The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-09-05 00:00:00

A TERRIBLE. STORY OF THE TURKISH
ATROCITIES IN BULGARIA.

The special commissioner of the Daily Nova Israel
from rhilippopolie : •
A two hours' drive from l'hilippopulia over a very fair
road that led through She rich and fertile valley of the
Maritza brought us to what has formerly lora the villap
of Peruatitza. The village was attacked and hunt ity
the Bashi-flasouks, led by one AchnietsAga. who must
not be confounded with another Aclnnet-Aga, still lows
infamous, who destroyed Batak. It was a prettilr
situated little pLlce, built, as it was, on a low hill that
dominated the valley of the Maritza, and enabled its in-
habitants to euxuuhand a low over the rich and luxuriant
valley, miles in extent. It was, however, like so many
other plates that we have seen, it ruins, there remaining
not one house standing. We found shout a thousand
teople, of whom the gee der part were women and chits
dren, who were living in the nooks and corners of the
walls, where they had constructed temporary sheds iA
straw capable of shelteriug them from the sun but not
from the rain. Their Present means of existence were
principally the new harvest, which they were gathering
slowly mid painfully, without the aid of their cattle,
which had beeu driven off by their Turkish neighbours,
, and partly some assistance that was given thee, hy the
Governor of Philippopolis. After describing the retire-
, went of the inhabitants to a neighbouring church, lie goes
on to say that the poor people determined to make one
more elfort to obtain a e.g.:alien of the firing before iota.
pletely abandoning themselves to despair, awl two ef the
richest women of the villages volunteered to go and try to
reach the Turkish general. The Armenian girls tells ism
they tried to arrange their dreeees to look their best, and
how they put on whatever poor articles of jewellery they
had about them in order to look as rich and imposing as
possible. The poor women actually hoped to overawe
the Bashi.Ltazouks by their magnificence. Perhaps
their calculations Were not altogether wrung, for they
really aucceed.l in reaching the Turkish general. Ile
instantly promised them that if the people would
come out of the church and surrender they
should nut lie harmed, and he dent back an old man who
had been made prisoner to accompany them. Bet he does
not seem to have given them a guard or escort of any
kind. On the way back the two women were seised hy
the Ilashi-Mazeuks, stripped of their jewels and clothing,
violated, and then killed. The old man continued his
way, and delivered his message ; but as he at the 53150
time told them what hail happened to the women, the
people in the church did nut feel encouraged to come out,
and they remained there all Friday night. Ariz Pella
threw several more shells at the church; the Bashi.
Magmas from the surroundiug slopes kept up a tire of
small min., to which no answer was made. The censlition
of the people in the church wasuow fearful in the extrema
They had been besieged fur four days. The dead bodies
' of those who had been killed where still lying around
them unburied ; the wounded were groaning in the ag.wy
of molres,eil or improperly stressed wounds, for there was
of couree ii., doctor a ttttt ng them, and they were all
besmeared with blood of their own or slaughtered c•en.
path tttt s that bad cleated and grown hard, and they wens
filthy, loathsome, and haggard spectres. And 'dill the
small arms of the llastal-Itermiika played upon the church
from the low hills around, and the shell osntimied plough-
ing up the churchyard, or crashing against the walls.
The story of Lite Armenian girl regarding the event. 4
Friday awl Saturday is strangely incoherent 311,1
and w ha! she relates is simply incredible. I can iinly
account for this part of her story on the suppesition that
she huh by this time gone partially or quite mual. She
relates that on Friday, after the murder of the two
women almve related, the men remaiuing in the church.
yeast deter ttt itt .1, upon the failure of this last attempt at
negutiatien, to kill themselves. She says that some Of
them were on the point of putting this resolution into
effect when their wives interposed and begged to Ise killed
likewise, whereupon ensued a Kline or horror that we
might well where the isoinage of this girl's own wad
brain were a part of the story not corroborated liy &lithe
villagers. It seelini that two of these Menactually
carried their resolution into etfecL Two of thou, after
weeping, tuoaning, tearing their hair, beating their heads
against the wall, actually killed their wives and children,
and then killed themselves. This girl relates that thine
wunien asked to be killesl, %tat they knelt down, gathered
their little ones to their arms, weeping, praying,
awhwilretbteheothbeur6.l4Tude orri rlf 'asti,:teurry'in".:tt horre';:::lbrol theseth' two
is cerroliorated by the rest I f the villagers, lett she goes
much further. She asserted and persisted in the assertion
throughout a series of sharperomiquestiens. that there.'"
many more who killed themselves, or who were killed in
this way that 50 or tat teen killed their Is ices and
children that many young girls and married mance
whose husbands hail been killed, or who had ...ewe.' en
Thursday night, came forward and asksal to le milled
likewise, to avoid falling into the hods ef thell . Issue
wmuksi; awl that their resinest was:comeliest with. She
thinks there wero fully lave hundred people killed in this
lay. She rist's they even mkot her if she wishol to likilled e
likewiee, awl that she declined. Vic rst..Y
thoroughly in keeping with the sad despondent rharwier
of the that I should lie inclined hi believe it, were
it not that it lacks confirmation. The truth seems to be
that there were only those two, One of whom had two
children, awl the other three. I can only aosenit fir this
girl's story on the supposition that four nights passed iii
this manner, newly without sleep, eurroundied hy liorrori,
she hail gone quite marl, and was subject to halliii•ins.
tions. Awakine probably traita fainting tit, er
state of ineensirality, she beheld these twa men, her lielf
neighbours, killing their wives and little ones. She
looked about her and saw the ground strewed with dent
bodies lying in their blood. She says the lloor of the
church was iutkle deep with blood, and she instantly
jumped to the conclusion that all three people hail leen
killed in the IMMO Way. !lilt two are enough. That eyes
two men should have decided to kill their wie es and little
ones, to plunge • knife, to tire a bullett, into the weak
tender little beings that look to them for love hunt pea.-
tMn, shows to what a state of despair the people were
reduced by the woggles& conduct a the Turkish call.:
tunneler. And Mr. Guarracino insisted that
happened to them because they refined se surrender The
Perversity of these people Was such that he could not
account for it. The Armenian girl says that at one tin:
she wanted to be killed, and tried to go where the ladle
could reach her, hut the other woman held her hae.r..,
There was no romance shout this girl. tille aatEa
Peasant girl, with • dull,
heavy phlegmatic faee.
as far removed from the poetic and romanticll.
possible toiiiiagine. I shiouhil hate thought that nothj.,
short of physical torture would have driven her to think or
death as a relief.
th

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e
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Verde of poetry, or test of Syriptiire. Nopplie.l lot 3..

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ted and Published at 8. Dash-street W..IMCb04 de;
in the parish of Hely Trinity, by Dmi. FriarMlN.
Pariah of Pordington. Dorchester, for the Proprietor.
Tuesday. September 5, DC&