Balkan War

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 163, 27 November 1912, Page 5

Balkan War

THE CAPTURE OF FLORiXA. By Oable—Pr-jss Association—Copyright. Athens, November 25. , Details of the battle at Uladova preceding the occupation of Fiorina, show that the Greeks defeated 20,000 Turks after three hours' fighting, 800 Turks being killed. SAN STEFANO HOSPITAL. Constantinople, November 25. It is reported that the Greeks occupied the island of Chios. A Greek lady has joined Miss Alt at San Stefano cholera camp. Major Ford, an American, is the only volunteer doctor in the camp, but Mr. Philip, secretary to the United States Embassy, and Maurice Baring, the author, are assisting. BRITISH FLEET MOVEMENTS. London, November 25. Tiie Third Battle Squadron has returned to Malta from the East. This movement is interpreted as due to the easing of the Balkan situation. REPREHENSIBLE RUMORS. London, November 25. The Standard considers that the week end alarms concerning the international situation did not justify the action of a section of the English and Continental press in adding to the scare, by giving prominence to rumors intended to influence the Bourses. Such action was reprehensible.

RAVAGED BY CHOLERA. Berlin, November 25. On the Bourse it is reported that the Bulgarians are losing 700 men daily from cholera.

THE PRINCE OF ALBANIA. Bucharest, November 25. An Albanian Mohammedan deputation has arrived, seeking the King's consent to the nomination of Prince Charles as Prince of Albania, when the principality is created. THE CHOLERA SPREADING. HORRIBLE CONDITIONS. Received 20, 11.15 p.m. London, November 20.

The Daily News' correspondent at Semlin, Hungary, reports that cholera is spreading in tiie north, and lias reached Bulgaria. News is being strictly censored, but there are several hundred cases. At Mustapha Pasha, where the sanitary hospital arrangements are dangerously inadequate, a school has been converted into' a hospital. Many victims are lying on the Sloor. The corpses of ten have not been touched for 24 hours. At Mariza the water is contaminated, and cholera is raging. THE SIEGE OF ADRIANOPLE. Received 20, 11.15 p.m. Adrianople, November 26. Including the Servian besiegers, the Bulgarian regulars sent to Chataldja and the Servians third-class reservists are maintaining the investment of the town. The Servians are indignant at the censorship, which does not permit mention by them of their largest guns, 15 centimetres, being hopelessly outranked by the Turkish batteries. A TURKISH VICTORY. DESPERATE GALLANTRY. Received 2(i, 11.15 p.m. London, November 20. The Turks repulsed every attempt to hold Rapastepe, displaying desperate gallantry. They won back much ground, especially on the right of Maritza, where General KirkolVs seventh division retired four miles and Jeft the bank, where the Servians sustained heavy losses.

A BULGARIAN" repulse. Received 20, 11.15 p.m. London, Xovcmber 20. The Bulgarian infantry on Thursday, after a fierce light, entered KaTagach, a suburb of Adrianople. Street fighting ensued, and the Bulgarians were forced to retire. The correspondent estimates that there were twelve thousand Bulgarian and Servian casualties at Adrianople. Received 20, 11.15 p.m. London, November 20. The Daily Telegraph's correspondent at Durazzo reports that the Servians are preparing to cross the river Matja in boats, en route to attack Durazzo, whither the Servians victorious at Monastir are also marching.

TURKISH SORTIE REPULSED. THE BULGARIAN INVESTMENT. Sofia., November 20. The Turks at Adrianoplc on Sunday sortied on the southern Bulgarian lilies, and were repulsed with considerable loss. The Bulgarian investment is within a kilometre of the town of Constantinople. Only outpost fighting is proceeding at Cha'ialdja.

THE PEACE. DELEGATES. Received 215, 11.15 p.m. London, November 26. The meetings of the peace delegates so far have been only formal. Osman Pasha and Nazim Pasha have not arrived. THE CONSULAR INCIDENT. Received 20, 11.15 p.m. Vienna, November 20.

The Consul sent to make enquiries at Prizrend states that he was not allowed to proceed beyond Uskub.

THE UNSPEAKABLE TURK. DEVILISH OUTRAGES. (By Rev. Frederic C. Spurr in the Age), j It would appear that at last the hour ' of doom has arrived for Turkey. Tue "sick man" of Europe lies upon what looks like his deathbed, as far as Europe, is concerned. But he lias been sick for so long, and his death has been announced so frequently, that even at this late hour it is hardly safe to prophesy what is going to happen. One thing is certain, however, if the ''bag and baggage" policy of Mr. Gladstone is now carried out and the Turk is chased from Europe, the Levant, for the first time in many a long day, will have a clear coast for real progress.. My purpose, however, is not to discuss the Turk as he may be, nor to deal with the present situation, but rather to describe him as I have known him in the past. Jt has been my lot to travel a good deal in the Turkish Empire, to be entertained by some excellent pashas in their luxurious homes, to be bled by rapacious officials, and to be harassed by stupid regulations. In Palestine, particularly, the tyranny and stupidity of Turkish rule have, been displayed. All sorts of obstacles are placed in the way of travellers, The pass-

port must be vise each time an Englishman desires to enter the country, and the important signature means, of course, backsheesh. Then travel in the interior requires further permits and more backsheesh. Palestine has been for centuries in a deplorable condition, largely owing to the misgovemment of the Turk. Taxes, oppressive regulations, official snobbery and denseness, combined to render the lot of the average man under Turkish rule anything but happy. I have visited Constantinople on several occasions. I happened to be tnere in 1896, at the time of the Armenian massacres. The city was then in a frightful state. The Government was at its wits' ends for money. Soldiers and civilians were months in arrears of stipend) and they were driven to obtain money where and how they could. In some parts of the empire the soldiers were driven to desperation, and in order to raise money sold their guns to some Armenian merchants, and then decamped. This was the real basis of the charge brought by the officials against the Armenians that they were importing arms from Europe. The most trivial event was seized upon as a reason for persecuting and murdering the Armenians. The story of that bloody period is still fresh in the mind of Europe. Now that the discomfited Turk is once more engaged in his old work | of murdering hapless infants, Armenia and Macedonia return to mind Xoman who knows anything about Levantine life would claim that the Armenians were perfect—far from it; but that they should have been subjected to the devilish outrages which were inflicted upon them puts their tormentors beyond the pale of humanity. j

