New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-29
THE RETREAT FROM MATT.
a NIGHT OF TERROR ON THE PLAIN
OF THESSALY.
WILD AND pANIcKY FLIGHT OF rEENZIED SOL
DIERs AND CIVILIANS. MEN. WOMEN AND
CHILDREN TO LAHIssA AND voLo
HUNDREDS KILLED IN

THE MAD RUSH
Athens. April 2S-The correspondent OF the
Associated Press at LarIssa who was with the
retreating Greeks after the battle OF Matt. has
arrived here. When he overlook the Greek In
fantry the latter were In struggling order, foot
sore and grimy from four days In the trenches
and long exposure to shells enough TO unnerve
veterans They went along In silence, con-
trast with the ordinary chattering In the Greek
ranks. The night was pitch dark and the red
glare at Kutari and Deller in the distance added
to the werdness of the scene.
Later the correspondent passed batteries OF
artillery. mule trains. carts. wagons crying VII
layers, women and children. 1t was pitiable
All were hopelessly mixed up. There was no at
tempt at order. All arms were intermingled
and the confusion was completed by the shouts
and rushes OF the Evzones and irregulars In
every style Of outfit Their previous sullenness
gave place to the camor Of disappointed ard
dispirited men, They forgot their weariness In
wild inprecations against their generals and
other officers.
THE RETREAT BECOMES A RoUT.
The retreot became rout The carriages were
slowly picking their way through desperate men,
CRYING women and children. and horses and
donleys. all overladen which were creeping
along at snaps pace prancing with nervous
fright
Suddenly. above the din Of the confused
masses on the road and in the adjoining fields
came a roar developing into fierce sustained
| veil. rolling from the distant rear with lightning
speed Soon In the midst Of this YELL could be
distinguished cries of
"The Turks are upon us
In a few moments a dozen horsenen and as
many rideIless steeds appeared on the left at
full gallop the men shouting with frenzy:
Run, Rum The Turks are here"
Into the night air arose this agonized roar
fairly paralyzing Imagination. It will remain in
n,o-nory forever The stampede was Inn
mediate. The animals were lashed into a gallop
and men, women. children and solciers joined
pell nell in mad rush. Many who fel! to the
ground wore tramoled to death. and vehicles
were overturned mixing up bedding furniture
ammunition. horses. donkeys oxen and buffaloes
The correspondent continues his story as fol-
. lows
"Accordine 10 one story, the horsemen who
suddenly appeared and caused this fearful stam-
pede were really Circassan cavalry, which de-
bouched from Boughazi. but this report Is not
generally believed.
beside our carriage two infantrymen appeared
with faces blanched with terror. They Jumped
upon the steps, and we tried to keep them out
one Of them thereupop levelled his rifie In our
direction. But suddenly their cont ined weight
on the steps Of side Of the carriage over
turned H. smashed 1t TO pieces and The Lon
don Timess" correspondent and myself were
thrown out. I was pinned by the leg under
broken timbers as tho pandemonium around in
creased
WILD AND RECKLESS FIRING.
"In perfect insanity Of terror. soldiers. ir-
regulars and armed peasants began firing their
,in,s In every direction. From the front and
rear from right and left. the bullets whizZe1'
but the reports Of the firearms were scarcely
heard above the roar of the human beings and
the terror Of the maddened animals.
Even in the Shpka Pass or in the hottest
mar, of the fearful fighting at Plevna, l never
witnessed such wild firing. The whole plain was
III bv the flashes Of the rifles in the hands OF the
terror-stricken sodery and peasants. Eventu.
ally "lhe Timess' correspondent ana myselr
succeeded in getting inside ditch by the road
sida and thus proceeding slowly. In this man
ner we succeeded in pushing forward for time,
when we were thrown down by rush IRON. be-
hind and were trampled upon by scores Of peo-
nle AS | succeeded in rising to my feet an r-
regular who was rushing past deliberately
tuTned raised his rife to within three inches Of
nv head and fred | ducked just IN time ana
fell TO the ground thus saving my HE.
"J had lost my con DaniOn In the meanwhile
and walked on in tne dltcn reieIrtu to' vi elSe
nloughed my way through the thick OF the
stampede. ,, L.. .,, TT.
"The rnaddenei firing continued for fully half
an hour At the expiration OF that time bugers
we're heard sounding cease firing, but II was
long time before the continuous rattle slack
ened down to single shots The pandemonium
had spread several miles.
when / returned To the road. stumbling over
dead and dying animals. men and women. the
ccene was terrible. The way was strcwn with
Continued on seventh pngc.