The record-union., 1896-08-07
THE TROUBLE IN CRETE.

There is a deal Of trouble in Crete.
England is angry at Germany for sug-
gesting that she join the latter in
blockade of Cretan ports. Greece de-
sires to restore the island to its own
domain. The Christians and Moham-
nedans in the island are at war. and
the Turkish forces look on and do little
to preserve the peace.
The Cretan rebels are a very different
class of people from the Armenians.
They are more aggressive, better prac-
ticed in military art, and have far more
Of the spirit Of resistance. In the noun
tain regions live the Sphakiotes, who
are a pastoral people, but at the same
time indulge in robbery as a business.
These tribesmen are friendly to Greece,
which supplies them with arms and
money. These mountaineers make
practice of going down into the valleys
and prevailing with more or less sue
cess upon the fanatic Christians to join
with them and attack the Mohammedan
villages. Then follow the most horri-
Bile butcheries.
When such war breaks out in Crete
the Moslems as a rule seek the cities
for protection, but if unable to do so
make stand in their fortified towns
and fight for their lives and property.
The Turkish Government, which is duty
bound to keep the peace, is in sympathy
with the Moslems of course. The most
they do, therefore, is to drive the noun
taineers back to the hills after each
Iaid. In some rare cases they have
prevented descents, but their efforts in
that direction are but half-hearted.
When the offenders are driven out the
Mohammedans seek revenge by follow
ing them, and at the same time fall
upon the Christians, who are charged.
whether justly or not, with being allies
of the Sphakiotes. These attacks are
accompanied by horrors before which
the outrages of the Armenians pale.
With the approach of winter peace re-
turns. because the mountaineers can
not remain in the field in cold weather.
Such, In brief, is the account of the
usual risings, given by writer said to
be thoroughly informed, in the Buda-
pest "Neues Poster Journal
DR.. Lagoudaky, a Cretan, In the
"Frankfurter Zeitung," denies that the
Cretan risings are due either to Russian
or English influences, and says that the
Cretans Jhave no desire to exchange the
yoke of Turkey for that of England or
of the Gear; that the people are really
Greeks, and wish to come under Gre
clan control He says, in translation
made for the Literary Digest:
The Greek Government advises the
Cretans to submit. but cannot prevent
Greek newspapers from publishing sub
scription lists on behalf of the insur-
gents, nor that the wives and children
of the islanders are sent to Greece for
safety. The influence of the Greek Gov
ernment may bring about an appear
ance of peace, but the fire will continue
to glow beneath the ashes. Christians
and Moslems cannot become reconciled
in the island Yes, the Turks kill-eigh-
teen members of my family have been
butchered by then1-but so do the
Christians. The Christian herdsman
whose relative has been killed by a
Turk swears vengeance that he will
not allow his hair to be shorn off un-
til he has obtained bloody revenge. In
the mountains the Cretans are the
strongest, and they viii always remain
so. The Turkish soldiers are brave, able
men, but when they enter the mountain
passes they meet the fate Of the Per-
slams at Thermopylae. Our men are
first-rate shots. Caesar praised them
for their skill as archers, and Cretan
archers formed the bodyguard Of the
Byzantine emperors.
That the Turkish Government can
suppress the annual instructions in
Crete is undeniable, but it is doubtful
If the Sultan cares TO do SO, so long
as the Christian lowlanders get the
worst of the fighting, as they generally
do. He would seem to be willing to
have the Christians exterminated, or
eli driven into Greece. where large