The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-28 00:00:00

THE SERVO-BULGARIAN WAR.

Telegrams, wanting in precision as to localities,
says Monday's Daily Telegraph, and sometimes con-
fused as to dates, still arrive from the seat of war.
The intelligence from Tsaribrod, dated Saturday,
asserts that the two divisions operating on the left of
Slivnitza, attacked the Bulgarians, drove them from
their positions, and effected a junction with the other
Servian columns. According to a despatch from
Sofia, the Bulgarians, yesterday, assailed the Servians
above the Dragoman Pass, and inflicted on them a
sanguinary defeat. No places are mentioned in either
report, and it thus becomes uncertain where these
incidents occurred. With regard to the latter inci-
dent, and more important, if correct, the struggle may
have been fought to the north or the south of the
highway through the long defile, or even on
both sides of that track. Hitherto Prince Alex-
ander has defended himself on his left, and
sought to prevent the Schumaclia and Morava
Divisions from emerging out of the hills, while
with his right and centre he has struck hard at the
Danube and Drina Divisions, the first moving from
Dragoman and the second operating north of the
great road. His aim was to prevent the two dis-
connected masses from effecting a junction, and he
hoped, by using his right and centre offensively, to force
the Servian troops out of Dragoman, so as to render
the gap wider and throw the Schumadia and Morava,
Divisions back upon Bresnik. If he has really suc-
ceeded in dislodging his adversaries from Dragoman,
he has broken in pieces the ambitious Servian plan of
campaign, and will have compelled both wings of
the invaders to retreat in order to recover their com-
munications. How matters actually stand it is not
possible to say without less indefinite topographical
information than that forwarded from the scene of
action. The Servians have called up their reserves,
and the Bulgarians are reinforced by the Roumeliotes ;
but numbers avail little without genius for the direc-
tion of armies, and courage as well as skill on the part
of the leader, upon the field of battle.

The Daily Clranick ienna correspondent, writing
on Tuesday, learns from Darmstadt that the Prince
of Bulgaria has telegraphed to his father announcing
that a battle was fought at Dragoman during the
whole of Sunday, the Bulgarians carrying the heights
of the defile by storm, and the advantage being pur-
sued in the direction of Tsaribrod. A telegram from
Kalafat announces that the bombardment of Widdin
began at one o'clock on Sunday, and lasted an hour,
while a telegram from Sofia, dated 3.20 pm.
stated that the town was in flames. In Belgrade
the hopes of a decisive action are fading,
and public opinion is evidently turning against
the war, nothing, it is said, being spoken of but
foreign intervention. It having been suggested to
Prince Alexander by the Turkish Grand Vizier to
propose an armistice to Servia, the Prince has re-
plied that it was for the Government of the Sultan to
prevent a most unjustifiable invasion, adding that his
duty to those who had fallen on the battle field and
his military honour compel him to decline any
Armistice until the Servians have completely evacu-
ated Bulgaria. The Prince also declines to accept
any conclusion of peace until he is in the enemy's
territory.

The telegrams to the Daily _Yews on Tuesday from
Sofia state that the fighting in the Dragoman Pass on
the 22nd resulted in the defeat of the Servians, one
hundred of whom were taken prisoners. One gun
was also captured. Operations were continued on
the 23rd, the enemy being pursued. In the afternoon
the Bulgarians occupied Tzaribrod.
From Belgrade news reaches us that the Servians
are retreating without fighting towards the frontier,
and that all their positions have been occupied by the
Bulgarians, who are still advancing. The Servian
headquarters have again been withdrawn to Pirot. It
is, however, stated that King Milan intends to head
a final attack against the Bulgarians.
Great exasperation is said to prevail in Belgrade
against General Jovanovitch and Colonel Mesko-
vitch on account of their military failures, and the
former is reported to have shot himself.
A Semlin telegram says fears are generally enter-
tained that the military disasters may lead to danger-
ous political complications in Servia. The people are
said to be in a very excited state.
Telegrams have been sent to the Lord Mayor of
London and the Mayor of Manchester by the Servian
Society, stating that subscriptions for supplying
medical assistance to the wounded would be gratefully
acknowledged.