The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-09-02


| TATAR BAzARDJIK, Aug. IL have just
seen the town of BatOk, with Mr.. Schuyler.
Mr.. Barring was there yesterday. Here is
what I saw On approaching the town, on
! the hill there were some dogs Theyran away,
and we found on this spot number OF skulls
scattered about, and one ghastly heap OF skel-
etons with clothing. | counted from The sad.
die one hundred skulls, picked ana licked
clean, all Of women and children. We entered
the town. On every side were skulls ana
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 ap
preached the church There these remains
were more frequent, until the ground was lit
orally covered with skeletons, skulls and pet
rifying bodies in clothing. Between the
church and the school there were heaps. The
stencil was fearful. We entered the church
yard. The sight was more dreadful. The
whole churchyard for three feet deep was tes
iering with dead bodies partly covered
hands, legs, arms and heads projected in
CHASTITY confusion. | saw many little hands
heads and feet of children Of three years Of
age, and girls, with heads covered with beau
! tiful hair. The church was still worse. The
floor was covered with rotten bodies quite
uncovered, l never imagined anything sc
fearful There were 3 900 bodies in the church
yard and church. We were obliged to hold
tobacco to our noses. In the school, fine
building, 300 women and children had been
burnt alive. All over the town there were
the same scenes In some places heaps Of
bodies buried in shallow holes had been I'M
covered by the dogs The banks Of the little
stream were covered with bodies: Many bod.
les had been carried to Tatar Bazardjk, Q
distance of thirty miles. The town had 1900
inhabitants. There now remains l,2OO. Many
who escaped had returned recently, weeping
and moaning over their ruined homes. TheiI
sorrowful wailIng could be heard half mile
off. Some were digging out the skeletons OF
over three small skulls with hair cI1ngingt o
them, which she had in her lap. The man
who did all this, Achmed Aga, has been pro.
NOTED, and is still governor Of the district
The newspaper accounts were not eXaggera
ted They could not be. No crime invented
by Turkish ferocity was left unCommitted.
Seven thousand bodies have been lying here
since May IL, rotting In the sun, preyed upon
by dogs; and Sir Henry Elliott has never
heard that the authorities demand war con-
tribution from the remaining inhabitants of
100, 900 piastres. The town formerly paid l..
100000 piastres. The harvest is rotting in
the fields. The owners are in the church.
yard. The survivors cattle have been taken
by the Turks, who refuse to restore it. 1t Is
impossible to get IN the harvest. 1t IS not
true that the Turks are sending help. The
inhabitants everywhere complain to MIR.
Schuyler that their cattle are not restored,
and that help is not given.
The statement that the Bulgarians commit
ted atrocities Is utterly unfounded and shame.
fully 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 will corroborate this telegram.
There is urgent need Of relief tor the starving
and helpless families.