Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-05-04
WHY TIM GREEKS CAN'T WIN.

Another Description of Frenzied Flight
from the Unspeakable.
London, May A dispatch to The
Daily News from Patras, on the west
coast of Greece. dated Sunday, gives a
most graphic account Of the battle be-
tween the Greeks and the Turks at
Pentepigadia. Epirus, and of the retreat
Of the former from that place. 1t shows
that the rout and panic Of the Greeks
at Pentepigadia was as complete as the
stampede which followed the fighting
at Tyrnavos, and the retreat on Larissa
and Pharsalos, in Thessaly. The Daily
News correspondent says: "The net
effect. OF the Greek retreat to Arta is
that each army is now in the position
which it occupied before war was de-
clared. but with all prestige gone from
the Greeks. The Greeks had held the
hill near Pentepigadia on Wednesday
evening against fierce Turkish attacks.
The Greeks obviously needed to be re-
inforced, but though considerable forces
were near no help was sent.
'On Thursday morning the Turkish
fire was brisker and our guns on the
crest of the hill for some reason were
silent. The fury of the fire eliminated
at $3.50 p. m. The Turkish fire was easi-
ly distinguished by reason of the sharp
er crack of the Martini rifle, and it de-
veloped in the space of quarter Of an
hour into the most terrific roar ever
heard in any battle, subsiding to a
fusillade in three quarters of an hour.
The Turks in the meanwhile We're mass
Ing upon the slopes on our right front,
to rushing the bill. Yet
our guns on the central hill were silent
after twenty mf..utes and were with
drawn.
Il asked a sergeant where the guns
were going and he replied: To better
position AS matter of fact they were
being romped back to Hanopoulo as
fast as the mules could take them. The
Evzones on the crest of the hill made a
gallant reply to the murderous fire, and
held out manfully. losing 100 men, until
6 o'clock, when cheers began to mingle
with the rattle of the Martins. A mo-
ment later the Evzones tumbled over
the crest. firing as they came. the Turks
following and firing necessarily at the
killed men fleeing down the hill side. 1t
only remained to make good our retreat.
The Turks continued to pour a smart
responded, but 1t was obviously use
less
Then some one gave an order and the
EvZones with n groan of disgust left
their positions. moving sullenly though
in perfect order" The correspondent
of The News then describes the flight
of the Greeks before the Turks. num-
bering about COCO men. who scaled the
mountain. which is covered with bushes
and rocks. They fired continuously and
rapidly. driving the Evzones and in
habitants before them, the latter carry
ing off such of their property as was
portable. The correspondent then says:
when left Arta on Friday morning
the Greeks had not a man left on the
Turkish side of the River Arkaphos. 1
have never seen men so demoraliZed for
so small cause. Indeed, ii was a case
of almost no cause whatever. They had
neither seen the enemy nor felt his fire.
yet 1900 men and forty guns melted
away. Had the Turks pursued the
fuSitives much further-accompanied as
they were by the peasantry. women and
children. and 10000 sheep. besides cattle
the massacre would have been awful"
Altgeld on the Globe Savings Rank