Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-07-17
ONwARD no rHE BALEkNs
CONFLICTING Reports 40 60 the nu.-,au

fPofts IN the
Advance.
A Reuter- telegram nom Shun,ta aa,ot
hohdsy, states that n Russian column 10
u sIchins upon the Balkans via Denier
hspce This can hardly be Identical Win
ne I~roe repori.d Al Vent Soghra Concern
= we latter Reuter- telegram. datei con-
sihrtit,..'e sesteTdsy, says. Eighteen
Russian hatia,,,,''S led by ,i,.,,'sarian guides.
have passed the Shipa9 defile, and arrive.
heiore leni SoghrR. Turk troops ara
III concentrated 10 oppose their ADVANCE
LAnle account seems obviously errOnpous
Iot correspondent OF the Ddily T,,ls.y,,a,,h
reported from heEaultk near the s,pfbsr,,
moulin OF The ShipkR defle. a. lac as JulV
- send by way OF Adrisnople the latest
indulgence nom this important noint
Raouf Pssha is here. Al tie gateway 81 hs
bills, ON the other side Of the Lesser Ralkans
the CosSscss have come close up and sore
n na,.s Txen Nentnred to make partial recon-
psrifg 10 hold every likely deale with the
utmost resolution. IL would not be adytSable
~ state The number OF troops Raouf
fssha can already marshal Tor the de-
iAe Il the mountain passages. but they
are numerous even nov. and Will soon
ne heavily re nforcei. large portion
OF me Ottoman imperial guani are here
or near Al hand. Cans have been placed
IN All TIE commanding positions or are
80 planted. while at Adrianople
shd els wherc the work of fortincstton gees
forward with an energy which will redeem
whatever hardness may have hitherto h..o
shown.' Now IL IL hardly cred bic thai Is
hit, eluded kaouf raSha. aud W. hear
n"' hing OF his defeat or retreat II sserns
.htr' fore. most probable that force OF CpS-
seeks have made their way ACROSS the tnoun-
tair> o. tht manner indicated ia "A bucharest
tier OF june q. published in the London
Ir.'N July This letter stated that Inc
balkan range ahounds in elevated pIateaus
inhabited by the 81 eyducs bulgarian ref
uercs). who have held these fortreSSes for
= nerations. These HeyducS are the only
people on the face OF the earth who kuoW M,
HKarfHfa
10 point out every defile and pass tnrough
VII .ch troops are able To march. several
hey sue chiefs who were I'm Belgrade last
year said There were passes utterly unknown
10 The Turks or Ia any one elise but Them
selves ana their followers. through which
they could lead infantry, cavalry aud noun
tam guns These Heyducs are in accord
with the Russians. The first accounts saw a
RUSSIAN force has crossed the Helon pass
and IL destitute OF artillery
Opinion Of the Loadoa Time.
Ihe London Tunes, IN it, leading article,
say 1t would not Toe surprising n the main
bod2 OF The army should not attempt 10 Cross
The Balkans until RuStchuk b. brought at
least To The verge of submission. Win that
great fortress and the railway 10 Narua in
Their hands, the invaders might venture 20
90 much which II would be worse than rash
To attempt now. Nor IL IL any answer TO
these calculat ionS that the COssacks have
already penetrated far into the country.
our telegraphic intelligence from Pera con-
talns the surprising report that a body Of
those swift horscmen have crossed the Bal
kanS and gone as far south as the railway
station, between Jambol and Adrsanople,
but such an expedition can only have been
for The purpose Of aSceriaining the practical
OF crossing the Balkans, and the
Cossacks may withdraw as quickly a. they
came IL VIII be impossible 10 measure the
progressive power OF the Russians until they
have laid seige To Rustchuk and fodght a
great battle for POSSESSION OF the line To
Narna."
Turkish Reports Of Russian Cruelty.
A Tunes dispatch from @humla saws
From all directions fugitives I'm large num-
beers are coming In, who agree IN stating that
In The districts occupied by the Russians the
most horrible cruelties are perpetrated upon
the Mohammedan population by the Cos
sacks and Bulgarians. Mohammedan child
rem and old men are slaughtered. and women
violated and carried Off Official dispatches
substantially corroborate these statements.
The greatest panic exists among the Mo-
hammedan civil population, who are fleeing
as fast a. they can. Up 10 Saturday no en-
gagement OF importance had been fought.
The Russian advance is on the banks OF the
river Lom. Horse patrols have been pushed
forward To within three hours OF Rasgrad
and Nettova railway stations. Railway
communications between RaSgrsd and
swarming all over the country east OF Ter
senik."
This would indicate that the Turks are
play ing the same game OF mystiication and
exaggeration here that they tried in Arme-
MA early In June. Then their object was To-
ind out whether IL was possible TO forcs
Treat Britain TO intervene by representing
that the Russians were masters of the Eu-
pirates valley route to India. Their efforts
now are probably directed both to England
and Austria, the menace In this instance
being that the road to Constantinople is In
the hands Of the Russians. Ii is certain that
10 force OF Russians adequate for serious
operations has crossed the Balkans. IL a.
equally certain that the Turks would not le.
kilograms come through IL they did not want
the Impression created that they are in q
critical position.