Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-04-27

the Turkish columns and ran to Shipka
Pass where few days later they fought
another battle.
Having put the Russians TO fight in
the evening, the Turkish army captured
our city, and the Bashi- Basouks aud Cir
cHssians entered it, rnassacrcd all the
men they q uld find in it, euslaysd all the
women and children. and put it to fire.
! saw the tragedy. What the Turks did
during that night was inbumsn. They
pierced the babes with their bayonets,
lifted them mp and swung them in the air
until they died. after which their mothers
we're made slaves. You may realize the
words cruel as Turk" from this. 1t was
the saddest thing to see the little ones
whom the Saviour loves, dying that way
The Russians saved many thousands
of children from that city by taking them
with themselves on their horses or car
riages.
had many experiences in that dread
fnl place, but l was wonderfully saved
without being harmed. A Russian Cos
sack took me behind him on his horse's
back, and we rode over 25 miles. He was
in the battle and his face had become
black with the smoke of gun-powder. He
was very kind to me, full with compass
sion to the suffering. He sung me some
OF their military songs, and told me that
the Car Alexander loved boys and want
ed them to be good and brave. He left
me at Shipka Pass where l could see an
other battle of severer nature than that
In Eski- Zagra.
The battle at Shipka Pass began on the
morning of August 81, 1877 and lasted
three days, the first day being uninter-
rupted. There were 900 Russians and
Bulgarians in the forts under the COM
mand Of Gen. Stoletoff, but they were at
tackled BY 10000 Turks. under the COM
mand of Suleim6n Pasha. Very few were
killed on the Russian side, but the Turk
ish general sacrificed his best army in
those three days. space of several hun
dred square yards on the south east of
the forts which the Russians occupied
was covered with Turkish bodies In the
evening of the first day the Turks al
most defeated the forts, but after three
days several thousand Cossacks arrived,
and drove them down the mountains.
The Russians were victorious in his bat
tie with a small loss.
After this battle descended the Shipka
Pass with the wounded soldiers to a town
called Gabrovna. Here / with thousands
OF other children who had lost their par
ents IN the previous few days, had no
bread, no money, no friends Over
month we expended on what God sent to
us. The Russians were very kind to us,
they divided their daily bread with Us,
and so they saved about 10000 children.
1t happened that | moved from this
place to Danubian city where had to
sell oranges and grapes on the streets,
anu, So earned my dally bread until at
last, my mother and father heard of me
by the press and found me.
One rainy day. had sat down, crossing
my bare feet under the roof near the cor
ner OF street, and was representing my
grapes and oranges as the best in the city
TO all the people who passed by, when
father and mother grasped me and took
me with them. That day was A happy
day for me. was rejolced to meet those
whom loved. l had no reason to mourn
any longer. / had forgotten the pretty
lambs and calves on my fathers farm,
and the goo1ly life we lived at home but
| never forgot my. mothers, fathers,
brothers and sisters love. There was
music in the eyes and expression of my
beloved which pleased me. Their love |
poured into my heart like the rain that,
rising from the rivers, lakes, seas and the |
great oceans, "pours on the silent vale"
(TO be cOntinued.)