The Balkan Trouble

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 191, 2 January 1913, Page 5

The Balkan Trouble

HIDEOUS ATROCITIES. THE SLAUGHTERING SERVIANS. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. London, December 31. The Telegraph's Budapest cdrrespondent says that after seeing the reports of the Austrian, English, Italian and Norwegian war correspondents, all the cruel persecutions related in history have teen flagrantly repeated by General Jankovitch's army. The army deliberately exterminated old and young of both sexes. Some three thousand were killed between Kumanovo and Uskub. Five thousand Arnauts at Prishtina were unjustifiably murdered, many villages were fired, ami the fleeing inhabitants were forced to watch their children being literally carved to pieces with bayonets. Executions were a daily diversion of the Servians.

M. Pasitch states that the wayside from Prizrind to Pifc was lined with gallows, whereon hung Albanians. When the regiment entered Prizrind. Colonel Ostoitch shouted " Kill them."' The soldiers rushed the houses and murdered every one. The deeds perpetrated at Prilep and Kossovo exceed everything the Albanians suffered under Turkish rule. A Red Cross doctor relates that General Stefanovitch. near Kratovo, placed a hundred prisoners in two rows and shot them with machine guns.

THE TURKISH ARMY. THE BALKAN MASSACRES. ' Received January I. 9 p.m. Constantinople, December 31. The agitation in the army in favour of the renewal of hostilities continues. The Turkish senators have telegraphed to the European sovereigns /drawing attention to the massacres, ' which, notwithstanding the armistice, threaten to exterminate the Moslems. anu beseeching th.m to use their influence to prevent further atrocities. Athens, December 31. The Turks at Bizani renewed their impetuous assaults throughout the night. They were repulsed with considerable losses.

HOPES OF PEACE. ALLIES' DIFFERENCES. POSITION" AT ADRIANOPLE. Received January 1, 9.45 a.m. London, January 1. Renter states that private conversations between Rested Pasha and M. Daneff. Bulgaria's chief peace envoy, resulted in a frank exposition of the whole situation. 51. Daneff advanced im--1 portant arguments in favour of a direct settlement. > Bulgarian reports assert that the civil population of Adrianople is attempting compel the military authorities to surremlt-r. Threats are made that they wiil shoot the. commander. The armistice opportunely saved the town , from the horrors of an internal upheaval. The Daily Tcli graph's Vienna correspondent says that competent circles are hopeful of peace, because Turkey is financially exhausted, while the Bul- . garian army is exhausted, coupled with serious differences between the Allies. King Ferdinand of Bulgaria is alleged Jo be ill, suffering from the effects of excitement, with fits of melancholy. Besides the difficulties with Greece, the Bulgarian*' relations with Servia we visibly worse. The Servian newspaper Straga says that the cleft between Servia and Bulgaria is widening over the division of territory.

THE ALLIES RESTIVE. Received January 2. 0.45 a.m. London. January 1. The Balkan delegates strongly resent Turkey's suggestion to refer most of the questions to the Powers, and point out that an armistice was concluded to enable Turkev to negotiate with the Alliw. * Reuter states that the military preparations in Austria in connection with the Asiatic question arc nuu.li exaggerated. The peace footing has been increased bv 50.000.

TERRIBLE REVELATIONS. WHOLESALE MURDER. Vienna. January 1. An An Irian lady living at Kavalla states that when the Bulgarian irregulars took the town they inhumanely butchered 115 Moslems and also murdered 1200 at Serres, People at Xanthie who took refuge in the mosques were hacked to pieces. When all the Turks were killed they attacked the Jews. The we.ilthie.-t- were carried off and tortured until they paid .£II.OOO in ransoms.

The Reichpost -tates tlr.it the disquieting situation in Constantinople is due to fear that the Kurdi-h troops now there or arriving may refuse to return empty-handed, an 1 will possibly attempt to plunder Constantinople. The newspaper urges the return of the Austrian warships to the Bosphorus.

