Evening star., 1877-12-29

became flight. Some took shelter behind the
broken wagons, and returned the fire Tor
time; but the majority made for the deep
shelter from the Russian shells and bullets
They formed here behind the hanks. and in
stantly began to return the Russian IRE.
THE LAST FIGHT.
IL was now about half-p eight and the
turkish sOrtle was virtually repalsed. but the
battle ragged for four hours longer The losses
inflicted from this time Drward were not
uRder cover. The Turks were evidently ap-
prehensiye that the Russians would charge
and drive them back in a mass into the gorge.
Ihe Russians were resolved to prevent another
sortie, ana so both sides kept ii up. Indeed
there seemed at first every pr,bab bility that the
Turks would try 1t again, though it was evil
dent 10 any one who knew the strength Of the
!. Russian lines, and had seen this affair that
escape was hopeless from the first even
though Osman Pasha had had twice the num-
Der oil men. For four hours the storm of lead
swept on. as one hundred guns sent forth flame
and smoke and iron. During all this time we
were In momentary expectation of seeing one
side or other rush to the charge We could
hardly yet realize that this was to be the last
night We should ever see around Pleyna and
that when the guns ceased firing il was the
iast time, time we should hear them here; 1t was
strangely impressive spectacle. Behind Us the
plain. stretching away to the horizon dark
and somDre under the dull lead-colOred clouds
t,d Oh tne biaek November day; Before us the
side by steep, high cliffs. and between us and
them the smoke and roar and fire of battle fiji
ing The air with its mighty thunder, a battle on
which hung the fate, not of Plevna-for the
long beleagured town was already in the hands
of the RusSianS-but of OSman Pacha and his
army. ~
SILENCE THAT WILL REMAIN UNBRoKEN.
ABOUT twelve o'clock the firing began to di-
mlnlsh on both sides. as if by mutual agl ee-
ment Then it stopped entirely The rolling
crash oil the infantry and the deep-toned bel
-nr ,.l
Ihe smoke lifted, and there was sience-a
silence that viii not be broken here for MANY
along year; perhaps never again. by the sounds
OF battle. The firing had not ceased more than
hall an hour when white flag was seen waving
from The road leading around the cliffs beyond
The bridge. Pleyna had fallen, and OSman
Pacha was going tO surrender. The white hag
being hoisted. some of the Turks on the bridge
walked forward and came on to us. some with
guns hung over their shoulders. others with
guns in their hands. They walked about ms
ana examined us curiously. Thousands of
Them are on the cliffs, not more than fifty yards
distant. looking down on us with compoSure
all with arms IN their hands. One well-direct-
ed vOlley would thin our Russian cadres this
SIDE OF The \id very appreciably, for by this
time there must have been hundred officers
sathered here. and capituation was by no
means arranged as yet On the heights to our
right we see the Russians moving up TO the re-
doubt on one side, while the Turks were leav-
ing 1t on the other. Presently General Ca
netsky arrives and then the way is blocked
with wagons, dead horses and oxen. The men
have all been carried of, but beside the wagon.
near the bridge, see one young fellow living
badly wounded. He has lain himself carefully
down there with his cloak wrapped around
nun and his rifle and knapsack under his head
he evidently takes pride i'm his gun, a Pea
body, i0r it isvery bright and clean, and he
has put II carefully under him. So that it NAV
not be taken away. He did not think to part
with ii so soon. He is scarcely seventeen and
the doctor who has dressed his wound says he
VIII not live till night.
OVER THE BRIDGE
we thread our way cautiously over the
bridge, through broken carriages and dead
bodies OF horses and cattle, and find ourselves
among the Turks There are several dead
lying in the ditch beside the road. Some
wounded are limping along with us going
heaven knows whittier, and there are two
sentlnels standing in trench overlooking the
river. Keeping their watch as though they were
looking Tor an attack at any moment As we
advance the crowd gets thicker. The Turkish
soldiers, with guns and bayOnetS i'm their hands
men AT whom We have been shooting. and who
We're shooting at us two hours ago. some with
savage expression, gaze at us with scowl
put there are pleasant. intelligent faces also
who look at US with steady. clear, inquisitiye
eyes. General SkObeloff, Sr., recalled an
episode of the Hungarian insurrection re-
sembllng this, where there was an armiStice,
anu great number of Austrian officers
crossed over the bridge to the Hungarians as
we did here, when the Hungarian Command
ing oiIcer opened his ranks and fired his can
non, charged to the muZZle with mitraille. on
VIII not resemble each other i'm all respects
GHARI OsMAN SURRENDERs
When the general is about a hundred wards
from the bridge the crush is so great that we
can advance no further. and indeed we do not
wish TO. for it's in this little house overlooking
the road that OSman GhaZilie wounded Cen
erals GanetSky, StrukOff and some others have
gone 10 see him. was unable to get i'm owing
10 the crowd. The conference did not last
more than few minutes. The terms of capi-
!uiatlOn were easily arranged. The surrender
Is unconditional. OSman consented at once
III surprise be expressed that he should have so
suddenly agreed it is only necessary to state
that he could do nothing else. In order to at
tempt sOrtie, he had to abandon all the posi-
tlons in which he had defed the Russians so
long. and to concentrate his army down on the
Nld. These positions once lost were lost for
ever, because the Russians occupied them al
most as soon as he left them. He was down i'm
the valley they on the surrounding hills with
an army three times as large as his He had
TO surrender without delay, for they were
drawing the circle tighter every moment. His
position was like NapOleOn'S at Sedan The
disparity IN number was greater, and he had
not even the shelter of the village SO Osman
GhaZ surrendered Internationally the gallant
army with which he had held this now famous
stronghold for so long, and with which he up
set the whole Russian plan of campaign, and
with which he defeated, i'm three pitched bat
ties, Russia finest armies.