The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-09
NOUKHTAR At ERZEROUN.
A Characteristic Interview
with the "Ghazi.
MANNER OF THE Defence.
Description of a Suburb of the
Armenian Capital.
From the London Daily News.l

From the London Daily Newsl
lLLDGE (close to Erzerouml Dec. 4, 1877.
II was three O'Clock In tho afternoon when called
Moukhtar Pacha ut the Ycni Kshiar the principal
barracks OF Erzeroum. 1t Is wide desoate looking
square OF limestone 1t looks like model
| European prison. crowd Of ragged loking cames
ana Rosinante-like pack horses stray perpctualy In
Its immediate vicinity. entered by the main gate.
Four sentncls either side guarded it. l flung my
horses bride to one, aud, taking dirty staircase
to tho left arrived at u long, wide corridor
lato aud dirty MS the staircase. awkward looking
soldiers with yelowish white baggy overcoats stood
about and came uneasily to 'attention" us any un-
known toleraby dressed stranger and possible pacha
by. long line OF great arched windows iroptcd
an equal extent of blank, dreary wall, along winch
hung like so many funeral pals, the sombre colorcd
curtains closing the entrances to tho different apart
mcuts. No Ia that Of the captain OF the guard
where that tunctioDary, clad in brown flannel, sits
gloomily staring at the dingy, whitcwashed walls,
smued by tic smoke oil the lettering that
like small tempest In the corner. Next door
couple OF aidesdc camp, OF whom, alter conduct
ing you to the neighboring chamber Of secretary
| lifts tho drapery before tho Marshal's doorway,
ana you In the presence OF the redoubted
| Ghazi Achmet Moukhtar Pacha commanding in chief
the Ottoman armies OF Armenia. Tho room, like the
others, Is bare and whitewashod. A low divan runs
divan, is a wolf skin and cushion.-tho bed OF the
Marshal. In another OF tho divan Is sheep
skin stained red 1t Is old acquaintance of mine.
have seen II in Herzegovina and in Montenegro.
have seen 1t in sight Of Aexandropol, when We were
on the Aladja Mountain; have 1t tho So
ghan Dagh, and during the memorable flight from
Kars. And here In the Marshas chamber / meet 1t
again, and, usual. the Marshal seated crossogSed
upon it, An Eastern salaam given and returned ana
am motoned gravely to q seat on tho divan.
FIGHT
Moukhtar Pacha always courteous, sometimes
dial, but rarely. Few Eastcrns are expansive even
In the smallest way. II was some time since had
seen the Marshal-neary couple OF woeks-but even
that bret time had wrought sad changes. lie Is mid
do sized and square faced. When know him first his
features rounded ana fresh colored his eye
bright Now thought and caro- havo traced long fur.
rows cheek and brow, and, though there the
eyes fevcrsh 1t rather that nd
fierce resolution than the buoyant expression Of tho
| victor OF ChorumdusI and Kizltepe Al my last
tervew the Marshal had spoken on tho battle OF Deve
| Begun and given mo the sketch OF the plan which
| forwarded. On tho latter occasion We spoke manly
about the articles in the London newspapers touching
the battle oil Aladja and translated him IN erenso
that which appeared IN tho Times. AS translatcd
with the sovercst impartalty and conveyed ITS full
moaning 1t may 10 imagined tue General wasn't by
any means content with tho writer, who whoever he
DC, had better keep himself Out OF Armenia. He OK
planned his defeat he mad done that OF Auda by
extraordinary accuracy OF the cncny's artillery fire,
which AT Deve Begun disnountcd fourteen Of his guns.
SAID that the most sinister rumors prevailed Ia
town, every one being under the Impression that
evacuation OF Erzeroam was Imminent ais Your Ex-
ceilcncy about to leave usy" asked. With warmth
| very unusual IN 80 calm tempered man. no turned
almost hereby toward mo. 'Jamais! jamaisl" ne
| guns shall never abandon Erzeroum."