The Neue Freie Pres-e says that Ronmania, claims the cession of about 1151 square miles of Bulgarian territory, an I protection of her national rghts.

THE PEACE CONFERENCE. A DEADLOCK. London. Dccmber 30. The Turks announced that they were awaiting fuller instructions concerning the drafting of ni-vv counter-proposals. and the conference adjourned till Wednesday. The deadlock chiclly relates to Adrianople.

THE TCRKI<H PROPOSALS. CONSIDERED A MOCKERY. London, December 30. One Bulgarian delegate states that the conference will finish its business this week. The new Turkish proposals, he snys, are a mockery. If the Turks required time, to complete preparations at Chatadaja so did the Allies, who now had a better position than when hostilities were suspended. They had summoned all the Christians in the conquered provinces between the ages of 19 and 25 years. This was expected to give thirty or forty thousand recruits. Constantinople. December 30.

It is stated, on good authority, that a Cabinet council decided to instruct the delegates to refer points to the Ambassadors' Conference.

Newspapers state that the Sultan informed his entourage that be would rather risk the loss of the throne than the surrender of Adrianople. which shelters the tomb- of his glorious ancestors.

POSSIBLE INTERVENTION OF THE POWERS. Jynndon. Diiembcr 31. When the conference assembled, the Turks announced that they had not completed diriphering their coded instructions. Re-hid Pasha suggested

that tfoe question! of the future of Macedonia and Crete be referred to the Powers for sejttlemont, but eventually d't was decujled to formulate a Turkish reply to! all the Allies demand*. A meetiijig of the Allies' delegates resolved licit to permit further procrastination. Meanwhile there are vague suggestions! of possible intervention by the Powei\s, but no overt action is to be taken, j It is understood) that Bulgaria is prepared to invest thie mosques and public memorials in Adrianople with extra territorial rights to |inakc them the Sultan's property, j ROUMANIA'S CLAIMS.

Bei-lin, December 31. The Kolnische Zeitung says that if the Bulgarian answer to Roumanaa's claims for compensation is unsatisfactory. Roumania will take steps to as ; sure possession of .the territory churned.

MILITARY ACTIVITY. Vienna, December 30. The Zeit states that military exercises on a large scale, under war conditions, are projected for the present winter. Belgrade, December 30. Repeated reports have been received of Roumanian military activity on the frontier. Bucharest. December "11. The Chamber granted military votes of 151.000,000 francs ( .CG,000.000). ALBANIAN OUTRAGES. Athens, December 30. The Greeks continue to attack Bigani, where the defence is weakening. They repulsed several Turkish night attacks. Albanian raiders at Bakiaoga, after having been driven out of Macedonia, are exploiting the Epirus. They invaded Zegori, where they looted and burnt churches and many houses; they impaled a priest at Lordani and strangled two notables. Many inhabitants are taking refuge in the forests.

TURKISH DESERTERS' REPORTS. Soda. December 3ft. The Mir reports daily desertions from the Turks in'.Adriauople. Deserters described the situation,there in the darkest colors. RUSSIA UNEASY. Constantinople, December 31. A majority of the ambassadors have advised the Porte to arrange terms with the Balkan League. Russia has issued a warning that it is dangerous to procrastinate in view of the situation in Asia Minor.

OUTRAGES IN GREECE. Athens, December 31. It is officially stated that Zagori has been denuded of males since the beginning of the war. Bekiraga's followers massacred all the old men, women and children there and violated all the young women.

AUSTRIA AND SERVIA. Belgrade, December 31. There arc rumors that Austria desires to enlarge Albania's boundaries and is greatly embittered with the Servians. The latter are determined not to waive their claim to PriZerind, Dibra, Diakova and Ipek.

AX AGGRESSIVE NEWSPAPER. "' Sofia. December 31. The newspaper Mir says if the Turks persist in prolonging negotiations the Allies will be forced to put the sea between the Turks and themselves. This natural frontier would abolish the necessity for negotiations.