The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-05-04
THE GREEK MINISTER'S
Favorably Impressed with the Sit
cation at Pharsalos.
THE TOWN OF ARTA DESERTED.

Anh lUW ~ VI An La Uho In Id
The Inhabitants Living In the Fields
Behind the Town, and suffering From
Cold and Hunger-Greeks Prepared
to Defend Pharsalos and Volo.
London. May According to dis
! patches from Athens Colonel Tosame-
dos, minister of war. and M. Theotolds.
minister Of the interior are said to be
/ favorably impressed with the situation
at Pharsalos. both as respects the po-
sitions Of the troops and the plan of
defenses
Rumors conflict materially as to the
diplomatic attitude of Turkey. Ac-
cording to one report Edhem Pasha,
the Turkish commander in Thessaly,
has asked an armistice of five days
according to another, an armistice al
ready exists by the tacit acquiesence
/ of both commanders, while a third
story describes Edhem Pasha as only
awaiting reinforcements for an attack
/ upon Pharsalos, to be followed by an
attack upon Volo. 1t is also said to be
| probable that Admiral Tamatello is
| preparing to prevent a possible at
tempt Of the Turks to seize Volo by the
coast roads.
Arta is now deserted, and its wretch
ed inhabitants are living i'm the fields
behind the town, many of them on the
verge of starvation. Nothing is pro-
durable in the way of food except a
scanty and uncertain supply of bread
/ Women and children are suffering pit
| iably with cold and hunger and to
those tortures is added the dread of a
Turkish attack at any moment,
A special dispatch from Janina,
Epirus, says; After travelling 200
miles across the country / found the
/ greatest loyalty to the sultan and
/ hatred Of the Greeks everywhere. The
/ Greek prisoners are bitter at the con-
/ duct Of their officers They are all
/ well treated by the Turks. Sixty
\ wounded Turks and % Greeks are in
| the hospitals here. The sanitation of
| the army is excellent. There are only
| All sick men"
The Times prints the following dis
| patch from its Vol correspondent,
dated p. m. yesterda.
"When l arrived at Velastino Sunday
afternoon 1 had just seen the Turkish
infantry advancing in two columns, in
/ tending to cut the railway. The Greeks,
/ 10000 strong, under General Smolensl1i,
/ by whose side 1 watched the encounter
/ In the rear Of the Eighth regiment,
! gradually advanced one battalion to
hold the railway, the other to support
the artillery, which had mountain
guns on the right center.
General Smolensld had ordered the
shelling to begin when the enemy were
well within range, and consequently
the guns did not open fire before $50
p. m. The Turks We're evidently about
$4,000 strong, Their cavalry recon
noltered the wood, where the Greeks
were concealed, but the batteries re-
mained silent until 6, and at that time
the fire fell short of being effective,
though the Greek practice was the
best 1 have yet noticed The Turks
ran away from the shells, but con-
tinued to advance in good order Our
! right was really never engaged, and
the railway station was defended by
only a small force, with two Krupp
guns. Toward the end the large Turk
Ish center was seen to advance in the
distance, but sunset, at GAS, caused
a temporary cessation,
Trains are running to Pharsalos
now, and l managed to get through.
Returning on horseback in the dark
ness to Volo, l was captured by the
Greek outposts, thanks to the fault of
headquarters to issue regular passes.
was treated with much civility, but
was detained until a late hour.
Having met reinforcements on the
way to Velestino, 1 went out again
Monday, when the Greeks brought up
nearly the whole Pharsalos force. Save
in the sharp struggles during the night
the Greeks have been successful hold
ing their ground. The Turks mounted
battery on a hill facing the Greek
left, approached the end of the wood
and burned a small village. Nearly al
the fighting has been on the extrem,
right, in the direction of Lake Karli
and the eastern Volo road. Whoeve
gains this road commands Volo, anC
could cut off retreat here"
The Athens correspondent of Th
Daily Telegraph says:
Il had an interview yesterday will
M. Ralli, who told me that the repor
sent by the ministers of war and thu
Interior from Pharsalos was in mos
respects highly satisfactory. He saiC
they had wired him from Pharsalo.
that the front line of the army wa,
In battle array, and the Turkish at
tack imminent. All the preparation,
possible had been made for heroic de
fense, and the spirit of the army wai
much better than before, owing to tht
,hange in the supreme command.
IN. Rali declared that the victor!
at Velestno was the most splendiC
achievement of the war, the Greeks
capturing an enormous quantity o
arms, ammunition and horses. Th
Turks, after this crushing defeat, M
Ralli believes, are not likely to re
engage in hostilities in that quarter
The chief points of interest in tn,
war situation today are:
First, that the decision of the minis
lers who have returned from the Greel
frontier seems to be in favor of a con
tinuance of the war; and, second, tina
lighting continued almost incessantl!
at Velestino from last Tuesday unit
/ Sunday, with the result that Genera
Smolensld has been prevented from ac
tually assuming his new duties as chic
of staff. AS a further result, the Greek
at Velestino have managed to retail
} their positions, but they are too mucl
ratigued to follow up their success.
Altogether IA officers have been re
called from Crete to be sent on t.
Thessaly, and this also is a proof of tn
; intention Of the new cabinet to con
tinue the war. The movement is ac
/ tuated by necessity All the best Off
! GERS are being sent to the front, nor I
.