Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-29
THE CRETAN WAR.
Brilliant Successes of the InSurgents
-H eaVy Losses of the Turks-Bar.
haritieS of Lae MussuImans.

The dubious successes OF the Turkish
army are being fast eclipsed by a Sc
ries of unmistakable disasters. | inclose
a copy of a translation of report given to
one of the consular body here of an affair
which is by far the most brilliant, so far,
of the war. The troops leaving RetimO
seemed to have followed the course of the
valley to the westward of Mt. Ida, through
very bold and broken country, and there
TO have been drawn into trap by the Gre
tans, commanded by COroneos, whence they
extrieated themselves in two bodies the
regulars and part of the irregulars going
back the way they came, and the others
going south, pursued and beaten again at
-Melambes, near the sea, escaping into Mes
sara, the valley of the ancient Lethe, and
to have been caught again at the Nan,
where the road goes through the ridge, di-
-viding the valley of Messara from that near
Gambia. (By the way, let me beg the Amer
lean journals to correct their use of the
words Gambia and Canadians, Crete is APP
piled to the island, Gambia being the an
cient HeracleiOn, the capital of the western
district, and the Canadians the people there
living.) fsrt ~
" The losses of the Turks are reported to
me from the best sources about 1.500, with
guns, de-, as in the letter inclOsed, and,
what is worse, a general Generalization of
the Turkish element in the island.
The fruitless heroism of the MusselmaBs
treme than anything yet coming to our
attention. In the village of Fronde, near
here, a number of men were taken out of
their houses and murdered in cold blood,
because the troops pretended that armed
Cretans had taken refuge among them.
The bodies of most of the killed were
quartered and hung up in the trees around.
Their number is variously stated from
eighteen to thirty tfs-a
But in the military point of view there
is nothing to Offset tue victories OF the Gre
tans. An attack or series of attacks, last
ing twenty days, on Omalo, always re-
pulsed, have been finally abandoned, the
troops having suffered severely, and gained
absolutely nothing. The whole island is
up again-the men0to fight, and the fami-
lies to fly from the new barbarities, beg
ging and praying continually the Christian
powers (God forgive US for this misuse OF
the teFml to save them from murder and
outrage. Even America, it seems, is not
Christian enough to respond to that call.
If some such relief does not come soon,
most of the feebler members of the Cretan
stock will find their refuge with God.
The obstinacy of the Cretans will have
its reward. There can be no longer much
doubt as to how the affair will finish, but
the Musselmans will do all they can before
caving to have their revenge. The news
OF the American action and formation of
committees is making great agitation here
both among Turks and Christians, and our
sole representation of Yankeedom Count
ing a family as One) may some fine morn
ing have occasion to make reclamation else
where than to the local Governor.
But the Cretan insurrection touches its
end-liberty. Perhaps before you get this
you may hear by telegraph of the uprising
Ofi1hessaly, Epirus, Servia, and the great
Christian world now denied the rights they
will soon take with armed hands. 1t is
said Napoleon will stop the movement by
obliging Turkey to abandon Crete before
the uprising begins ,on the continent, but
this we dOubt-it is too near. IN .s..
RETIMo, Feb. Is, 1S67.-On the 18th inst
an obstinately fought battle took place in
the villages of Yerakari, Merona and Am
ari, of the province of Amari, and Melam-
bes of Agios Basilius, between the Turkish
soldiers and'irregulars OF Gambia, Mylopo-
tamo and Agios Basilius, numbering about
| 10000, and the Christians, volunteers, anG
! Cretans. numbers unknown. The battle
| commencing at noon OF the 18th, continued
until P. M. and all the next day, the 14th
in the more elevated villages OF this dis.
trict, the Turks being finally repulsed with
great loss, including many prisoners. The
troops lost about 100 horses, with muni-
tions and provisions, two guns, five flags
and many killed and wounded. The Cretar
| Turks arrived here on the 10th, and the sol.
Il y
in Ambelaki OF Retimo. The MussuIman;
OF Gambia are reported to have suffered still
more heavily, and were obliged to retreat
to the village of Dibacki of Messara.
On the 18th, in the afternoon, rumol
spread that 200 men had been seen half al
hours journey from Retimo, who, accord.
1 ing to the report of the Mussulmans, tool
many sheep aud oxen, with the shepherds
and the Turks went out to attack them
Returning very much enraged, they attack.
/ ed the Christians of the town with knives
and sticks, wounding many of them slight.
| ly, and several mortally. One of them es
Gaping went to tile Kaimakam, who was il
| the market, but the Turks took him from
| his hands and wounded him severely, anC
at the same time an Egyptian captain whC
saved another Christian from their bar
barity. On this the soldiers were ordered
4 out to patrol the town, and thus saved tn,
Christians from being wounded or killed
But for this, many would have been killed
There were also some village people il
| town, but the troops, taking them, pu
| them in the church under guard, and yes
terday sent them away under escort, whicl
went with them some distance, and so t.
their villages; but others, having time, go
| into the houses, and, shutting the doors
remained with the guards outside. Out
side the city, in several places, were fount
dead Christians assassinated by the Mussul
| IndllS GHdI udy anu Gllo udy DelOTe.
60 The menaces of the country Mussulman
against the Christians, as we'll as their con
duct, gave us suspicion that. there was
plot against us, as it was not true that tn
Christians took their sheep, but they pre-
tended this to justify an attack on tn
Christians of the town. For this reaso
we beg your assistance, TO save us from tn
present danger.
The Candian irregulars on their way
the battle ground committed many barbaT
tiles, rObbing, violating women and girls
Going from Anoya to Moni Vassaras the
Killed monk who was i'll and in bee
spilled the oil and wines, and destroye
the monastery. The regular troops did sim
liar things in all the villages through whic
| they passed, Cuseliaca, Paleolutra, Spa
Dumerito, Acumia, Meronas, Arnari, Yeri
kari, and many others, destroying every
thing. The Governor, though prayed b
the representatives of those Province
| which have submitted to the Government
has done nothing for them. No one nov
comes to town, and we hear that all tn