In the Balkans

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 1, 4 December 1915, Page 5

In the Balkans

POSITION AT MONASTIR.

[United Press Association.] London, December 2

There arc conflicting reports as to the position at Monastir. Latest Athens advices state that although the Serbians have evacuated the town the Bulgarians have not yet occupied <t

Mesasges from Salonika, state that four thousand recruits vrhn were sent to join General Vassitch, arrived in a state of exhaustion, after inarching for sixteen days on only half a loaf apiece a day. Eight thousand dying people were removed from Monastir hospital, and four hundred were placed in ox waggons and sent to Ochrida, no doctor accompanying them,although the journey occupied three days and three nights.

LAST AGONY OF MONASTIR.

PLUCK OF SERBIAN ARMY.

(Received 10.10 a.m.) Louden, December o. Salonika telegrams give details of the last agony of Monastir. . For days the Allied commanders telegraphed to General \ assitch, asking if all was well. He invariably replied that he was still holding out. On Monday afternoon, however, there was unaccountable delay in replying, and it was midnight before General Vassitch .telegraphed : “We are holding the positions on the Cerna.” Other telegrams from the frontier showed that the end had eome,»and that the Bulgarians, had advanced to. the south-east fifteen kilometresbeyond Monastir, and were threatening to surround the little arniy. Geneial Yassitich’s only chance was a precipitate retreat to Ochrida. Six thousand men from the north arrived at the last moment, and they would have enabled General A assitch to piolong the defence, but they were worn out. They had been foodless for for-ty-eight hours; their uniforms'were in rags; and they had hardly any boots after the seventeen days’ march on the Mountain roads, Tl\ey lost 120 by cold and hunger, these being left to die on the Mountains. When they marched, in, they seemed to bo haggard spectres, more ht for the hospitals than for the firing line, but they were immediatelyordered to join battle ouside the town and fight like tigers. i

MONASTIR EVACUATED.

SERBIANS RETREAT SAFELY.

(Received 10.20 a.m.) Monastir, December 3,

■ As the Serbians withdrew, the Bulgarian commitadjis under a origand named Paul Kristov took possession and placarded the following manifesto.“ Fire hundred years, ye were under the Turks, three years under the Serbs, now ye are free.” . The commitadjis paraded the town singing and looting deserted houses and public buildings. There were pathetic scenes in connection with General Vassitch s ietreat.. The Serbians trudged . along footsore and famished iu a hurriphe, of snow,..the stronger encp.uraging pml helping the weaker. The, men were only the ghosts of an army and it was a, t p:pnd.er tljpt .they. f stjill • hphM tygetjhciv The 'Bulgarians} them hard; bujji \veve bpten,on apd thp retreat to; Ochrlda resumedl,. Civilians a t Och- j rida were panic-stricken and com-' monccd a gefibral exbdus to Albania; and Greece. 1

AUSTRJANUFLAC ] HOISTED IN ' < Wastir.

(Received 10.50 a.m.) London, December 3

Reuter’s correspondent states 'that the Austro-bermans entered MonaIstir yesterday anjOolsEecl'the Austrian flag, and that the ’Bulgarians enter fefo r

SHARP FIGHT AT FOTCHA. ... ,■ ,1 ■ i i* l ..‘il* (if •// ihll '• <• ;h; . • MONTENEGRINS REPULSE AUS""fRIANSii ’

}Bol 'HRectii\4d >’ p I London, December 3.

\ A Montenegrin communique • says: After a sharp fight at Fotcha, the Austrians retreated in disorder. (Fotcha is ten miles inland in Herzegovina from Montenegro, and 30 miles south-west of Sarajevo.)

SOUTH-WEST OF MITROVITZA.

Amstrdam, December 2

A German communique claims that the Germans captured four thousand Serbians south-west of Mitrovitza. Paris, December 3.

Le Temps says that the Bulgarians have crossed the Upper Tcherna and taken possession of all the bridges and i;oads leading to Mon astir. The Bulgarians are constituting a new army in the Struma valley. A communique reports that the Serbians were still occupying Monaster on December 1.

ON THE DANUBE.

Rome, December il

II Corl-iere della Sera’s Bucharest correspondent states that Russian boats are cruising day and night on the Danube shore of Bessarabia. A Seppelin has arrived at Rustchuk, xnd the Austro-Germans have taken intimidatory measures on the Bulgarian bank.

Austrian monitors have withdrawn to Orsova, fearing that they should be frozen in.

GREECE AND THE ALLIES.

London, December 2

At Messina, Mr Jeffries intcrview>d M. Cochin, who said ho had an enthusiastic reception in Greece and received the impression that the hulk of the people was really pro-Ally. He passed through a crowd of twenty ihousapd, who shouted, “Long live ■he Allies, especially France, and Jown with the Bosches.” “The King,” said M. Cochin, “was most cordial to me. My belief is that be is not pro-German, but that his greatest desire is neutrality. He asi’ured me that lie was satisfied and impressed by his interview with Lord kitchener.”

Regarding the second Note, M. 'Jochin said diplomatic action was no longer imperative, because the Greek Government had already -accepted the principle of the non-application of the strict Hague conditions of neutralitv. The second Note merely dismissed details of the application of the principle.