The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-13
While the Turks Are Assembling
War Ships for Immediate Duty.
SULTAN APPEALS TO POWERS
AND THE LATTER, 1T is SAID, HAVE
DEMONSTRATED WITH GREECE.
Trouble on the Turkish Frontier
Christians and Mussulmans still
Shooting Each other.
Copyright 1897, by the Associated Press.)

Copyright 1897. by the Associated Press)
ATHENS, Feb. 12.-The warlike excite
ment here increased with the departure of
troops for the frontier and the equipping
of additional war vessels for service in
Cretan waters. Nobody seems TO doubt
that clash at arms will occur between
Greece and Turkey unless the powers in
tervene, but is believed here that Greece
will be given a free hand in Crete and that
If she succeeds in annexing that island her
right to do so will not be questioned by the
rest of Europe. 1t is quite certain that
King George has not acted without con-
sulting with his friends in sending the tor
pedo fotilla into Cretan waters with in
structions, TO prevent at all hazards the
landing of Turkish troops in Crete. The
Porte is understood to have appealed to
| the powers 10 restrain Greece in this emer-
gency. but nothing further is known
of the policy Turkey is adopting.
though it is reported that a large force of
Turkish troops is assembling DIT Salonika
for embarkation to Crete. that there is
| great activity in military circles on the
Turkish frontier and that portion of the
! Turkish fleet is being prepared for active
service
say that George Berovitch Pasha, the Turk
| ish Governor of Crete, sought refuge last
evening in the Greek consulate at Canea.
! fearing the anger of the Mussulmans and
dreading arrest. 1t is understood that Bero-
witch Pasha had previously rendered his
| resignation and that the Sultan had refused
| to accept it.
In reply to the request which the Turk
| ish minister here, Assim Bey, made yester-
| day for an explanation of the departure of
| the Greek fotilla for Crete and the issu-
| ing of the note to the powers. stating. in
! brief, that Greece cannot remain inactive
| in view of the present outrages upon Chris
| tians in Crete. the government of Greece
| says that the measures taken are due to
a desire not to discourage the Christians
| from occupying Halepa at a moment when
| an attack upon that town is threatened.
The town of Canea is now said to be toler-
ably quiet; but from four TO five thousand
| forcements. When the reinforcements ar
rive, it is stated, the insurgents will attack
| 1t is known here that the Turkish off,
| cials in Crete have reported to the Porte
| that it is absolutely impossible to pacify
! the island without q very large force OF
troops and the occupation of every town.
| village and mountain stronghold in the
! country. The hatred which has always ex-
4
Christians has been famed into fever heat
| by the recent collisions between the insur-
| gents and the Turks, and this feeling has
| been still further intensified by the proc
| lamation of the independence of Crete from
| Turkish rule and its union with the king
| dom of Greece.
Conflicts of a more or less serious ma
! ture are reported from many parts of the
island. and Heraklion is said to have been
set fire at number of points. The
! foreign fleets have left Canea for Herak-
lion, which seems to confirm the report
| that ii is now the center of disturbance.
| Other reports say that the situation at
| Retimo is almost serious at Herak-
| lion. The Turks at Retimo refuse TO al
| low the Christians to leave the place until
| detachment of one hundred Turkish SOL
diers and forty Mussulmans. who are held
at Amari as hostages are released; o,.,o.
| here is that nothing short of landing of
| blue Jackets and marines from the foreign
fleets will subdue the nsurrection, and it
! is not believed that the powers can agree
to take this step. Under these circum-
stances, therefore, Greece feels justified in
| the course she has adopted, even in event
of a conflict with Turkey.
The report that Great Britain will. if nee
| essary, take the initiative in preventing
the Greek war vessels from actively inter
| fering in Crete is not believed here. 1t is
| thought that any action which may be
| taken will be by Great Britain, France and
| Russia in common. but il Is confidently re-
| ported that these powers nave decided to
allow Greece to have her own way in the
| matter. The insurgents of Crete acting
| in concert with the foreign consuls, have
| declared Halepa to be neutral territory.
| which must not be infringed without
twenty-four hours notice. The command
ers of the foreign war ships have obtained
the promise of the Greek admiral that he
which he may determine to make upon
| Canea.
Trouble on the Turkish Frontier.
LONDON, Feb. 13.-A dispatch to the
| Times from Canea announces that four of
| the boats belonging to the torpedo 1o-
tilla and the transport commanded by
| Prince George of Greece have arrived in
the harbor of Canea.
A dispatch to the same paper from Ath-
ems says that in spite of obstinate officials
silence, ii is known that something is hap
pening on the Turkish frontier necessita-
ting the movement of troops in that drec-
tion. The Turkish authorities are aware of
the difficulty and are taking serious mill
tary precautions against Greece owing to
the critical state of feeling Macedonia has
organized large bodies of Albanian Ghegs
ready to invade Thessaly and engage in
guerrilla warfare as a set-off to the Gre
n-Macedonian movement. Whatever
truth there is in this report, ii is certain
that there was an unusual commotion in
military circles in Athens yesterday (Fri-
day.)
Vienna dispatches report that the powers
have made representations TO the Grecian
government which are not likely TO he mis-
understood at Athens; represent a ations
which will not only check Greece anG pre-
vent that country from taking the law into
its own hands. but which also viii pacify
the Sultan and prevent Turkish military
action along the Grecian frontier.
The Paris correspondent OF the Times
says that il is the universal opinion in
France that the King OF Greece has beer
assured of the support of Russia SO far as
his designs for a union of Crete with
Greece are concerned.
| y dispatch to the Times from Berlin SAYS
that the general situation inspires the
greatest apprehension. The Berlin Pos
contains what is believed TO be an inspired
statement that war between Turkey anC
Greece appears inevitable in view of IN,
| recent events. The report that German
! diplomacy was supporting Greece, the Pos
announces as a mere invention. and say.
that Germany cannot support Greece Il
she intends with selfish aims To attack tn,
| Island OF Crete while IL is denuded o
troops. on the contrary. the Post asserts
il must rather be regarded that Turke,
would be justified In sending troops acros!
| the Thessalian frontier.
Council of Turkish Ministers.
CONSTANTINOPLE. Feb. I2-It was Off
. !