The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-06
Boughazi, but this report is not generally

we tried to keep them quiet. One of
them thereupon pointed his rifle in our
direction, but their combined weight on
the steps of one side of the carriage
turned it. smashed it to pieces, and the
London Times correspondent and myself
were thrown out. l was pinned by the
leg under broken timbers, but by strenu-
Gus, efforts succeeded in getting loose.
As the pandemonium around in
creased, in perfect insanity of terror
soldiers, irregulars and armed peasants
began firing their rifles in every drec-
ton. From the front and rear, from the
right and left the bullets whizzed, but
the reports of the firearms were hardly
audible above the roar of human beings
and the terror of the maddened animals.
Even in the Shipka pass, or in the hottest
part of the fearful fighting at Plevna, l
never witnessed such wild firing. The
whole plain was lit by the flashes of the
rifles in the hands of terror-stricken SOL
diers and peasants.
Eventually the Times correspondent
and myself succeeded in getting inside a
ditch by the roadside, and thus, proceed
ing slowly, in manner we succeeded in
pushing forward for a time, when we
were thrown down by rush from be-
hind and trampled upon by scores of
people. succeeded in rising to my feet,
and regular, who was passing, deliber-
ately turned, raised his rife to within
three inches of my head and fred |
ducked just in time and fell to the
ground, thus saving my life. | had
lost my companion in the meanwhile and
walked on in the ditch already mentioned
or else plowed my way through the thick
of the stampede. ,.. r....
'"rhe mad firing continued for fully
half an hour. At the expiration of that
time buglers were heard sounding Cease
firing but it was long time before the
continuous racket slackened down. The
pandemonium had spread several miles.
when l returned to the road
stumbling over dead and dying men
and women, the scene was terrible. The
way was strewn with ammunition boxes,
broken carts and furniture, bedding, tin
panakins, which ratified under the horses
feet, many of whom ran about riderless.
Guns and ammunition 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 We're many struggles between
the fugitives for the possession of the
horses. In this manner the affrightened
crowd struggled on for several miles,
presenting a most vivid picture of disas-
ter and fear. Some of the Greek Off
GERS, 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 pushed onward as terrorized
as the soldiery. One brave officer tried
to bring his men to their senses by pre-
senting a revolver at them and shouting
stop! stop! but he might as well have
called upon a whirlwind to stay it in
it's course. . ..
Gen. Mayromichaelis, who had evil
IDENTIFY reached Larissa some time be-
fore, rode back some distance in order
to arrest the stampede. Two miles from
ment, where the general succeeded in
inducing half of company of foot-sore
soldiers to fall in, but thousands con-
tinued the pell-mell rush for Larissa.
"There was block at the bridge
across Salambra river at the entrance
to Larissa. Another terrific scene was
there presented, guns, men and horses
struggling in fearful mass.
I'm the streets of Larissa there was
Jar indescribable confusion. Troops of
all arms were mixed together and threw
themselves down in utter exhaustion,
needless of calls of the trumpets and
bugles summoning them to fall in. The
inha bitants. rushing about the streets in
t;a ne thg COM Inc mere men
.'oa ol !ne Iurks was sulnclent TO create
5fehzieu rush. When the moon rose
anu tne helshpornood OF the town could
De maze OUT WIN some dlstlnctlon, mat
yrs uecanG caiiner, ana at Dawn the
tAciteinenl nau Deen reduced TO rest
less movement from street to street and
ANXIOUS discussion OF the future. Some
esllnate Oh tne NUMBER Oh deaths winch
occurred during the stampede and in
u ,,n.n hring say from ooO to 6OO
persons were kllled, Dut your correspon-
aehS thinks these hgures are eXagger-
ateu' tnougn people declare they have
seen many wagons bearing the dead to
Larissa. Inc nVe newspaper correspon-
uents VINO were In the stampede all had
nni ir escapes from death.
Inc nrst hours OF daylight were spent
Dy the Greek ofhcers IN assembling their
SGattered troops and sending them to
naIsaios :., Inc troops continued the
:liarGn Witn9ut any refreshment, and 1t
rs aiieseu tnat many OF them had not
=; !asteu ioou since FRIDAY morning. When
pecanie known that Larissa was to
pe aDanuoned tnere was panic. The
y omen anu even the cnlidren went about
aLLawing tneir hands across their threats,
MaI ,',s Mhat tney expected OF the
.h uihs' snu III an lneredlDiy snort time
the TOduS 10 InarSalOS and vOlO wprp