Children of Istanbul

As the ground had long been a pleasant

resort for the women and children of the village, especially on Fridays,

where sitting on the ground under the shade of trees they enjoyed the fresh air

and the beautiful views on every side, the villagers very naturally regretted

the loss which the erection of the wall would involve, and they determined to

prevent the execution of the work to the utmost of their power. The opposition

first assumed a legal form. It was urged that the wall would interfere with the

water-course which supplied the village fountain, and furthermore, would

include a piece of land belonging to the community.

Both objections were shown to be without

foundation, and building operations were begun. No difficulties were raised

until the wall approached the fountain and the land in dispute, when it became

evident that if the work proceeded farther the opposition would resort to

violent measures. In the hope of coming to a friendly understanding with the

villagers by additional explanations, work was suspended for some time, but the

negotiations to establish peace having failed, the erection of the wall was

continued.

The work had not gone far, when a band of

women appeared, led by the principal female personage in the community, who

enjoyed the distinction of being both the widow of the late imam of the village

mosque and the mother of the present incumbent of that office; a dark-visage

dame, with a sharp tongue. Not a single man accompanied the women. Armed with

sticks and stones, the band of Amazons rushed upon the workmen and drove them

off.

Imams widow

The intervention of the police obliged the

women to retreat, but, when the masons returned next morning to their work,

they found the women already upon the scene of action. The imams widow  with another woman had seated themselves in

the trench and defied the erection of the wall over their bodies I Again the

police interfered, and, after all methods of gentle moral suasion had proved

useless, they actually lifted the imam’s widow somewhat forcibly out of the

trench. She took the affront so much to heart that she kept her bed for several

days.

There was a consequent lull in the storm.

But soon the women resumed the struggle, coming in the dark and tearing down a

considerable portion of the building. The wall had therefore to be guarded by

the police during the day, and by watchmen during the night.