The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-29
PANDEMON!UM OF TERROR
SOME OFFICERS TRIED vAINLY
TO RALLY THEIR TROOPS.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN KILLED
Roads Blocked With Desperate Fugi-
tives, Bedding, Blankets, Tin Pan
means and RideriesS Horses
at Furious Speed.

Athens, April 2S.-The retreat of the
Greeks, after the battle of Matt, devel-
oped into rout before many miles had
been covered The Larissa correspond
ent Of the Associated Press, who was
with the rctreating troops, has arrived
interest While soldiers, villagers, wo-
men and children were marching along,
all hopelessly mixed up, and the soldiers
matchmaking their officers, a dozen
horspmen 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 escaped
being shot by an irregular, says the mad
firing kept up for half an hour.
The scene was terrible. Men, women
and children were killed. The way was
strewn with ammunition boxes, broken
carts and furniture, the bedding of sol
diers blankets and tin pannicans. The
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 riderless 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 attached to
them and seek safety in flight.
There were many struggles between the
fugitives for the possession of the horses.
In this manner the affrighted crowd
struggled 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 to halt But others of the
Greek officers lost their heads and push
ed onward as terror stricken as the sol
diers. One brave officer tried to bring
his men to their senses by presenting Il
revolver at them and shouting: Stop,
STOP but he might as well have called
upon a whirlwind to stay in it's course.
General Mavromichaelis, who had evil
dently cached Larissa some time before,
rode back some distance in order to arrest
the stampede.
1.-TWO miles from the Larissa road is sit
uated an embankment, where the Gen
eral succeeded in inducing half a COM
pany of foot sore men to fall in, but thou
sands continued to pell nell rush for
Larissa.
"There was a block at the bridge a
cross at Salambria river, at the entrance
of Larissa. Another terrible scene was
-
struggling in fearful mass.
"In the streets of Larissa there was
indescribable confusion. Troops of all
arms were mixed together and threw
themselves down in utter exhaustion,
needless of the calls of the trumpets and
bugles summoning them to fall in. The
inhabitants rushing about the streets, i'm
tensifed the confusion. The mere men,
ton of the Turks was sufficient to create
Il frenzied rush.
"When the moon rose and the neighbOr-
hood of the town could be made out with
some distinctness. matters became calm
er and at dawn the excitement had been
reduced to a restless movement from
street to street, and an anxious discus
sion of the future.
"Some estimates of the number of
deaths which occurred during the stam-
pede and indiscriminate firing, say that
from five to six hundred persons were
killed. But your correspondent thinks
these figures are exaggerated, though peo-
pie declare they have seen many wagons
bearing the dead to Larissa.
''The five newspaper correspondents
who were in the stampede all had mira
culous escapes from death.
"The first hours of day light were spent
by the Greek officers in assembling their
scattered troops and sending them to
PharsaloS. The troops continued the
march without any refreshment and it 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 child
rem went about drawing their hands a.
cross their throats, showing what they
expected of the Turks, and in an incred-
IDLY short time the roads leading to Phar-
salos and Volo were crowded with peo-
pie, vehicles and animals, the latter bear
ing all kinds of household effects.
"a special train of trucks took to Volo
about three thousand people of every de-
gree, the passengers hanging ON to the
roofs and platforms like swarm of bees;
but the majority trudged along on foot
and many of the refugees threw anxious
looks back at Larissa and the vale of
Tempe, fearing every moment rush
from the Circassian cavalry.
"By 1:3O p. M, Larissa was emptied.
Instead of following the troops to Phar-
salOs, the correspondent, in order to get
off his dispatches, pushed on to Volo,
where there was a panic almost equaling
the one witnessed at Larissa. Fugitives