The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-14
BARBARITY IN WARFARE.
Villages Reduced 20 Ashes, and Helpless
Women and Children Slain.
Eom ns London inns,

fTOh we LVHdoN fHnfss
THERAPIA, July 20.-The question OF the
atrocities perpetrated by CHRISTIANS and Mussul-
mans In some districts OF Bulgaria has become
so we,ghty a state an IT that Ind myself com.
outbreak of the insu rrection In Herzegovina,
toward midsummer OF last year, the Govern
ment OF the Porte seemed TO be taken by sur
prise, treated the movement as a matter OF little
importance, and evinced remissness In deal
ing with IL which had the effect OF prolonginR
and seriously aeeravating the struggle. When
tidiDgs OF disturbances In Bulgaria reached
ConstantinOple In the early months OF the pres
cnt year, the Government. which had been re-
preached with It's past csrelessness, determined
TO repair that error by the display OF more tnan
usual energy In It's new diniculty, and went to
work to tread down the first sparks Of the IN
cipient Are before It had time to assume the
proportions OF n general conhagration.
The Government found Itself almost helpless
In Bulgaria (; and although the Adnanople and
Pnip. opoll Railway enabled 1t to send batta-
lion after battalion to the scene OF the dis
turbance with an alacrtty unexamDled In Otto
man annals, still the Government deemed 1t ex-
pedient To- add to its regular force bands OF
Bashi- Bazouks, or irregulars, instructine the
local authorities TO enlist them on the spot. and
allowing heir choice to fal specially on those
tribes Of Circassians who had been introduced
into the province As settlers. and who by their
uuarresOme and rapdcious disposition had
made themselves greatly obnoxious 60 the ma
tive population.
That Bashi- Bazouks should have been en-
ployed at ALL saws the Leudnt Herald OF yester.
day, has been condemned "A great error OF
judgment on the part Of the Porte, Tor u Is evl-
dent by tue letter we have received from our
Adranople correspot dent that even now the
authorities have hem under no sort OF CONTROL
Reports OF deeds OF plumber ana murder, OF
burning Of villages and destruction OF crops.
came To us with the earliest intelligence Of tue
movement In the neghborhood Of TatAr
Bazarutik, and were readily believed, as similar
excesses are characteristics Of every insurrec-
tionary attempt throughout the Ottoman do
minions. 1t was stated that the insurgents had
burned. not only some Of the Tui kish villages,
but even come OF the Christian habitations. in
the hope OF Inducing the peasantrv whom they
thus rendered homeless to Join their ranks. IL
W seven added that at one OF the railway sta
naur MI HtTa n l-h le r.
who had taken refuge IN It's premises had been
burned alive-a report which was afterward
SIX men had been killed in fair ngnt. ana that II
WIS only their dead bodies wnich mad been con-
sumed III an accidental conhagration.
Whether OF not the Insurgents gave the first
provocatiOn by their baroarties IL a point which
that when the Mussulman population had
been rushed with arms, aud the Circassians
and other undisciphued hories were turned
loose To ch.stise the wtetched peasants, the
| outcry came from the uIgarians, and "a very
| bitter lanentation II was.
from ne Loni9a DaUy Y,tes.
sERvIA July 2J.-Eyerv tongue is charged with
| northumberland .idings Of Turkish atrocities
committed Oh the inonensive peasant folk Of
the villages OF the Greuze; the victims are the
miserable women and h.pic>s children. Burn
ipg, wrecking' outcher'' ana VIC atlnh const-
tnte ~ all appearance Tue eiJolhrd functions OF
the merciess l,ashi-Bszuuks and rum lnly Red
is, whom the lurkish comm hders, keeping in
fixed positions their regular troops. let loose
with letters of matque to practice the utmost
| ingenuity Of deviltry. Officers aud soldiers who
| come down from the front authenticate them
| with tales OF burned villages which they have
seen, tire mhngied bodies OF children lyiug IN
| the cutters among the charred de lri-, headless
| trunks Of Seryi.n soldiers IN places where there
| has ueen nghling, men IN the up-county hos
pital- with noses lit ny knives US they lay hep-
less from their wounds.
In the course Of an afternoons ride, yester-
day found my way into a little village on the
hill slOpe, about the door oil one OF the houses
in which there was group OF women aud chill
dren, with here ana there an Old man-all the
aule-oodied men are away 10 the war. On the
settle under the projecting caves there sat a wo-
man, draggled, miserable, and forlorn, with
boy about twelve years Oil standing by her side
anu around them the people mad formed
semi-crcle AMI were looking on In silence. h,
apathetic revefy ~ dependency, with hcl
ewes ON the ground, and oEe arm around thu
boy. one OF tue women whispered soucthtn.
G. NV companion. a Srryian officer. whose ia''
flushed, and whose inouth set sternlY, al the low
reci.al. Dismountng, he approached the wo
man, ana speakin TO her startled her from he
alb TIA ton. As he spoke, at hrst she was asleeI
seemingly anu indifferent her aspect was tina
| of one with no interest in anything. Hut "a
lensth she kind ed aud with flashing voluolltt
poured forth tue terrible story ~ her wrongs
which my compAni' u translated 10 me.
Her cottage had been burned before her eyes
Of tnree children she had seen one, her baty
tossed about from soldier to soldier, and the
dung into the flames; OF tho second she kncS
nothing; the THIRD, the lad no was now Wit
her, hdd maize bis escape and joined her iron
the cover of a wood, after she had been allOwe
to drag herself aw " from the scene OF ueviltrl
Her relatives lived, she SAID, in one OF the ham
tramped thus FAR on ner way ~ shelter herse
among them,