The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-08-11
BARBAROUS WARFARE.
Playing the Bodies of Young Girls---A
Mothers Barbarous Treatment---Fear-
full Retaliation.

Playing the Bodies of Young Girls---A
Mothers Barbarous Treatment---Fear-
full Retaliation.
A correspondent writes from Buchar-
est as follows:
The retreat southwark of the Turks
through Bulgaria has been accomplished
by scenes exceeding in atrocity all the
miseries of last year, when the Bulgarian
massacres shocked the civilized world
This time, however, it is not only the
Turks who commit the atrocities; but the
Bulgarians themselves are retaliating in
frightful manner upon those Turkish
residents who cannot follow their army.
While preparations for retreat were
going ON, the irregular troops from Asia
committed the most frightful horrors.
Under the pretense of forcing the
Bulgarians to follow the army and help
to throw up Notifications, three irregu-
lars also insisted that the women should
join them. Poor souls! in many in
stances they submitted to this new kind
of slavery. But not all of them followed
SO willingly. A woman, with three
daughters, residing near Matschin, re-
belled against such commands With a
hellish howl the armed fends threw
themselves upon the poor women, bound
them across the backs of their horses and
galloped away with them to spot suffi-
GENTLY distant from the army, so that they
could not be interfered with in their
designs by the chief military authorities.
OF course, when taken from their horses
the women were more dead than alive.
Nevertheless the daughters were all first
violated and then murdered. They then
went to work and skinned the dead
bodies of the girls, cut the skin up in
strips and with these strips tied the
poor mother to a tree, where she had her
head cut off, and the remainder of the
body was left to the vultures. Even for
Bulgaria this horrible atrocity is consid-
cred 50 important that all foreign gov
ernments have instructed their represent
name of humanity, against the employ
ment of such men in the Turkish army.
Consuls at Galatz, Braila and other
places were instructed to ascertain the
correctness of this bloody episode of the
war, and at once proceeded to Matschin
to investigate the affair. With the aid
of a chaplain belonging to one of the
Russian regiments they soon discovered
the place where the massacre took place.
Decent burial had already been given
them by the Russians; but upon the
demand of the consuls the bodies were
disinterred and ample evidence of the
atrocious crime was obtained.
The Bulgarians themselves, acting as
the allies of the Russians, have retail
ated upon those Turkish families who
did not leave with their army. They
have plundered several houses, and in
one instance took whole family, which
had expressed sympthy for the Turkish
cause, out of their home, set the house
on fire, tied the adults, among whom
were four women, to trees and logged
them on their on their bare backs till
the blood flowed down their bodies.
Their shrieks, however, soon attracted
the attention of Russian patrol, and
quick as lightning six of the Bulgarians
were arrested, and two of the leaders have
since been shot by order of court mar
tial.
A correspondent has just returned
from the other side of the Danube and
states that on re-crossing the bridge the
river was filled with dead bodies of Rus
slams and numerous dead horses, the re-
suit of fearful accident which befel the
bridge forty-eight hours previous. 1t
appears that during heavy storm
twenty-six pontoons were lost, driven
down the stream and sunk. One of the
Turkish monitors happening to be in the
vicinity poured hellish fire on the
swamped pontoons and had aided in their
destruction, and my friend had to wait
twelve hours before communication with
this side was re-established.