-
rltory, but as the Guslnjots sat around
! on rocks and took pot shots at chainmen
I and levellers, nobody cared to continue
1 long on the Job.
I Representatives of the powers finally shc-
eeeded In arranging a meeting with the
i warlike clansmen. The former got as far
as the gates of Gusinje, where they were
imol by a delegation and 'told to run for
rtWV lives, and that If any of them were
janlu within the neighborhood in twenty
'fbur hours their heads would ornament
I pikes en the city waUs. The only fruit of
this expedition was a picture of the gates
of the city, the only one that waa over
, made of any part of the city.
! The powers then gave Montenengro the
'.Albanian seaport of Dulclgno. The boun
dary line remained undefined, and the war
, rlors of these two mountatn towns, defying
! all the powers of Burope, retained the pos
session of their own.
Albania, which Is within twenty-four
hours' Journey of Paris, Is one of the
anomalies of government of Europe, It is
a country of which as little Is known aa of
oentral Africa; In fact, the maps of the
j Sudan are more accurate than those of Al
bania. The people are a race of reckless,
vigilant warriors, divided into clans and
Vibes, and waging an Incessant Internecine
trife. IJfe la worth the price of a car
tridge. Is the way that an Albanian once
f expressed it.
Warfare ranks higher than religion In the
heart of the Albanian. Members of the
sultan's own bodyguard have been chosen
from these people because of their un
questioned valor and faithfulness.
But they have taken particular pains af.
along to Impress upon Turkey that Its rule
Is merely by sufferance. They have killed
several Turkish kalmakans, or resident
governors, who had displeased them, and
of recent years no representative from the
Porte has even made an appearance of
governing them. The representative of
the Porte who was sent to try to persuada
them to give up their sacred cities to
Montenegro was murdered and his head
was sent to the nearest Turkish governor
with a warning that the next man sent
on such a mission would meet a similar
fata
The two cities which they hold sacred
and which have always been forbidden to
outsiders are situated at the two ends of
a long upland plain. Gusinje is the mora
populous and exercises a sort of sway over
Plava. The latter, though. It Is said to
be the more beautiful on account of Its
situation on the shores of a lake of the
same name and at the foot of a fir-clad
by the herdmen, who rule with a
tyrannical despotism. There Is no law
save that of the chiefs ot the clans, and
these man exercise over the Inhabitants
a power of life or death. As' there is an
Increasing struggle for supremacy power
remains but a short time In any one man's
hands. The usual means of ending a reign
Is by the death of the ruler and all of his
male kin.
Gusinje has a mosque that Is one of the
most beautiful In Albania, and this as well
as the home of the chief Is a imarvel of
barbaric Byzantine ornamentation. At
Plava the graves of holy men are held In
great veneration by the Gusinjat. A casket
containing the remains of a saint and one
with the right arm of Bkenberg, the Al
banian hero, are In a crypt at Gusinje. It
Is these relics that have caused the pluces
to be called "sacred cities."
On the Montenengrin side the two hill
tops that command the entrance to the
valley are crowned with watch towers In
which a guard is constantly maintained
of the clan Is designated to kill the In
truder before he can recross the border.
Even Albanians of the neighborhood are
often viewed with suspicion and are tried
as spies or agents of some foreign power.
A shepherd who was driving a flock ot
aheep from Scutari to Novl Baxar waa
arrested as he was passing near the town,
jpon the ausplclon of being a epy, and
had been confined for several years In a
cave In the mountains. Ho had succeeded
In escaping, and was in constant tear that
he was still being pursued by his Im
placable enemies.
Yet-4n spite of their well known disre
gard of law the Guslnjots go about fear
lessly and without molestation. They are
often seen In Boutarl, where they are dis
tinguished for their truculent bearing and
a- peculiar white headoloth that has been
adopted by the clou. They go to Scutari
for supplies, and on these occasions they
have made bloody settlements ot feuds
with other clans they Have met there. Only
the plica As a last deadly tnimrc Thar
spread over the carcaa the prayer rug of
the Hooja himself. When the desecration
was discovered the uproar was tremend
ous, even for Scutari, and the whole Mo
hammedan population turned out to pur
sue the delighted vandals back to their
own mountain fortresses.
