Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-28
THE CRETAN NSURRECFE0N.

Horrible Accounts Of Turkish Cruelty
Villages Sacked and Burned, and
Men, Women and Children Murdered
or RRvished--An Appeal for Foreign
Intervention.
The correspondent of the London Ncgs,
writing from the headquarters ofthe Cretan
army, on the Slope Of Mount Ida, on the
9th Of April, furnishes the following detail
Of the cruelties practiced by the Turks
Whatever may be be the SCOPE Of foreign
intervention as regards Cretan politics, it
should secure immediate burying ofthe dead
on both sides There are so many bodies
rotting in the sun that they may well breed
apestilence withthe increasing heat Of sum
mer. Ii is not subject upon which care
TO enlarge, but assuredly something should
be done and much can be done when inter-
vention shall have put a stop 10 the desper-
ate struggle between Christians and Turks
But there will remain hundreds of dead
women and children hidden away high up
on the mountains where they sought refuge
when their homes we're destroyed, and where
they died of cold or hunger. These victims
70 the balance Of power leave their bones
among the rocks TO testify that European
chivalry gave the Turks every chance. With
other instructions il has been different.
Our Western ships of war cruised off Sicily
in 1850, disregarding the feeling of the
Neapolitan government; but the feelings of
Turkish stockholders in 1867 have been
scrupulousiy spared True, a British officer
was found TO take upon himself the charge
Of saving as many refugees as his ship would
1 II Il 4
countrymen for having redeemed our name
from utter disgrace in these waters. But
why was not the act Of mercy repeated a
dozen times by order from home | wish
that the noble lords and right honorable gen
tlemen who scruple TO offend the Turks by
removing their victims could know how soy
ereign rights have been asserted in Crete,
and could dream Of such knowledge every
night for twelvemonth.
Many stories Of Turkish cruelty towards
the insurgents have doubtless reached you,
and il is probable that some of them were
over-colored by the warmth of party zeal !
am sorry TO say, however, that only too
much is strictly true Things have been
done which the delcaCy of modern society
forbids me 20 record. Outrages have been
committed like the worst Of the bad old
times of Turkish conquest and who can
wonder There IS an outer gloss Of civilized
life on many of the pachas, educated abroad
or by foreign masters bat the Turkish sol
diery is as rough as of yore. Then there are
the Cretan Mahometans, burning for ven
geance, and a horde of wild Albanians
brought hither because they understand
mountain warfare With such elements of
mischief left freely 20 work, you may easily
believe that there are stories which il would |
be hard 20 over-color. 1 have met witnesses |
enough TO prove g score of murders before |
an English jury and when | see the sorrow
stricken faces and flashing eyes of those |
who speak, il is not dflicult to imagine that |
they retaliate in terrible earnest when they |
have the power. Ii is more from a wish !
that the struggle should be quickly stopped |
by intervention from abroad than to persuade |
YOU that Turks and Albanians are cruel
that mention these horrors; vet "a regards |
the class above referred to, of cemi.civIlized |
pachas, of whom much capital is made by |
Western Turkophiles, | have a word TO saw. |
In a village named Apodoulon, not far from |
our present quarters, stands house built by |
an English gentleman, who was married to
a Cretan. The Englishman had been dead
lNl NtNttdA NNAANs hAAA AAN AAouNN ANAAluANtu
in possession Of his family. and being well
furnished offered some temptation to plum
derers. Now it happened that the Turks
came 10 Apodoulon under the command Of
a semi-ciyilized Pacha, and this officer
allowed his men 10 sack the English house,
watching with pleasure their work Of
destruction. Somuch for neutral property.
Ofwhat next took place, and which concerns |
couple Of young Cretan girls the prettiesi |
in the village, / will only say that this |
semi-civilized pacha, outraged instead Of |
protecting them
The Christians cannot take the sea-coasi |
fortresses, and the Turks are unable 20 re- |
duce the hill country, so that Intervention |
seems 10 be the only means Of escape from a |
scene Of horror and suffering. |
How far diplomatists have advanced We do /
not know, since our communication with /
Europe is very uncertain, but wehope every /
day TO hesr that some decided step has been |
taken. First an armlstice, then permanent /
settling Of the question. This is the course
which would save the island from utter rain,
and leave diplumaiists free 10 act as they /
thought best upon reflection. / do not
doubt bat that the Christians can keep up |
the struggle Tor long while, perhaps until
Turkey shall be disturbed in other quarters.
The islanders are still full ofspirit and their
mountains are as rugged a. ever. Butts ID
right 10 lei any more Villages be DESTROYED.
any more Turks and Cretaus slaughtered
when the end mus come from outside prss-
sure ID has been said that we're the island
freed from her tyrants, the Mahometap
islanders (Greek by birth and LANGUAGE
might be massacTed in revenge for wbat
Mahometan strangers have done in Crete
as we'll a. ior their own deeds Of violence.
This would be the case only with a few
particular chief and families. The mass Of
Cretan Mahometans could safely be left 70
their Christian neighbors, il only the large
towns were held for a while by some third