STORMING OF PERA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 517, 26 May 1909, Page 7

STORMING OF PERA.

THE APRIL FIGHTING. [ THE CONSTITUTIONALISTS' ATTACK. GUNS AMONG THE GRAVES. THE WHITE, FLAG TWICE ABUSED. (BI Tiuciurii— I'IIKKS ASSDeiAl'lim-COl-laICUI (Rcc. May 26, 0.40 a.m.) - Perth, May 25. Newspapers to hand by the mail contaii graphic accounts of tho. fighting at Con stantinoplo on Saturday, April 24, when tin Constitutionalist troops from Salonika stohiloc tho capital in order to subduo tlio garrisoi (which by a suddeh armed coup on April U had seized the administrative control and do posed tho Hilmi Cabinet). Tho advauce o the Constitutionalist forces on Pera, tin northern quarter of Constantinople, is thui described by the "Daily Mail's" correspon dent, Mr. Maxwell: — , Cannonade at Dawn. -.-. At 5 o'clock on tho morning of April 24 tin citizens of Constanfcinopio woro aroused bj tho report of cannon and of a heavy fusilladi in the direction of Yildiz Palace, the Sultau'i residence. The Albanians and gendarmcrii from Salonika woro posted at every street corner, and strong guards wero stationed al tho embassies, banks, and public buildings The city had been completely occupied uudei covor of night, but',heavy'firing above th< 'heights'.of; Pera proved, that tho revolutioi: Was at last demanding tributes of blood. «' Constantinople', woke ■ with a start anc shuddered, and ■' peered from flat roofs t< learn its fate. Men and womenj half clad, looked down into the streets/ along whicli moved patrols with rifles wishing. Treachery Avenged., ; '' .1 made ay way along the Pora Head, where the firirtg sounded heaviest, and canlo Upor troops hotly' engaged in attempts to' reddec ono of the barracks in which woro: 2000' desperate men. Tho story goes that tin Albanians .'wore approaching tho barracks, over which was hoisted a whito/flag,'thej wore mot by rille fire and many were slain. At this treachery. . tho Constitutionalist ; troops fell back to prepare for an. attack. Guns wero brought to tho front and an artil. lory duel began. The streets woro soon humming with bullets,' and many spectators had .causo to regret their curiosity., Fighting In a •Cemetery.' ! . The Tash-kislar Barracks, a three-storj building, .flanked by a* cemetery,'•near the Gorman became the centre of the . fight, and herd ', tho battlo raged fiercely' ftn ' three and a half hours... The. -effect' of'the was too great for the defenders, and \ men began .to' desert tho barracks and take rofugo in the comotery, wliero tho tombs served as'excellent cover. , ■'•'' Guns were also, brought among the graves, and the'renewed cannonade' seemed to rain ; lead, which began to drop-through, th©^win. . dorfs. Casualties wero many, and after fotii hours the Tash-kislar garrison surrendered. •'■ - '", '•.■ ■■:■■<■■■: ',■■'■,. it ■-■ ■ Field and Maohlne Guns.■.,"■ ■.At'Tniim Barraoks, whore"there.were 400 C ■'', defenders, similar tactics wero adopted. Ae the army of occupation advanced, the garri- ;; son.',-displayed .'a\> white- flag,,'with v; 'cries.i dl ! "Vive La Liberto. , , , ; The Constitutionalist •; soldiers responded,'with"chWrs,-: and- pressed forward, only; to [facet with a fusillade which stretched about i'a'/scpro, of t'liclp.-' 'oix-. .'the ground. .'...'' '■''■■ ' '.'' , ;•''■ .;', Tho machine guns of the advancing arm j then rattled to : tliq front, and began to pump '. lead 1 Info the windows and doors of the barracks.. Field giuts' also "opened, with shriok i. of shell and hail of shrapnoi,.and tho assault was carried on with rotikless bravory. Spectators poured forth in streams, to witnoss'.tlie fight. .' . .:.■'■'■'." Not Unlike a; Fair. : The presence of Turks; ..Armenians, Greeks, Germans, French, .and British made a medley of races and tongues that looked more like r disorderly fair than a .' serious.' affray. in .whioh shot.'and -'shell were, concerned. Towards 10 a.m.: the resistance .waned. ~';•' '■:>' Nothing could exceed', the-care, the soldiers took of wayward spectators, Ono of the first to be shot was : Mr. Frederick Moore,-correspondent of .tho' "New York Sun" and the London. "Daily Chronicle." He was, taking a photograph', when a bullet pierced his shoulder. The wound is not dangerous. r . ' . ' v •; Spectators and Boys take a Hand. There wero momenta'when the'spectators,' oven boys, took a hand in directing the attack. ■"' ' !,'■ '' Tho officers wero disguised as privates, in order to prevent their being a special mark for the enemy,'; By noon both Tash-kislar and Tasim Barracks had been reduced to submission, The Advance Vlowed' as a Whole. The advance of,the investing army en Constantinople begari at. dawn, the cavalry scouting, and 30,000' infantry following on their heels, with their centre at Spartakoni, and moving on Silehdar and Allboykoi. The left wing advanced in the direction,of the heights bokind Tataola. The troops/mot .with -n slight resistaiico near the Adrianople gate. They marched on Yildiz and Pera in perfeot order. '.'' As soon ns the concentration was complete tho battalions deployed and .advanced against tho , barracks and other points of defence.. . '■_~■ * ' '. .'-. ' Btamboul Easily Taken. .';.". Stamboul (the old quarter south of tho Golden Horn). was speedily occupied, a few shots from the barracks being followed by surrender. The soldiers ,at tho. Sublime Porte (the official .quarters'of tho Turkish Government) came out .after a cannon shot ha ddone damage to. the. building. Close by wero anchored tho guardships of tho foreign Powers, Ono. shell passed over, a British ..vessel, and ono Italian sailor was killed by a shell. Unconditional Surrender of Ylldlr. Pooplo began to speculate as'to'the fate of Yildiz Palace, whore there wero four battalions of Albanians, tho trusted guardians of the Sultan, but the palace capitulated at noon, and, the garrison surrendered ' unconditionally. ■ •• i