TRUSTING TO THE WINTER
| know the General trusts good deal to the ally
that boat the French at Moscow, and wnon COMING
| away from tho Yen kishlar turned my eyes the
spectral white outlines OF the Deve Boyun Mountains
hul fIpSI n "a a dn,l hahn
sharing his idea. still the Russians there,
the sleet blasts and wo thein working what
The caravan from Persia came In, strangely
enoush-.lowed TO pass through tho Russian
| lines and enter bcsicgcd CITY. II
boldly down tho Deve Begun Pass without
takns oven the ordinary prccautiOn OF sending
column OF mon ana camels appeared in signt tho
hoavy guns OF the ramparts opened fire, supposing
umn that was advancing Tho scene that followed
may be imagined. Cameis mules and men all fed
wild disorder as the first huge shells burst nunong
tncm, and II was hours before the caravan could
| again collected Wnen 1t ultimately got into Free
roum III. Persians stated that the Russians were,
to all appearances. permanently campod IN the
Deve Begun Pass Tho tents they told US,
covered outside with thick ielt, aud each had
stove, well supplied with wood. Moukhtar Pacha
says that, in view oil tho precautions taken
last TWO attempts 10 carry the Kop Dagh lors by
sault ho OF tho CITY failing by coo,
| de main any one particular point general as
sauI, botn GU The orts and ON the lower rmparls
Tie pa,n is what he fears most especinllv when Tho
cntre oil the kars army arrives. lett the Generals
presence convinced thai whatever tho possibilities ON
The parl OF tho enemy, Erzeroum to be defended
| CHARACTERISTIC INCIDENT.
Whom got 10 the bottom Of the stairs became
OF incident which Tor rather irrl-
taled me. During my visit to The Commander-in-
Chief had lett my horse IN the covered entrance
low, where four senlrlcs side by sidc did honor to
the Marshal's presence Ny horses birdie and saddle
and Of the saddle girLhs had
by some gallant trooper complained At once ~ the
General, and though the captain oi tho guard
seemingly made every effort 10 the lost
articles no result followed. don't know whether
this KIND OF thing Is possible opposite Whitehall
Here many wonderful things come to pass. As rodo
out OF Erzeroum | noticcd the extraordinary pre-
| cautions OF which Moukhtar Pacha had spoken. On
the rampa:ts scntrcs ut nifty yaras' Intervals; the
covered ways, similar line and nifty yards from the
crest o the giacis rst line oi scntincls rifle pits
not twenty yards apart Another fifty yards Iurtner
out similar ne Tho rifle pts alternating with thoso
! this that Munir All, the chief vi irregular horse,
patrols necessarily the ground over whlcn an enemy
could advance and it wal be seen that surprise IS
hardly possible. What may be effected by frank ivrco
| AN ARMENIAN TOWN.
rode IRON Erzeroum lIlidgc IN two hours I
| crossed wide, bleak plan, bilding white with
newly -ialicn snow. At Guez intermediate village
drew up TO have a cup OF coffee. My semlmilitary
garb created Certain amount oil suspicion. "Wno
| Knows, Thought the villagers, 'but TINS only
excuse enter odd anu there, lao Is quar- %
tered on u.s." sucn, 1t seems, is their experience
OF Ottoman officers. However, my horses standing
unbrdlcd ana unpackcd ut toe door somewhat re-
assured them, nnd Tor backshvesn got couple
OF cups OF unsugarcd coffee A low words OF question
ana answer. "avc The RUSSIAN patrols becn mere r'
"No, facha,' was the reply. ihs knew to DO un-
true but IN my hypothotic character these poor Ar
menians were not supposed to speak the absolute
truth. From certain Information knew that the Cos.
had been there but evenings previously to
requisiton nay anu oats. went on. An cxpauso of
msrshy ground and bridge which at "a distance
looked like that OF a railway Then this village,
llidge. IL looks ike place that was pOpu-
ious tue sense & es here. Now thoIr arc empty
houses and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS suppose must
say. Streets ,hty never could be called even Ia tho
best OF tunes. Here and tncre few suspicious look
ing ducks and hens wandered and occasionally an IN
habtant pcered cautiously round the OF a snow
| hcapcd dwelling Tne newly arrived horsemen mi Int
| be Cossacks, or worse sun, the karapabacks OF
| Muir Ali. A short paroy, ana the holder inhabi.
tants VINO venturcd orh convinced that We wore
neither the other.
HOUSEHOLD
AS result shown TO the house OF the chief
man OF the place, unhappy individual, who, 90 tho
new Corners Christians or MussuImans Is rospopsibo
| Tor eYoryIhInR. Then entered Tho cnleI Iunnls