The New York herald., 1877-12-26
FATE WREAKS VENGEANCE ON TIE TURKS.
Ak-Palanka Captured by the Ser
vians After a Sharp Struggle.
ERZEROUM BELEAGUERED.
A French Officer Cashiered for Language
Host tile to MacMahon.
Err CABLE TO THE HERALD

LONDON, Dec. &C. 1877.
Mr. McGahan, the correspondent Of the
London Daily Ne0s at Plevna, sends q terri
bic story Of the state of things prevailing
in and around the captured town. Before
the recent great storm Plevna was simplya
charnel house. Modern warfare has no
compared to those which followed in the
wake of Genghis Khan or Timour, as their
savage Tartar hordes swept over and desc
lated Asia.
DOGS DEvouR THE DEAD AND WOUNDED.
The famished dogs, Of which there are
always large numbers in every Turkish
town, were feeding on the corpses Of the
dead and the bodies Of the still living
wounded. The savage howls of the greedy
brutes as they tore the putrid flesh of the
dead or crunched the bones between their
teeth, the cries and groans of the wounded
as they vainly struggled with the dogs might
be heard for miles around and made the soul ;
sick
HORROR UPON HORROR.
Birds were pecking at the skulls, hopping
from body to body with beaks and plumage
besmeared with human blood and scream
ing with fiendish delight Dogs fought
among themselves, and bird struggled with
bird for the possession Of o morsel of human
flesh and the most indescribable horror pre-.
vailed.
HIDEoUs SPECTACLE.
In one house alone thirty-seven dead and
ffty-three wounded Turks were found,
some of the latter in half decomposed
and putrid state, and the wounded in con-
dition that can be more easily imagined than
described. Some of the wounded were able
to crawl about and clutched at odd morsels
of food that were found in the hands OF
the dead, devouring it with feverish avid.
ity; but thousands of them were utterly
helpless and awaited death or succor with
| q listless fatalism.
| DEAD AND WOUNDED PILED LIKE WOOD.
Eighteen hundred prisoners were huddled
together on the bank of fthe Vid, and the hor.
rors Of their position equalled those Of the
great plague which ravaged Europe in the
fourteenth century. Living and dead were
piled together promiscuously in heaps like
wood, and carted away. There were only
three carts available for this work, and the
confusion was indescribable..
STAIN ON osMAN's BRAVERY.
Osmans bravery is stained and black
ened by his treatment of the Russian
wounded that fell into his hands His
gallant defence of Plevna for moment
blinded the victors and Europe to the fact
that oil prisoners were butchered by the
troops under Osmans command.
The Bucharest correspondent of the HERALD
says that fearful retribution has overtaken
part of Osman's army which was caught
on the march by that dreadful snow storm.
| Fate seems to be wreaking vengeance for
the slaughter of the Russian wounded,
whose corpses lie unburied on the hills
around Plevna.
THE sERvIANs CAPTURE AK-pALANKA.
A despatch from Belgrade reports that
the Servians on Monday, after eight hours
severe fghnng. captured Ak-Palanka to-
gether with three Krupp guns and large
quantity OF ammunition and provisions.
The Turks lost many killed and some pris-
oners.
BoMBARDrNG NIscH.
Prince Milan was present on Monday
when the bonn mbardment OF Nisch was com.
menced
ENc1RcLING ERzERouM.
An Erzeroum despatch says the Russian
lines have been pushed forward and that
Erzeroum is almost invested. The Russian
infantry is massed in the northern part OF
j the plain. The bombardment Of the town
and the consequent interruption Of telev
graphic service are imminent
THE IERA1L BRIDGE TORN AWAY By ICE
An official telegram received in St.
Petersburg states that sudden drifting Of
ice on tho Danube has torn away the bridge
| at Ibrail. A Russian steamer is frozen in,
and is unable to approach the bridge. The
Grand Duke Alexis announces that COM