The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-09-15

Of bayonets and sabers, while little child
dren were made 10 bear the dripping
heads Of their comrades.
This scene Of rapine, lust and murder
was continued for three days, when the
survivors were made 10 bury the bodies
Of the dead. The perpetrators Of these
| atrocities were chiefly regular troops,
commanded by Ha6z Pasha. Tue Turks
claim that the villagers admit the death
Of fourteen Mussulmans, two Of whom
were women, who were killed with arms
| in their hands during conflict with a
party that refused 10 surrender totlle in.
surgents. -r +e ~
While pillage reigned supreme at Kop.
rishtitsa and lust at Panagurishta, at
Hatak the Turks seems to have no strong.
er passion than the thirst for blood. This
village surrendered without firing shot,
after a promise Of safety, TO the Bashi.
Bazouks, under the command OF Ahmed
Aga OF Burutina,aa chief Of the rural
| police. Despite his promise, the few arms
once surrendered, Ahmed Aga ordered the
destruction Of the village and the indis'
criminate slaughter OF the inhabitants,
about 100 young girls being reserved
to satisfy the lust OF the conqueror before
they too should be killed. saw their
bones, some with the flesh still clinging
to them, in the hollow on the hill side,
where the dogs were gnawing them. Not
house is now standing in the midst OF
this lovely valley. The saw mills-for
the town had large trade in timber and
1sayn boards-wliich lined the rapid lit
tie river, are all burned, and Of the 5000
Inhabitants not 1000 are known 10 sur
viye. Fully 5000 persons, very large
proportion Of them women and children,
perished here, and their bones whiten the
ruins, or their putrid bodies infect the
air. The sight OF Bataz is enough to ver-
Il ify all that has been said about the acts
Of the Turksin repressing the Bulgarian
insurrection. And yet ! saw It three
months after the massacre. % every
side were human bones, skulls, ribs, and
even complete skeletons, heads oil girls
still adorned with braids Of long hair,
bones OF children, skeletons still incased
in clothing. Here was a house the door
Of which was white with the ashes and
charred bones Of 80 persons burned alive
there. Here was the spot where the VII
lage notable Trandafl was spitted on a
pike and then roasted, and where he is
now buried; there was q foul hole full OF
decomposing bodies, here mill.dam
filled with swollen corpses; here the
school house, where 200 women and chill
dren who had taken refuge there were
burned alive, and here the church and
churchyard, where fully thousand half.
decayed forms were still 10 be seen, fill
ing the Enclosure in a heap several feet
high, arms, feet, and heads. .protruding
from the stones which had vainly been
thrown there to hide them, and poison
ing all the air.
Since my visit, by orders Of the Mutes-
sarif, the Kalmakam OF Tatar Bazardjik
was sent to Batak with some lime to aid
in the decomposition OF the bodies and to
prevents pestilence.
Ahmed Aga, who commanded at the
massacre, has been decoratedand promOt-
ed to the rank OF Yuz.bashi.
Regarding the defense set up by the
Turks, Mr.. Schuyler says:
These atrocities were clearly unnec-
cessary for the suppression Of the insur-
reclion, for it was an insignificant rebel.
lion at the best, and the villagers gener-
ally surrendered at the first summons.
Nor can they be justifed'by- the state Of
panic, which was over before the troops
SET out on the camhaign,S An attempt,
however, has been made-and not by the
Turks alone-to defend and 10 palliate
them on the ground Of the previous at
rocities which, IL is alleged, were cons
mitted by the Bulgarians. have care
fully investigated this point, and am un-
abIeto find that the Bulgarians commit
ted any outrages or atrocities, or any acts
which deserve that name. l have yainly
tried to obtain from the Turkish officials
list Of such outrages, but have heard
nothing but vague statements. was
told by Kani Pasha that the In
surgents killed the wife and daughter
OF the Mudir Of Koprishtitsa; but this
Mudir hadrecently gone there and had
left his wife al Eski Sara, where she still
resides, and had no daughter. Twas also
tulu tHe bAAubhtttf vi tiio ~ tht
Mudirl OF Panagurishta, bnt at the time
mentioned that village had no Mudir. n
was referred for information To 3Hafzi
Npri Efendi, q leading Turk Of Philip.
popolis. Ina very careful statement
made by him, he sets The number OF Muss
sulmen (incllding gipsies) killed during
the troubles at 1b5, OF whom u are wo-
men and 'childfen-the word children
taken to mean any one under 90 years ot
age. have been ableto obtain proof Of
the death Of only two OF these women at
Panagurishta, who certainly were notin-
tentional!y killed. No, Turkish women
or children were killed ID cold blood.
No Mussulmen women were violated. No
Mussulmen were tortured. No purely
Turkish village was attacked or burned.
No Mussulman house was pillaged. No
mosque was desecrated or destroyed. The
report Of the special Turkish Commits.
sioner, Edib Efisndi, contains statements
on this point, as on every other, which
are utterly unfounded in fact, and the
whole report may be characterized as a
tissne of falsehooda. Il