The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-20
FRONTIER WAR SCENES.
sketches of Turks and Greeks at the
Front.

LOndOn-The special correspondents at
the front on both sides are beginning to
FIJI in the war pictures with plenty of
3ight and color which are lacking in the
Dare outlines that come by telegraph The
more interesting sketches continue to
come from the Turkish, rather than the
creek side. The Turk somehow is a
more picturesque figure In war than his
christian foe. Even before the glamour
of victory was added to his Oriental ia
naticism there was greater fascination
about his manner OF making war or pre-
paring for war than was found among
lhe Hellenic hosts. So, at least, the COR
RESPONDENTS with Edhem Pashas army
make it appear. Certainly the Turks go
about the business of war in more bust
uess-Iike fashion, if not with greater en-
thusiasm than the Greeks.
Here is the amusing story of the first
Greek prisoner taken by the Turks during
the unofficial raid which preceded the dec
laratian of war. It, also, is from MI.
Stevens pen, in the Daily Mail:
Yesterday a captured brigand arrived
here and 1 interviewed him. In the black
ening dusk 1 saw dim knot of men under
the portico of the Kaimakam's house-the
prison is the Kaimakam's back garden.
inside ring of braided and buttoned
Turkish officers of breeched and gathered
English correspondents, stood a man, talk
ing fast and loudly. / went up to the ring
ana looked at him. AS a brigand he was
distinctly Disappointing squat little
man under five feet, SLOUGH cap and an
rl-dtted cord suit. AS he gabbled on,
now crossing his arms, now waving them
like windmill sails around his head, he
looked for all the world like an unemploy-
ed orator on Tower Hill.
oDehantly and even proudly, he told his
story to the interpreter. He came from
Corfu, and he belonged to a battalion of
the reserve. He went first to Larissa, then
TO Trikkala, then to Kalabaka. His cap
tain and his lieutenant ordered him to
make war, and the whole battalion--so 1
gathered, though it sounds unlikely-went
forward together. With others, they were
A thousand strong. The officers put off
their uniforms and put on kits Every
body knew they were going to make war
at Trikkala, at Kalabaka, everywhere.
They all cried Zito no polemos'-and as he
said the words, the grubby little prisoner
flourished his arms and stood up his whole
A foot g. They went over the frontier at
sunrise, he did not know whether the Of
ficers saw them, though he admitted that
thousand men cannot hide behind a
juniper bush. They came to the Turkish
block-houses; some of the garrisons re-
tired. and they burnt their block-houses.
. One they besieged, and when the Turks
had fought many hours and shot away all
their ammunition, they surrendered-eigh
men to a thousand. The eight were taken
back to Kalabaka. After that they went
on four hours march into Turkey. Then
they met the Turks again, and they were
defeated. They had an army doctor with
them and he was shot, but they saved the
colors. Then he got cut off from his COM
rades with twenty-five others. Twenty
four were shot, and so he surrendered.
And there he was till an orderly took him
away to the prison again.
What they are going to do with the
absurd little brigand 1 do not know. They
would be quite within their right to shoot
him, and the execution might have the
good effect of clearing the political air
perhaps even to the point of war. All the
same, I rather hope they will be kind to
him. He thinks he has been playing the
part of patriot engaged in a righteous
war against his country's enemies. But
he at least risked his life, and is ready to
pay it YETI
Mr.. Stevens has not told us the fate
of the wretched little brigand.
The first simple Straightforward story
of how the Greeks lost Milouna Pass
whence all their troubles resulted, is told
correspondent with the Turkish army, and
published to-day. He writes:
The Greeks made a determined attack
on Milouna Pass at about Z clock on Sat
urday evning. A ridge of his along the
Watersde of which the frontier runs for
about one and a half to two miles, rises
al either extremity to a hight of some 5000
feet. On each of these SUBMITS a Turk
ish battery had been placed. The Greeks
swept the Turkish frontier blockhouses,
and, descending the northern slopes, had
almost reached the plain. Three miles
Of level country would have brought them
10 Elassona. But six Turkish battalions
moved up hastily, and drove the invaders
back toward Greco. About 2 o'clock in
the morning the fighting was very heavy.
The Greeks were repulsed from four posi-
IONS successfully by bayonet rushes. They
fought with great determination, but
could not witstand the steady pressure OF
The Turks, were now supported by
fresh achievements. The casualties bore
very slight proportion to the amount of
firing, but some very ugly work was done
at close quarters. When morning dawn
ed the Greeks had been sent back to the
frontier blockhouses, but the heavy firing
continued without intermission.
About o'clock a.. m. Memdouks
Pasha's reserve division left its encamp-
ment and moved up to the base of the
Niho. me AlDdnldn DdLtanOnS cndnteQ
their war songs as they marched in coll
umn of companies across the dry plough
land and the cornfields, already knee deep,
OF the E.assonian plain. At first it was
thought that a few hours would be suffi-
Client to drive the Greeks down into Thes-
sally. But the hills are very difficult and
broken; no general attacking line could be
formed. The battle resolved itself, for
some hours, into a series Of detached con-
hicts. The soldiers kept up an independ-
enI hre, lying down behind rocks on any
Shelter they could find. A strong west
WIND blew the smoke away, and the move
ments OF the different skirmishers could
easily be distinguished. In this kind OF
guerrilla warfare on large scale the
turkish soldier displays great skill and
teh-reliance. 1 noticed a detachment OF
Tour Turks who happened to be opposed
TO a superior force of Creeks. Three OF
the men were killed and lay still on their
races, while the fourth fired ten shots with
perfect steadiness before he, too, was 81
fenced.
The heaviest losses and the most OBJ
sunate lighting occurred az three points
around the block-houses. These positions
were taken and rctalxen and Greeks and