The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-05-31
THE MONTENEGRINS.
A Wonderful People-A Country of 200, OoO
Inhabitants That for Centuries Has De.
fed the Turkish Empire,

U0O the EMPIRE.
Mr.. Gladstone contributes to the
Nineteenth Century, a new London
periodical, an interesting article on
Montenegro. The English states
mans story of that country, of It's con
tinual struggles with the Turks. of the
victories of mere handfuls of these hardy
mountaineers over the legions of Islam.
of the stern, devoted manner in which
they have preserved freedom on their
mountain heights for 400 years. is as
thrilling as a romance. Montenegro
BLACK Mountains), in the Sclavonic
tongue "Tsernagora, was one of the
Servian lands that from the very outset
resisted the wave of Ottoman conquest
that five centuries ago swept over East
ern Europe It then had a seward
frontier, but, in 1478 Scutari was cap
tured on the south, and the ancestors
OF the Herzegovlnians on the north sub
mitted to the Turk. Ivan, the Mon
tenegrin hero, rather than submit, took
his people, left the fruitful valleys, and
retired to the rocks and mountains. AS
the center of his mountain home he built
monastery at Cettinje, and then and
there the Montenegrins voted funda-
mental law that "no son Of Tsernagora
could quit the field without the order of
his chief" and that every coward should
be disgraced, and banished, and hunted
away from the country by the women,
and for four centuries that compact has
been kept.
After an allusion to the size of it's
country and it's population at various
epochs, Mr.. Gladstone refers to the vari-
GUS abortive attempts of the Turks to
overpower this little band of noun
taineers with overwhelming forces and
by sheer weight of numbers. In 1712
the Turks with 100000 men invaded
Montenegro, and Danilo assailed their
camp with 10000 men, and routed them.
With loss of 318 men, he slew at the
lowest estimate20, 900. In 1713 the Turks
entered Montenegro again with 100000
OF their best troops, and, although they
carried off many women and children
into slavery, could not hold the country.
In 1922 the Turks, with 10000 men un-
der Hussein Pasha, we're defeated by
1000 Montenegrins. In 1927 another
Turkish invasion was similarly sup
pressed In 1882 TOPAZ Osman Pasha
marched against them with 10000 men,
but had to fly with the loss of his camp
and baggage. In 1853 the country was
invaded again with an army variously
estimated at from 100000 to 100000
men, and again the little Montenegrin
army Of $4,000 men effected the
scarcely credible slaughter Of 10000
Turks with 5000 horses, and won an
incredible booty of colors, arms, NUM-
tions, ard baggage" In 1882 Peter the
Saint came to the throne, and
for forty-eight years carried his
country safely through almost
constant struggles. In 1876, by his au-
thority, code of laws was promulgated;
in 1898 he appointed body of Judges;
and in 1903 he added supplement to
the code. He was succeeded by his
nephew, Radatomoro q giant in stature,
an incorruptible Prince, and cultivated
man At the head of 800 men he de-
feated Turkish army Of thousands, and
under him ten men in 1885 &c seized by
coup de main the old Castle Of Zabiak,
once the capital of Zeta, held it for four
days against 5000 Turks, and then sur
rendered it only by order Of the Vladika
Cor Bishop, who was anxious to avoid
war. Nearly all his battles were victories. "
In 1851 ended the dynasty of Bishops on
the accession Of Danilo, the nephew of
the deceased Vladika. In his war with
Omar Pasha 1882 '53) he maintained
the military reputation of his predeces-
sors with inferior arms and numbers,
and in May, 1858, defeated the Turks in
the remarkable battle Of Grabovo, in
which, without artillery, and with very
inferior arms, the Montenegrins swept
down the hills and destroyed the Turk
ish gunners. The great powers of Eu-
rope then came to "the help of the
Porte and it's huge empire against the
Liliputian state that is scarcely speck
upon it's map" In return for some small
accretion and access to the sea, they de-
manded that Montenegro should def
nitely acknowledge the suzerainty of the
Porte, which she positively refused.
Danilo was shot by an assassin in 1860.
ndwas succeeded by his nephew. Nikita,
the present Prince. With his record
since the outbreak Of the Herzegovina
revolt last summer our readers are IA
miliar. Bulgaria has been devastated,
Servia has been defeated, Bosnia and
Herzegovina have been overrun, Mon
tenegro has been constantly victorious
with inferior numbers The entire Turk
ish force directed against her was $780,
900, while she brought into action, all
told, $4,000 men. The slain are reck-
oned on the Turkish side at 26, 900 men;
on the side of Montenegro at !, 900 men.
Such record as this is unp aralleled
in the history Of the world. The popu-
lation of Montenegro does not reach
100000 The empire of the Porte num-
bers 100000, and for years it has
been unable to conquer this little Swift
erland of Eastern Europe. Such a rec
ord Justifies the tribute Of Tennyson:
Great Tsernagora! never since thine own
Black ridges drew the clouds and brake the storm
Has breathed race of mightier mountaineers
B.n NrAo ~