Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-02
CRETE
THE ISLAND WHICH THE TURKS HAVE
NEVER sUBDUED.
Two Thousand Years in Rebellion-Ihe
Defendants of Old Greek Pirates
Traits of the Population.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat

revival of former rebellions, for the time
is not known when the Cretans were not
either in open Instruction or secret con-
spiracy against the Governors of their
island. 1t was first occupied by the Sara
Gems, A. D. 1913, and the Cretans were in
constant mutiny until their island was
retaken by the Greeks, eighty years after
ward; then they rebelled against the
Greeks and were by them handed over to
the Venetians In 1864, violent insur-
rection was begun against the Venetian
Governor, and after several years of war,
attended with great bloodshed and much
cruelty on both sides, the Cretans were
subdued, and subdued so effectually that,
although the Venetians ruled the island
till 1915, no more is heard of Cretan
rebellion. AT the last named date the
Turks came, landed in the northern ports
and began the siege of Khania, which con-
tinued for twenty-four years, being the
longest siege of modern times. During
this siege over 100000 lives were lost, but
Khania was finally overcome, and the
whole of the northern part of the island
was overrun by the Turkish forces. But
the island was never completely subdued.
Through the center runs mountain chain
from east to west, and the branches toward
the south terminate in exceedingly rough
precipices, rendering it almost impossible
to land at any point on the south coast.
The whole of the south coast of the island
is, therefore, mountainous and almost i'm
passable. The aboriginees took refuge in
the mountain gorges and were never con-
quered, to this day their submission to the
Porte being only in name.
When the Greeks rebelled in 1920 Crete
| also burst into flame, and the Turkish
garrison of the island, finding it impossi-
BILE to make any progress egainst the rebels,
were placed in adesperate position. The
Sultan applied to Mohammed Ali, the
Pasha of Egypt, for assistance, and several
regiments of Egyptians, trained to the
barbarous warfare of the Soudan, we're dis
patched to Crete All the island, except
the mountainous district, was speedily
subdued, and in $780, in return for the
assistance rendered, Crete was ceded to
Egypt. The administration of affairs
by the Egyptian Government
was SO much worse than even that
of Turkey that another rebellion
speedily broke out, but the Ottoman Gov
eminent, this time being at peace with the
rest of the world, dispatched troops SUBJ
dued the rebellion, and took back the
island in 1910. By policy of Cancellation,
partial peace was restored in 1941, and the
Cretans remained in state of smoldering
NATL 1870
broke out, which continued at intervals
until 1866. The Christians demanded re-
dress of their grievances, called general
assembly, which declared the independ-
ence of the island and pronoun-
ced the Turkish power at an end,
and voted for a cession to Greece. After
all attempts at Cancellation had failed, a
Turkish army under the command of
Mustapha Pasha was landed on the coast,
and war began, the annals, of which were
filled with tales of the most terrible bar
barities perpetrated by both sides. Thous-
ands of recruits poured in from Greece,
and many heroic deeds were done. 1t was
during this war that the monastery of Ar
kado was besieged by the Turks. The
Greek and Cretan defenders held it until
the walls were crumbled by the Turkish
artillery; the Turks attempted storm
and carried the Notifications by assault,
but in the moment of their triumph, when
the whole fort was filled with Turkish
troops, one of the garrison blew up the
magazine, and besieged and besiegers per-
ished at one stroke, leaving nothing of the
fortress but the rock on which it stood.
The Powers interviewed, and Austria
Prussia, Italy and Switzerland advised the
Porte to give Crete to Greece. This ad-
vice was contemptuously rejected and the
war continued, going against the Turks
Proposals were made for peace and the
Grand Vizier sent to offer terms to the in
surrectionists. Amnesty was proclaimed
but the promise not being kept, the war
was renewed, with various fortunes, until
finally, both sides being exhausted, self
government was granted to the Cretans in
1869.
The peace thus won lasted until the year
1877, when another great rebellion broke
out which was quelled only by very sig
nifcant hint from the Congress of Berlin
that the Cretans had made trouble enough
and would better keep quiet. The Cretan
insurrection subsidized when the hope of
European Intervention was lost, and the
island has been tolerably quiet until few
months ago, when war between the Cretans
and their Turkish masters again broke out,
and the hostilities now going Oil are as
savage as ever.
The character of the population has
much to do with the state of the island
The christians" are such mostly in name;
the Turks, so-called, are really apostate
Greeks, who, finding their position as
Christians intolerable under a Moham-
medan Government, have, to better their
own condition, embraced Mohammedan-
ism, and are thus known as the Turkish
element" Both classes are alike ignorant
and prejudiced, and being of the same
nationality, hate each other with an inten-
sity of bitterness which only religious
difference could engender. The Greek
Christians despise the renegades, declaring
In the language Of Cretan that "they
have exchanged heavenly crown for
earthly riches" the renegades in turn
hate those whom they left, and all the con-
ditions exist for permanent broil. Those
of one side are as brutal and cruel as those
of the other, and not much can be said to
the credit of either. During the wars
waged in the past by the Turks against the
Cretans, neither side gave nor received
quarter. In the southern part of the
island are numerous caves one of which,
because of its many ramifcations, is be-
lieved to have been the labyrinth of the
Minataur. In one of these, the cave of
Melidoni on Mount Ida, some 300 Cretans
took refuge from the Turks in the war of
1920. They believed their position i'm
pregnable, and as they were well supplied
with food and the cave contained natural
spring, they refused all overtures looking
to surrender. The Pasha in command
sent an officer with flag of truce to treat
with them. They cut off the officers head
in sight of the Turkish camp A storm
was attempted, and repulsed. The Pasha
sent Cretan woman to offer terms. They
shot the woman and threw her body over
the cliff. In despair of coming to any