Well do I remember, that terrible time. What stories we heard of outrage and butchery. Here a convent of Catholic nuns forcibly entered and every woman subjected to humiliation; there, women publicly insulted in the streets. Everywhere an elaborate system of espionage was instituted, under which innocent men, women and children were thrown into prison without trial and without hope of release. Disappearances from home amongst Armenians were common enough. A merchant would be summoned to some meeting, and that was the last his family ever saw of him. Many Armenians in Constantinople earned their livings as porters and as keepers of small cafes. Sometimes the two professions were combined amongst the members of the family. I remember one case—personally known to me—where five members of one of these families were seated around their table at home at the close of the day's work. Without warning the police suddenly enered and asked what they meant by sitting in that position. To which the father mude answer that it was their custom to do so; .they were members of one family, and surely they had a right to social fellowship. But the police would hear no explanation; they accused the family of sedition, and declared they must go to prison unless they paid five, medjidje as backsheesh. The police waited while the money was collected, and then took their departure. That kind of thing was most common. Where direct robbery or murder was not convenient the policy was to try and harass the poor, hapless Armenian out of existence. Doctors, judges and other professional men who held office under the Government were so squeezed that there was no alternative for them but to embrace Islam or go about their business.

I had the advantage of interviewing, for a London paper, a number of responsible people amongst the Armenians and others. I also interviewed a number of English people on the spot, and from these two sources gathered some startling evidence of the brutality that was in progress. One English lady who bore an honored name told rrie that she witnessed n. horrible deed at the height of the trouble. A Turkish soldier, or policeman, was passing down a street along which she also was moving. The street was deserted save for two or three children who were playing. One of the children was obviously an Armenian. The soldier stooped, picked up the child, dashed its head against a wall, and, leaving it dying, passed on. The lady was paralysed by the spectacle. When she was able to move the policeman had disappeared. All the world knows of the horrors of that time. Competent journalists wrote to their papers accounts of what they themselves witnessed. The whole story reads like a page from a devil's il'iarv. But the half was ne\ »r told. There are Turks and Turks. I have been entertained by Turkish gentlemen at Salonika and elsewhere whose manners were perfect, and who seemed entirely free from bloodthirsty bigotry — Moslems though they were. And, on the other hand, I have discussed matters in a cafe with a number of natives, and found that revenge lay but a little below the smooth surface. One man I remember removed his long, strange pipe from his mouth, and, looking at me, said, "See, when a rats gets in a trap, we kill it. . . . The Christians are

the rats, and when they come into our trap . . . God will send them into

it. . . ." 1 now remember the shudder that went through me. Crescent against the Cross, is it? Yes and no. With a Moslem war is always religious, but it always has been, jind the religious flame burns fiercely at present. But it is more than that. It is savagery against civilisation, brutality against humanity, tiger blood against the blood of woman. I will not say the Turk is naturally cruel, but I do say he is not completely humane. Let the condition of the dogs in Constantinople witness to this fact. Poor beasts, their life is precarious. It is a crime to kill a dog, for the popular superstition is that whoever kills a dog will himself at death be changed into a beast and sent to the earth to be kicked and cuffed about. But the average dweller in Constantinople thinks it no crime to stone and to kick the poor beasts, to break their legs and to run over them, to allow them tr> be covered with sores and to live in misery. I myself have, seen all this done. All true men hate war. but there are some wars which are justifiable, and the present war seems to be one of the number. With the unspeakable Turk out of Europe, a multitude, of poor wretches who have hitherto had no chance in life will begin to live normal and peaceful and progressive lives.

A British officer, who recently visited the Balkans, writing to a friend in Sydney, says:—"You. ask me what I think Of the rank and file of the Turkish army? My seventh visit to Turkey leaves me with the same opinion of tke Turkish soldier as a fighting man as I formed when I first saw him on active service under Osman Pasha at Plevna in the 'seventies. Xo troops in the world could then surpass the tenacity and bravery of the Turkish army, and they are just as good to-day, with this exception: Of late the efficiency of the army has been undermined by the Parliamentary party; politicians have been placing their own personal interests before the country, and the equipment and general organisation of the lighting services lias suffered, many of their weapons, especially small arms, have been neglected, and the ammunition reserve is dangerously low. It is to be hoped that Australia will never allow Vr Tiavy and army to be subject to political influence. In these days no righting machine which is not thoroughly efficient in all details (and details are all-import-ant), organisation and equipment, and ready for active service, with ample amI munition reserve at a few hours' notice,

will stand much chance of success, however brave the soldiers may be."

The Hamidieh, the Turkish vessel disabled by the Bulgarian torpedo vessels, has a displacement of 3800 tons, and carries a complement of 302 men. Her armament comprises two 0-inch guns, eight 4.7-inch, two 3pdr., and two 1-pdr.. and three torpedo tubes. She was built at the Elswick works, and completed in 1904. Her speed on her trials reached 22.2 knots.'