Omaha daily bee., 1897-03-31
BLOOD FLOWS IN The EAST
Fight Occurs on Turkish Side Of Frontier
Of Macedonia. '
GREEKS VICTORIOUS IN THE ENGAGEMENT
SuItnn's Force Loses Twelve Men
Killed and Twenty wounded,
While the Loss of the In
surgents is Small.


ports Just received here from the Turkish
ing has already occurred on the Turkish
side of the frontier of Macedonia. 1t is
said that the Greek leader, Alexis Taxi, a
brother OF the famous chieftain OF that name,
crossed the frontier into Macedonia on Sun
day last accompanied by about twenty-five
of his followers Near Grevena the Greeks
met and engaged an advance post Of Turkish
troops commanded by a German officer. In
the fighting which followed the Turks lost
twelve men killed and had twenty men
wounded, including the German officer. The
loss of the insurgents was small. The latter
subsequently returned across the border into
Greek territory.
The situation is about as critical as 1t can
tween Greece and Turkey can be averted.
Strong efforts in that direction are still
being made but 1t is rumored in diplomatic
circles here that King George has sent a
message to the car saying that 1t is I'M
possible for Greece to yield to the powers
regarding Crete and that 1t Is equally I'M
possible to recall the Greek troops from
Thessaly in view of the excited condition of
the public mind. 1t is believed that even
the annexation of Crete would fail to satisfy
the Greeks; they are so imbued with the
war fever that nothing short of sheer blood
letting will cure them.
OUTNUMBER THE GREEKS.
The Greeks, 1t is further believed, greatly
underestimate the Turkish forces in Mace
donia and Eplrus. Edhem Pasha, the
Turkish commando chief, now has at HE
disposal about 10000 fighting men and 3OC
Krupp guns. He also has an ample supply
of ammunition, a fair commissary, as Turk.
ish commissaries go, and his medical stan
and hospital corps are in satisfactory condi'
ton All the strategic points on the
frontier are occupied, defended by newly
thrown up earth~orks and other defensei
and are supplied with powerful batteries ol
artillery. To attack this line of defense, II
is understood the Greeks cannot muster more
than 60, GOO men, mostly irregulars, although
some estimates have it here that the Gf,eks
may be able TO muster $4,000 men in all
counting the hastily armed peasantry and
the raw recruits and rough reserves which
they have been pushing toward the fronuei
for a month past. This force is known tc
be weak in cavalry and especially so III
artillery. in which arms the Turks ara over
whelmingly strong. 1t Us trIe that Inc
Greeks are animated by wariike spirit and
a degree of enthusiasm rarely before Wit
messed but warlike enthusiasm cannot pre-
vail against big battalions and heavy, numer'
cus batteries of artillery. Thus it is that
tho lurklStl auiUOEIlltS dit tuiIiS '"'''i' T
the outbreak of war, If warts to come, conf
dent that every step possible has been taken
to meet the emergency. A.. g.
BLOCKADE WILL BE USELESS.
AS to the Cretan situation proper, IL is
understood that the admirals in command OF
the foreign fleets in Cretan waters are OF the
opinion that now that Greece has virtually
completed her war preparations on the iron,
tier of Thessaly blockade of the principal
Greek ports will be useless, thus bearing
out the forecasts previously made IN THESE
dispatches that the refusal of Great Britain
to take active part in the blockade OF Greece
might lead to the collapse of the scheme to
prevent an outbreak of, hostilitles. Under
these circumstances, all the efforts of the
ambassadors of the powers are now being
directed toward prevailing on the Turkish
government to ADVISE the sultan to Withdraw
the Turkish troops from Crete, as sop tc
Greece and an attempt to prevent war, ant
in addition the ambassadors are endeavorine
to prevail upon Greece and Turkey to agree
to the establishment of a neutral zone be-
tween the OF posing Turks and Greeks on the
two frontiers.
The ambassadors have made strong repre-,
sentations to the Porte in favor of permit
ting the INN ediate departure of those of the
Muesumans in Crete who have expressed a
desire to emigrate. This Will probably bs
agreed to; but as to the withdrawal Of the
Turkish troops the sultan has not yet shown
any disposition to submit to that demand
The Austrian government, upon the repre-
sentations of the Porte, has prohibited the
expectation from Trieste OF 100000 car
tridges, which were in course Of shipment tc
Greece. The representatives of Greece have
protested against this action upon the part
of the Austrian government, claiming 1t is
illegal and arbitrary as no state of wal
exists. 1t is not likely that. the protest will
have any effect.
The work of preparing for the defense OF
Salonica is now said to have been com
peted and all danger of an attack upon this
Turkish base of supplies is believed to have
passed.