The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-05-18
NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE WAR IN THE EAST

THE WAN In 4h6 <aSA
The cable announces battle in Asiatic Tur-
kew. between Kars and Erzeroum, in which
Il. 600 prisoners were captured by the Russians,
the remainder of the Turkish army retreating |
toward Erzeroum.
The Grand Duke Nicholas telegraphs from
Kischeneff to st. Petersburg as follows: "All
is well. The movement of the troops proceeds
undisturbed. Turks entirely passive. Health
of the troops excellent"
A prolonged artillery duel is reported be-
tween the Turkish batteries at Widdin and the
Roumanian batteries at Kalafat. The barracks
and Custom House at Kalafat were destroyed,
and Widdin was set ON fire.
A Russian commissary, detected in adulterat-
ing flour intended for the use of the troops, has
been summarily shot.
A cable dispatch announces that the Sultan
has finally determined to unfurl the flag of the
Prophet, and invoke all the faithful" to a
holy war against infidel Russia.
The Turkish army is sorely afflicted with
typhus fever, scurvy, and other diseases.
Galatz dispatch says detachment of
Cossacks crossed the Danube at that point, and
had a sharp encounter with body Of Bashi-
Bazouks.
The Russian Government has declared the
three provinces Of the Caucasus in a state of
seige in consequence Of Mussulman uprising.
A Bucharest dispatch says the Turkish fire
killed three and wounded eight inhabitants of
Oltenitza. and number of the inhabitants of
Ibrail were wounded. At Oltenitza two Turk
ish gunboats were destroyed by the Roumanian
fire.
The Polish agitators are agitatng, and Rus
STA is threatened with serious fire in the rear.
Through Turkish sources we have report of
Russian attempt to cross the Danube at REM.
They threw bridge over the river but were
met by Turkish infantry and artillery assisted
by three gunboats. The bridge was broken,
and a large number of Russians killed and cap
tured.
The Sultan is much pleased with Earl Derby's
reply TO Prince GortschakofIs circular, and has
ordered the Porte to thank the English Govern
ment.
In a fight between the Russian shore bat
teries and the Turkish iron-clads in the Dan
ube at Ibrai one of the largest Of the monitors,
with a crew of 800 on board, and bearing also
the Turkish Commander Hassan Bey was
struck by shell and instantly sunk.
dispatch from Bucharest remarks that
heavy movement of Russian troops to the west
ward of Ibrail indicates purpose of occupying
a great part or the whole of the Roumanian
bank of the Danube. This will prove perplex-
ing to the Turks, as they cannot oppose an
equal force at all points, and they must leave
some places vulnerable to a sudden concentra-
ton of Russians for the passage of the river.
1t is intended to organize rife companies in
every Russian town, 20 that every man capable
of bearing arms may be drilled.
Consantinople dispatch says the Porte is
very uneasy about supplies of arms and ammu-
milton still to come from New York. and is very
angry with America for allowing the Russian
squadron to remain in American waters.
1t is officially confirmed that the Russians
sunk large Turkish monitor in the Danube,
near Ibrail. The shell penetrated the boiler of
the monitor, resulting in an explosion which
fred the magazine. The monitor sunk, and the
entire crew and 200 soldiers persisted.
An official dispatch, forwarded from Constan-
tinorle reports that strong Russian force at
tackled the Turkish positions at Batoum, and
were repulsed after an obstinate fight lasting
eight hours and half.
All the Sultan's tributaries appear to be a
little short just now. The Bey of Tunis. like
the Khedive of Egypt, pleads impecuniosity as
reason for not sending his contingent to the
Turkish army.
A battle is reported to have been fought in
front of the fortified town Of Batoum, on the
southeastern coast of the Black sea, in which
the Russians lost 1000 in killed and wounded,
and considerable artillery. The Russians, ao-
cording to the meager accounts at hand at
tempted to storm the place, but We're met by
well-directed fire from the Turkish troops that
moved them down in swaths, and compelled
them to withdraw. The Turkish loss is repre-
scented as insignificant
A cable dispatch of the 18th says " Three
columns Of Russian soldiers are marching
toward Girrgevo, Sinlnitza, and Nogureli, with
the probable design of crossing the Danube at
those points. One object of the B1ssians is to
break the Turkish lines and separate the corps
at widin from the main army. 1t is clear the
Russians are either preparing to cross the
Danube simultaneously at several points or
they wish 10 make the Turks believe such is
the plan. The Turks are thus compelled to
distribute their forces over large area.
BY way of ConstantiDople comes news of an
important victory over the Russians al Sukum-
Kaleh, in Asia.
According to news from Constantinople, six
teen Bulgarian villages have been pillaged and
burned by Turkish soldiers