The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-13
THE HORRORS OF PLEyNA.

THE HORRORS OF PLEyNA.
A vast CharneI House-The wounded ant
sick starving to Death-Burying
the Living With the Dead.
ILondon News
| PBEvNA, Dec. 17-Plevna is full OF horrors ant
after the turmoil Of the past four months the
complete silence now seems strange and oppres
| sive. As | rode along the Lovtcha road, the
| other evening, just after sunset, not sound
broke the dead quiet, and the only living thing !
met was here and there stray dog, which skunk
away to his horrible meal among the shallow
graves in front of the redoubts on the bills. The
deserted breastworks that crossed the road at
frequent intervals seemed quite purposeless.
From the shoulder of the hill called Aroden,
where the road winds around under the embra-
sures OF the redoubts which were stormed by
Gen. skobeloff with such fearful loss, Pevna was
seen lying low down in the valley, and only one
or two twinkling lights showed that it was in
habited. ALI around on every side the whole
landscape was quiet as the desert. No lines of
blue smoke and little camp fires now marked the
trenches. Not single tent broke the bare sur
face of the billsides, and only the great square
redoubts and the zig-zag line Of breastworks
proved that this was the Plevna of week age
With all the vivid recollections of the various
incidents Of the siege, the most active imagina.
ton could not picture the thousandth part
Of the frightful suffering, the awful misery
and wretchedness, that found within
the narrow limits OF the town, nor draw the
panorama of CHASTITY horrors, that is almost un-
paralleled since the terrible plaques Of past CEN
turtles. Human beings lying like sheep in the
streets; houses filed with dead; hundreds
stretching their hands feebly heavenward for
morsel of bread or a drop OF water and no help
that could be com handed to alleviate their suE
fering or save the wretched creatures from their
painful death. Even In the midst of these scenes,
which the pen OF Dante alone could render, with
all the terrible rhythm Of the poem attracting
every ear with its irresistible force-even after
days OF constant contact with human suffering In
every form, with death in every aspect, can
scarcely bring myself to repeat the story OF what
has passed in Plevna since the surrender /
nave become, 10 measure, callous now to what
l see every hour in the day. yet the horror of the
first few momentary impressions is still 80 vvidy
impressed upon me that cannot refer to it with.
out pain.
When the Turks made the sortie they left the
sick and wounded, of whom there were thou
sands entirely without attendants. There was
never regular hospital in Pevna, the sick being
transported to Sofia, and the small Ambulance
'orps was at all times insufficient to care for the
wounded, even before the town was surrounded
)f course the attendants at the hospitals thought
,nly Of their own safety when the sortie was
made, and they joined their lot with those who
ried to break through the Russian lines. The
lay and night OF the battle passed, and the
ufferers received no food or water,
md their fostering wounds were undressed
The following morning the Russians en-.
cred and took possession, and made the
lay one Of rejoicing with the visit
If the Gar and the imperial staff but this cele-
'raton OF the event, however short it may have
'eemed to the victors, was q long season OF hor-
lble suffering for the wretched, helpless cap |
ives, who stretched their skeleton hands In vain |
oward heaven, praying for bit of bread or drop |
u water. Neither friend or foe was there to |
alleviate their suffering, or to give the trife need
ID to save them from painful DEATH and they |
He'd hy hundreds; and hefnra the morning of the |
bird day the dead crowded the living In every |
ne of those dirty, dimly.lghted rooms which |
erved to shelter the wounded from the cold and |
ret. but confined them in fetid atmosphere of |
isease and death
1t was only on the morning of the third day
fter those wretched. tortured creatures had
cen left to their fate that the Russians found
pportunity and means to begin, frat, the sepa-
alton OF the living from the dead, and then the
are Of the former. The MOSQUES. the largest
ouses, and many Of the small dwellings, had
cen filed with sick and wounded. Overcrowded
every case, and as have before said from the |
rst without proper attention, these temporary
ospitals we're. at the best most filthy and pesti
initial, and the air was tainted with the stencil
undressed wounds and the corpses which Law |
nburied in the courtyards.
The first room entered in one OF these charnel. |
ouses contained ninety-odd Turks. or these,
,irty-seven were dead, and many others on the
ont Of death. Piteous groans came from be-
yeen rigid lips, and painful cries for water, and
'me made feeble signs for food. One or two Of
10 strongest raised themselves and fixed their
ldeous, sunken eyes with such q beseeching
ARE on those who had come to free them from
,e company Of the dead, that it would have soft
ned the hardest heart The small room, dimly
GIFTED By high window with one pane OF glass,
as crowded with the forms Of thirty or forty
lgged, filthy human beings. Many Of these
rms were motionless, and scarcely audible
roans we're heard from one or two who raised
it'll difficulty their bony hands to their
pa, to signify their need Of food. There were
int cries OF sSome waterl" sJome water"
teous to hear. The dim light was concentrated
, the haf-naked body of an old man stretched
msef in the last hours of his agony in hope OF
,ccor or at least OF breath OF fresh air; for in
le unventilated room the air was thick with pu-
i'd odors, which burst out when the door was
oened, overpowering strong men and causing
lem to turn sick and faint. The old mans
ands were clutched in the rigor Of painful death
! his nude and meagre breast, and his head lay
yainst the very crack Of the door, 80 that it is
'ened only by rude force. Living and dead
ere lying together undistinguishable, along the
Alls, behind the door aud under the window.
This room is one OF fifty where similar spec
Gle is presented. The pavement of the MOSQUES
covered with crouching forms, some moving at
tervals, others motionless and silent. Here
| ,
hastily relief, and with q fixed expression of
.eat agony.
Nothing can be done but to drag the dead from
nong the living, let in the light and air, and
We water and nourishment in hope Of saving
me Of those who remain alive. Small enough
as the force Of men who set about this painful
SIX, and meagre enough their means. Three ,
zen peasants' ox-carts were all that were svaila-
e for the removal Of the dead, and fifty soldiers
lcarry the bodies from the rooms to the carts,
I'd bury them in the bitches. As fast as possible
ead and water were distributed. and the feeble
retches fought each other with their last breath
their greed for the nourishment. Some
opped up against the wall, slowly ate until the
BILE pallor came over their faces and
cir eyes were fixed in death. Even the effort
eating the long needed food was too great for
cir waning strength. The living clutch at the
naming morse in the dead mans hand, strug-
9 for it with all their feeble power, and curse
CD other and wrangle over the spoil, perhaps
fall dead themselves before they can eat the /
cad.
The three open oxen-carts begsn the removal
the dead at once, and as I write the work still
es on. The hospitals daily supply more freight
this kind than the slow moving teams can s
tn he