The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-08-31
HORRIBLE RECITAL.
Trustw orthy Details of the Gigantic Atroci-
ties of the Turks in Bulgaria.
TCorrespondence of the London News.l


ties of the Turks in Bulgaria.
correspondence of the London News.l
I have just seen the town of Batek,
with Mr.. Schuyler. Mr.. Barring was
there yesterday Here is what saw :
On approaching the town, on a hill there
were some dogs. They ran away, and
we found on this spot a number of skulls
scattered about and one CHASTITY heap of
skeletons with clothing. Icounted from
the saddle 100 skulls, picked and licked
clean, all of women and children. We
entered the town. On every side were
skulls and skeletons charred, among the
ruins, or lying entire where they fell IN
their clothing. There were skeletons OF
girls and women with long brown hair
hanging to the skulls. We approached
the church. There these remains were
more frequent, until the ground was
literally covered with skeletons, skulls
and putrefying bodies in clothing. Be-
tween the church and the school, there
were heaps. The stencil was fearful.
We entered the church-yard. Inc slght
was more dreadful. The whole church
yard for three feet deep was fostering
with dead bodies partly covered-hands,
legs, arms and heads projected IN ghast-
" confusion. I saw many little hands,
heads and feet of children 3 years OF
age, and girls, with heads covered with
beautiful hair. The church was still
worse. The floor was covered with
rotting bodies quite uncovered. !
never imagined anything so fearful.
There were 8, 900 bodies In the church
ward and church. We were obliged to
hold tobacco to our noses. In the
school, a fine building, 800 women and
children had been burnt alive. All over
the town there were the same scenes.
In some places heaps of bodies buried Ia
shallow holes had been uncovered by the
dogs. The banks OF the little stream
were covered with bodies. Many bodies
had been carried to Tatar Bazardjik, a
distance of thirty miles. The town had
5000 inhabitants. There now remain
1900. Many who escaped had returned
recently weeping and moaning over their
ruined homes. Their sorrowful waillDg
could be heard half mile off. Some
were digging out the skeletons OF loved
ones. A woman was sitting moaning
over three small skulls with hairs cling
ing to them, which she had In her lap.
The man who did all this, Achmed
Aga, has been promoted, and is still
Governor of the district. The newspa-
per accounts were not exaggerated.
They could not be. No crime invented
by Turkish ferocity was left uncommit-
ted. Seven thousand bodies have been
lying here since May IL, rotting in the
sun, preyed upon by dogs; and Sir
Henry Elliot has never heard that the
authorities demand war indemnity
from the remaining inhabitants of 1OO,-
900 piastres. The town formerly paid
100000 piastres. The harvest is rot
ting In the fields. The owners are in the
church-yard. The survivors cattle have
been taken by the Turks, who refuse to
restore them. It is impossible to get In
the harvest. 1t is not true that the
Turks are sending help The inhabi-
tants everywhere complain to Mr..
Schuyler that their cattle are not re-
stored, and that help is not given.
The statement that the Bulgarians
committed atrocities is utterly unbound
ed and shanefully false. Mr.. Schuyler
thinks that less than 200 Turks were
killed, nearly all in open combat. There
is no proof yet that a single Turkish
woman or child was killed or violated.
The reports of Mr.. Schuyler and Mr..
Barring win corroborate this telegram.
There is urgent need OF relief for the
starving and helpless families.