The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-05-01
WAR NEWS.
in AthenS-.Story of the
Battle OF Matt.
Change OF the Greek Cabinet...Ihe
Su!tan's Peace Terms.

/
crbes the retreat of the Greeks after
! the battle of Matt:
| When [ overlook the Greek imam
! try they were in Struggling order, foot
/ sore and griuy from four days in the
/ trenches and long enough exposure to
shells to unnerve veterans. They went
along in silence, a contrast to the ordln-
ary chattering in the Greek ranks.
The night was pitch dark and the red
glare of kutari and Deliler in the dis
lance added to the weirdness of the
scene. Later | passed batteries of ar
tilery, mule trains, carts, wagons, cry
Jug villagers, women and children. 1t
was pitiable. ALI were hopelessly mixed
up. There was no attempt at order.
All arms were intermingled and the con-
fusion was completed by the shouts and
rushes of the EyZones and irregularS IN
every style of outfit. Their previous
sullenness gave place to the Clamor of
disappointed and dispirlted men. They
forgot their WEAKNESS in wild impreca-
tions against their general and other
officers.
Suddenly above the din Of the con-
fused masses on the road and in the adj
joining fields. came roar, developing
into fierce, sustained yell, coming
from the distant rear with lightning
speed. Soon, in the midst of tins yell
could be distinguished cries of The
Turks are upon us
In few moments a dozen horsemen
and as many riderless steeds appeared
on the left at full gallop, the men shout
ing with frenzy: Run, run; the Turks
are here
1t will remain in my memory forever.
The stampede vas immediate. The
animals were dashed into a gallop and
men, women, children and soldiers
Joined in a mad rush, and many fell to
the ground, being trampled to death.
According to one story, the horsemen
who so Suddenly appeared and caused
this fearful stampede, were really Cir
cassian cavalry, which debouched from
Boughazi, but this report is not gcnerA
a,lv believed Beside our carriage the
infantry men appeared with faces
bianchei from terror. They jumped up
on the steps and we tried to keep them
out. One OF them thereupon levelled
his rifle in our direction. But their
weight combined on one side of the car
rage overturned it and crushed it to
pieces, and the London Times cores
pendent and myself were thrown out.
was pinned by the leg under broken
timbers, as the pandemonlum around
me increased. In perfect insanity Of
terror, soldiers, irregulars and armed
peasants began firing their rifles in
every direction. From the front and
rear, from the right and left the bullets
whizzed, but the reports of the fire arms
were scarcely heard above the roar of
human beings and the terror of the
maddened animals.
Even in the Shipha Pass, or the hot
test part of the fearful fighting at Plevna
| never witnessed such wild firing. The
whole plain was lit by the flashes of
the rifles in the hands of the terror
stricken soldiery and peasants.
The pandemonlum had spread several
miles. When | returned to the road,
stumbling oyer dead and dying animals,
men and women, the scene was terrible.
The way was strewn with ammunition
boxes, broken carts and furniture, bed
! ding, blankets, etc, and tin pannic. Tie
| latter ratified under the horses feet
blankets became entangled in them, and
the horses, frantic with alarm, galloped
about among the flying crowds, many OF
| them riderlcss and deserted.
Guns and ammunition, wagons and
! carts added to the obstruction. Their
traces had been cut in order to enable
| the drivers to mount the horses at
tached to them and seek safety in flight.
There were many struggles between
| the tugltlyes for the possession OF the
| horses. In this manner the atirighted
Gro Wd struggled on for several miles,
presenting a most vivid picture of dis
aster and fear. Some Of the Greek Off
GERS, it is true, did their duty. They or
dered the buglers ane trumpeters to
sound cease firing and rode about cal
ling upon the fleeing soldiers to halt.
But others of the Greek officers lost
their heads and pushed onward as ter
ror-strickcn as the sOldicry. One brave
officer tried to bring his men to their
senses by presenting a revolver at them
and shouting, stop, stop but he might
~, ,,-,ll 1a,-,. a.;
stay its course. General Navromichaelis
who had evidently reached Lar.ssa some
time before, rode back some distance in
order to arrest the stampede.
Two miles from the Larissa road Is
situated an EN- Dankment, where the
general succeeded IN inducing half a
company of foot soldiers to fail in, but
thousands continued the pell-mell rush
to Larissa.
When the moon rose and the neigh
bnrhood of the town could he made out
with some distinctress, matters became
calmer, and at dawn the excitement had
been restless movement from street IL
street, and an ANXIOUS discussion Of the
future.
Some estimate the number of deaths
which occurred during the stampede
and lndiscr!minate firing, at 800 to 800
persons, but think these figures exag-
-erate the deaths, though people declare
they have seen wagons bearing the dead
TO Larissa
The five newspaper correspondents
who were in the stampede all had a
miraculous escape from death.
Tho first hours of daylight were spent
by the Greek officers in assembling
their scattered troops and sending
them TO Pharsalos The troops con-
tinued the march without am refresh