Turkey's Downfall

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10712, 6 November 1912, Page 5

Turkey's Downfall

THE LAST GALLANT STAND

A BLOODY RETREAT

BOAD STBEWN WITH DEAD AND DYING

I (United Press Association — By Electric lelcgraph Copyright.)

(Received Last Night, 8.20 o'clock.) \ LONDON, November 5. Mr Martin Honohoe, the Chronicle's war correspondent at the front, states that after the Bulgarian wedgo was driven in between several winge, 'Mukta-h Pasha, retreated in tolerably good order, fiercely contesting the ground, but losing J heavily, qjeri- | ficing men cheerftilly in the hepe of giving th© .shattered half of t!io Turkish army a chance of reforming at Chorlu. In Muktah Pasha's rearguard the action was magnificent. The Third Division was-annihilated for five hom's - and stood their ground ready to <lie, as the-Bulgarians found to their cost, when-fleeingthemselves from the Turkish bayonets. . A heap of Bulgarian-; dead covering the ground in front of the Third Division for half a mile. This was a grim testimony of the fierceness of the struggle. .... The remainder of Abdullah Pasha'" 7 shattered legions wanderfed across the Thracin fields, leaderlesß and hungry, "towards Chorlu. Hundreds perished from wounds" starvation and cold, and men dropped senseless from fatigue and fro?e to death. , • Abdullah Pashaviwas in no betterplight than the humblest soldier, rii>d ; .. arrived at Chorlu foodless. ' He attributes the Bulgarian success largely to their efficient Intelligence Department and superior artillery. For a month Thrace was overrun by Bulgarian spies, and excellent lTifips were prepared, so that the artillery took up positions at pre-ascerramcd t ranges. In their preparations too the j Bulgarians displayed the finesse of ! the Japanese. : Abdullah Paaha knew th.it ♦ho Turkish army represented a giant with feet of clay, but they did not shrink ffoift their duty. Already he has been marked as a i national scapegoat. I The broken is crawling up the steep rocky slopes of Chorlu, over its wide plateau and down the side, ! and across the stony valley towards [ Chatalja. The Bulgarian r itnon is j roaring in the rear insatiable, and i death takes its hourly toll, the track )' | being paved with dying. . I Again the enemy displayed marvel- { lous celerity, the pursuing advance 1 -guard being never far from the rear of the retreating army. -■ The defence of Cliatalja froir. which much is expected, is likely, when subjected' to a.strain," to prove r» delusion. Nothing short of the Powers' intervention ciin prevent King Feidiriirid's entry to Constantinople. At Uskub the Third Servian Ar>nv is advancing westward towards Ihtrazzo, on the Adriatic, and am'thor j division, under General Zirc6v : eh'. y Ft'om Novi' Baxar is approaching S'cu--tari.

TERRIBLE MASSACRE. REPORTED AT RODOZTO. (Received Last Night, 11.5 o'clock.) CONSTANTINOPLE, Nov. 5. Reports have been received of: a terrible massacre at Rodoato. HOSTILITY TO EUROPEANS. INCREASING IN CON3TAN IINGPLE. (Received La.st 11.-'J: o!elock\). CONSTANTINOPLE, Nov. 5. Hostility to Europeans J a ing particularly a mong Iho lovyex' cl'isses. ■■■-■.■' \'- Some workmen's guilds openly beast that they have taken a vow to massacre every Christian if the Bulgarians enter Constantinople, or »f R;nmelia is severed from Turkey. The police prevented an armed gajig from;, marching against the European quarters* RESULT OF THE WAR, A HOPEFUL PROPHECY. (Received Lust Night, 9.20 o'clock.) LONDON, November 5. Mr F. Ackland, M.P., .ipeakin 4 j at Edmonton, said he was hopeful that the ontcome, of the Balkan wur would leave Europe easier than it had been for hundreds of years, and produce amelioration in th# Governments cf great populations. There was nothing, ha said, in the situation at present to render that improbable. SERVIAN ASPIRATIONS.

A TURKISH ATTACK. REPULSED BY BULGARS. (Received This Morning 12.10 o'clock) SOFTA. November 5. Twenty battalions of Turks supported by artillery made a sortie on both banks of the Maritza, to the west of Adrianoole. The Bulgarians, with a vigorous , counter attack, drove back the enemy to,,the fortress, after inflicting heavy losses.

THE MARCH TO CONSTANTINOPLE. BULGAR.IANB~~REINFORCm (Received Last Night, 11.5 o'alock.) VIENNA, November 3. Tha newspapers, in discussing Servian aspirations to secure a porl in the Adriatic, declare that Austria will n»t; tolerate any shifting of power, which; may threaten her rule over the East- 1 er,i Adriatic and block access to th* Aegean Sea. The Reichspost states that 40,000 Servians are pushing forward to strengthen the Bulgarians at Adrianople, to enable the latter to join in the marcfl to Constantinople. Previous engagements have made serious gaps in the Bulgarians' ranks, and they require to be filled to permit o? the march to Constantinople being the triumph, which a victorious army j B«mands. It is reported thai t*hs Moataaegrin?

were unable to hold Taraboscli a.'id were dislodged, leaving behind several guns which they disabled. Tho Montenegrins burned Mohammedan villages. A TURKISH REPOIir. COMMISSARIAT FAILS. ADVANTAGES SACRIFICED (Received Last Night, 11.5 o'clock.) CONSTANTINOPLE, Nov. 3. According to reliable accounts the Turkish right army is meeting with much .success, but tho Commissariat Department has failed. , Bad weather prevented reinforcements from I.dkling at the Turkish base at Midia, and consequently.Muktah Paslia was c Vm-. pelled to' sacrifice every advantage gained throughout the campiigti. The Turkish artillery ofiioers" were amazed at the superiority of the Creusofc over tho Krupp gins.

• CAPTURE OF ARTILLERY. * f ; THE TURKS DEMORALISED. BELGRADE, November 5. It is estimated that, the Sctvhns ; have captured two-thirds of the o.ttp-- . man artillery. " Examination.'-proves ttat th<? Tiirlfs li'd-i an almost impregnable 'position «t Kalchanik Pass, which proves the , demoralisation of the Turks wno yielded beforo (scarcely a shot was fired. (Received This Morning, 12.4G o'clock.) I . ' ATHENS, November 5. i A Greek merchantman struck a I mine in Salonika Harbour, and was blown up closo to an Austrian warship. ' ( (Received This Morning, 12. <0 o'clock.) .. ARMISTICE IMPOSSIBLE. j FRENCH PREMIER'S PROPOSAL. (Received This Morning. 12.10 oVlnek.) PARIS, November 1 The Porte has notified the Ottoman Ambassadors that the posit : o:i is not desperate, though emhirrasirg. M. Poincare states that it is im|'pc?sibte to arrange an iirmisi'ce, j which would shatter the Allies' plan | arid give Turkey time to reorganise. : He is willing to examine .t definite ' pOdCfl offer. ' The newspaper "Lo Temps etatfls that Russia. France and Britain should '-'"t J aside interests which-might wo.", have j t'al;.on a territorial form, and th.it j Austria's silence renders mediation impossible. . \

RUSSIAN WARSHIPS. AWAITING ORiDERS. /Received This Morning. 12.-10 o'clock) ODESSA, November 5. Eleven Russian warships are at the entrance to the Bosnhorus, awaiting orders.