New-York tribune., 1877-09-01

lens had their turn. 1t took hardly ten minutes to
break in the doors of 500 houses A rush was made
for the residences of the richest nabobs which ware
cleared before the rabble undertook the syste-
matte spoliation of every house which followed.
There was continuous and rapid fire of musketry
going on all over the city at the same time. Inc
Turks say that the Bulgarians fired from houses
and churches upon the troops. There are no Bulga-
rians left to give their side of the story All Bulga
ran men seemed to be killed at sight as if by arrange
ment. Women and children were spared as
general thing But the hdeous pllage, and the firing
and the shrieks and the shouts continued all night
and great districts of the city were burning if all
the other horrors were not enough At daylight SUI
leman Pasha ordered all Moslems and Jews-whom
the Turks protect as if they their own people
to leave the place. since his contemplated opera
tions did not include any such thing as the
defence of Eski Saghra. So the Turks loaded up
their loot and their women and children on wagons
and went to the nearest railway station, 1olio"ed
by what seemed an endless train of Bulgarian
women and children who had lost all. These could
see in the Turkish wagons, goods stolen from thelr
homes but they might not dare ask for them. Eskl
Saghra was left to the lames and In Its streets anu
in the surrounding villages the rattle of Ilnes was
constant for three four days. There seemed 10 DC
a purpose to kill every Bulgarian male over ten
|
look out over a plain which teemed with busy
| peasantry in fertile fields. Now, from the scared
and bstered HILL you look over the plain, and It's
forty villages are blackened ash-heaps, foul from
! the hand of death.
| The attempt to ameliorate the condition OF the
Christians of this part of Turkey by war Is not aDrli
liant success and the mismanagement which armed
these Bulgarians and encouraged them to desperate
fighting against their rulers, and then deserted
them in their hour of need was terrible crime.
No one will ever know the exact loss OF life at
Eski Sa ghra. Seven thousand women and children
of its Christian population are dependent on charity
in Alranope to-day. These people believe all of their
male relatives to have been killed. This, however,
is hardly so,slnce many Bulgarian escaped with
the Russians. Bat tht City of Eski Saghra Is
entirely wiped out OF existence.
THE AMERICAN MIssIJSAETEs SAFE.
TwoAmcrican missionaries the Rev. Messrs. Bond
ami Marsh with their wives aud five small children
were IN Esd SIghra during The sacking of the place.
have seen thcm and they tell me that at one time
they sheltered some poor wretches who wero in
danger at tbe hands Of the Bulgarian mob and that,
when the edct prohibiting the sale of food to Mos
lemswas in force, they also fe of their Mosem
neghbOrs. In consequence of this and other kind
nesses, their Moslen neighbOrs rallied around them
during the destruction of the city, and saved their
lives. The kindness OF these Turks can be better
appreciated in view Of the fact that 1t was ex-
ercsed at the cost of tremendous self denial, for
not a man OF them but longed to be at work loot
ing. These Turks hal supplied in their hands,
to break open doors, and they could not re-
frain from occasional raids FOR loot on neigh
boring Bulgarian houses. wnile they were defend
ing from pillage the American families. At
time the Circassans drew their swords and came at
the MISSIONARIES to Kill them, but these Turks with
stood then and, between entreaties and resistance,
kept the ruians away. although IN case the mis-
sonaries had to pay Circassian $780, gold, as ran
SON. The Turks then got word to the Governor Of the
city, who at once came to see the missionaries and
provided them with guard Of regular soldiers,
which kept off all marauders, and thirty or more
Bulgarians were saved from dsath in their house.
These missionaries lost everything they possessed,
however, by the fire, escaping to the railroad with
only the clothes they had on and on the road sleep
ing for three nights bare ground, and living on
raw wheat They have come through terrible cX-
perience but they have the satisfaction of knowing
that by standing at their posts, they made little
haven Of refuge for both Turks and Bulgarians and
through, all the horrors of those days were looked
up to for counsel and comfort. Judge that the mis-
sonaries are not entirely cast down as, when one
was mentioning the loss of his sermons, overheard
the other reply, Yes the destruction of Eski Sag
hra has thus caused loss to the whole Christian
world, as well as to the benighted heathen"
HE FLAG OF THE PROPHET
There have been many rum0rs here that the holy
flag of the Prophet would be brought out as arayng
point for the whole nation in view of the aspect of
affairs In fact it is said that the Sultan has so long
resisted the pressure of the people for this that the
venerable flag has three times undertaken to shame
him by going forth of its accord by fight from
the window For ten days the Christians Of this
city have been in terror by of this rumor,
as they believe that the appearance of the flag would
be the signal for a general attack on Christians.
Three times my servants have come TO me Win
white faces to say that such day had been txed
for the massacre-the breadman said so-and every
time they put unshaken faith in the new cOmputa-
ton Of dates like the Adventists in matters OF the
end of the world. Tho Turks, also, are in terror
much of the time lest the Christians rise and massa
ere them. Thus many of the people OF this city
lead livea that are wretched from fear. Ihe nag
which has caused such terror in the kitchens OF Con-
stantinople-the Sanak-i-Sherif it is called-ls an
innocent piece of rotten and faded silk which used 10
be covered with sacred writings, and once
was green in color. The only legible word
remaining upon it is "Aleni" (worldl, which
appears in a secluded fold near the staff.
This flag is never unfurled-nor, indeed, can
be. from rottenness-a characteristic which NOR
alists may use for the basis Of smile connected
with the nation to whom the flag belongs. The flag
is kept rolled on its staff and covered with green
/ satin cover, the whole packed away in gold OF
| cilded box When the holy standard is to be
bronebt ont It is carried in its green through
the streets of Constantinople, and, after the city
walls are passed. it is in the field" 1t is then
~ L. md