writing_womans_lives_symposium_paper_book_v2

Once again, Chryssoni turned to the Italian embassy to convince the Sultan to give the
authorization for the sentence to be executed‐ the only way for her to receive any compensation.
Yet, despite her dogged determination, nine long years later, and practically impoverished, Chryssoni
had received neither the Sultan’s consent for the execution of the sentence nor the repayment of the
princess’s debt. She continued to seek the Italian embassy’s assistance for help with making her case
to the Sublime Porte. Seeing no other course of action, Chryssoni sued the Italian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs arguing that its officials were either guilty of creating “obstacles” for her to receive permission
from the Sultan to have her debt repaid or of neglecting her case altogether. 14
“A Pera ci sono tre malanni: peste, fuoco e dragomanni” 15
Attorney Vetere’s first stop in Constantinople in 1904 was to see the Italian ambassador to inform
him that according to both Chryssoni and her daughter there were serious irregularities with the way
Chryssoni’s case had been treated by the embassy. He suggested that the “procedures” may not have
been “regular” and that only the “bad faith” of certain embassy officials could explain the extremely
drawn‐out and inconclusive state of the case. 16 Being pressed for specifics by the ambassador,
Attorney Vetere stated that the official suspected of criminality was the Dragoman of the Italian
Embassy, Alfredo Cangià. The embassador exhorted Attorney Vetere to provide evidence for his
claims and to file the charge formally. Dragoman Cangià was charged subsequently with bribery
under article 169 of the Italian Criminal Code. 17
Dragomans acted in an official capacity with regard to their diplomatic and linguistic duties. They
were generally Levantines able to bridge the cultural and linguistic gaps between the ambassadors
and the Sultan they served. Oftentimes, they were able to profit from their influential relationships
and positions. Hence the popular saying in the city at that time, “In Pera there are three curses:
plague, fire, and dragomans.” Represented by Attorney Vetere, Chryssoni related that after the death
of the first ambassador handling the case, Bolati, the Chargé d’ Affaires of the embassy went
personally to complain to the Sublime Porte and threatened to seek direct intervention by the Sultan.
Bolati’s insistence had allowed the case to go forward in 1895.
Soon thereafter a mutual acquaintance of both Chryssoni and Dragoman Cangià by the name of
Boccara approached Chryssoni with a proposition. Boccara was an Italian subject who resided in
Constantinople. He proposed that if she were to give Dragoman Cangià one or two thousand lira,
then the dragoman would personally take on the task of obtaining from Princess Seniha the payment
she owed. Boccara urged her to accept the offer and advised her that not accepting it would damage
her case. 18
Chryssoni refused the offer to bribe Dragoman Cangià. She was confident that the Mixed Courts
would rule in her favor. And they did. Princess Seniha was sentenced to pay her debt to Chryssoni.
However, as time passed and the order was not executed by the Sultan her, “resistance continued to
be opposed tenaciously and insistence was such that Mrs Chryssoni was eventually brought to
compromise, and to change her mind; so, when Ali Bey 19 insisted, she accepted his proposal, which
he was making in Mr Cangià’s name, to give Mr Cangià, after the matter would be settled, an amount
of 2000 lira.” 20
The deal went sour when external forces intervened. Chyrssoni went to the dragoman’s office to
discuss the agreement, but once there, Ali Bey and Dragoman Cangià appeared to get cold feet about
the setting and asked to meet with her at her home instead of in the official offices. The meeting was
rearranged and in attendance with Chryssoni were: Ali Bey, the translator and intermediary;
Emmanuel Notari, a Greek subject who was Chryssoni’s secretary and accountant; and, Effendi
Clitzanides, an Ottoman subject who appeared as a witness. When Ali Bey left to arrange matters
with Dragoman Cangià, the other two men left as well and the meeting was rearranged once again.
At the same time, Artemisia who was unaware of the bribe used her connections in the Senate in
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