The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-29
RETREAT FROM MATT A R0UT.
THE FCGITIVES FILLED WITH
FEAR OF THE TURKS.

| The Fact That None of the NTOsIenls
Were In Sight Cut No Figure-The
Bare Possibility of Their Appear
ance Struck Terror to Every Heart.
Indiscriminate FusiInde In one of
the Panics Costs Many Lives-Five
Hundred or six Hundred Persons
said to. Have Perished During the
Stampede.
Copyright, 1897, by the Associated Press.
Athens, April 27.-The retreat of the
| Greeks after the battle of Matt developed
| into rout before many miles had been
| covered. The Larissa correspondent of the
| Associated Press, who was with the re-
treating troops, has arrived here and his
story of the fight is full of interest.
While soldiers, villagers, women and
| children, were marching along, all hope
lessly mixed up, and the soldiers anath-
| emizing their officers, dozen horsemen
and as many riderless horses appeared.
| The cry went up "The Turks are upon
u.s. and the stampede began. The fright
| ened soldiers and villagers commenced
to fire in every direction and the terror of
| the animals added to the confusion.
| The correspondent, who narrowly escap-
| ed being shot by an irregular, says the
mad firing kept up for half an hour. Men,
women and children were killed and the
| scene was terrible.
| The way was strewn with ammunition
| boxes, broken carts, and furniture the
! bedding of soldiers, blankets and tin pani-
| kans. The latter ratified under the horses
feet until their blankets became entanglcd
in them, and the horses frantic with
alarm. galloped around the frantic
| crowds.
| Gun and ammunition wagons and carts
| added to the obstruction. Their traces
had been cut in order to enable the drivers
to mount the horses attached to them and
seek safety in flight
There were many struggles between the
fugitves for the possession Of the horses.
In this manner the affrighted crowd strug-
gled on for several miles, presenting a
most vivid picture of disaster and fear.
Some of the Greek officers, it is true, did
their duty. They ordered the buglers and
trumpeters to sound cease firing" and
rode about calling upon the fleeing soldiers
|
lost their heads and pushed, onward as
| terror-strieken as the soldiery. One brave
officer tried to bring his men to their
senses by presenting a revolver at them
and shouting: Stop, stop" but he might
as well have called upon a whirlwind to
stay in its course.
Gen. Mavromichaelis, who had evidently
reached Larissa some time before rode
back some distance in order to arrest the
stampede. Two miles from the Larissa
road, is situated an embankment where
the general succeeded in inducing half a
company of foot soldiers to fall in, but the
thousands continued the pell nell rush for
| Larissa.
There was a blockade at the bridge
across Salambra river, at the entrance of
Larissa. Another terrible scene was
there presented. Guns, men and horses
struggling in a fearful mass.
In the streets of Larissa there was in
describable confusion. Troops of all arms
were mixed together and threw them
selves down in utter exhaustion, needless
of the calls of the trumpets and bugles,
summoning them to fall in. The inhap-
itants rushing about the streets intensified
the confusion. The mere mention of the
Turks was sufficient to create a frenzied
| rush.
When the moon rose and the neighbor-
hood of the town could be made out with
some distinctness matters became calmer,
and at dawn the excitement had been re-
duced to a restless movement from street
to street, and an anxious discussion of the
future.
Some of the estimates of the number of
deaths which occurred during the STAN
pede and indiscrlminate firing. say that
from 500 to 600 persons were killed. But
your correspondent thinks these figures
are exaggerated, though people declare
they have seen many wagons bearing the
dead to Larissa
The five newspaper correspondents. who
were in the stampede, all had miraculous
escapes from death.
The first hours of daylight were spent
by the Greek officers in assembling their
scattered troops and sending them to
| Pharsala. The troops continued the march
without any refreshment. and II is alleged
that many Of them had not tasted food
since Friday morning.
| When it became known that Larissa was
| to be abandoned, there was another panic.
! The women and even the children went
! about drawing their hands across their
! throats, showing what they expected of
the Turks, and in an incredibly short time
the roads. leading to Pharsala and Volo
were crowded with people, vehicles and
animals, the latter bearing all kinds OF
household effects.
A special train Of trucks took TO Volo
about 5000 people of every degree, the pas
sengers hanging on to the roofs and plat
| forms like a swarm Of bees; but the ma
| jority trudged along on foot and many OF
the refugees threw anxious looks back
at Larissa and the vale of Pempe, look
ing for movement Of the Turkish cav
| airy.
BY 1880 D. m. Larlssa was emptied In
stead OF following the troops to Pharsaa
| the correspondent, IN order to get of his
dispatches. pushed on 10 Volo, where there
was panic almost equalllng the one wit
messed al Larlssa. Fugitiyes were arriv-
| ing az Volo every few minutes, and they
spread rumors that the Turks would en-
/ ter that place IN a few hours. In the abb