The ruler of Gusinje changes with the
failures or successes of the leading fam
ilies. The most bloodthirsty chief was
known as Vlock Vatt Varushel, who was
said to have reached the chief place by
killing 100 men and puttlrg out of the way
all the male members of his family who
might contest his right. However, he gen-
Extendlng up the valley to the cities them- his flock confiscated, and he himself thrown
selves are little kulas or Albanian castles,
windowlesa on the lower floors, where the.
proprietor and his family gather at the
first alarm, and with fortified windows and
parapets above.
Should a stranger succeed In passing
these outposts and reach the cities, a meet
ing of the head men 1b held and some one
Into prison. As his guilt could not be es
tablished, one of his eyes was gouged
out, a hand cut off and he was sent on
his way with a warning never again to
appear in the locality.
Another peasant a short time ago reached
the Montenegrin border and said that he
had been arrested In the streets of Cuslnje
a few days ago such a meeting on a publto erously took care of all their families, and
streot resulted In the death of twelve men. in doing so took over ten different harems.
One of ye bitterest and bloodiest of their
reoent fights occurred because certain Gus
lnjots, who were not Mohammedans, fan
cied themselves Insulted while vlHltlng Scu
tari. To revenge themselves they killed a
hog, and In the night broke Into the
mosques of the city, and made crosses with
the animals blood all over the Inside of
But whatever Internal disputes they may
have the Guslnjots are united upon on
point; thnlr sacred city must remain In
violate and they themselves free from any
other master than those of their own clan.
These rights they say they will maintain
even If In doing so they defy all the pow
ers of Europe.
England's Fortification in Aiddle of Mediterranean Sea
Tuds exist between the cians ajra evrn
between families of the same elan. Dif
ferent parts of towns are divided against
each other and the appearance ot a man
,on the street Is often the signal tor a
fusllade. It has been reported that In
some communities all the men have been
killed in this brotherly strife. It Is esti
mated that 25 per cent of tho inhabitants
die a violent death.
The people are noted for their falthful-
(Copyrlght. 1907, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
I - ALTA, July 26. (Special Corre
I nJ I "Pondence of The Bee.) I have
liiiiyiiiiiyl me from Barbary northward to
the Island of Malta to get a ship
W'-iririlsr for Alexandria. There are no di
rect steamers from Tripoli to Egypt, and
one must go to Malta, Slolly, Italy or
Tunis to reach the Nile valley. The trip
to Malta Is one of thirty-six hours. It Is
made on a little Italian steamer and it ends
at me port of Valletta, under the shadow
Bess, hospitality ana vinue, .a or tno grrmt Enf,Illlh fort,flcatlonB wnlch
warfares they resort to the most unohiv- guard th,a John Bu.8 outpOBt ln m,d.
alrio means to accomplish the death of a Mediterranean.
Wood fued enemy. It la perfectly proper Malta Is Just about half way between
to Ue In wait for him behind rocks or In Gibraltar and Port Said. It Is scarcely a
the forest or to shoot hlra in the back. So fly speck on the map of the world hut it t.
that men ln a blood feud, and most of Ui one of tho most valuable of all strategical ber of them, but the only ones of note are architecture of Valletta was equal to that
Inhabitants are in several, seldom travel points. It Is ln the center of the most Malta, Gozo and Comino and they alto- of any city of Europe, but it seems to me
alone, but always go ln parties of four or traveled sea. a great station on the busiest gether have an area of but 117 square miles, he overdrew It. The buildings are much
nve. mey are incesaanuy on ins iookvui. or our commercial highways and Just where They are mere rocks cropping out of the like those of Naples. The streets
ana are always auspicious u umiitr wo si earn era stop to lake on coal. Malta sea, but they are covered with a thin, rich
They know the value of their own country Is now handling about 600,000 tons of coal mold, which makes them the most thickly
eels and other naval ships are now coaling
ln the harbor and a great English transport
which will leave for Suez tomorrow lies
at the wharves. Malta is a strong naval
station. It has now a half dozen English
gunboats anchored In front of It, and the
government. Is building a breakwater at a
cost of (5,000,000 to enlarge the harbor to
accommodato the navy. The Island Is the
chief base for the repairs and outfitting
of the Mediterranean fleet, but the fleet
has already outgrown Its capacity, and for
this reason the British are building their
new docks here and at Gibraltar.
