AN EXILED PRINCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 58, 26 July 1912, Page 5

AN EXILED PRINCE.

ALBANIA IN PAIIIATUA. A DUBIOUS PATRIOT. By Telegraph—Press Association. Pahiatua, Last Night. Prinee Gustave Pikran, an exiled Prince of Albania, who is at present on a, visit to Pahiatua, has received a call to return and lead an Albanian revolution. Whether the Prince will immediately respond to the call of his people, however, is a moot question. When interviewed by a Pahiatua Herald reporter to-day His Highness stated that the petition had just arrived by the last mail from Europe, and he had not had time to consider it. The position was that, having been exiled from his own country and refused refuge in America, he had come to New Zealand with the intention of residing here for two years to become a British subject, and then to return to his native land as a medical missionary. The receipt of the letter had rather upset his plans, and he would not arrive at a definite decision until he leached Wellington, on his way south, on Monday. The letter, which is written by Isaac Bullak, the leader of the i revolutionary movement in. North Albania, reads as follows: ;

Asktura, May 2, 1312.

To His Highness Gustave, the Emir of ■ Albania.—ln Gnd and His Son we trust, j and in His nuve we fight the Turks for our libTi.;-. All chiefs agree to send this message to Your Highness, asking j you to come and lead us and our countrymen in our fight for freedom, as we > have received a large number of rifles from Italy and many milit.iry officers to direct us this summer. The Macedonians are with us in the revolt. The number of volunteers is over GO.OOO, but if you come the number will be four times more. The politics of the Young Turks, as you know, are still selfishness for their race. A great change in Turkish Government is coming in the future. I would not be surprised if each ot the States revolts for'independence. Many secret thing come to us through European Christian Government, but I would not r, rite them here, as I am if raid they will get into the enemy's hands.-1 am your servant, for the freedom of < the country, ISAAC BULLAK. j His Highness, in commenting upon the - letter, which he handed to a pro-wun | for publication, stated that he had m; >ic ! iiuliience in Albania than any of the? present revolutionary chiefs, and'he was I enrfident that if he returned he .voii'.d ! hj: \c no difficulty in raising 200.000 Men { under arms. When his .-ittention was drawn to a cablegram announcing that tno Torte had ordered the suspension of hostilities in Albania, and that measures' for pacification had been initiated, he did not express any great deiu/nt There were, he indicated, trouble -ome ii'iic- in store for his native country for soiiv! lon&idernhle time to come. The portion was that Turkey was divided up lute so many provinces, mostly of different nationalities. Albania was one. of thes« provinces. Under the. old I\rrk-t ish jegime Albania enjoyed distinct j.<v-l enWßtit. but under the new orler of! thing? an endeavor had been made to J wrest this from her and to make her people Turks. It was against this they had rebelled. They would not aim at independence if the Turkish Government would treat them fairly, but on the j other hand he did not think Albania, could gain independence unless some European Christian Power helped her. Asked as to what was likely to be the future of Turkey. Prince Gustave stated that what kept Turkey together was simply the fact that European Powers had not decided to divide her. In his opinion Turkey would sooner or later be divided up into independent States.

THE PRINCE'S BONA FIDES. CHALLENGED IX WAXGANUI. Wanganui. Last Night. As a footnote to the Pahiatua message regarding Dikran, the Wanganui Chronicle publishes the following:—We have our doubts. We had them when the Prince was in Wanganui, and this latest interview docs not tend to dispel them. Prince Dikran is either what he claims to be, or he is not. When he was in Wanganui he told a well-known resident that he had received a "call" from Albania three weeks previously, and that he was aware some time before it actually took place that a rising was contemplated bv his fellow countrymen. To another resident he spoke familiarlv of Mr. Wilford, M.P., and declared that it wsw "Tommy" who h"d persuaded him to remain in New Zealand, instead of going on to New South Walts, as he originally intended doing. Now. according to the statement made by the Prince to the Pahiatua Herald, the "call'' has only come to hand by the last mail. When in America the Prince is credited with having stated thnt he intended pitting in two years in a medical college in Canada. When in Canada he is reported to have alleged that he was going to put iu a. couple of years in a Boston medical college. When coming over from San Francisco he says he told "Tommy" Wilford he was going on to X*w South Wales to put in some time at a medical college, there, and "Tommy" induced him to .stay on here, and put in the time ?.t the Dunedin University, and yet on his visiting ce.nl he designates himself "M.D." To sav the least of it. this "Tommy" style of language does not appear to he in keeping with princely dignity, but savours rather of "tommy rot." To put it plaiiilv. it is time Prince Dikran satisfied the authorities and the public as to his hone, fide.*. He is using the 'pri ss and the imipit to exploit the public, and he U doing i! either for * bona li.ie patriotic ami philanthropic purpose or for personal reasons. Which is it? The people of New Zealand have a rieht to know.