A FORGOTTEN CRIME.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 2 November 1917, Page 1

A FORGOTTEN CRIME.

REGENT OF SERBIA RESTORES TO AUTHORITY MEN WHO WERE RETIRED BY MURDER CLIQUE.

i Fate lias at last fallen on that band of military regicides who, some 15 years ago. broke into the Royal Palace at Belgrade at night aud assassinated King Alexander and the Serbian Queen, Draga. Three high officers have recently been shot after military court martial. Three more are awaiting death sentence: seven officers (including a general) have received life sentences; and some 30 officers have received lesser sentences, of from one to five years. But while the 'outside world was shocked, the baud of assassins enjoyed at home a certain immunity, aud even glory, for having rid the country of a dissolute ruler and his plebeian j;ipsy Queen, for the name of Draga had been well known in the concert hails of Emolu

before she had the luck to win a king and crow?!. The plain people of Serbia, who are simple and honest, revolted at the crime. But the army clique, which, carried out the murders, carried the npper classes with them, and by terrorising and intrigue became one- of the dominant forces of Serbia.

King Peter felt the incubus of this murder clique through the early years of his reign. He abhorred the crime, and had nothing to do with it. .And yet the return of his family's dynasty to' power and his kingship after years of waiting in exile were dependent to some extent on the work of this army clique. While condemning their action', the King tolerated them, the policy being to draw a veil over the crime and let it be forgotten. As a result, little has been heard of the crime in recent years. England sent back her Minister, and the Balkin wars gave Peter a firm hole! on his people. All this time, however, the murder clique had been working. It was so powerful in the army couucils that all officers who disapproved the crime were retired from active service and placed in the reserve. This went on for years, with the murder clique occupying the chief commands and all others excluded from service or advancement. But all this changed about a year ago, when the vigorous young Prince Alexander became Regent, owing to the age of King Peter and his infirmity from his terrible exposure in the exodus before the GermanBulgarian invasion of Serbia. One of Alexander's first acts was to restore' to active service the great number of officers retired and disqualified by the murder clique. He declared that all army appointments and advancements would be impartial, without regard to the old- line drawn between cliques.

The .regicide element deeply resented this action. They appealed to Alexander, even suggesting that his Royal power resulted from their act. When Alexander was .firm, the clique revived their watchword of the former murder: ""Onion of Death!". This time their designs were aimed at the Prince Regent, and a plot to assassinate him was to have been carried out on August 23 last. Fortunately, the plot was discovered, and wholesale arrests followed of all those officers -who had so long enjoyed immunity and power by reason of the murder of Alexander and Draga. More than 40 high officers were gathered in the net. Their trial by military court martial has been proceeding for months. Those condemned ,to death include Colonels Dimitrivitch, •Milanoyitcli, Toutzovitch, Laziteh, Lieutenant-colonel Vesnitch, and Commander Vulovitch. General Popovitch heads the list of those condemned to life imprisonment. The others are colonels and captains who have been high in power until now. In the list are'most of the band who carried out the murder of Alexander and Queen Draga 15\ years ago. Thus, after years of waiting, the European war lias brought changes resulting in retribution for the murder clique responsible for the historic extinction of tire Obrenovitch dynastv.