The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-07-29
MASSACRE AND RUINS OF SCIO. IN
GREECE


GREECE.
The following interesting sketch of the de
stIuctlon Of ScIo, was related to an Enplisl
traveller in the Morea, in 1927, by Barba Yor
ghI, Greek pilot, who at the time of these oc
currences was in the service of the Turks, into
winch he had been compelled to enter
Atheneum.
Whenever intelligence came of any sue
cess obtained by our brethren in Greece
the pistol and yataghan were sure 10 90 tc
WORK among Us. Even in times of no ex-
traordlnary excitement, have seen a man
cut down by my side, merely because the
Turk imagined his features bore an expires
sion OF Joy or triumph. A word of sympathy
IN the cause of his country, that might es-
cape Greek, insured him instant death.
The first place that the long gathering
tempest tell upon, was the island of Scio.
The scenes of horror that were played of
there for the space of six weeks, have been
made familiar to the world and, coupled
with the more recent destruction of Ipsara,
the fall Of Scio will long he held rs the very
perfection of atrocity, beyond which it
would be difficult even for fends to pro-
coed. by day heard the shrieks of the
fleeing, and the curses OF the pursuers
the suppllcating voices Of women, children,
and old men, dying away in the short,
tremulous cry of deaths agony. Day after
day [ heard the irregular discharge of
musketry, with now and then the deep roar
OF artillery: | heard the crash G: stately
houses, as their marble walls fell to the
earth | saw the smoke extend in dense
masses over the city, and rise, at intervals,
from the pleasant villas and olive groves,
and the bright gardens of oranges and cit
rons.
But bynight how fearful was the specta-
Gle! The murderer reposed from his bloody
labors; 6eathly silence reigned. broken,
occasionally, 10y the loud cracking of the
consuming fire, the fall of building, or
the savage ely of some Asiatic sentinel.
The flames rose high from tower and grove,
lighting up the destruction they were MAX
ing; they darted in broad, red masses
across the channel that divides the island
from the main. Then | saw consuming
the beautiful city; the fairest the politest
OF all the Levant, where, at different peri
DDS of my life, | had passed many happy
day then | saw the ravages of the destruc-
tive element among those lovely gardens,
the odour of whose fruit trees had so often
salnted me across the calm waves.
Many and many time, as have been sail
ing out oft the bay of Smyrna. have | scent
ed, at the distance of miles, the sweet bios
SONS of the orange tree, the citron, and the
almond, that were prodIgal of beauty and
wealth to the jewellers in the happy island
of Scio. What had the marble halls and
inoffensive plants done, that they should
thus be destroyed One would have thought
that the love of possession would have saw
ed them, and that the Turks, contenting
themselves with wrenching them from those
who had built and planted them, would
have stayed the hand of injury, and kept
them for their own enjoyment.
But it is part of their brutal character to
delight in destruction the Turk ever fin
ishes with fire what he has begun with the
sword, and so soon as he has pillaged the
money and jewels, he hastens to render the
scene of his triumph heap of desolating
ruins. To do this in Sco required hard
work, and the perverse industry which the
Turks displayed to accomplish their pur-
pose, was truly astonishing. The houses,
being well built of hard stone and marble,
with scarcely any wood in them but the doors
and window frames, were very difficult to
uuFu tHeS Hdu tH6 LUXURIOUS COHSldncV or
purpose to return 10 the same building five,
ten, or fifteen days, successfully, and even
after all, the strong outer walls are nearly
all yet standing. | except, however, the
palace of the Bishop, where the short as
sembles of the Greek people were held,
and the Greek college, in which, before our
troubles, from four to five hundred youths,
of Sco, and other islands of the Archipela-
60, were educated these two edifces
were RACED to the ground-not one stone
was left upon another.
1t is sad thing now, to walk through
that desolate town; to see those smoked,
scorched, skeletons OF houses that were
once so beautiful. When | was there
few days ago, walked through street after
street, and did not meet a human being
started a covey of patridges in the Strada
de P,imat,, which had known so populat-
ed and gay. | saw an unowned starved
bitch giving suck to her miserable litter in
the corner Of a marble paved hall, that had
belonged to a wealthy merchant, and which
had seen frequented, in other DAYS, by a
large family, and numerous and smiling
friends