99 years from Ismail Kemal's mysterious death

Today, 99 years since the mysterious death of Ismail Kemal, the man who in 1912 declared Albania's independence in the city of Vlora. He died on January 24, 1919, in Perugia, Italy, just moments before making a press conference. To date, there is no final version of his death, but doubts have always been cast out of Greek, Serbian, Turkish or Italian circles.

Ismail Kemal was born in Vlora in 1844. He spent his final years in exile working for the good of his homeland and cooperating with Albanian colonies. In 1917, the National Political Party of American Albanians appointed its delegate to the Paris Peace Conference 1919-1920. Shortly before his death, convinced that history would give his foresight to the legitimate demands of the Albanian people, he would write: “Peace in the Balkans will not be restored by sacrificing the rights of other nations in the interest of the expansionist goals. Without adding to Albania on the north side of Kosovo, and on the south side of Cammeria, calm cannot be found in the synisity of the Balkans”.

The situations Ismail Kemal had spent those days in Peruja, Italy, had caused him a serious mental and physical state. Although in that condition, he had not hesitated to appear before the press.

One of Ismail Kemal's sons has stated in those days that Rome's attitude made their father very depressed. To prevent his mission from being forgotten, Ismail Kemal invited reporters of several Italian newspapers in Peruja on January 23, 1919, to the “Brugani” hotel. Ismail Kemal, Louis Gurakuqi and Ishmael's two sons.

According to his son, Etémi, when Ismail Kemal, after having had lunch, appeared before reporters waiting for him as soon as he began to speak, he began to tremble and stutter. Ali Aslan, mayor of Vlora, reports that Ethem had told Ismail Kemal “wanted to accompany him to the bathroom. There the foam of the vomiting of” drowned.

His death was announced, among other things, by a separate Italian newspaper “L'Union Liberal”, member of Italy's centre-right Liberal Party, with these words:

The night's “Day, at 11:30 p.m., stopped living at the hotel Brugani BAR the city's distinguished guest, Ismail Cemal Bey Vlora”.

It fittingly represented a large and ancient family from Vlora. Since he was an ardent patriot, our friend of Italy, inspired by principles of freedom and justice, was viewed badly by the Turkish government, which had condemned him and forced him to seek exile.

He was 75 years old, maintaining clear thinking and body strength, hard work, as if he were young and kind to all.

The stroke hit him on January 23rd and, as a result, paralysis. Nor did the most careful treatment of the doctor he cured, Dr. Leone Pernos and consultants, prof, benefit him. Silvestrin and prof. Righett and not the compassionate presence of the boys.

Ismail Kemal's body was held in Peru for two weeks after its death, with the idea of embalming. But this added to his doubts about poisoning, since they have released all internal organs to eliminate any signs of autopsy.

Accompanied by three of his sons: Etchem, Qazimi and Qamili and representatives of the Italian Foreign Ministry on February 8, 1919, Ismail Kemal's body was sent by train to Brindisi from where, aboard the torpedinere “Alpino”, was escorted to Vlora. On February 12th, under a grand ceremony, his body, placed on the ballbed and wrapped in the National Flag, was escorted to Kanini, where he was buried in the courtyard of Tecé, at the Vlora family cemetery. “ ...if we measure the greatness of a political personality with love in the common people,- it wrote in family memory, Safa Vlora,- we must state that no one is approaching Ismail Kemal Vlora. At the annual ceremony... neither a peasant nor a citizen stayed home. All the pages of the mountains and the coasts that stood on the journey were filled with men. It was a magnificent aesthetic of all the people, indiscriminately, and a crown that He acquired with his hard work in the service of his country, until he gave up his last breath.

Vlora was then under Italian occupation. The Italian command, fearing the rebellion, ordered that no Albanian flag be used at the ceremony. This was humiliating to the feelings of a patriotic people. The Vlora municipal council insisted on using the Albanian symbol. The Italian command clearly understood the domestic ultimatum and allowed the coffin to be covered with the Albanian flag during the ceremony. And so it was. The coffin was covered with red flag with black eagle. He had given this flag to Ismail Kemal the Duke of Monpasia in March 1913, when he paid a visit to Vlora.