Maltese Islands.
But first let me tell you something about
the Maltese Islands. There Is quite a num.
anything. It seems more like a stone
quarry or a stone pile than a fertile region;
nevertheless everything that Is planted
grows, and Malta alone supports more than
200,000 people. This la over 2,000 for every
square mile, and more. It la said, than any
other part of the globe.
Cities of Malta.
The two chief towns of the archipelago
are Vallutta and Clta Vecchia, which are
both on this Island. Valletta has 80,0.0
people, and Its harbor Is where all the
great ships stop. The town Is built on a
hill, high above the water. The streets
ascend at all sorts of angles, and one has
to climb up or down In going to any part
of It. Lord Beaconsfield said that the
beautiful.. Great, walls, which look like here at Malta another evidence of the grew-
forts, rise up from the water, and back of
these the houses mount the hills ln ter
races. Many of the buildings are painted
In bright colors, and under the glorious sun
of the Mediterranean they shine out re
splcndont. The city has some fine struc
tures. It has an opera house. In which
Pattl sang the first time she came to Malta;
It was when she was still a glri, and the
price she received was J25.
which ts drawn over the head, forming an
arch. The left arm Is usually covered by
one part of this dress, and the right ts used
for holding down the other side and bring
ing the two together.
In most respects the Maltese of the better
some taste of the pious fathers of the past,
I refer to a church here known as the
Church of the Monks, ln which the bodies
of the deceased are put away unburlcd.
Tholr skeletons are wrapped In the cloaks
which they wore ln life, and they will, classes dress much like the neonle of Eu.
I suppose, be thus clay until the day of rope, and It Is only the peasants who havs
Judgment. The place Is a hideous one, and costumes at all. out of the way. The peas
a visit to It sometimes affects people serl- ant woman wears hoods. Their dresses are
ously. Not long ago a smart young fel- 0f a striped native cotton, and they seldom
low went throueh with his sweetheart. He )! . m,.
Another building of note Is the church of thought he would have a Joke upon her. and whch leave the legs bare to ths
when her back was turned he slyly pinned knee, being ties about the waist with a
her skirt to one of the cloaks. As Kbe
started to go the skeleton was pulled for
ward, and It fell upon her as though about
to embrace her. The girl was terribly
frightened; and It Is said that the shock
destroyed her reason.
i
to the powers of Europe and are constantly
endeavoring to protect it against foreign
era It Is for this reason that strangers
are always looked on as potential enemies.
To carry a camera, to attempt to write or
tnake a sketch In tho Interior of the coun
try would be a foreigner's death sentenoe.
Borne of the customs are very carteua
and haw been handed down from genera
tions as sacred unwritten laws. If a man
commits a murder and. fleeing for his life,
enters the house of another, friend or toe,
even the house of the brother of the man
he has slain, he Is safe for three days at
less. An enemy Is under amnesty while
In the company of a woman, and a eomplU
riient to an unmarried woman Is sufficient
provocation for death.
The "blood brotherhood" Is an Institution
peculiar to these clansmen. Two men
who are about to take this oath stand ln the
renter of a ring formed by men of the tribe.
Each of the two makes an Incision ln his
arm. and as the blood drips from the wound
catches it In a cup. The two then solemnly
druik this, while vowing eternally to sup
port and sustain each other ln all their
idertaklngs, even at the risk of life. This
;ow Is held more sacred Irian even tna
marriage tie.
