The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1877-08-02

tage? Abdul Kerim is an old and
battle SCARED soldier. The new
commander-in chief is Mehemet Ali
PrussiaD, educated in the mill
tary schools of Europe, and with nc
notable record. He took part in the
Servian war of 1876 without disJinc
ton. He was recently command ell
of the division operating against
Montenegro from the northeast
but there is no evidence that he &C
complished anything save the burn
ing of some Montenegro villages
and the slaughter of some old women
and children. The change has
doubtless been made to place the
troops in the quadrilateral on the
offensive. Abdul Kerim thought ii
best to follow the old Turkish plan
of hugging the fortresses, which has
been successful in former wars with
Russia. Under Mehemet Ali we
shall no doubt see the Turkish army
ordered out to meet the enemy on
the Kara LON and Yantra rivers
and vigorous effort made to save
Rustchgck and to cut the Russian
communication with the Balkans.
Rustchuck is strong fortress
and the garrison is well provisiOned
but the railroad communication
with Varna and Shumla has been
cut, and unless the CzarOvitch'
army is defeated ty the Turks the
place will inevitably fall. In the
campaign of 1910 the Russians cap
tured Rustchuck by bOmbardment
and assault from the opposite side
of the Danube. In 1853 they failed
to take it.
Shumla is the strongest fortress
of the quadrilateral. All the roads
from Constantinople, Varna, Silis
tria and Rustchuck center there
In every campaign with Russia
Shumla has been the point for the
concentration of Turkish troops,
and it is now the headquarters of
the army of the Danube. There are
said to be sixty thousand men in the
fortress of Shumla alone. Every
approach is guarded by strong forts.
AS Shumla is distant from Varna
only forty seven miles, supplies are
conveniently received from Constan-
tinople by boat and rail, The
Russians tried to take this strong
hold in 1774 1907, and 1928, but
failed. In 1929 the defeat of the
Turkish army before its walls com
PEELED its surrender, and as Varna
had fallen, the Russians, under Gen
eral Roth, marched along the shore
road from Varna to Mesembria,
and drove the Turkish army to
the interior, while General Rudiger
marched down the Pravodi Pass and
took Aidos. The two battles of
Slivno and Jamboli subsequently
overwhelmed the Turks, and then
General Diebitsch marched over the
Balkans to AdrianOple. In the
present campaign the Russians have
no fleet, as they had in 1929, to
attack Varna, but if they succeed in
blocking the Turks in the quadrilat-
eral they will still have an army of
one hundred thousand men to oper-
ate in Roumelia and grapple with
Sulmeiman Pasha, who has yet to
sail around Greece to the railroad
port OF Enos, and when he is II
Roumelia will have not to exceed
forty thousand men, including she
raw recruits from Constantonople.
1t will be seen that everything de-
ponds upon the ability of Vehement
Ali, who may be able to strike 81
blow at the Russians on the Yantra
which will destroy their communi
cations with Kasoniik and Yeni-
Saghra.
The real danger, however, which
threatens the Russians is not so
much from Vehement Ali as the
possible aggressive action of Great
Britain and Austria. There have
been as yet, be it remembered, no
indications of fixed neutrality ON the
part of these powers. The British
fleet at Besika Bay, at the foot of The
Dardanelles, was sent there to
guard British interest" One
British interest is Constantinople
and its water connections. 1t is
understood TO be DisraelI's firm
purpose that the Russians shall
never occupy Constantinople. If
the Russians reach Adrianople we
will see an English occupation of
Constantinople, and British soldiers
in the Notifications fifteen miles
west of the city.
AS for Austria, it has all along
been conceded that she will occupy
Bosnia to put a stop to her internal
Sclavic agitation. She may do that,
but she may 40 more. as she is one
of the most treacherous power in
Europe. In 1854, during the com
plications preceding the Crimean
war, Austria proclaimed her men,. 49,,
ny anu refused to assist Russia
who had saved her in IS4S-9-
After Russia had entered the
Danubiah principalities Austria
marched an army of three hundred
men ento Wallachia, and Russians
were flanked and had to retire
Suppose that, regardless of Ger
many, Austria should at this iunct-
ure march three hundred thousand
men into Roumania, as she did in
1884, and menace the Russian rear
while England filed the Black sea
with her iron-clads, occupied Con
stantinople, and sent her soldiers TO
help the Turks in RoumeliaY
This Is by no means an improba-
BILE event. Then il Germany and
Italy allied themselves with Russia.
all Europe would be ablaze with
war.
MURDER WILL OUT.
a few years ago august Flower
was discovered to be a certain cure for