In those days the flag was carried along by Ismail Kemal's eldest son, Ethem Bey Vlora. The funeral ceremony took place on February 12, 1919. It was Wednesday. Two impressive talks were given by Jani Minga and Qazim Cocoshi.

The procession was governed by twelve crowns held by the boys of Vlora, the same name. Crowns were full of flowers, honors, and love from the people of Vlora, schools, Vlora boys, and the Parliament newspaper. After that came the boy society. Then there was a military gang that played the funber march. After that, the chariot with the coffin covered with the red flag and the honored black eagle guarded by two lines of soldiers.

After the carriage, the group of firehouses followed, and after them the three sons of Ismail Kemal. Then General Settimo Pancentini, counteradmiral Lrubetti, military and civilian authorities in the province, city and district chiefs, citizens, school students, and finally cavalry soldiers. Before the burial, the flag was taken by the boys of Ismail Kemal, whom the flag was once again used in its redependence at the Flag Square on November 28, 1932. After that, Ethhem Bey Vlora donated the flag to the National Museum.

On November 28, 1932, on the occasion of Independence's 20th anniversary, at the request of the people of Vlora and at the King's government, his body moved to Vlora, the town garden, in a monument tomb, the work of sculptor Ocean Paschali, where he was formerly the home where he was born and from where Albania's Independence Cave. Today, a magnificent monument is erected next to his grave, which symbolizes that day in November, which would give the beautiful name that grand square: “Flag Square”.

Ismail Kemal died at a time when in Albania, due to foreign occupations, there was no Albanian free press. There is no doubt that his death caused widespread pain throughout the countrymen. Few press organs published that year, any in Albania and others abroad, testify.

Nicolaas Ivanaj in the newspaper “New Time, which issued at Shkodra, when the city was under French military occupation, wrote five days after Ismail Kemal's death on January 31, 1919: “We received the black news as raven, as cold as ice and as sharp as the men's sword: Vlora's Ismail Kemal died” Further: The “History of the new Albania will in its time speak more widely about this brilliant man of our country”. N. Ivanaj concluded his word: “Us, today we pray to his spirit to help us in this difficult and critical time, where our body and mind were still required, more than ever to this day”.

The newspaper “QuKOMA”, a body that appeared once a week in Rome under the direction of Sotir Gjika, in Albanian and Italian, reported on February 8, 1919, the death of Ismail Kemal, in these words:

On January 24, 1919, at the Hotel Brufani of the town of Prugia (Italia) died in the hands of sons, Etem e Qazim, Ismail Kemal Bey Vlora, former chairman of Albania's Interim Government and now representative to Europe of the Political Party<1>.

The amount of course does not give us permission today to deal with the biography of the Albanian state husband. No doubt, Ismail Kemal will occupy a wide page in the history of the Albanian Christmas, that particularly remarkable is the role this man played with the great mind of our seed.

He had the chance to erect the Albanian property flag in Vlora on November 28, 1912, which left him as a historic face, a merit that his most strict opponents will not be able to dismiss.

The Parliament participates in this national mourning and sends strongly to the poisoned families of the apology heartfelt comfort.

The Italian government did, in turn, very noblely, what was needed to take Ismail Kemal's body to Vlora”.

Mihal Grameno, in an article titled “The loss of Ismail Kemal”, published on March 12, 1919, in his newspaper “Koha” (Boston, Mass.)

“As the lightning spread the bitter news of Albania's old man, Ismail Kemal, not only in Albania, but throughout the world.

This news was like lightning, even one of the biggest shocks for the Albanian nation, that it lost the largest b tour it had unearthed after Skenderbe, Albania. He lost the great and famous diplomat, lost the bright pillar of the national program, lost the nation's Father, who rescued him from danger, lost the lion that crushed the chains of captivity and raised the flag of Skenderbe, and proclaimed Albania's self - rule. We are very young, and our power is weak so that we can describe the high and holy deeds that the undead old man has brought upon the altar of the homeland”.

The relief fighter outlines in his article this human portrait for the Elder of Vlora: “Tech Ismail Kemal summarized all the good virtues that can be found in the world”. (Gazeta “Koha”, Boston, Mass., March 12, 1919).

Ismail Kemal, as prime minister and first president in the history of the Albanian state, stood at the helm of the government from November 28th to 1912 to January 22, 1914, namely, 12 months and 56 days.