Of all the Albanian clans the QvielnJotai
are considered the fiercest and most war
like. They too are considered, the hand
somest of the people, and the most faithful
to any promise that they may make. Thelsi
h"m Is the great upland plain at the east
ern corner of Montenegro, closed cn al
sides by lofty mountains. Practically the.
only approach Is by a narrow valley through
which flows the stream that has tts soorosj
in the lakes and springs of the highland.
The women also are Imbued, with to
theory .Tf personal vengeance, and thelf
somites are as fierce and unrelenting as
those of their husbands. Princess Xenla of
Montenegro tells the story of a girl wh
married one ef the chiefs body guard. A
month afterward the husband was treacher
ously killed by his brother, who was alas
t in tore with tho young wife. When she
Ireoehrod ths news she beoamo oraaed with
TrrieC She had no male relatives to swage
a year. The coal la brought here from
Great Britain and retailed to the steamers.
As we came ln we saw several of the ocean
Miters taking on fuel preparatory to their
start for the far east. Most of the ships
which go to Australia. India and China
by the Sues canal call here for fuel and
tho port has a fleet of 600 lighters which
a nae4 at tliat parpeoe, Xisluinsj
populated part of the globe. Malta la the
biggest and Its area Is Just about that ot
the District of Columbia. It rises right up
out of the water and as one looks at It.
from the steamer It seems bleak and bare.
The slopes are precipitous, but the
are nar
row, and the tall stone houses extend out
over them. There are many balconies, and
as there are few back yards the family
washing is generally hung out from them
over the atreets. It flaps to and fro ln the
breese as one walks through the city,
and now and then the pearly drops from a
newly washed shirt or pair of unmentton-
land la so terraced and held back by stone ables drops on one's hat or down the back
walls that all of It Is cultivated. To look oX his audi as lie goes tltroiighj
at you would not think It oeuld raise JTrom the harbor tna view of tho city Is
St. John, containing the tombs of the grand
masters of the Knights of Malta. This
church Is ene of the most remarkable in
Europe, and It is revered by the knights
throughout the world. It Is now over 300
years old, but is still ln excellent condi
tion. The church Is gloriously decorated.
It has an altar magnlflctently carved, and
fairly loaded with gold and silver. Tho
railing In front of It 1s made of virgin
silver, and beneath It are kept the keys of
Jerusalem, Acre and Rhodes. Some of tho
paintings In the church were brought from
Rhodes, and It has tapestries made ln Brus
sels at a cost of 130.000.
Tou have heard of the Cappucln cemetery
ln Rome, the chapels of which are walled
with the bones of dead monks. I visited a
similar ens a few wuaks auo during a trip
to r alar mo, the) capital of Sicily, and, I Had
Pretty Maltese Maidens.
I like the Maltese girls. They have large,
soulful eyes, beautiful features and com
plexions the color of the dark moss rose.
They wear great black hoods over their
heads with long black cloaks hanging to
tbem, so that the most of the person is
hidden snd little more than the face and
eyes shows out. This part of their costume
Is called the omnella. It Is usually made
of bUck silk; and the hood Is bound at
thsj front over a thlu piaca at whaJsbonaj
girdle of cotton or Bilk. Above this they
have a cotton shirt, and sometimes a vest,
ornamented with rows of liver buttons
made of American quarter dollars or Eng
lish shillings. Thny seldom wear coats.
Thnlr heads are usually covered with caps
ot bright colors made In the shape of a
bag so long that the crown of the cap often
hangs down to the shoulders. They some
times carry their money and their tobaoco
In their raps.
The people here affect tho simple Ufa,
Outside the cities the houses are of on
story. They are usually stone huts, bull
of materials gathered on the ground. Ths
doors and windows are made by the car
penters and the village blacksmiths supply;
i . Continued, on fage TlTaJj
JT'd
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TREET TS VALLETTA.
3f ALLETTA -TBJOSX THJD- HARBOR.
fRETTT MALTESE? MAXDEIf
